Assam is yet to come to terms with the loss of its beloved, iconic singer Zubeen Garg, whose untimely demise in a tragic scuba diving accident in Singapore on September 19, 2025, has left a void that feels impossible to fill. Known for his soulful tracks like Ya Ali and Jaane Kya Chahe Mann Bawra, Zubeen was more than just a singer, he was an emotion for millions.What makes his passing all the more heartbreaking are the words he left behind in his final interview and podcast with novelist Rita Chowdhury. With his trademark honesty, Zubeen spoke about the sea, not just as a place he loved, but as a metaphor for life itself.The late singer had said, “But I want to be born as Zubeen Garg, more and bigger than that. I want to be bigger than this what I had. I love to swim. I never see how deep it is. I just jump. I have done it before. Five people saved me and I have recreated that in the film in Sri Lanka. There is nothing in sea. You just flow in the sea. It’s a dead end. I am just swimming. I will play with the waves. I love to play with the sea.”
The songs that defined an era
Known for lending his voice to unforgettable Bollywood numbers like Ya Ali (Gangster) and Jaane Kya Chahe Mann Bawra (Pyaar Ke Side Effects), Zubeen also spoke about human emotions, balancing heart and mind, and navigating uncertainty. He revealed that the sea had become the central theme of his upcoming film Roi Roi Binale:“You should come and see my next film. It starts with the sea. Ends with the sea. He wants to touch the sea and the poster is same. I touch the sea but I can’t see. I am blind. He touches the sea at the end of the film. He asks often how big is the sea?”
The king of Assam
Beyond music, Zubeen spoke candidly about being shaped by people, experimenting, and creating his own path. He lived in Mumbai for 12 years before returning home, saying Assam was always his kingdom, “I stayed in Mumbai for 12 years, I got bored of the city life. People ask me why I don’t live in Mumbai? I said, ‘A king should never leave his kingdom. There is no king there. When Lata Mangeshkar died, did they do anything? No. When Rajesh Khanna died, there was just news — Rajesh Khanna died. There is no king. But if I die here in Assam, Assam will remain closed for 7 days.’”Today, his words echo with a painful truth, as Assam mourns not just a singer, but its cultural icon, its voice, its king.
