Singer Zubeen Garg passed away today (19th September) in Singapore. He is survived by his wife. Zubeen shot to fame with the Ya Ali song from Gangster. He had rendered more than 35,000 songs in Hindi, Assamese, Bengali and Nepali. He was only 52 years old.
Although rumours have it that Zubeen died in a scuba diving accident, the fact is that he probably suffered a seizure while swimming. Zubeen had gone to Singapore on 17th September to perform at the 4th North East India Festival at Suntec on 20th September. The talented singer had gone to Lazarus Island on a yacht with seven or eight others, including drummers Shekhar and Siddhartha. According to his wife, “They swam together and returned to the shore. All of them were wearing life jackets. But Zubeen went to swim again and suffered a seizure attack. Other team members rescued him after seeing something unusual.” He was rushed to Singapore General Hospital but breathed his last at 2.30 p.m. He had suffered seizure attacks on several earlier occasions too, but had escaped death. The show in Singapore was cancelled.
Zubeen Borthakur, who became more popular as Zubeen Garg, also penned and composed songs, besides being a film producer, director and writer. He was a cultural icon of Assam. Zubeen, who lived in Guwahati, had produced and directed Assamese super-hit films Mission China and Kanchanjunga, in both of which he played the lead role. Roi Roi Binalay (Assamese), starring Zubeen and co-produced by him, is slated for release on 31st October. Zubeen was instrumental in giving a boost to Assamese cinema because both his films were blockbusters. He was the first person to release his Mission China outside Assam too.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted, “Today, Assam lost one of its favourite sons, and I am at a loss for words to describe what Zubeen meant for the state. He has gone too early, this was not an age to go. His unique voice stirred the masses, creating music that touched the hearts and souls of people from all walks of life.”
The scene outside Zubeen’s home in Guwahati today was to be seen to be believed. Thousands thronged to his house on hearing the sad news even though his body is yet to arrive from Singapore. They lit candles and earthen lamps and sang his soul-stirring hits, including Mayabini ratir bukut. While performing at a show in a college in 2019, Zubeen had expressed a wish that this song be played when he died.
Some cinema halls in Assam suspended their shows today as a mark of respect.