New Delhi: On a rainy Tuesday in Delhi, the Matchbox pub in Hauz Khas village was filled with popular Assamese songs of Zubeen Garg. The singer’s demise caused a three-day state mourning as Assam lost its favourite son on 19 September.
The patrons quietly listened to Mayabini, which has now become an anthem for Assamese people to remember Garg. The singer defined the state’s cultural space for three decades.
“I do not quite know what to do with my guitar anymore. I do not feel like strumming it anymore, because his songs were the ones I would usually hum,” said one of the attendees, as they waited patiently for others to turn up.
The sudden downpour on 7 October delayed the event by nearly two hours, but as soon as the rain stopped, people started trickling in.
“It’s a weekday and we were not sure how many people would turn up. The rain made me think the footfall will be even less. But it is the love of Zubeen da that has brought people,” said Amit Panda, owner of the pub. The event, open to everyone, had an opening act by a duo, followed by the main performance by Arup Jyoti Baruah.
A garlanded photo of the singer was placed on a table, with sunflowers, gamusa, and japi. Diyas were placed next to the arrangement for people to light and place in front of the photo. The dress code was white, and some even chose to wear traditional Assamese attire of dhuti-kurta-gamusa and mekhela sador.
‘Joi Zubeen da’
As more than 200 people filled up the pub, the opening act started at 10 pm with some of Garg’s popular numbers like Maina, Mayabini, I Love You, Majulir Ejoni Suali, and Jontro. Hosting such an evening was the most natural thing for the pub. Within minutes, every chair was occupied, and at the end of every song, someone would say, “Joi Zubeen da”, and others would join in.
A photo of artwork by visual artist Shantanu Hazarika, which was shared as a tribute to Garg on Instagram, was also put up on one of the walls of the pub.
“Matchbox’s core clientele has been from the Northeast, ever since we opened up a decade ago, and we had been planning this tribute for some time. We were mindful of the fact that people were grieving, but decided we should not delay any longer,” said Panda.
The event coincided with the release of the very first song from Garg’s upcoming movie, Roi Roi Binale.
Over the years, the pub has not just been a space that caters to North Indian festivals but also Bihu and Dashain, celebrated by people from the Northeast.
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‘Yet to process the loss’
As the opening act wrapped up and people refilled their drinks, they started asking each other what part of Assam they were from. The conversation began with their own lives, but soon moved to anecdotes about the beloved singer.
“I have worked with Zubeen da for events, and he would treat me like a younger brother. I regret that I could not go to Assam when he died. We have a lot of Assamese students in Delhi, and we wanted to get people together and dedicate one evening to him,” said Narottam Kar, part of the team that organised the musical evening.
The actual act, performed by Arup Jyoti Baruah, started with him being felicitated with a gamusa.
“I think it is a whole new loss for the music industry and people like us, who have been shaped by Zubeen da’s music. I have had the opportunity to work with him, and I am yet to process the loss,” Baruah said.
Before he started singing, Baruah told the audience that it would not be a regular performance, but a conversation through songs, remembering some of Garg’s best songs, music, and lyrics.
He started with Ramo Ramo, a fusion composition of Assamese and Hindi from the film Strings (2006), followed by Monole Ubhoti Aahe and Puhorore Saki, among others. The performance went on till 1 am, with the crowd surrounding Baruah and singing along with him, lost in the memory of the man who gave a platform to Assamese hopes, dreams, joys, and sorrows.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)