The year was 2006. Anurag Basu’s ‘Gangster’, starring Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut and Shiney Ahuja, entered theatres with modest expectations. Reviews were mixed, the box office returns were ordinary. But what outlived the film was not its plot or performances, it was its music.
One track in particular, ‘Ya Ali’, struck a chord with an entire generation. Its melody travelled from college canteens to neighbourhood cassette stalls, from night buses to late-night hostel jam sessions. Behind that song was a voice that would become, for many, inseparable from their coming of age-Zubeen Garg.
Nearly two decades later, the singer’s sudden death has paralysed his home state of Assam. In Guwahati, normal life froze. Shops closed, services stopped, crowds poured into the streets. The grief was not merely of losing an artist but also a cultural icon who took Assam around the globe.
A City Comes To A Halt
On Sunday, thousands of people lined the 25-kilometre route from Guwahati airport to Kahilipara, where Mr Garg’s residence lies. The body had arrived the previous night from Singapore, where the singer drowned while swimming after experiencing a seizure.
“The atmosphere is solemn. Faces have been downcast, eyes swollen from tears. It is truly a dark time. I cannot recall the last time my city came together with such overwhelming unity in sorrow. The scene carries an eerie resemblance to the days of the pandemic,” Guwahati-based journalist Anita Goswami told NDTV.
From Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, the flower-decked ambulance crawled slowly towards the city. It took nearly five-and-a-half hours to cover the distance, not because of any ceremonial delay but because of the sheer volume of people who were part of the procession.
Elderly citizens, women, children, young men and women, and even differently abled persons stood along the roadside. They showered flowers, folded their hands in prayer, chanted his name, or simply wept as the convoy inched forward.
“The atmosphere has been gloomy and silent, yet despite the silence, everyone became united as Zubeen’s admirers. That itself proves how deeply people loved him. Every few steps, in front of almost every shop, people lit incense sticks as a small tribute. They had even organised little booths on their own where others could come and pay respects. The love people showed for Zubeen Da overflowed in such ways,” Rupam Mudoi, a Guwahati-based digital artist, told NDTV.
Every balcony, every terrace along the highway was occupied. Road dividers became vantage points. Vehicles were abandoned on service lanes. The police, led personally by Assam’s Director General Harmeet Singh and Guwahati Police Commissioner Parthasarathi Mahanta, struggled to clear paths.
As the convoy entered Kahilipara, security personnel created a cordon to allow the family private time with Mr Garg’s body. Reporters and ordinary mourners were held back. Inside, the coffin was opened, the singer’s body draped in an Assamese gamosa, and placed in a glass casket, his face visible for a final farewell.
A Public Shutdown
The mourning was not confined to the streets. Guwahati observed what came to be called a “Black Day.” Shops, institutions, and restaurants shut down. Roadside eateries disappeared. The normally crowded thoroughfares of Fancy Bazar and Pan Bazar resembled deserted stretches.
But the shutdown was not entirely voluntary. Civilian groups, often fans’ organisations, insisted shops remain closed. This led to unease.
“I believe it is fine if people did it out of respect for our beloved Zubeen Da. But it should come from the heart, not from pressure. Forcing someone, intimidating them, or shutting businesses down isn’t the right way to show respect. But people are highly emotional, so that is understandable. We lost one of our very own,” Ms Goswami said.
“Many vendors and shopkeepers were forced to shut down because the general public itself, being fans of Zubeen Da, could not think of doing business. Their emotions ran so high that they didn’t consider anything else. People who depended on daily earnings to survive didn’t think about what would happen to them after such a complete shutdown,” Mr Mudoi added. “Personally, getting daily essentials will become a bit difficult. If everything stays shut even for two days, there’s no other way out. Even convenient services like Blinkit and others were completely closed. So these conveniences couldn’t be relied on.”
Due to the overwhelming outpouring of emotions, even food delivery services and quick e-commerce services were affected. As a result, many students and office workers who relied on these services felt inconvenienced.
“Food delivery services were shut, everyday conveniences disappeared, and even civilian groups went around forcing shops that remained open to close. I understand that he was a legend, but bringing an entire city, or even the whole state, to a standstill feels a bit too much,” Udipta Sharma, Guwahati-based student, told NDTV.
In Memoriam
Over a career spanning more than three decades, Mr Garg sang over 38,000 songs in 40 languages and dialects. For many, he was not just a singer but an embodiment of Assam’s cultural pride, carrying the state’s voice to national and international platforms.
The farewell began even before the body left Delhi. At Indira Gandhi International Airport, Mr Garg’s coffin, arriving from Singapore, was received by Chief Minister Sarma, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, and senior Assam officials.
Back home at Guwahati airport, his wife, Garima Saikia Garg, broke down as she placed a gamosa on the coffin and hugged it. Airport staff and fellow passengers wept openly as the casket was transferred to the waiting ambulance.
“Here (Guwahati), he was no less than a god. Zubeen da wasn’t any artist; he was part of our lives, woven into the very fabric of our culture. He cared more about Assam and its people than he thought possible. He was truly one of the masses. Also why people are having a hard time believing he is now gone, ” Ms Goswami said.
The convoy included Garg’s beloved open jeep, often his vehicle of choice when travelling to concerts, carrying a large portrait of him. His band members followed in the same vehicle.
Fans sang his songs and shouted “Jai Zubeen Da” as they walked alongside. Many carried cut-outs, while others held gamosas embroidered with the words “ZG Forever.”
“People are lighting candles, burning incense, and marching through the streets while singing ‘Mayabini’, the song Zubeen da himself had wished to be played after his death. Assam has lost a true gem, and there will never be another like him,” said Mimli Bordoloi, an engineer from Mangaldoi.
“Even after his death, although there is sadness, fans and admirers have not felt truly alone, because everyone has been together through the ceremonies. But once these are over and people sit alone, that’s when the true impact will hit-the realisation that Zubeen Da is no longer here. That’s when many will truly break down,” Mr Mudoi said.
The Assam cabinet is expected to finalise the location of his cremation and a memorial. Sonapur, near Guwahati, is under consideration.
When asked about their favourite memories of Mr Garg, Ms Goswami recalled: “There is no one memory, but my favourite would be of listening to Zubeen da at my maternal grandparents’ place as a kid. He gave some of the best evergreen songs to the Assamese film industry. The loss is profound, I can’t put it in words.”
According to sources, there is a demand that Mr Garg’s final resting place be set up in Jorhat where he spent many years. However, there are apprehensions over this as his father, who is in his eighties, will face difficulty travelling 300 km from Guwahati.