Guwahati bid an emotional farewell to Zubeen Garg on Sunday, as more than a lakh mourners thronged the Sarusajai stadium to glimpse the singer whose voice defined a generation. His mortal remains lay in a glass casket, draped with the Assamese gamosa, while fans, from teenagers to the elderly, braved blazing heat and sudden rain to pay homage.
Crowds had begun gathering at the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex overnight, many camping outside the gates with cut-outs of the singer and breaking into impromptu renditions of his most beloved numbers. By morning, traffic on National Highway-27 slowed to a crawl, as the flow of people towards the stadium turned the thoroughfare into a sea of mourners.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the body would remain at the stadium throughout the night and the following day to allow people to offer their respects. Ministers and senior government officials joined the thousands filing past the casket, some inconsolable as they pressed flowers against the glass. Volunteers and security personnel struggled to keep the queue moving as fans tried to capture his final image on their phones.
Inside the stadium, grief and music mingled. Outside, groups sang his songs in chorus, hugging each other, their voices carrying into the rain-soaked air. “It was because of this love and blessings he received during his lifetime that he could achieve so much within his short span of life,” his wife Garima said in a voice choked with emotion. “Had Zubeen been alive today, he would have been overwhelmed by this show of love. He cannot express himself in words anymore, and on his behalf, I thank each of you.”
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Garima, herself a noted fashion designer, described the farewell as proof of the singer’s universal appeal. “Zubeen wanted all to live in peace and harmony, and the confluence of people of all regions, religions and communities has proven that he belonged to all of them. His creations will continue to remain with us, especially the youth whom he loved so much,” she said, urging fans to pay their respects peacefully.
The singer, who died on Friday in Singapore while swimming without a life jacket, was flown to New Delhi on Saturday night and then brought to Guwahati on Sunday morning. Thousands lined the 25-kilometre route from the airport to his residence at Kahilipara, slowing the hearse’s journey to nearly six hours.
By afternoon, as his body was placed inside the stadium pandal for public homage, the skies opened in a sudden downpour. For many of his admirers, it felt as though nature itself was mourning.
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