Zubeen Garg’s greatest contribution: Asking profound questions rather than offering easy answers

In 1999, while driving back to our home in Tinsukia from my grandparents’ place in Sibsagar, my mother bought Zubeen Garg’s album Pakhi. Although he had already become a sensation by then, it was my introduction to the man who would go on to become one of Assam’s most prominent cultural icons. For the entire four-hour journey, it was only Pakhi and Zubeen Garg’s voice accompanying us.

In Pakhi (feather), Zubeen Garg explores themes of freedom and captivity. The feather becomes a metaphor for the human condition – caught between the desire for absolute liberty and the reality of various constraints. The haunting melody accompanies lyrics that speak to the universal struggle between authenticity and social expectations.

The lyrics encapsulate the existential anxiety of displacement and the search for belonging. The feather’s journey mirrors the human quest for meaning and a firm place in an indifferent universe.

From that day, my brother and I became firm fans of the singer-songwriter.

Following the news of Zubeen Garg’s death in Singapore on September 19, Assam came to a standstill. The sorrow was most palpable in the streets. But it’s clear to me that even in death, Garg will continue to make meaning in the lives of the people of Assam.Read more