A heartfelt tribute to Sudhakantha, Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, marks his birth centenary. Across Assam and India, various government and non-government organisations are commemorating the occasion through music, dance, painting, and diverse art forms to honour the legendary icon. Yet, perhaps uniquely, Gandharba—a non-professional theatre group from Guwahati—is paying homage through the powerful medium of drama, celebrating the artist’s vibrant life and monumental creative legacy.

In Maligaon’s Boripara, the acting and music academy Gandharba recently hosted its third annual theatre festival at the Karmashree Hiteswar Saikia Auditorium this December. The group unveiled Moi Aru Mur Saa (Me and My Shadow), a play beautifully woven around the inspiring journey of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika. The production received an overwhelming response from a diverse audience, transcending linguistic boundaries. The evening was further enriched by the presence of Dr. Hazarika’s family members and representatives of the Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust, who, along with an appreciative audience, praised the play as one of the finest theatrical tributes in the centenary celebrations, urging its staging at both state and national platforms.

Speaking to the media, Gandharba editor Dhrubajyoti Kumar announced that Moi Aru Mur Saa has been invited to perform at the Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) -India’s largest international theatre festival – organised by the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi. He shared that the National School of Drama has scheduled the play for February 3, 2026, at the Purbashree Auditorium of EZCC, Park Street, Kolkata -a city deeply intertwined with Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s musical, cinematic, literary, journalistic, and creative pursuits.

The Gandharba team, along with its editor, has expressed profound gratitude to the National School of Drama for conferring upon them the rare privilege of presenting this theatrical tribute to Dr. Bhupen Hazarika in Kolkata during his birth centenary celebrations.

• Prantik Deka