Zubeen Garg was an Indian singer-songwriter whose work was primarily in Assamese, Bengali and Hindi films and music. Zubeen Garg was a cultural icon in Assam, singing in more than 40 languages and dialects in a career spanning 33 years.
| Born | November 18, 1972 |
| Birth Place | Tura, Meghalaya, India |
| Birth name | Jiban Borthakur |
| Died on | 19th September, 2025 |
Early Age and family:
His father, Mohini Mohon Borthakur, was a Magistrate, and is also known as a lyricist and poet under the pen name Kapil Thakur. As a son of an Assam Civil Service officer, his father was frequently transferred, due to which he spent parts of his childhood moving with the family. His mother, Ily Borthakur, was a singer. His sister Jonkie Borthakur, who was a singer and actress, died in a car accident in February 2002 in Sonitpur district while travelling to perform a stage show along with her co-artists. His younger sister Palme Borthakur is a geography professor.
Zubeen Garg was born on 18 November 1972 into an Assamese Brahmin family in Tura, Meghalaya, to Mohini Mohon Borthakur and Ily Borthakur. Instead of continuing with his parental surname Borthakur, he chose “Garg”, the title of his Brahmin gotra. This decision gave him a distinctive identity-one that balanced global inspiration with Assamese tradition.
Personal Life:
Garg married Garima Saikia Garg, a fashion designer from Golaghat, Assam, on 4 February 2002. He considered himself irreligious and said that he did not have any caste or religion.
Educational Qualifications:
- Zubeen Garg passed his matriculation exam in Tamulpur Higher Secondary School.
- He lived in Bongal Pukhuri (a suburb 3km south of Jorhat Town) during his school years, completing his higher secondary education in science at J.B. College and Karimganj College between 1990 and 1992.
- He went to pursue Bachelor of Science degree in B. Borooah College, but dropped out to concentrate on his singing career.
- On 27 May 2024, Zubeen Garg was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) degree by the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya.
His Music Career:
Garg started to sing from the age of three. His first guru was his mother from whom he learnt to sing and he learnt playing the tabla from Pandit Robin Banerjee for 11 years. Guru Ramani Rai introduced him to Assamese folk music. Garg had been composing songs since his school days.
Garg went to become a professional singer when he got a gold medal for his western solo performance in a youth festival held in 1992. He entered professional music with his debut Assamese album Anamika, which was released in November 1992. Garg’s first recorded songs were “Tumi Junu Pariba Hun” and “Tumi Junaki Hubakh” for the album Ritu, but it was not released until 1993. He released many other albums such as Xopunor Xur (1992), Junaki Mon (1993), Maya (1994), Asha (1995) and more. Before he moved to Mumbai in 1995, he released his first Bihu album Ujan Piriti which was a commercial success.
In the mid 1990’s, Zubeen moved to Mumbai to work in the Bollywood music industry where he debuted his first Indi pop solo album Chandni Raat. Later, he recorded Hindi albums and remixes. Apart from singing in the Bollywood and Assamese film and music industries, he debuted in the Bengali music industry in 2003 where he sang two songs . In the next year, he sang three songs in the movie Shudhu Tumi and was the film’s music director. In 2005 he sang “O Bondhure“ and “Lagena Bhalo” in the film Premi.
Apart from singing, Garg also made his debut as an actor and director for the film Tumi Mor Matho Mor, which was released in early 2000 under NK Production. He acted some films like Prem Aru Prem (2002), Dinabandhu (2004), Mon Jaai (2008), Gaane Ki Aane (2016), Mission China (2017), Priyaar Priyo (2017), The Underworld (2018), Kanchanjangha (2019), Rajneeti (2022), Dr. Bezbaruah 2 (2023) and more.
His Contributions and dedications towards his People:
Zubeen Garg ran a charity, the Kalaguru Artiste Foundation, which donates money for various causes. He urged people to donate clothes, medicines and contributions when devastating floods hit Assam. He took on the issue over corruption in APSC recruitment in his movie Kanchanjangha.
Garg was one of the main non-political figures of the Anti-CAA protest in Assam. In May 2021, during a surge in COVID-19 cases, Garg offered his two-storeyed house in Guwahati to be converted into a COVID Care Centre. This act aimed to address the rising demand for beds for patients at the time.
He was a football fan and has played matches to collect funds for flood-affected people.
Legacy:
To celebrate Garg, a 20-foot statue was unveiled by the singer on 2 December 2022, during the Nazirating Tamuli Tourism Festival in Digboi. A Bamboo bridge built across the Na Dihing river by villagers of Tengapani and named after Zubeen Garg was inaugurated by the singer at Tengapani-Thepabari on 29 February 2020.
Awards and honours
- In 1996, Zubeen Garg was selected as Best Indian pop album for his album “Chandni Raat” at Channel V Music Awards and Screen Awards which was nominated and lost to Daler Mehndi’s album Bolo Ta Ra Ra and Suchitra Krishnamoorthi’s album Dole Dole respectively.
- In 2011, Zubeen Garg was honoured as a guest artist of the year by the Assam Convention, at Oak Brook, Illinois, United States.
- On 27 May 2024, Zubeen Garg was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) degree by the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya.
- In 2021, Zubeen Garg was awarded for Best Male Playback Singer for the song “Tomar Khola Hawa” from the Assamese film Bride By Chance.
- He has also received Best Music Direction Award for Non-feature Film Echoes Of Silence, at the 55th National Film Awards, 2009.
He had continuously won many more awards that was truly a contribution towards his hardwork and skills.
His Last Journey
On 19 September 2025, Zubeen Garg died in Singapore, at the age of 52. He died while swimming in the sea without a life jacket. He was administered CPR and rushed to Singapore General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead in the intensive care unit around 2:30 pm IST.
Garg’s death prompted widespread tributes across India. On 22 September 2025, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that Garg would be cremated with full state honours. The decision followed both cabinet discussions and the family’s preference against cremation in Jorhat, where public groups had demanded the last rites. His wife Garima Saikia Garg and sister Pamle Borthakur cited the frail health of his 85‑year‑old father and the difficulties of performing rituals away from Guwahati. As a compromise, the government announced that Garg’s ashes would be immersed in Jorhat and that memorials would be constructed both in Jorhat and at the Guwahati cremation site.
Garg’s body lay in state at the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex, Guwahati, until the morning of 23 September for the public to pay tributes. The official state mourning period was extended to cover the day of his funeral and cremation.
Garg had expressed in a 2019 concert at B. Borooah College, Guwahati, that his song “Mayabini Raatir Bukut” should be played when he died. Following his death, the song was performed not only at his funeral but also widely across Assam, in homes, and public events, becoming a collective anthem of shraddhanjali (tribute).
Garg was cremated with full state honours on 23 September with a 21-gun salute and a massive crowd of around 15 lakhs to honor him. Zubeen Garg’s funeral has made history by becoming the 4th largest gathering in the world, earning a spot in the Limca Book of Records.
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Great loss for Assam.