Assam: Zubeen Garg’s Demise Casts its Shadow over Durga Puja

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: This year, Durga Puja in Assam feels less like a celebration and more like a solemn ritual. The glittering of lights, the echo of laughter, and the usual rhythm of cultural vibrancy are muted under the weight of grief as the state continues to mourn the loss of its beloved son, Zubeen Garg.

Across the state, Durga Puja pandals have been transformed into spaces of remembrance. Towering standees and heartfelt banners of the music legend stand tall, like guardians of memory, reminding every visitor of the void his absence has created. His voice—once the heartbeat of Puja nights, filling the streets with energy—now plays on loop, not to stir excitement, but to console aching hearts.

Loudspeakers carry his timeless melodies as whispers of remembrance, weaving threads of nostalgia into the festive air. In pandals big and small, organizers have created special corners where Zubeen’s photograph rests adorned with flowers, giving devotees and visitors a space to pause, reflect, and pay their respects.

“Durga Puja without Zubeen’s live concerts feels incomplete. His voice used to set the mood for our celebrations. Now, hearing the same songs makes us cry, but at the same time, it feels like he is still with us,” said a visitor at a Guwahati pandal.

For many, the festival this year has become more of a collective mourning. “We light candles before his photograph in our para pandal every evening. It’s our way of saying thank you for all the joy he gave us,” shared a young devotee in Geetanagar.

This year’s Puja, therefore, is not only about devotion to Goddess Durga but also about love, gratitude, and remembrance for an artiste who embodied the cultural spirit of Assam. For countless admirers, the festival is no longer just a celebration of the victory of good over evil—it has also become a collective prayer for the enduring legacy of Zubeen Garg.

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