From Zubeen Garg To Zubeen Da: How Assam’s Mourning Became India’s Realisation
For most of India, Zubeen Garg was just the voice of Ya Ali. But his death on Sept 19, 2025, revealed he was Assam’s heartbeat — mourned not as a singer, but as family, as their beloved Zubeen Da.
For many outside the Northeast, Zubeen Garg was the Assamese singer who once lent his voice to Ya Ali, Jaane Kya Chahe Mann Bawra and a handful of Bollywood songs. He was “that Assamese singer” they heard in Hindi film music, a regional gem with occasional crossover fame. That, sadly, was the extent of our understanding—until September 19, 2025.
On 19 September 2025, at just 52, Zubeen Garg died in Singapore during a swimming outing. What followed was something many outside Assam had never fully grasped: the scale, the depth, the rawness of public grief in a place where Zubeen Garg was more than just an artist. What we saw unfold on our screens wasn't just a state mourning a beloved celebrity; it was a vast, open-hearted family weeping for its very own.
Zubeen Garg's Funeral and a sea of emotions
When his body finally returned home and was cremated with State honours at Kamarkuchi village on Tuesday, September 23, the streets of Assam became a river of humanity. Lakhs of people lined the roads. Old and young, people from all religions and castes, all walks of life — Muslim, Hindu, Christian, tribal — they came to see their Zubeen da for one last time. The scene was overwhelming: a stoic cop, tears streaming down his face as he tried to manage the crowd; an old security guard, his eyes red-rimmed, waiting for one last glimpse. The air itself echoed with a chant that was less a slogan and more a cry of devotion: "Jai Zubeen Da!"
And then, in a moment of pure, goosebump-inducing magic, the lakhs gathered did something remarkable - they collectively began to sing ‘Mayabini’. A song Zubeen had once said, “When I die, this song should be sung.” His people kept his word, turning a funeral procession into an act of mass remembrance and deep love, uniting tears and voices, carrying a grief that no single person could carry alone.
It was in this ocean of grief that the rest of India finally began to understand the true legend of Zubeen. He was not merely an artist who sang over 38,000 songs; he was the heartbeat of Assam.
The reported attendance of over 5,00,000 at his final rites was perhaps the greatest, most unprecedented farewell ever witnessed for an Indian celebrity.
Why Assam loves Zubeen Garg
To Assam, Zubeen wasn’t just a singer. He was one of them. He sang their joys and their griefs, their festivals and heartbreaks, their protests and longing. From childhood lullabies to youth anthems, from quiet nights to grand Bihu stages — his voice was everywhere. He was the one who chose his people over the glittering lure of Bollywood. Despite having a home in Mumbai and the potential for greater national fame, Zubeen chose Assam.
He lived among his people, considered them his own family, and was present for them not just in celebration, but in crisis. During the anti-CAA protests, he was their unflinching voice. During the dark days of COVID-19, he opened his doors to those in need.
He once said, “I don’t have any religion, I don’t have any caste.” That credo found resonance: when grief struck, all people, regardless of creed, prayed and wept together.
He had also once stated that Assam would mourn him for seven days, and he was right. The state was cloaked in a shadow of grief, with life paused. In Assam’s streets, you saw banners, photos, posters of Zubeen everywhere. Homes and public places glowed with his image. The grief was collective.
From Zubeen Garg to Zubeen Da
Zubeen's own words were prophetic: "The king lives his kingdom only when he dies." His tragic death was the moment the rest of India finally witnessed the immensity of that kingdom, ruled not by a crown, but with his voice and a heart that knew no limits.
For the people of Assam, this is a loss they are coping with, each person carrying their own cherished 'Zubeen Da' story - a memory, a line from a song, a moment of closeness. And for those outside Assam, the journey from the news of his death to his funeral, to learning about his life through the tear-filled eyes of his people, was the journey from knowing Zubeen Garg, the singer, to finally understanding, and revering, Zubeen Da, the soul of Assam.
Because sometimes, a death reveals more than a life ever could.
Top Headlines
