Zubeen: The Pride of Assam

By Mithun Dey

Zubeen Garg famously stated, “Assam is famous for tea, rhinos, and Zubeen Garg”

Zubeen Garg: The Poet of Music

It’s hard to believe that Zubeen Garg, the “Poet of Music” is no more on earth. He leaves us untimely at the age of 52. Our most beloved Zubeen da died on 19-09-2025 in Singapore while swimming at Lazarus Island. He was in Singapore to take part in the North East India Festival 2025.

His death was a heart-rending episode for millions state wide. Garg’s passing sparked an outpouring of grief from fans around the state and his legacy continues to be honoured, including memories at his star in the heart of Assamese people. The singer of ‘Ya Ali’ still is an idol to million hearts of Assam.

Zubeen Garg was established to be for Assam through public demonstrations of love and respect at his funeral, where thousands of fans and supporters gathered, sang his songs, and paid tribute to his cultural influence and philanthropic work. His funeral in Guwahati listed as second biggest gathering as an artiste in the world after Popstar Michael Jackson, enters Limca Book of Records.

Zubeen and His Family

The legend was born as Zubeen Borthakur in an Assamese Brahmin family on November 18, 1972 in Tura. Later, he adopted the surname Garg from his Gotra in the year 1990 and was named after the renowned Indian conductor of Western classical music, Zubin Mehta, as reported by The Times of India and Hindustan Times. Zubeen Da started his musical journey at the tender age of three.

His mother IIy Borthakur was widely considered as his first guru (teacher) since she provided foundational knowledge of tabla and introduced Zubeen to the term for a musical note. “His mother was his Goddess”, the legend often used to say. IIy Borthakur was a dancer, singer and actress and his father, Mohini Mohan Borthakur was a Magistrate and is also a lyricist and poet under the pen name Kapil Thakur.

Zubeen’s Love Life

The noted singer and his spouse Garima Saikia who is fashion designer shared their love story illustrating that began through the profound and personal connection with a simple fan letter. Over more than a couple of decade, their relationship endured distance, family obstruction built in their love that led to disappointment. From letters to lifelong devotion, the couple adopted 15 underprivileged children and transformed their lives. This is the story of two souls brought together by music, letters and destiny.

Zubeen’s Journey With Music

Zubeen was also from a musical and cultural upbringing and was musically inclined. He had spent his boyhood at his hometown, Jorhat of Assam.  First and foremost he was not merely a singer but a complete writer, actor, music director, composer and producer whose work touched the hearts of people of Assam and made him relatable.

He was an incredible piece of personality. The saddest part of his life was when her sister Jongki Borthakur died in a tragic road accident on January 20, 2002, at the age of 18. She was also a singer and actress. The both were born into an artistic family. Zubeen’s other sister Dr. Palmi Borthakur is a Bharatnatyam dancer and she is also a professor of Geography department at a private university in Guwahati.

Zubeen’s Anamika and Ya Ali

His debut album was released in 1992 under the name of ‘Anamika’ at the age of 19 that brought him into professional music. With a musical career spanning over three decades, Zubeen sang in 40 different languages including Assamese, Bengali, Hindi, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Adi, Boro, Dimasa, Goalpariya, Sanskrit, Tiwa, Sindhi, Telugu, Tamil, Nepali, Odia, Malayalam, Marathi, Kannada, English, Bhojpuri and many indigenous dialects. He became a powerhouse of music industries.

His central Bollywood breakthrough appeared in 2006 with the release of “Ya Ali” which was introduced in the movie “Gangster” directed by Anurag Basu. This son won him the best playback singer Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA). His debut recorded songs were “Tumi Junu Pariba Hun” and “Tumi Junaki Hubakh” for the album Ritu. Let’s take some examples of Zubeen whose albums have appeared on many different lists such as Xopunor Xur in 1992, Junaki Mon in 1993 Maya in 1994, Asha in 1995 and many more. He released his first Bihu album Ujan Piriti in 1995 which was a commercial attainment.

Our beloved Zubeen da was also known for his extensive work in Bollywood as well as Tollywood of Kolkata. Zubeen, the “Voice of Assam” recorded nearly 39000 songs in his musical profession. As an actor, his debut film was Hiya Diya Niya, an Assamese film released in 2000. The film Mission China (2017) was directed and acted by Zubeen himself. He was also credited with playing multi-instrumentals and played 12 instruments including mandolin, keyboard, guitar, dotara, tabla, anandalahari, drums, dhol and et al. Undoubtedly, he was the most influential musicians in Assam.

Zubeen Garg’s songs resonate with the young generation because of their emotional authenticity, ability to capture modern sentiments and his versatility across various genres. His voice carries a deep sense of emotion and relatability, which deeply connects with listeners, particularly the youth who often seek out music that reflects their own experiences.

Zubeen: A Social Activist

As well as, Zubeen Garg was a social activist. He always used to provide crucial support during critical situations by identifying unmet needs, mobilizing communities and advocating for system change to address injustices and promote the common good. The singer offered services such as conducting on-site inquiries into human rights, violations, raising awareness through media outreach, organizing protests and marches and provided direct support and guidance to individuals impacted by crises.

He is the man who did not actively look for or pursue money and assets. He always abstained from such activities. Zubeen da stated that he was a true believer in Cha Guevara’s ideology, believed in socialism and was a social leftist. He was real, honest, predictable, less diplomatic and upfront. He did not believe in caste, creed and religion. He took an apolitical stance.

Indeed, the artiste was also a biophile since he had a strong love for nature and living things. He was a zoophile since he loved all the animals. He was a naturalist because he loved to live in natural world. He works as an environmentalist since he tried to protect the natural environment and its inhabitants.

To ensure justice and find the truth in Zubeen’s death where the circumstances are a mystery, authorities would need to conduct a proper investigation. The noted Assamese singer was cremated with full state honours and 21-gun salute on September 23 at Kamarkuchi of Sonapur. The rites were performed by his younger sister, Palmi Borthakur. Zubeen da will remain immortal to the people of Assam. The big soul never dies.