Assam govt seeks public suggestions to build Zubeen Garg memorials

Guwahati, Sept 25: The Assam Government will construct two memorials of Zubeen Garg-one at Sonapur where he was cremated and another in Jorhat, said the Minister in charge of Cultural Affairs, Bimal Bora.

Talking to The Assam Tribune, Bora appealed to all sections of people of the State to offer suggestions for construction of the memorials. He pointed out that since the unfortunate demise of the artiste, the Government has taken every step as per the suggestions of his fans and family members.

The government did not take any step unilaterally and "that is why we have asked for suggestions for the construction of his memorials". He asserted that all the suggestions would be taken into consideration before taking the final step

The Cultural Affairs Minister further informed that the shraddha ceremony of the music maestro would be performed in Jorhat by the government in collaboration with the family members. However, the place where the ceremony would be performed is yet to be decided, he said.

Bora pointed out that a spacious area would be required for the ceremony. "From our experience of keeping the mortal remains of the mercurial singer, we know that we should be prepared for a huge turnout. That is why we are looking for a suitable place. It may be either Jorhat stadium or Court Field," he added.

He also said that there are other fields but those could become muddy in case of rainfall.

Bora revealed that the cremation ground has been protected and the boundary wall would be constructed within 10 days. In the next step, the design of the memorial has to be decided.

Replying to a question whether the Government has selected the site for memorial in Jorhat, he said that efforts select a suitable plot of land and suggestions from the people of Jorhat would be taken into consideration. He said that efforts would also be made to pre-serve the songs of Zubeen.

The Minister further said that he himself is a fan of Zubeen and they first met in JB College. Initially, Zubeen mostly played musical instruments and later shifted to singing. The void created by his demise will never be filled, he said.

Bora pointed out that the feelings of people for Zubeen is unmatched. "I was in the vehicle which carried the mortal remains of Zubeen from the airport to the Sarusajai stadium. I was overwhelmed by the response of the people. I had seen people standing on roadsides to pay respects to some popular figures. But in this case, people even jumped in front of the vehicle without caring for their own lives. We may never see such scenes in our lifetime," he added.