Who Is Zubeen Garg ?

There aren’t many people in the course of history who came to this earth as atheists and left as gods. There was Michael Jackson for a brief moment in time, but he never questioned the existence of God. And those who did were never gods themselves.

On 21st September 2025, the whole world witnessed a phenomenon in a small state called Assam in India. While many Southeast Asian countries were burning in crisis, thousands of people suddenly poured onto the streets with grief, sorrow, and anger. And this wasn’t confined to just one city of Assam but across the entire state. Yet this was not an anti-establishment protest. It was a sea of people waiting to bid farewell to a part of their heart and soul, Zubeen Garg.

It’s almost impossible to explain Zubeen Garg’s influence on Assamese society to an outsider. To put it simply: an entire state staying awake for more than 24 hours to witness the final journey of an icon to his home is something very few will see in their lifetime.

Zubeen challenged the very idea of God many times throughout his life. Sometimes he denied it, sometimes he questioned it. Beyond questioning God’s existence, he openly defied the class divisions deeply rooted in society. He was boycotted for openly protesting against the Brahminical hierarchy of Assam. And that was just one of many rebellions he carried out in his lifetime.

When the news of Zubeen Garg’s demise broke on television, people wept in masses, praying it wasn’t true. They gathered in front of the airport, in front of his residence in Kahilipara, and even at Sarusajai Sports Complex in overwhelming numbers. It was as if an ocean of people had come together to pay their final tribute to the icon who had been a part of their own souls.

This is what Zubeen Garg earned in his life; People, and nothing else. Since the day before yesterday, and for the next few days, Zubeen remains the richest man in Assam, with lakhs of people embracing his lifeless, cold body one last time.

Who could have imagined? The most restless, childlike soul in Assam now sleeps calmly inside a casket forever. The one who couldn’t stop tapping his legs even during interviews now cannot open his eyes to witness the ocean of people who came to pay him respect.

A new dawn will come. Years will pass. But the void Zubeen Garg has left behind will never be filled. With each passing day, it will only grow bigger. If, in the future, any outsider asks someone from Assam, “Who was Zubeen Garg?” show them the empty streets, the shuttered shops, the silent offices, and the ocean of people at the airport, Kahilipara, and Sarusajai.

That is Zubeen Garg. An atheist who finally became a god for millions.