Zubeen Garg: Tragic Fall of a Musical Icon from Heaven
A thick pall of gloom and grief hangs in the music industry of India; Zubeen Garg’s sudden yet sad demise during a scuba diving session in Singapore proved tragic and fatal. Life’s journey of a promising music icon is abruptly cut short. Prasanta Paul and Sid Ghosh converse together to dig out from depth the multi-talented & multi-faceted personality of this great maestro.
Prasanta: Have you heard the tragic news?
Sid: What? Are you referring to Zubeen Garg’s sudden demise in Singapore?
Prasanta: Yes, of course. I just can’t believe this – so shocking.
Sid: A very sad moment in the world of Indian music..Zubeen’s loss is irreparable… a singer, lyricist, musician and a beloved figure in the hearts of millions of music lovers.
Prasanta: When I first heard his song ‘Ya Ali Reham Ali..’ from the film ‘Gangster’, I was electrified, you know. The pitch, the power in the song…simply mind-blowing.
Sid: The best quality in him, you know, despite his meteoric rise in fame, he was rooted to earth, absolutely a publicity-shy chap…and more importantly, he never forgot his roots…that is Assam.
Prasanta: Yes, that’s the hallmark of a true patriot-cum-singer. By the way, what was he doing in Singapore?
Sid: Zubeen was in Singapore to perform at the North East Festival due to start from September 20. He was extremely popular for his versatility in singing Assamese, Bengali and Hindi Songs.
Prasanta: I am reminded of Bhupen Hazarika…
Sid: Zubeen’s tragedy is of a different scale; in fact, there is a sea of mourners in front of his home at Kahilipara; everybody is in a state of shock. In his last video posted from Singapore, he poured out his undying love for Assam.
Prasanta: Zubeen, I believe, is looked upon as a hero of Assam.
Sid: If anyone could have filled the void of Bhupen Hazarika, it was Zubeen only; he raised himself to that status in the last three decades through his talented rendering of a host of popular songs in Hindi, Bengali and Assamese.
Prasanta: People in Assam, I heard, couldn’t initially believe the news of the mishap.
Sid: The news was confirmed by 4 pm on Friday (19/9). I can imagine the kind of a chilling shock that went through the spines of hundreds and thousands of Zubeen lovers.
You’ve to see the mourning to believe it. I can foresee a sea of humanity turning up at the funeral procession.
Prasanta: Aare, not only in Assam, there’s a kind of national mourning, you see. Starting from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to such Bollywood figures as Amal Malik, Vishal Mishra, rapper Baadshah, music directors Jeet Ganguly and Pritam of Bollywood, his pal Papon and Bengal superstar Dev are among several others who paid their tribute to this multi-talented singer.
Sid: Yes, you’re absolutely right. I’ve seen what the PM and the Assam CM spoke about him. Let me quote their obits.
“Shocked by the sudden demise of popular singer Zubeen Garg. He will be remembered for his rich contribution to music. His renditions were very popular among people across all walks of life. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti” PM posted on X.
Prasanta: What has Sarma ji said? I heard he was a big fan of Zubeen.
Sid: Of course he is; Himanta ji described Zubeen as one of Assam’s favourite sons. Then he went on “I am at a loss of words to describe what Zubeen meant for Assam. He has gone too early, this was not an age to go. His magical voice has forever gone silent.”
Prasanta: Quite natural..he knows Zubeen for more than two decades..
Sid: Look, there’re scores of his admires scattered around in Assam and elsewhere in India. I haven’t completed Himanta ji’s outpouring of love and respect for Zubeen…let me read it out.
“His (Zubeen’s) music spoke directly to our minds and souls,” the CM continued “he has left a void that will never be filled. Our future generations will remember him as a stalwart of Assam’s culture, and his works will inspire many more talented artists in the days and years to come.”
Prasanta: A while back, I received a call from my friend in Delhi who was also a Zubeen fan. Aware that I must be looking for some important leaders’ quotes on Zubeen, he whatsapped me with Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s observations.
Would you make a note of them?
Sid: Oh yes, why not?
Prasanta: “Khelo India singer is no more”, said union minister Kiren Rijiju. Actor Adil Hussain posted “I am devastated and shocked. Garg’s contribution to Assamese music and culture is extraordinary.”
And Rahul Gandhi added: “The passing of Zubeen Garg is a terrible tragedy. His voice defined a generation, and his talent was truly unmatched. He overcame personal tragedies to reshape the landscape of Assamese music…”
Sid: Zubeen’s musical journey was extremely colourful, you know. Originally from Assam, Zubeen made an indelible mark in Bollywood and Tollywood (Bengal) besides Assam, thanks to his rhapsodic voice. And in his barely three-decade-old career, he lent his voice to as many as 38,000 tracks in Hindi, Bengali and Assamese.
While his primary legacy is music, his acting career, though brief, was also notable. His role as DSP Mahadev Borbarua in the 2023 movie Dr. Bezbaruah 2 was widely appreciated by audiences. For more, check out our friend Rhituparna Chakraborty’s review of the movie for EIS.
Prasanta: The death of his sister all of a sudden, I heard, impacted him quite adversely. Where was he born?
Sid: Born in Tura district of Meghalaya, Zubeen’s family shifted to Jorhat of Assam; healthwise, Zubeen wasn’t doing well recently; in fact, he was hospitalised in May last with an acute pain in the stomach. This was rumoured to be the result of excessive drinking after his sister’s death.
Prasanta: In Kolkata, the music director and Zubeen’s long-time friend Jeet Ganguly penned a memoir on him.
Sid: Do you know a very interesting trait of Zubeen? His journey as a singer began at the age of 3 only, thanks to his mother; surprisingly, the next eleven years saw him being trained in Tabla and other instruments. And the list included a dozen musical instruments including guitar, drum and harmonium.
Prasanta: I find Adil and Papon are quite heart-broken; to both, the loss is akin to that of a brother, you see. “Zubeen, the voice of a generation, is suddenly gone amiss..lost a brother, a friend ..I am speechless; the void will remain forever,” Papon said in a tearful post.
Sid: When his mortal remains will finally reach here, the entire state of Assam will reverberate with his famous score ‘Mayabini ratir bukut’ from the Assamese film ‘Daag’.
Ironically though, Zubeen won’t be present there to witness his prediction coming true.
Prasanta: Prediction? What prediction?
Sid: A couple of years ago, while performing this song at a function, Zubeen predicted that when he would finally die, ‘Mayabini’ would be played out throughout the state.
Now, Assam has been silently bracing up to play ‘Mayabini…’ on Sunday to pay a final homage to the eternal music star during the funeral at the Guwahati Stadium.
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