At a ceremony in Guwahati on Monday, Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Union Minister for Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region, delivered the Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika National Awards.
The occasion honoured the rich legacy of the Northeast, India's cultural diversity, and the contribution of women and young people to the development of the country.
Bhupen Hazarika was described by Scindia as a poet, musician, and the voice of a nation whose work merged art, empathy, and humanity in a statement from the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region.
According to him, honouring people in Bhupen Da's name entails commemorating not just one artist but a whole period of cultural fusion.
Six distinguished North easterners: Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi (Arunachal Pradesh), Laishram Mema (Manipur), Rajni Basumatary (Assam), L. R. Sailo (Mizoram), Dr. Surjya Kanta Hazarika (Assam), and Prof. David R. Syiemlieh (Meghalaya) were honored for their outstanding contributions to literature, music, film, scholarship, and cultural preservation.
Scindia said that he had a strong emotional connection to the Northeast and that Bhupen Da's legacy was firmly ingrained in both history and feeling. Bhupen Hazarika, whose ageless tunes still reverberate throughout India, is a link between "my janmabhoomi Mumbai and his karmabhoomi Assam," according to him.
Scindia added that his grandfather, Maharaja Jivajirao Scindia, founded the Assam Relief Fund to aid impacted villages following the 1950 earthquake, which is how his family's connection to Assam began.
He thought that the same tragedy that destroyed Sadiya, the birthplace of Bhupen Da, also gave rise to melodies that transformed loss into light and suffering into poetry.
"The resilience of Bhupen Da’s music reminds us that even in sorrow, there is song, that the human spirit, like the Brahmaputra, always finds its course again," Scindia stated.
Inspired by Bhupen Da's vision, he emphasized the Bhupen Hazarika Setu as a living symbol of growth, connectivity, and resiliency.
The minister also praised Sarhad Pune and its founder, Sanjay Nahar, for decades of work in national integration, including fostering students from areas affected by conflict, starting cultural projects like Bhupen Hazarika Music Studio and the Sarhad Music platform, and managing a hostel for girls from the Northeast.
Scindia spoke at the Nanhi Chhaan National Essay Contest later in the day, which attracted over 50,000 students from all over India. He spoke with the victors, praising their clarity of mind and sense of patriotism.
Scindia praised the Nanhi Chhaan Foundation for supporting interfaith cooperation, environmental conservation, and women's empowerment, saying the essays demonstrated the resilience and hope of India's youth.
Speaking on the topic "The Force of Viksit Bharat," Scindia stated that the compassion and inventiveness of India's youth will propel the country's advancement.
Inspired by independence warrior Kanaklata Barua, he underlined that bravery and commitment are independent of age or gender.
"The journey towards a Viksit Bharat will gain unstoppable momentum when women’s empathy and leadership unite with the innovation and energy of youth," he stated.
