Zubeen Gargs wife Garima Saikia breaks down during his last rites; singer cremated with full state honours

NEW DELHI: Assamese singer Zubeen Gargs body was cremated amid chanting of Vedic hymns and emotional tributes at Kamarkuchi on the outskirts of Guwahati.

His wife, Garima Saikia Garg, was seen in tears and sobbing throughout the cremation rituals held at the Kamarkuchi NC village crematorium.

The final rites were performed with traditional customs as Zubeen’s sister, Palme Borthakur, and music composer Rahul Gautam, a close protégé, lit the funeral pyre amid gun salutes. They circled the pyre seven times, guided by priests, while family members and well-wishers stood respectfully.

As the flames rose, mourners chanted slogans of “Zubeen, Zubeen” and sang his popular song “Mayabini Ratir buku.” The Assam Police honored the singer with a ceremonial gun salute and sounded the bugle.

Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal, Kiren Rijiju, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma participated in the rituals, placing wood on the pyre. A branch of the sandalwood tree that Zubeen himself had planted on his birthday in 2017 was also laid on the pyre as a final tribute.

The cremation was marked by the blowing of conch shells and the recitation of sacred Vedic hymns, reflecting the deep cultural respect for the late artist.

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