Filmmaker Utpal Borpujari has made an 82-minute feature-length documentary, Manuhar Gaan (The Hum of Humanity), ahead of the finale of Dr Bhupen Hazarika’s birth centenary celebrations in September.

The documentary explores the social and socio-political dimensions of Hazarika’s songs and seeks to introduce audiences beyond Assam and Bengal to his deep commitment to humanism, social justice and the struggles of disadvantaged communities.

What Does the Documentary Explore?

• Manuhar Gaan examines how Bhupen Hazarika used music as a medium of social commentary, addressing inequality, injustice and the lives of ordinary people.
• His songs also chronicled important social and historical developments, making his musical legacy relevant beyond entertainment.
• The documentary seeks to highlight an aspect of Hazarika that is less widely known outside Assam and Bengal—his role as an artist deeply engaged with society and human suffering.
• The filmmakers plan to make unused interview footage available on YouTube for academics, researchers and students, helping preserve primary material related to his artistic legacy.

Bhupen Hazarika and Humanism

• Dr Bhupen Hazarika was not merely a singer and composer; his works reflected human dignity, equality, fraternity and social justice. 
• His music often crossed linguistic and regional boundaries and connected local experiences with wider human concerns.
• His famous association with the Brahmaputra and Ganga also reflected his broader engagement with rivers, people, displacement, poverty and social change.
• The documentary is therefore significant from the perspective of cultural heritage preservation, as it attempts to document and reinterpret the social meaning of his creative works for a new generation.

Cultural Significance

• The documentary contributes to the preservation of Assamese cultural heritage and the wider dissemination of Northeast India’s artistic traditions.
• It demonstrates how popular culture and performing arts can become sources of social history, recording the experiences and aspirations of communities.
• Making archival interviews accessible to researchers can support academic research and cultural documentation.
• The initiative also comes alongside other efforts to expand the reach of Hazarika’s legacy, including the recent publication of English translations of his 346 songs.

Exam Hook

Bhupen Hazarika’s music illustrates how art can preserve cultural memory while expressing concerns of humanism, social justice and social change.

Prelims Question: 

The documentary Manuhar Gaan (The Hum of Humanity) is associated with which legendary Assamese cultural personality?

Answer: Dr Bhupen Hazarika.