A 21-gun salute was offered by the Assam Police with doctors and forensic experts taking the foot impressions of the man for posterity

It was the end of an era as the mortal remains of the bard from Assam, Bhupen Hazarika, went up in flames Wednesday with his son Tej lighting the funeral pyre amid sobs and wails from a sea of humanity. Heartrending scenes were witnessed at the Gauhati University campus, close to the banks of the great Asian river Brahmaputra. As the funeral pyre was lit at 10.26am, chants of ‘Bhupen Hazarika amar raho’ (Long live Bhupen Hazarika) rent the air and people broke down, with some crying loudly and others barely managing to hold back their tears. Click here to read more