Guwahati: An ambitious Assam government initiative to spread the legacy of the legendary singer-composer Bhupen Hazarika across India through a biography published in 22 languages has encountered significant printing and distribution delays. More than a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially launched the book, several translators report that they are still waiting for final copies of their work.
Commissioned by the state government via the Publication Board Assam, the volume titled Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika was created as an authoritative tribute for the artist's birth centenary. Originally written in Assamese by senior journalist Anuradha Sarma Pujari, the book was translated into 21 other languages and formally unveiled in September 2025. The translation lineup covered English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Bodo, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Nepali, Konkani, Malayalam, Gujarati, Rajasthani, Kashmiri, Dogri, Odia, Punjabi, Santhali, Tamil, Urdu, Bangla, and Maithili.
Malayalam translator Anantha Narayanan stated that participants only received dummy copies during the launch event and have since heard little from the board despite repeated inquiries. Translators expressed disappointment that a project approached with great enthusiasm has yet to reach readers in their respective regions. Some contributors voiced concerns that the initial multilingual release served primarily as a promotional exercise rather than a fully realized distribution effort.
Other contributors have similarly spoken out about the holdup. Tamil translator K Nallathambi previously wrote to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to highlight the printing failures, which eventually prompted the board to supply a limited batch of copies for Tamil Nadu. Konkani translator Lilesh Vasudev Kudalkar also noted that despite completing the text in record time for the grand rollout, translators received zero copies to help promote the work locally.
Publication Board Assam Secretary Pramod Kalita explained that only dummy copies were initially issued because the board intends to print comprehensive quantities in all target languages for free distribution to libraries across the respective states in 2027. Kalita added that the board attempted to contact translators regarding dispatch details, though some calls went unanswered, and noted that over eleven lakh copies of the Assamese, Bodo, Bangla, and English editions have already been circulated within Assam.
Aparajita Pujari, who managed the overall project, clarified that her responsibilities concluded with the timely submission of the completed text and copy editing, leaving printing and distribution to the board. While translators praised the editorial team and acknowledged that the government handled financial compensation and hospitality professionally, they remain disheartened by the ongoing lack of accessible published copies.