Assam Announces Bhupen Hazarika National Award; Usha Mangeshkar Named First Recipient

The Assam government has announced a new national-level award in honour of legendary singer, composer and cultural icon Dr Bhupen Hazarika, with veteran playback singer Usha Mangeshkar selected as its first recipient.

The Assam Cabinet has approved the institution of the ‘Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika National Award’, which aims to recognise distinguished contributions to music and culture while celebrating Hazarika’s enduring artistic legacy. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the decision on October 23.

The inaugural award will be presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the concluding ceremony of Hazarika’s birth centenary celebrations at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on November 29. Mangeshkar has been selected in recognition of her contribution to Indian music and her association with Hazarika’s musical works.

The award will be conferred once every three years on a nationally or internationally recognised personality from the fields of music, arts or cinema. It will carry a cash prize of ₹10 lakh along with a citation.

The announcement comes as the country marks the birth centenary of Hazarika, who was born on September 8, 1926, in Sadiya, Assam. Widely known as the ‘Bard of the Brahmaputra’, he made significant contributions to Indian music, cinema and literature through his compositions, poetry and socially conscious storytelling. He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2019.

The concluding ceremony is expected to bring together around 5,000–7,000 attendees from across the country. Singers Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shankar Mahadevan and Shreya Ghoshal, along with artistes from Assam, are also expected to pay tribute to Hazarika through musical performances.

An exhibition showcasing Hazarika’s creative legacy is planned as part of the celebrations, with the aim of introducing his work to a wider international audience.

The initiative seeks to extend recognition of Hazarika’s influence beyond Assam, highlighting how his music and cultural contributions connected audiences across linguistic and geographical boundaries. His body of work continues to be associated with themes of humanity, harmony and universal brotherhood.

Through the new national award, the Assam government aims to establish a recurring platform for recognising artists and cultural figures whose work has made a lasting contribution to India’s artistic landscape.