Gauhati University to rename cultural Centre after Zubeen Garg; bronze statue, youth festival planned

To honour singer-composer Zubeen Garg, Gauhati University has decided to rename its Centre for Performing Arts and Culture after him. The move comes after the demise of the 52-year-old singer, who had sung more than 38,000 songs in about 40 languages.

“To pay tribute and preserve the timeless creations of popular singer and heartthrob of the youth Zubeen Garg”, Gauhati University accepted four proposals, it said in a X post.

The Assamese musician died in Singapore on September 19 in a diving accident. However, several reports later quoted his wife, Garima Saikia Garg, clarifying that the singer suffered a seizure while swimming at Lazarus Island.

Besides renaming the Centre, the university has also announced plans to set up a bronze statue in front of the Department of Environmental Art and Culture.

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A coffee table book containing biographical accounts of Zubeen Garg's extraordinary life and creative journey will be published.

To inspire young artists, a singing competition under the category 'Zubeen's Songs' will be held in a specific branch at the university's Inter-College Youth Festival, it said.

Assam Police's CID on Friday issued notices to people who were present or aware of the events leading to singer Zubeen Garg's death in Singapore, asking them to appear before its officers within 10 days, a senior official said.

He added that the Special Investigating Team (SIT), formed by the CID to probe into Garg's death, continued its searches at the residence of North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta here for the second day.