Guwahati city’s bustling traffic and chaos came to a halt last week as the news of its cultural icon Zubeen Garg’s death spread. An unusual calm and stillness took over the city that has not witnessed such quiet streets in years. Initial media reports said that the 52-year-old music icon reportedly suffered a seizure while swimming on September 19, 2025 in Singapore. The news of his passing spread like wildfire, leaving people shocked and anguished at the untimely loss and the irreparable void in the state’s cultural landscape.People soon gathered in grief while shops and other business establishments downed their shutters as a mark of respect and tribute to Garg. The government announced three-day state mourning.Mourning sites across Assam. Photo: Anjuman Ara Begum“It feels like a lockdown. I like his [Zubeen] songs,” said Sokina Biwi, a Zubeen fan and a migrant domestic worker in Guwahati. By evening, the whole city had gone into mourning with every corner of the city filled with small and large epitaphs and photographs of the singer’s iconic look with his cowboy hat and guitar. People from every community paid tribute with flowers, candlelight and earthen lamps. Gatherings slowly turned into processions across the city, leading towards his residence in Kahilipara. What was most remarkable was that at each mourning site, there were no slogans or loud cries, only live renditions of ‘Mayabini’, his iconic song, along with other popular hits.Mayabini‘Mayabini’ played on repeat at many such gatherings. Zubeen himself had once told a concert audience, “Play this song when I die – it’s important for you, for me, for everyone.” Over the last few days, ‘Mayabini’ has become a symbol of identity and an emotive connection. “Mayabini stitched my broken heart in college days and now it’s a part of my life’, said 47-year-old Bhuban, who created a homage site for the singer in front of his residence. Mourning sites across Assam. Photo: Anjuman Ara BegumAvailable information suggests that Mayabini, the song Zubeen wrote while working on the Assamese film Daag (released in 2001), was composed under immense pressure to meet a deadline. That night, history was created. The background of this song is also highlighted in the film Bhaimon Da.Also read: Why Zubeen Garg’s Death Feels Like the Loss of a Family Member“It was shocking…I don’t know how to think of my life without Zubeen’s songs,” said a lady who was adding mustard oil to the earthen lamps at one of the mourning sites. “From first love to last breakup, Zubeen’s songs were a saviour,” said Kujur, a migrant worker in his 50s.“People across generations mourned and walked the streets to pay tribute to Zubeen. In Assam, where so many things divide communities, Zubeen’s songs united everyone. Boys, girls, teenagers, and adults were weeping – some even kneeling on the road, as they sang Mayabini and pleaded, ‘Abar ghuri aha, Zubeen da.’ It felt as though they had lost a member of their own family, said Nargis, who took part in a homage procession.Mainstream media coverageThe mainstream media coverage of Zubeen’s death has tilted towards ‘Ya Ali’ from Mahesh Bhatt’s film Gangster, which indicates a deep ignorance about his diverse oeuvre.While ‘Ya Ali’ is popular, his lasting connection with the audience comes from ‘Mayabini’.Mourning sites across Assam. Photo: Anjuman Ara BegumHe continued working in Assamese and Bengali further strengthened his place among the people as an artist. “I am what the people gave me’, the singer would often say in his interviews. Notably, his Hindi songs have been absent from the mourning sites. Only his Assamese hits were played, highlighting how the language and lyrics created an emotional connection with the people.Hate-filled political narrative replaced by collective griefZubeen started working in the 1990s. His musical journey spanned the troubling period of insurgency, people’s resistance and in recent times, the anti-CAA movement.With Zubeen’s death, the dominant political narrative in the state has been replaced with a feeling of collective grief. Only a few days ago, the political discourse in Assam was dominated by hate and focussed on ‘othering’ of communities. However, with people united in grief, the question of who is ‘known’ or ‘unknown’ has disappeared, even if temporarily. Grief has brought everyone together under one roof, signifying the power of art and artists like Zubeen. The singer left a pivotal mark in the cultural landscape of the state and his artistic contribution in music and movies, apart from his role as director, composer and actor will remain forever.Mourning sites across Assam. Photo: Anjuman Ara BegumArt has the power to generate emotive connection with people. In moments like this, nobody asks who is paying tribute or whether they are ‘known’ or ‘unknown’– words that have dominated public vocabulary in recent months. None of that matters. The death of an artist unites people in grief, even when they remain divided by identity in everyday life.Art plays a persuasive and powerful role in connecting people and encouraging collective action and solidarity. It is emotional, evokes empathy and allows people to engage with the stories and lived experiences of others. Zubeen’s untimely death, and the way the city has embraced the loss by coping through art, has generated a rare moment of solidarity – even though his passing remains a profound and tragic loss.Anjuman Ara Begum, is a human rights researcher and social worker based in Guwahati, Assam.