Guwahati weeps as Zubeen Garg, Assam’s beloved icon, takes final journey

Guwahati, Sept 21:The mortal remains of Assam’s beloved Zubeen Garg, began their final journey home on Sunday morning, as thousands of grief-stricken admirers thronged the streets of Guwahati to pay tribute to the cultural icon.

The convoy, carrying his flower-decked coffin, moved slowly from Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport towards his Kahilipara residence, a 25-kilometre stretch that transformed into a sea of humanity.

Fans from all walks of life, clutching cut-outs of the singer and gamosas embroidered with the words “Z G Forever”, showered flowers on the ambulance while singing his songs and chanting, “Jai Zubeen da”.

The sombre procession included Garg’s favourite open jeep, in which he often travelled to concert venues. A large portrait of the singer adorned the front, and members of his band accompanied the convoy.

Assam’s Director General of Police Harmeet Singh and Guwahati Police Commissioner Parthasarathi Mahanta were seen walking ahead of the ambulance to clear the way.

Crowds lined both sides of the road, with some climbing walls and others holding up mobile phones to capture their idol’s last journey. Many wept and wailed, asking, “Why Zubeen da, why did you have to leave us so soon?”

Fans had already begun gathering outside the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex, where the body will lie in state for the public to pay homage from 9 am to 7 pm on Sunday.

Before that, Garg’s body will remain at his Kahilipara residence for approximately 90 minutes, allowing close family members, including his 85-year-old ailing father, to pay their final respects in private.

Media and the public were barred from entering the approach road at the family’s request.

Meanwhile, the Assam Cabinet is scheduled to meet Sunday evening to finalise the venue for Garg’s cremation.

Earlier, the flight carrying Garg’s body landed in Guwahati from Delhi around 7 am, following its departure from Indira Gandhi International Airport at 4.30 am.

The coffin had arrived in New Delhi from Singapore around midnight and was briefly placed near the runway before being moved.

In a poignant moment, Garg’s wife, Garima Saikia Garg, broke down upon seeing the casket, offering floral tributes, placing a gamosa atop it, and hugging it tightly.

The coffin was then placed inside a flower-adorned ambulance, with Garima accompanying it as it exited the airport through the VIP gate.

Senior Assam government officials, including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had earlier received the body in Delhi along with Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, were also present at the airport to pay their respects.

Garg, who mesmerised audiences for over three decades with more than 38,000 songs across 40 languages and dialects, is widely regarded as Assam’s most versatile and prolific musical talent.

His untimely death in Singapore has plunged the state and the wider Northeast into mourning, with tributes pouring in from across India.

For countless fans, Sunday marked not only the farewell of a singer but the departure of a cultural icon whose voice defined a generation.