Where songs never die: Bhupen Hazarika Museum to turn memory into music at Royal Global University

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJuly 15, 2025

As Assam and the world celebrate the birth centenary of cultural icon Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, Royal Global University (RGU) is preparing a tribute that goes far beyond stone and plaques. Within its campus, a museum is taking shape — one that promises to be not a mausoleum, but a living, singing space where memory moves and melody breathes.

The Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Centre for Creativity at RGU is curating a museum that will capture the life, art, activism, and soul of the bard of the Brahmaputra. It will house not just artefacts but echoes — of songs, struggles, stagecraft, and stories — that define Dr. Hazarika’s towering legacy.

“Our museum will not be a static hall of glass cases. It will be a sanctuary where every photograph whispers, every handwritten lyric resonates, every costume carries the dust of performance,” said Shamim Goney, Deputy Registrar (Administration) at RGU.

As part of this ambitious initiative, RGU has issued a public appeal across Assam, the Northeast, and the diaspora. The university is calling on admirers, colleagues, and collectors to contribute items related to Dr. Hazarika’s life — including personal letters, photographs, instruments, stage costumes, artwork, rare recordings, or even recollections captured on paper.

“No contribution is too small,” said Professor (Dr.) Amarjyoti Choudhury, Emeritus Professor and Chair of the Centre. “Let this space be a bridge across generations, where silence speaks in verses and memory finds its voice. Let every item echo not just his music, but his mission — for unity, for justice, for humanity.”

The museum is envisioned as more than a monument. It will serve as a cultural and creative pulse point, preserving the past while inspiring the future. In its halls, Bhupen Hazarika’s message of inclusivity, courage, and art as activism will continue to speak — not just to admirers of his music, but to anyone moved by his vision for Assam and the world.

Those wishing to contribute can contact the Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Centre for Creativity at [email protected] or reach out via 9864026097 / 9435519911 (Sattyakee D’Com Bhuyan).

This is not just a call for memorabilia — it’s a call to keep Bhupen Hazarika’s song alive.