Guwahati: Renowned Assamese singer and cultural icon Zubeen Garg tragically passed away on Friday in Singapore after suffering a seizure while swimming at Lazarus Island. His wife, Garima Saikia Garg, confirmed the incident.

Known for his powerful voice and advocacy for Assamese identity, Zubeen was in Singapore to perform at the 4th North East India Festival at Suntec, where he was scheduled to take the stage on Sept 20. He had arrived there on Sept 17 as a cultural brand ambassador for the event.

“Zubeen, along with seven or eight others, including drummer Shekhar and Sidhartha, went to the island on a yacht. They swam together and returned to the shore on the yacht. All of them were wearing life jackets. But Zubeen went to swim again and suffered a seizure attack. He suffered seizure attacks on several occasions earlier but escaped death. Other team members rescued him after seeing something unusual. He was kept in the ICU at Singapore General Hospital for about two hours,” said Garima, rejecting claims of his demise while scuba diving.

Zubeen breathed his last at 2:30 pm at the Singapore General Hospital. He was 52. People from all segments of society, including PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, Bollywood actor from Assam Adil Hussain and singer Jubin Nautiyal mourned Zubeen’s demise.

CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was campaigning in Chirang for Bodoland Territorial Council elections, rushed to Guwahati, to make arrangements to bring back Zubeen’s mortal remains.

The CM said, “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.”

He added, “His unique voice stirred the masses, creating music that touched the hearts and souls of people from all walks of life. His untimely death will leave a void that will never be filled,” he said.

The CM added that future generations will remember Zubeen as a stalwart of Assam’s culture, and his creations will inspire many more talented artists in the days to come. “Besides his music, his connection with people and passion for helping them will always be remembered. I will greatly cherish all my interactions with him,” he said.

The CM said the legendary artist always reached out to help those in need. He added that Zubeen, with his magical voice and unforgettable creations, would live forever in the hearts of the people. Sarma offered his heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family.

Himanta Biswa Sarma told the media after visiting Zubeen’s residence at Kahilipara that efforts will be made to bring the mortal remains of Zubeen Garg by Saturday evening. His body will be brought to Delhi from Singapore and then to Guwahati. His body will be kept at Sarusajai sports complex for one day for public tribute.

Education minister Ranoj Pegu said on his X handle, “In view of the untimely death of Late Zubeen Garg, all Inspectors of Schools are instructed to postpone the half-yearly examination scheduled tomorrow until the cremation of the mortal remains of the legendary artist.”

Prayers were offered at the satras, naamghars (community prayer halls), temples, and mosques for the eternal peace of the departed soul across the state.

On the other hand, thousands of fans of Zubeen gathered outside his residence at Kahilipara as well as at Kharghuli in the city, lit candles and earthen lamps, and sang his soulful hits, including ‘Mayabini Ratir Bukut’. Zubeen, who sang over 35,000 songs in different Indian languages, wished that his song ‘Mayabini Ratir Bukut’ be played when he dies during a show at the B Borooah College in 2019.

Hundreds of people gathered at the historic Latasil playground to pay rich tribute to their beloved singer. 

Sanskrita Bharadwaj (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 18, 2020)

Singer-composer Zubeen Garg, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Mumbai before the Coronavirus lockdown, has finally reached his hometown, Guwahati. How? By travelling on a bus from Maharashtra to Assam. Garg had fallen unconscious during an event in Assam.

He was accompanied by his wife Garima Saikia Garg, and two other friends.

Though he was discharged after recovery from the Mumbai hospital he was admitted to, he got stuck in the city because of the lockdown. “I have a flat in Mumbai, but there were two cases in the building, and it was sealed. So, we had to rent a room and a kitchen in a hotel. There were four of us. We were cooking our own food. But I wanted to go back to Assam,” Garg says, adding, “We contacted the Assam Bhawan in Mumbai. The government was arranging commute for 132 other people, including 62 cancer patients and their family members, who were stranded in Mumbai to reach Assam. They also reached the state in sleeper buses. All of them were in six different buses. And four of us were in another sleeper bus. We left on May 8 and reached on May 12. Assam Police coordinated with authorities in all the other five states that we had to cross through.”

Narrating his experience, Garg said, “There were lots of people on the road, trying to get back home. It was heartbreaking to see so many people trying to reach their destinations. We had to slow down because of the movement of these people.”

Upon reaching, Garg and co, were quarantined at a hotel in Guwahati for about three days. They will be in home quarantine now until May 28. When asked how he felt when he found out his test was negative, he says, “I wasn’t scared. In Mumbai, I was in the ICU where nobody was allowed. Then, even when we were in the hotel, we hardly ventured out. We took all the necessary precautions. People don’t know where the virus is, we can’t see our enemy. We have to stay indoors for sometime now and we will have to keep our surroundings clean. We will have to avoid gatherings. And, all of this will hamper our economy.”