I have written tribute pieces before, but this one is particularly poignant. Never, even in my darkest moments in 2025, did I expect to hear about Zubeen Garg’s untimely demise. As I heard the news, my typing fingers took a break. I could not fathom the reality.
I immediately did something that I never do – I went to YouTube and opened an Assamese news channel. And there it was, on the screens, the news of Zubeen Garg’s death. Initially, the news channels reported him being admitted to the hospital. I thought that he would recover, just like he had from the countless other times he had been ill. But this time, his goodbye was final.
Zubeen Garg has been a cultural icon and a deeply controversial man. His views on social and political issues, be it the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), animal sacrifice, refusal to wear the logun (sacred thread) that Brahmins traditionally do, publicly drunk performances, problematic behaviour on stage, and many more, always created headlines. He is often seen as a polarising figure, not respectful enough of Assamese mainstream society, and a troublemaker.
So why then am I writing this tribute? The tribute stems from what Zubeen Garg has represented for many of us who grew up in the 1990s – emotions. These emotions are about home, childhood and growing up.
There is a Zubeen Garg song for every emotion that one can feel – grief, anger, heartbreak, nostalgia, despair, and so on. In fact, he famously sang Mrityu Etya Xohoj (death is now easy) along with his late sister Jonkey Borthakur in 1997. His song is a stark reminder of the present – that death is easy. Garg’s song Monole Ubhoti Ahe Lorali (childhood comes back to memory) from the 2001 Assamese film Daag takes one back to their childhood. It is a soulful rendition of the love that siblings share. His own relationship with his sister Jonkey Borthakur, who also passed away in a tragic car accident in 2002, was deeply emotional. Garg was a devoted brother, with his sister’s death inspiring his musical journey post-2002.
A few months later, in 2002, he released the album Xikhu (child), a heartfelt tribute to his sister. Exemplifying true genius, he channelled his sorrow and despair into music. Xikhu is considered to be one of his best albums. Garg called his sister ‘his shadow’. Their relationship represented the best of siblinghood. Similarly, his relationship with his wife, Garima Saikia Garg, was also seen as an example of true companionship and love. This does not mean that they did not have rocky times in their marital life.
But Garg was open about his admiration for his wife, again something that has resonated with the youth. The way in which he acknowledged his wife’s contributions to his life is refreshing to witness in a society that takes women’s labour for granted.
Many times, Garg said that he had been inspired by Assam’s revolutionary activist and communist leader Bishnu Prasad Rabha. He called himself a socialist and said that his motivation to contribute to Assamese society came from Rabha.
His 2004 song Jantra (machine) can be read as a scathing critique of the capitalist, modern life that has made humans become machines. He sang about how we have become Eko Ekota Jantra (machines).
Garg said he was a Shiv bhakt, who is a tribal God, and called himself a human being instead of a Brahmin. He publicly said that he does not wear the logun (sacred thread). He said that he does not believe in the hierarchies of caste.
In a society dominated by Brahminical ideas and structures, such courage is rare. Many times, he called himself non-religious and casteless, challenging status quoist ideas. He also said that he does not like politics that is done based on religion.
Garg’s actions have been repeatedly interrogated, with him being seen as a misfit in respectable middle-class Assamese society. Several cases were filed against him for hurting religious and regional sentiments across the state. But it is such actions that made him more attractive to the youth, who found a raw honesty in him. For the youth, he was the perfect mix of tradition and modernity that defined 1990s Indians. He questioned traditions and advocated for development and modernity.
Garg was not secretive – his life was played out like an open book in front of the public. He was a vocal critic of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and his song Politics Nokoriba Bondhu released in 2019 conveyed his message.
Ironically, Garg had sung songs for both the Indian National Congress (INC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) earlier, but candidly admitted that it was for money. That candid admission was again rare, although it does not whitewash the fact that he had let his commercial interests get the better of his ideological stance. Later, he said that he would never use his star power for political parties anymore.
Garg’s attachment to Assam meant that he did not go all out in Bollywood. His heart was always in Assam. This is much appreciated by his fans, who see him as a true ‘son of the soil’. However, his cosmopolitan heart meant that he often performed Hindi songs in Bihu festivals, offending Assamese regional and linguistic sentiments.
In 2013, he was threatened by the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) for the same. His relationship with the ULFA was also highlighted by the open letter that he wrote to them after a grenade blast in Guwahati in 2019. He spoke for peace, education and development. Garg was also critical of Assam’s apex literary body, Assam Sahitya Sabha’s President Paramananda Rajbongshi, in 2019, for gifting him cosmetic items instead of books.
Garg’s social and political comments made him a rare artist in the region at a time who was not afraid to speak up. His music is immortal, but so was his strength to say what he felt, uncensored. Garg could connect with the people. He was not a man defined by awards. But the love and affection are reflected in our reactions, our social media posts, and gatherings on the streets.
He was a true people’s star, and perhaps Assam’s last. I did not grow up listening to Bollywood or English songs; I grew up listening to Zubeen Garg.
The author is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati.