PM Modi Unveils ₹100 Commemorative Coin Honouring Bhupen Hazarika’s Birth Centenary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a Rs 100 commemorative coin in Guwahati, Assam, on Saturday to mark the birth centenary of Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika, the legendary singer and cultural icon.

The event, held in Guwahati, Assam, after the Prime Minister’sday-long visit to Mizoram and Manipur, served as a heartfelt tribute to Dr. Hazarika’s extraordinary contributions to Indian music and culture. During the ceremony, PM Modi also launched a book on Hazarika’s life, authored by renowned writer Anuradha Sharma Pujari.

This commemorative coin, the first issued in honour of an Assamese personality, was crafted by the India Government Mint in Mumbai under the guidance of the Ministry of Finance. Weighing 40 grams, the coin is made of pure silver and has a diameter of 44 millimetres. One side features a portrait of Bhupen Hazarika, with “Dr Bhupen Hazarika Birth Centenary” inscribed in Hindi along the upper edge and in English along the lower edge, with the year 2025 displayed below the portrait.

The reverse side showcases the Ashoka Pillar emblem, the denomination “100” with the Indian Rupee symbol, and the word “India” written in both Hindi (“भारत”) and English on either side.

Produced by the Indian Government Mint, Mumbai, under the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd. (SPMCIL), the coin is a non-circulating collectable, designed exclusively for preservation as a heritage item and not for general circulation. A Gazette Notification for the coin’s issuance was published on August 26, 2025. The Mumbai Mint estimates the coin’s price to be between ₹7,600 and ₹8,000.