Will be tremendous honour to receive 'Bharat Ratna' on my father's behalf: Bhupen Hazarika's son

Tej Hazarika, son of famed Assamese singer-composer Bhupen Hazarika, has said he has been invited by the Indian government to accept the Bharat Ratna on behalf of his late father and it will be his "tremendous honour" to receive the country's highest civilian award.

"The Government of India has graciously extended me an invitation to accept the Bharat Ratna for my father. He sacrificed much and devoted selflessly to the cause of a united and progressive India and now he is being recognized for that with this well-deserved award," Tej Hazarika said in a statement issued to PTI in New York.

He said it is a "tremendous honor, for me and my family to be invited" by the Indian government to accept the Bharat Ratna on behalf of his late father.

"It will be my dreamlike privilege to receive it for my father and his fans and followers everywhere. As always, I will strive to follow in my father's footsteps to work to bring light where there is darkness," the statement quoted Tez Hazarika as ...