Sonapur (Assam), Sep 23: The sun cast a somber glow over the Kamarkuchi village in Sonapur, Assam, as the state bid a tearful farewell to its beloved son, Zubeen Garg. The legendary singer and composer was laid to rest with full state honors, surrounded by thousands of mourners who had gathered to pay their last respects.
As the morning unfolded, Garg’s mortal remains, draped in a traditional Assamese gamosa and placed in a glass casket, were taken in a flower-decked ambulance from the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex to the cremation site. The procession was accompanied by a sea of fans, who walked alongside the vehicle, chanting Zubeen’s name and singing his iconic songs.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had declared a three-day mourning period in the state, was present at the funeral, paying his respects to the departed soul. As the pyre was lit by Garg’s sister, Palmee Borthakur, accompanied by Rahul Gautam Sharma, a music composer and Zubeen’s close associate, the crowd erupted in chants of “Zubeen Dada Amar Rahibo” (Zubeen lives forever).
The Assam Police accorded Garg full state honors, offering a gun salute and sounding the bugle, as the mortal remains were consigned to flames. The funeral procession was attended by prominent figures, including Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Sarbananda Sonowal, Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, and Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia.
As the smoke rose from the pyre, the crowd broke into chants of “Zubeen, Zubeen” and sang “Mayabini Ratir Buku,” a song Garg had often wished to be played at his funeral. The farewell ceremony captured both the grief of Assam and the enduring legacy of an artist who defined its cultural heartbeat.
In a gesture to honor Garg’s memory, the state government has allocated 10 bighas of land to construct a memorial at the funeral site. As the state bid farewell to its heartthrob, Zubeen Garg’s legacy will live on, etched forever in the hearts of his fans.
