The heartbreaking news of the death of iconic singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore shocked the people of Assam. It sparked off instant outrage among the grief-stricken people, particularly the younger generation in Northeastern India, who grew up listening to the singer’s melodious voice. They questioned why Zubeen was taken to Singapore when he had been physically unwell for months. Millions of his fans were upset when video clippings of Zubeen swimming in the seawater without a life jacket surfaced on social media, when doctors in Guwahati had cautioned him to avoid fire and water bodies.
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The netizens cried foul, as they felt the tragic incident was not properly reported, though a group of Asomiya (Assamese) people had accompanied him to participate in the three-day North-East India Festival, organized in the Southeast Asian nation of islands on 19-21 September 2025.
For nearly five days, Assam was brought to a standstill, where markets places were closed, streets deserted, people flocked to roadside points with life-size portraits to pay homage to their beloved prince of melody, newspapers dedicated front page to Zubeen-related developments and news channels telecast all important updates with true to the term 24 hours a day. Hundreds of thousands of Zubeen admirers poured on the streets from Guwahati international airport to his residence inside the prehistoric city. Thousands arrived from different parts of northeast India to turn the city into a sea of humans- weeping, sobbing, crying, and exclaiming why Zubeen was ‘put to die’ in the sea thousands of kilometers away from his motherland.
Born to a modest family of Mohini Mohon Borthakur (a retired magistrate with pen-name Kapil Thakur) and Ily Borthakur (a classical singer, who died a few years back) in Tura of Meghalaya, adjacent to western Assam, on 18 November 1972, Zubeen was named in childhood days as Jiban Borthakur. He had two sisters namely Jonkey (who died in a road accident while traveling to a distant place to perform in a cultural show) and Palme, a city-based professional.
Married to popular fashion designer Garima Saikia in 2002, Zubeen got instant national fame with his resounding voice in the song ‘Ya Ali..’ for Bollywood movie Gangster (2006). An animal lover, a philanthropist and versatile genius, Zubeen sang thousands of songs in multiple languages and could play a number of musical instruments. Awarded with various honours, the identical face of Assam’s hugely popular Bihu functions in recent decades, Zubeen also produced and acted in Assamese movies.
When the fractured and unauthentic reports about his sudden demise in Singapore started surfacing, it was difficult to guess how Zubeen died; was it a mishap in paragliding, scuba diving, yacht or any usual sea outing. The widely circulated newspaper of the island nation, The Straits Times reported on September 19 that Zubeen was admitted in a critical condition at Singapore General Hospital after a freak accident from where the police rescued him from the sea and rushed him to the hospital. Despite doctors treating him in the intensive care unit and closely monitoring his condition, they were unable to revive him. Meanwhile, a number of police complaints were lodged in various parts of Assam, demanding stringent actions against those involved in the series of events that ultimately led to Zubeen’s unfortunate death.
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Zubeen’s mortal remains were received by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at New Delhi International Airport, and soon he was flown back to Guwahati on September 21. A flower-decked ambulance carried him driving amidst unprecedented crowds to his Kahilipara residence and later moved to Sarusajai stadium, where Zubeen was put inside a glass-casket for public viewing and homage. He was cremated on September 23 at Kamarkuchi near Guwahati with full state honours after four days of mourning. Thousands of people, who attended his funeral facing scorching sunlight, echoed chanting ‘Zubeen Garg will live forever’ for Assam and Asomiyas in centuries to come. Probably after Dr Bhupen Hazarika (8 September 1926-5 November 2011), a widely acclaimed Assamese singer, musician, writer, filmmaker and an extraordinary public communicator, people of the eastern Indian subcontinent, mourned over the loss of Zubeen.
Goodbye, Prince of Melody…
(The views expressed in this article are those of the authors. Ukhrul Times values and encourages diverse perspectives.)