Many ordinary people who are not connected to music and art might not have even heard of Zubeen Garg, despite him being an iconic artist and a person who cared for others. However, after his unfortunate and untimely demise on September 19, 2025, social media was replete with tributes to him, not from the high and mighty of Indian society or those who wanted to monetise reels, but from common people, whom he had endeared during his lifetime through his songs, art, and compassion. Therefore, by now, many must have known who he was. The contributions of these commoners, one must admit, had truly been a window through which people looked through the life of a man who loved his state and the region, which he took pride in asserting umpteen times in various public platforms.
The news of his demise, therefore, saddened his fans beyond words. People who had been closely following the unfolding events since September 19 say thousands of Assamese who stayed abroad took flights and came to join the funeral, while many more from cities and towns outside of Assam had also headed homeward to have a last glimpse of the man they loved so dearly. It was heart-wrenching to see how Assam welcomed him. When the mortal remains landed at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport in Guwahati, the airline staff went hysterical.
As soon as the coffin carrying the mortal remains was lowered from the baggage hold, employees of various airlines simultaneously thronged to it, unmindful of the conduct rules set by their respective employers. They clung to the coffin and cried like kids, a scene perhaps never witnessed in any airport. Since then, grief descended upon the Ahom land like a dark cloud.
The journey from the airport to the city and elsewhere in the following days saw an unprecedented gathering of people. Dubbed as the fourth largest gatherings in the world, men and women, young and old, stood side by side or walked beside each other. There was no shouting or howling, jostling or pushing, but solemnity and orderliness, the human chain calmly flowing like the river Brahmaputra, which their philanthropist hero revered so dearly. The inclusive nature of participation, too, was unprecedented. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, name it, and they were all there, not because some government directive had compelled their presence, but on their own volition and out of genuine love for their icon. This itself had told half the story of the iconic humanitarian’s life.
That sea of humanity wherever the coffin travelled was akin to the return of the Indian cricket team to Mumbai after winning the World Cup – the only difference being that here people weren’t celebrating a victory but were grieving the demise of a soul that had often connected with theirs – they shed tears, sobbed, or cried inconsolably. It was a moment of rude encounter with the reality that their beloved hero was no longer alive. His songs rent the air, only to be interrupted intermittently by his voice that says, “I have no tribe, no religion, I am a free human being who believes in humanity.” Emotions swept through the mourners. Close scrutiny of the names of those who recorded the unfolding events at various stages and ran reels on social media suggests that Zubeen Garg’s mourners comprised people from every community. Perhaps none of them had ever imagined that their reels would attract so much attention and be liked and followed by so many people. The spirit of their icon had worked an unseen magic.
Among all the reels that went viral, one shared by a certain S. Deb, which showed an elderly Muslim woman braving through the crowd and hugging Zubeen’s wife, Garima, was most heartwarming because people of her generation from a conservative Muslim society would normally avoid exposing themselves that way. Likewise, the gifting of a Quran to the bereaved wife by a Muslim clergyman was not only a touching gesture but was also a manifestation of how much Zubeen was loved by people across communities and religious groups. People from different faiths – Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, etc. – organised condolence meetings across Assam and beyond. In other words, his message to treat every human being equally was magnified even more after his death.
On a higher platform, Zubeen Garg was befittingly honoured in more ways than one during the opening ceremony of the Women’s World Cup 2025. At the Barsapara Stadium, a giant board that reads “Shraddhanjali Zubeen Garg” greets people. Besides, the BCCI altered its original plans to accommodate tributes to Zubeen by different artists, including the famed Shillong Chamber Choir. When some of his songs were sung in remembrance of him, the usual shouts and cheers one normally sees on such occasions were missing. Instead, the spectators listened to them with absolute solemnity, their eyes moist with emotion.
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Even in his death, Zubeen brought together people from diverse communities. In a time when we experience a decline in communal harmony, when hate speeches become a new normal, and diversity is no longer considered the pride of India by some sections of society, he personified unity in diversity. The region and the country will miss him fondly. One hopes that the controversies surrounding his death are brought to a meaningful end in a fair and just manner. May his legacy of serving every human being endure.
(The author is a retired IPS officer. He can be reached@ johnshilshi@gmail.com. Views expressed in the article are personal)
