OUR CORRESPONDENT
MANGALDAI: On October 12, a poignant act of devotion unfolded high in the Garhwal Himalayas, where a dedicated group of young people and women from Mangaldai, the district headquarters town in Assam’s Darrang district, converged at the sacred Kedarnath Dham. Amidst the snow-capped peaks and the serene chants of the temple, they offered fervent prayers not for personal blessings, but for justice in the tragic and mysterious death of Assam’s beloved cultural icon, Zubeen Garg. This gesture, blending profound grief with unyielding resolve, symbolized the unbreakable bond between the heartthrob and his people, transforming a site of spiritual solace into a beacon of collective mourning and demand for accountability.
The pilgrims, hailing from Mangaldai where the Zubeen Fan Club was formed for the first time in the state, carrying offerings of flowers, incense, and prasad, prostrated before the self-manifested lingam of Lord Shiva, reciting mantras and bhajans infused with Zubeen’s soul-stirring melodies. Eyewitness accounts describe scenes of quiet sobs mingling with raised voices in Assamese, as participants lit diyas and tied sacred threads, invoking divine intervention to unravel the circumstances of Zubeen’s untimely demise. This wasn’t a mere ritual; it was a public vow, echoing the sentiment that Zubeen, who bridged generations through his fusion of folk, rock, and classical music, deserved transparency and retribution.
Dilip Kumar Deka, a naval veteran of Indian Navy along with Moon Hazarika and Sagar Deka of Mangaldai took the initiative and brought a poetic fervour to the prayers, reportedly reciting lines from Zubeen’s song ‘Mayabini’ to invoke unity. Together with 20 others, comprising students, artistes, and homemakers, they formed a microcosm of Assam’s diverse youth, united not by politics or profession, but by shared loss.
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