PM to arrive in Assam on 2-day visit, pay tributes to Bhupen Hazarika

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Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File image)

Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive in Assam on Saturday evening on a two-day visit to the state, during which he will attend legendary singer Bhupen Hazarika's birth centenary celebrations.

He is scheduled to arrive in Guwahati at 4.20 pm, following which he will attend a meeting from 5.15 pm, where he will pay tributes to the musical doyen.

Modi will release a Rs 100 commemorative coin issued by the Reserve Bank of India to honour Hazarika, and also a biography of the maestro, titled 'Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika', written by Sahitya Akademi awardee Anuradha Sarma Pujari.

The celebrations will include an 18-minute musical tribute by 1,200 artistes who will render 14 evergreen songs of Hazarika in a medley.

People who were associated with Hazarika in any way during his lifetime will also be present on the occasion.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Khanapara Veterinary College Field late on Friday night to review preparations for the PM's visit, and directed officials concerned to ensure flawless arrangements and tight security measures.

"A few hours to go as Assam gets ready to welcome Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji. Joined my fellow karyakartas to review last-minute preparations," the CM posted on X.

The commemorative coin, weighing 40 gm, is made of pure silver and measures 44 millimeters in diameter.

One side of the coin will feature a portrait of Bhupen Hazarika, with the inscription 'Dr Bhupen Hazarika Birth Centenary' written in Hindi along the upper circumference and English along the lower circumference, while the year 2025 will be mentioned below his image.

The other side of the coin will display the Ashoka pillar emblem, with the denomination 100 with the Indian Rupee symbol beneath it, and on either side of the denomination, 'Bharat' in Hindi and 'India' in English will be inscribed.

The coin is non-circulating, created solely for preservation as a collectible or heritage item and not for general market circulation, with its estimated price expected to be in the range of Rs 7,600 to Rs 8,000.

The biography of the maestro, written in Assamese, will be translated in all major Indian languages, and the Assam government plans to distribute it to around 20 lakh people along with all the libraries of the country.

The PM will stay the night at a state guest house here.

On Sunday, Modi will visit Mangaldoi in Darrang district and Numaligarh refinery in Golaghat district, where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for projects worth over Rs 19,000 crore and address public meetings at both places.

The PM will leave for Kolkata from Jorhat airport on Sunday evening.

Himanta Biswa Sarma Northeast Bhupen Hazarika Assam Narendra Modi