[Writing this article is very special for me. As an Assamese (Assam - Indian state), I am trying to take a responsibility, responsibility of representing my state and its people to the world. And I am doing this because I believe, various work in case of literature, art, music which get confined in a certain parts of the world but are potential enough to spread its feel beyond the confined walls, So that people from different parts can cherish these amazing works by some amazing people. So, I am starting off my cause by introducing you to a person who is a God figure for us. I want to write about "BHUPEN HAZARIKA" and the influence which changed my life. "Bhupen Da" (as we address him in India) was lyricist, musician, singer, poet and film-maker who won various national and international awards for his works. His songs once changed the course of time in Assam, changed people's approach towards mother land, and taught us to appreciate our mother land rather than counting the negative's. In this article I want to present an incident that changed my life forever and that's how I started writing]

"Bhupen Hazarika", an identity to the outside world for us. 'Bhupen Hazarika" an enlighten that changed my thought processing approach towards Assam as an Assamese.

Three months back I realized some changes were shaping my thoughts while I was in Assam. After a hectic year of job in Bangalore, I opted home to get rehabilitate.

5th November 2011 was the day which I will never forget for rest of my life, the day, when Bhupen Da left this material world to stay with us forever. News started pouring in from everywhere, news channels, face book etc. I still remember the numerous phone calls my dad was attending that day from his friends. He was so nervous, speechless and sad. My brain was unable to adapt those happening in my home and all over Assam as frankly speaking I was never a great fan of Bhupen Da until that day. As a child it was pretty tough for me to understand Bhupen Da and his ideology. Sometimes it was even very frustrating and I was angry because I was not able to play my favorite bollywood (Indian Film industry) songs as my dad use to listen Bhupen Da's song whole day. My uncle once told me that my dad uses to carry a tape recorder and some blank cassette in every Bhupen Hazarika concert. He recorded those songs, as those days DVD's and CD's were not easily available around. I can still remember my first Bhupen Hazarika concert, I was only five then. My mom was holding me and my sister all the way. The reason was "people", thousands of them; I had never seen such a huge crowd in my life. Everyone was there, rich, poor, old and young. Talking about my dad, yup! I admit he is fan and in all ways a far better fan than me .Fans of those days are so amazing, it's very difficult to describe. My dad follow only him and it never changed, it's not like me as it changes every Friday after a new movie releases.

Nov 5th, 2011 did change me as a person, as an Assamese, as an admirer of art and music. The next few days I was glued to the TV, as people almost everyone was paying homage to Bhupen Da in Guwahati (A City of Assam), the chain of people who was there to see him for the last time was so long that it took 7 to 8 hr to reach that place. After that till my stay in Assam I was only listening Bhupendra sangeet (Songs of Bhupen Hazarika), I was doing a kind of research by going through his works and achievements. It was stunning. Sometimes I think "did Bupen Da want all Assamese to get united in that very period of time? May be That's why I was there in Assam, I guess and my eagerness to understand this phenomenon of mine increased when I realized that I never planned to go to Assam in that time of the year when every puja was over. After couple of weeks I went to jalukbari (a place in guwahati, where he was cremated) to see some of my relatives. Even this time I found myself near the place where Bhupen Da got his funeral rites. My intent was to visit my relatives who moved to Guwahati only few months back. It was so strange, somehow I was attracted to that place, and I was not able to figure it out, as some heavy emotions were running through me standing in the jalukbari bus stand. I could not help myself and at last I went inside and I prayed and that moment I felt heavenly, like he was blessing me. At that very moment of time I realized, It was his capability of attracting Assamese people over the years .I travelled from Bangalore to my home(3800km) and then to julukbari in that period of time when it was not Bihu(festival of Assam) or Puja.

Now, while writing this article in my room in Bangalore I find myself surrounded with all kinds of Bhupen Da's work, his books, songs, photos. And I am getting obsessed all the time. I know I am changed and my approach towards mother land has changed. It took only 5 days to change "not a fan" to "fan forever". But the kind of fan my dad is something which I can never be one. This is my story of being fan of my dad's hero.

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