On the death anniversary of one of India's most celebrated cultural icons, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal travelled to Siliguri on 5 November 2026 to offer floral tributes at the portrait of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika — the Assamese singer-songwriter whose melodies built a living bridge between two of India's most culturally rich states.

A voice that belonged to both Assam and Bengal

Bhupen Hazarika, posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2019, was not simply a musician of one region. He composed, sang, and filmed his way across the border between Assam and West Bengal, drawing on the rivers, folk traditions, and human struggles of both. Sonowal, himself a former Chief Minister of Assam, described Hazarika's bond with Bengal as 'profound', crediting him with forging a 'unique cultural bridge' through 'timeless creations and immortal melodies.'

That framing carries weight. Hazarika spent significant years in Bengal, made celebrated films in Bengali, and was embraced by audiences in Kolkata and beyond as one of their own. His death on 5 November 2011 marked the close of an era — but his anniversary has since become an annual moment of cross-regional remembrance.

BJP leaders in Bengal's northern hills join the homage

Sonowal was joined at the tribute by Raju Bista, the BJP Member of Parliament from the Darjeeling constituency, along with Bapi Goswami, State General Secretary of BJP Bengal, Siliguri District BJP President Arun Mandal, and State Media Convenor Anupam Ghosh. The gathering in Siliguri — a politically significant city in northern West Bengal that sits at the junction of Bengal, Assam, and the Northeast — gave the commemoration both cultural and organisational resonance.

Central ministers from the Northeast participating in cultural events in West Bengal is a pattern worth noting. It signals an effort to reinforce shared heritage as a soft-power tool in a state where the BJP continues to build its footprint.

Why Hazarika's legacy endures across state lines

Hazarika's work defied the linguistic and administrative boundaries that often silo Indian cultural figures. Songs like 'Dil Hoom Hoom Kare' reached Hindi audiences; his Bengali compositions earned him a place beside the greatest names in that tradition. The Bharat Ratna — India's highest civilian honour — acknowledged not just his artistry but his role as a unifier across communities and languages.

For Sonowal, paying homage in Siliguri rather than in Assam is itself a statement: that Hazarika's legacy belongs to the entire Brahmaputra-Teesta cultural corridor, not to one state's memory alone.

Fifteen years on, 'Bhupen Da' remains not a figure of the past but a living point of cultural reference — and the annual tribute in Siliguri keeps that flame lit.