More than a melody maker - Zubeen Garg was the heartbeat of Assam whose songs reached far beyond language barriers.

Funny how people can echo through time, right? Zubeen Garg, born one November 18th in Tura, never much liked fussing over birthdays. Sure, fans would start sending cakes and messages from the stroke of midnight, but the man himself? He’d often brush it off, maybe with a mischievous grin, maybe with a guitar in hand - always halfway between the spotlight and the open road. In 2025, the world changed for Assamese music lovers - Zubeen Da left us, and honestly, the silence rings a tad hollow ever since. 

(Credit: (Press Trust of India)

Some folks called him a prodigy. Others, an icon. His admirers? Well, they call him “Zubeen Da.” Don’t get tripped up by that “Da” - an Assamese way to say “elder brother.” Shows you how close people felt to his voice.

40 Languages? You Bet. 

Some of Zubeen Da’s most loved songs other than ‘Ya Ali. 

(Credit:@themusicalfreaks/Instagram)

Think about it - a singer crooning in 40 languages, not just the radio-hogging ones like Hindi, Assamese, or Bengali, but Tiwa, Karbi, Bodo, Adi, and even Bishnupriya Manipuri tossed in for good measure. Imagine belting out a lullaby in Mising one night and throwing down rock riffs in English the next. Zubeen did that. The numbers are wild - over 38,000 songs recorded, spanning nearly every genre, from devotional to folk to outright Bollywood blockbuster hits ("Ya Ali" from Gangster being an infectious earworm, if you ask me). 

Zubeen performing ‘Ya Ali’ from Gangster 

(Credit:@samim.lyrics/Instagram)

And what’s even more astonishing - he didn’t just mimic words. Garg spent time with tribal communities, learning nuances, rhythms, those little wobbles and inflections that only a local would know. It’s almost like he wanted each melody to wear its own skin.

Not Your Typical Superstar

Strings, tablas, harmoniums, and dotaras - he could play about a dozen instruments, switching from one to the other the way some people switch TV channels. Sometimes, at Bihu shows, he’d zigzag between modern pop tunes and centuries-old folk songs, winning cheers from both old-timers and Gen Z teens. 

(Press Trust of India)

Social issues? He didn’t sidestep. Zubeen would stand tall - voice loud, opinions unapologetic - whether he was going up against hypocrisy or standing shoulder-to-shoulder with everyday folks (“religion of humanity,” not sects or surnames, he’d say). 

Zubeen playing the Mandolin 

(Times Now)

Sting in the Tail - But the Song Remains

September 19, 2025: Singapore, a festival gig, a freak diving accident - nobody saw it coming. Public tributes poured in from all corners. The funeral in Sonapur? Lakes of faces, fans clutching cassettes, teenagers humming his hits, grandmothers whispering prayers.

As of now, Assam’s history syllabus includes him, and a research fellowship bears his name - because legends need ink as well as eulogies.

So, next time Zubeen Garg's birthday crosses your calendar and you’re tempted to hum a line in any language - do it loud. Wishing a very Happy Birthday to you, Zubeen Da. The entire nation remembers you!