📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Utpal Baruah, UB Photos, www.ubphotos.com
Entertainment
Bhupen Hazarika’s Legacy Spans 22 Languages, Yet His Books Remain Unavailable
✍️ India Today
🗓 10 Nov 2026, 09:46 PM
👁 14
The celebrated Assamese singer and composer Bhupen Hazarika’s works have been translated into 22 languages, but his original books are still hard to find.
Bhupen Hazarika, the legendary Assamese singer, composer and playwright, has seen his oeuvre translated into 22 languages, reflecting the wide appeal of his music and poetry across India and beyond. The translations have helped introduce his lyrical genius to audiences in Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, and many other regional tongues.
Despite this linguistic reach, the original books containing Hazarika’s writings and song collections remain scarce. Libraries and bookstores across the country report limited stock, and many collectors have had to rely on second‑hand copies or digital scans to access his work.
Music scholars and fans have called for a dedicated publication drive to make Hazarika’s writings more accessible. A proposed initiative by the Assam State Cultural Department aims to digitise his manuscripts and release them through a national online portal.
The effort would preserve Hazarika’s legacy for future generations and ensure that his contributions to Indian music and literature are not confined to a handful of rare volumes.
Despite this linguistic reach, the original books containing Hazarika’s writings and song collections remain scarce. Libraries and bookstores across the country report limited stock, and many collectors have had to rely on second‑hand copies or digital scans to access his work.
Music scholars and fans have called for a dedicated publication drive to make Hazarika’s writings more accessible. A proposed initiative by the Assam State Cultural Department aims to digitise his manuscripts and release them through a national online portal.
The effort would preserve Hazarika’s legacy for future generations and ensure that his contributions to Indian music and literature are not confined to a handful of rare volumes.