As Assam said goodbye to one of its most treasured voices, the air was thick with grief. On September 23, the celebrated singer Zubeen Garg, who made a lasting impression on the Assamese, Bengali, and Hindi music industries, was cremated in Kamarkuchi village in Sonapur, close to Guwahati, with full state honours.
Fans and the music community are finding it difficult to cope with the void left by the legendary singer's death in a tragic scuba diving accident in Singapore just days earlier.
Zubeen never shied away from controversy, especially when it came to artistic freedom. One such incident that generated public discussion took place at a Guwahati Rongali Bihu event.
As per Business Standard, the singer who was invited to perform at the state’s most celebrated cultural event, walked off stage midway after organisers allegedly asked him not to sing Hindi songs.
Before leaving, Zubeen had reportedly lashed out at the organisers, stating, "Bihu is a musical festival. We can sing any kind of song." His remarks stirred both criticism and support, igniting a larger conversation around linguistic inclusivity in cultural spaces.
The event organisers had a different perspective. "It is a festival of Bihu. Please sing Assamese song. You sing a Hindi song elsewhere that is not an issue. But here, on this platform, please stick to Assamese songs," they clarified in a statement.
As per Business Standard, public reactions to the controversy were divided but largely supportive of the artist. One fan shared, "The incident was unfortunate. It should not have happened. Assam's Bihu committee too knew that Zubeen sings in Hindi, Bengali and Assamese, on every stage. So, barring him from singing in different languages, after knowing everything, is insulting. Songs should have no language limitation."
Another added, "Whatever happened with Zubeen Garg was not right. I know it was a Bihu festival, but he is a very famous singer and music has no language barrier. We are from a country where Hindi is the national language. So, barring one from singing in Hindi is wrong."
He was, without doubt, Assam’s highest-paid and most commercially successful singer—yet he remained deeply grounded, always vocal about social issues and passionate about preserving Assamese identity.
Zubeen Garg’s death has left an enormous void in the world of music. His legacy, however, will continue to live on in his songs, in the voices of the people who loved him, and in the memories of a state that revered him—not just as a singer, but as one of their own.
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