Google's tribute to singer on the occasion of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika's 96th birthday

Google has created a doodle to commemorate the great musician Bhupen Hazarika's 96th birthday. Hazarika was a musician, singer, poet, director, and lyricist who passed away in 2011. In addition, he served from 1967 to 1972 as an MLA in the Assam parliament. He is commonly referred to as "Sudhakantha," and throughout the course of a six-decade career, he has appeared in hundreds of movies.

The doodle was made by Mumbai-based guest artist Rutuja Mali and features Hazarika playing the harmonium.

Hazarika, who was born in Assam on September 8, 1926, was exposed to songs and legends about living along the Brahmaputra river as a child. He recorded his first song at the age of 10.

The vocalist graduated from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) with an Intermediate in Arts in 1942 and an MA in 1946. He moved to New York shortly afterward, where he spent the next five years before earning his PhD in mass communication from Columbia University in 1952.

Hazarika started singing at All India Radio in Guwahati after finishing his schooling. He has also contributed his voice to Hindi translations of Bengali music.

Hazarika produced a large number of songs over the years, and he was known for using music to express stories of people's joys and sorrows, bonds of friendship and bravery, love and loneliness, and even struggle and tenacity.

As he sung songs in blockbuster movies like "Rudali," "Mil Gayi Manzil Mujhe," "Saj," "Darmiyan," "Gajgamini," "Daman," and "Kyun," he won the hearts of many over the years.

For his extraordinary contributions to music and culture, Hazarika received numerous honours, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the Padma Shri, and the Padma Bhushan. The Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, was given to him posthumously in 2019.