Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Thousands gather for pilgrimage at the altar of Bhupenda SAURAV BORA & SUMIR KARMAKAR

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111116/jsp/frontpage/story_14756360.jsp
Thousands gather for pilgrimage at the altar of Bhupenda
Tez Hazarika addresses the gathering at the adya shraddha of Bhupen Hazarika at the Veterinary College field at Khanapara in Guwahati on Tuesday, along with other family members. Picture by UB Photos

Guwahati, Nov. 15: As the swaying trail of incense rose skyward this afternoon, slowly melting into the elements, Bhupenda had become a part of the air we breathe.

As prayer after prayer, written by apostles from the four corners of the earth, rose above the gentle whispers of friends and family and the adulation of hundreds of thousands who had gathered at the ceremonies, a bard had become an apostle himself, if not a God, revered and rejoiced this afternoon at his adya shraddha.

At Jalukbari, Gauhati University authorities have over the past few days put up small signs where Bhupenda was cremated. "Please don't put money here," they say, as people turn the place into an altar. A busload of students from Chandrapur on the outskirts of the city arrived there this morning to pay homage at the site. A banner on the bus read: "Tirtha Yatra, a visit to Bhupen Hazarika's samadhisthal" (Pilgrimage, to the site of Bhupen Hazarika's funeral).

Across Assam and the Northeast, people today came in ones and twos and groups and droves to pray. In little gatherings on the pavement, in public fields, in naamghars, giving the people's king a farewell that befits him.

At Khanapara, at the shraddha organised by the state government, the mood was solemn.

The 5,000 who had gathered clapped as music's first family took the stage, overwhelmed by the sentiment of the people and the love they had showered on them.

"I am speechless by the outpouring of love that I have witnessed ever since I landed here. On behalf of my family I must thank the people of Assam, chief minister Tarun Gogoi for his support and Himanta Biswa Sarma for the arrangements made across the state," Bhupenda's son, Tez, said.

From Vedic hymns, naam proxongo, jikir, verses from the Bhagawad Gita, Quran and Bible, to Gurbani, Jain and Buddhist prayers, the venue brimmed with the auspicious, a tribute that could only be meant for the Gono Xilpi (peoples' singer). The followers had come in from far and wide. Chandra Barsaikia, a businessman from Dhemaji, could not attend the funeral last week but was among the first to enter the grounds today. "It's the opportunity of a lifetime and I did not want to miss it," he said standing at the bamboo barricade.

Eighty-year-old Bhaben Deka of Baghorbari was seen standing in the queue for a long time to enter the ground. "When Bhupenda's body was brought here, I was out the city and today I have come here to pray for his departed soul," he said.

Silence stole the auditorium at 1.30pm when a three-member troupe from Ved Vidyalaya, Rupnagar, chanted hymns from the Vedas, followed by chants the Bhagvad Gita and verses from the Naam ghoxa by Dimbeswar Bhuyan and his troupe from Luitkonwar Rudra Baruah State Music College. Members of the Kasturba Ashram recited verses from the Upanishads thereafter.

The imam of Bura Jame Masjid and his group recited verses from the Quran, while Shamim Ahmed's troupe sang a jikirMoitu kisu najanilu Allah/murukhe eko nubujilu Allah e/Einu bore ghar kaloinu xajila/Ka loi xajisa dhan Allah... (I don't know, Allah for whom/You built the grand house, for whom You created wealth oh Allah…).

For those in attendance, it was as if Bhupenda was just there, Nepali cap in place, eyes shut, fingers dancing across his harmonium, singing his Mahabahu Brahmaputra, the story of the great arch of the Lohit and the peoples who live on its shores.

Gyani Ranjit Singh's gurbani and a prayer by Jaikumar Jain and his group from Digambar Jain Samaj added the spartan Jain touch while Bhante Baba and his troupe from Amingaon recited a Buddhist prayer. The Christians of the region were represented by pastor Aziz-ul Haq of Guwahati Baptist Church and Fr Solomon from St Joseph's Church.

Dispur left no stone unturned, the way it has so far, to make the function a success. From Scouts to medical teams to policemen, things were in place from the first minute. Four companies of Assam police, each comprising 70 personnel, and two platoons of women personnel, were deployed in and around the ground. At least 40 women police comprised each platoon. "Apart from the police, 150 volunteers of Scouts and Guides are helping us conduct the programme, to make sure that people can attend the prayer meet for Bhupenda," senior superintendent of police (city) Apurba Jibon Baruah told The Telegraph. IGP (central western range), G.P. Singh oversaw the security arrangements, while Kamrup (metro) deputy commissioner Ashutosh Agnihotri ensured the smooth conduct of the programme.

The AJYCP put up drinking water stalls for the people. "We made drinking water arrangements for people. Besides, 300 earthen lamps have been lit outlining the words Bhupendaloi shraddhanjali," Sanjib Rai Choudhury, vice-president of the AJYCP city committee, said.

Top
Email This Page Print This Page

 More stories in Front Page

  • Spectacle of hope
  • Thousands gather for pilgrimage at the altar of Bhupenda
  • Petrol down, Mamata up
  • Short shrift for sport once again
  • Pak eunuchs in India poll steps
  • State tests ground to tweak land clause
  • Bengal dips into tested quiver
  • Regard for bard, disregard for unifier 
  • 'Prof' Kalam ready to renew Nalanda link
  • Free power versus water
  • Hunt for baby-a-week mom

No comments: