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Durga Puja in Assam overshadowed by grief for its icon Zubeen Garg

Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 1 (ANI): Durga Puja celebrations in Assam, usually marked by colour, festivity and large gatherings, were subdued this year as the state mourned the death of cultural icon and the son of the soil Zubeen Garg. The singer, often called Assam's most loved son, drowned in a tragic incident at Lazarus Island in Singapore on September 19. Even after 12 days of his untimely passing, the shock and grief have not subsided. On Maha Ashtami, puja pandals in Guwahati that are typically illuminated and resound with the beating of dhaks remained unusually silent. Streets wore a deserted look, and only a handful of devotees were seen at the pandals, as compared to yester years. Similar scenes were witnessed across the stretch from Guwahati to Jorhat, the cultural capital of Assam. On Wednesday, late Garg's Shradha ceremony will be held in Jorhat, in the presence of the late artist's family members. Durga Puja pandals, usually crowded during the festival, lacked their customary fervour. Devotees expressed a mix of grief and anger. Prabin, a handyman in a Guwahati bus, said, "I am devastated by Zubeen Da's sudden demise. I have come to pray to Maa Durga not for myself but for his soul to rest in peace." Another youth, Nibir, said, "I prayed for justice. Those responsible for Goldie's (Zubeen Garg) death must face the harshest punishment." At Kamarkuchi village near Sonapur, where Garg was cremated on September 23, fans continued to visit in large numbers. Many offered floral tributes, some wept inconsolably, while others sang Garg's iconic song 'Mayabini', which he had wished his admirers to sing after his death. The song has since become an anthem of mourning. Pranita, a college-going student and a resident of Sonapur, says, "This place of cremation has become a samadhi (memorial). It is 12 days since the passing of Zubeen da, and here you can see his fans and admirers still coming in hordes to pay their last respects to him." At his residence in Kahilipara, Guwahati, thousands gathered on Monday, the day of his 'shraddha', to pay homage to the iconic singer-music composer. They offered condolences to Garg's wife, Garima Saikia Garg, his father, Mohini Mohan Borthakur, his sister, Palmee Borthakur, and other relatives. Portraits of the singer were displayed at puja pandals across the city, and roadside shraddhanjali events were organised. In Jorhat, where Garg spent his early years, pandals displayed his portraits alongside earthen lamps. Large hoardings were erected, and preparations are underway for a public ritual on October 1 at the Jorhat Stadium complex. Plans are afoot to carry the urn containing the 'asthi' (ashes) of the cultural icon to Jorhat and other parts of Assam, to New Delhi, Kolkata and other metropolitan cities for the people to pay their last respects. Assam witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of grief during Garg's final journey on September 23, when around lakhs of people joined the procession from Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati to Kamarkuchi cremation ground. Meanwhile, the Assam Police has arrested Shyamkanu Mahanta who was one of the event organiser at the North East Music Festival in Singapore and Siddharth Sharma who was Zubeen's manager. The Assam Government has calso onstituted a nine-member Special Investigation Team to probe Garg's death. Multiple FIRs had been lodged against Garg's manager Siddhartha Sharma, bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and others, naming them responsible for the singer's untimely death. (ANI)

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