One year has passed since the tragic and untimely death of Zubeen Garg, yet his absence continues to weigh heavily on the people of Assam. For many of us, his voice had become part of everyday life, heard through television, mobile phones, music players or the familiar habit of listening to his songs.
His presence was woven into our routines so deeply that his loss is felt not merely as the passing of a celebrated singer, but as the disappearance of someone who had become a constant companion in our lives.
Even now, when songs such as Xomoyu Jen Thomoki Roi begin to play, it can be difficult to listen to them until the end. Something seems to be missing, and that absence makes the music all the more poignant.
Beyond his extraordinary popularity as a singer, one aspect of Zubeen Garg that deserves greater attention is his search for meaning and purpose through poetry. He published only two collections of poems, but these writings reveal a reflective and deeply sensitive engagement with human existence. His poetry questions the erosion of values, the weakening of relationships and the ways consumerism has reshaped human life.
Beneath material progress, he observes, there can be emotional impoverishment and a growing distance between individuals. His poems repeatedly return to the difficult question of how lost human connections and values might be restored.
The vision of life expressed in his poetry is often tragic. Human beings struggle against circumstances they cannot fully control, and the unpredictability of destiny makes suffering an inescapable part of existence. In Uttar Nai (“No Answer”), suffering appears scattered across life, leaving little possibility of escaping it altogether.
The poem conveys a sense of the fundamental irrationality of existence: pain does not always arrive with an explanation, nor does life necessarily provide answers to those who seek them.
Yet Zubeen’s awareness of suffering does not lead to a rejection of humanity. His love for people remains central to his poetic expression, inspiring him to write despite the darkness he perceives. Alongside anguish, there remains the possibility of hope, a dream of a more compassionate and golden future for humankind.
In Romanthan (“Retrospection”), the poet’s search for life’s meaning reaches another unsettling reflection. Human ideas about land, ideals, work and the path one should follow appear confused and contradictory. Desires themselves become sources of restlessness: those who are alive may long for death, while those approaching death desperately wish to continue living.
Unfulfilled ambitions disturb the mind, robbing people of peaceful sleep. The individual is caught between longing and dissatisfaction, unable to find lasting certainty in the very goals that once seemed meaningful.
These concerns resonate with the existential philosophy of nineteenth-century Danish thinker Søren Kierkegaard, often regarded as a foundational figure in existentialism. Kierkegaard argued that meaning cannot be secured merely by collecting objective facts or relying on detached reasoning. It requires personal commitment, passionate choice and an inward engagement with how one lives. His idea that “subjectivity is truth” emphasises the importance of lived experience and individual commitment in questions of existence.
For Kierkegaard, a life devoted only to aesthetic pleasure, continually seeking novelty, romance or distraction, risks collapsing into boredom and despair when it lacks a deeper anchor. His account offers a useful philosophical lens through which to approach Zubeen’s poetic concern with restless desires and the difficulty of finding purpose.
Zubeen Garg’s place in Assam’s distinctiveness is the extraordinary breadth of affection he inspired. His music crossed generations, social backgrounds and geographical boundaries within the state. The scale of public remembrance surrounding him is striking: few singers in India have occupied such an intimate place in the emotional lives of an entire linguistic community. His popularity was not confined to the stage or recording studio; it entered homes, celebrations, private memories and daily routines.
As Assam observes Zubeen Diwas on September 19, blood donation camps organised by the state government will provide a meaningful way to honour his memory through service to others. Such gestures connect remembrance with the human values that also animate his poetry.
A year after his passing, Zubeen’s voice continues to accompany us, while his poems invite us to reflect on suffering, love, purpose and the fragile bonds that make life meaningful.