Tribute to Bhupen Uzir: Musical Evening Held at Kalakshetra on His 72nd Birth Anniversary

Guwahati: A grand musical evening was recently held at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra to celebrate the 72nd birth anniversary of the late Bhupen Uzir, a renowned music director and sound recordist of Assam. The event, filled with music and emotion, was organised by the Bhupen Uzir Smriti Raksha Samiti in collaboration with the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Government of Assam.

Titled “Hiya Bhora Xubhokamonare”, the evening brought together musicians, singers, fans, and cultural icons to remember and honour Bhupen Uzir’s unforgettable contributions to Assamese music. The atmosphere was festive yet heartfelt, filled with performances of his timeless songs by several well-known artistes.

The event began with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by respected personalities like Noni Devi, Ramen Choudhury, Samar Hazarika, Anupam Choudhury, and Manisha Hazarika.

Four veteran artistes were honoured with the Bhupen Uzir Suwaroni Shilpo Sadhana Award for their lifelong dedication to music and sound recording. The awardees were guitarist Sourabh Kumar Das, violinist and guitarist Dilip Rasaily, saxophonist Pitambar Tamuly, and sound recordist Satish Chauhan.

An online music competition was also held to mark the occasion, where participants sang Bhupen Uzir’s songs. In the below 14 years (Category A) group, Jigyasa Kashyap won first prize, Pragya Konwar came second, and Shruti Madhujya secured third. In the above 14 years (Category B), Taneesha Saikia, Ratan Konwar, and Junak Nibir Kashyap took the top three spots. The winners received cash prizes, certificates, and trophies.

The audience included many of Uzir’s childhood friends like Bijoy Bordoloi, Bijoy Das, Prakash Baruah, and Pratap Goswami, as well as popular names from the music and film industry such as Syed Sadulla, Sandhya Menon, Pulok Banerjee, Malabika Bora, Pranjal Saikia, and Kapil Bora.

Soulful performances by singers like Shashwati Phukan, Queen Hazarika, Mausumi Saharia, Sarmistha Chakravorty, Sanskrita Malakar, and many others brought Bhupen Uzir’s songs back to life on stage.

A special moment of the evening was the release of a new song titled ‘Smritir Avesh’, sung by Shanta Uzir, written by Manjula Hazarika and composed by Sourav Mahanta. The event ended with a powerful group performance by leading instrumentalists including Jayanta Gogoi, Dr. Mrinal Das, Tapan Das, and Deep Rajbangshi.