The Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust has expressed concern over a section of artistes remaking and recreating the musician’s songs by distorting them.

“It has come to our notice that many artistes have appropriated the work of Bhupen Hazarika and his musical journey. They have recorded and broadcast the same through CDs, YouTube and social media with the intention of paying tribute to the legend. However, in the process they altered or distorted his original work,” joint secretary of the trust and Hazarika’s sister-in-law, Manisha Hazarika, told The Telegraph.

She said the matter was deliberated upon at a recent meeting of the trust where it was decided that anybody who wishes to remake or recreate Hazarika’s creative work will have to take its consent.

“The trust was constituted according to the desire of Hazarika and he had entrusted it with the responsibility of preserving his creative work in its purest form during his lifetime and thereafter. Hence, we are liable to inform the parties concerned that a formal consent must be taken from the trust before recreating any of his work,” Manisha said.

“A formal consent is must because the individual had given responsibility to the trust for correct projection of factual information and accurate representation of his personality and work,” she said.

The trust was constituted by Hazarika in 2000 and the trustees were handpicked and nominated by him before he passed away on November 5, 2011.

Manisha said the trust was in the process of constituting a committee, which will give permission for the release of recreated work of the maestro.

“The proposed committee will scrutinise the remake and will give its consent only if it was fully satisfied that the original work has not been mutilated or distorted,” she said.

Manisha said recently an artiste in Mangaldoi had recreated and recorded one of Hazarika’s songs by excluding two stanzas. “Many people had disapproved of the recreated song and approached us to do something to end this unhealthy trend,” she said.

She said they did not want to take any legal action against appropriation of Hazarika’s creative work but they have that option too and may think of exercising it if the need arises, as all his songs are properties of Saregama (formerly known as HMV) and the trust.