Late-night visits, gooseberry trees and vermicelli: Family recalls the Zubeen they knew

Jorhat, Sept 20: The sudden demise of Assam’s beloved singer, composer, and actor Zubeen Garg has plunged the state into mourning, with thousands thronging the streets of his birthplace, Jorhat, to pay homage.

Amidst the tributes, his family in Pulibor shared intimate memories that revealed a softer, more personal side of the cultural icon—his childhood mischief, late-night visits, and love for simple home-cooked meals.

Zubeen’s aunt, Oli Adhyapak, her eyes brimming with tears, recalled how he would often arrive at their home unannounced, sometimes late at night.

“He would call out to my son, ‘Bubu, open the gate.’ If it took time, he would simply climb over it. When I asked if he wanted food, he would say, ‘No, I just came to see you all.’ Still, I kept rotis hidden for him because he loved them. He was never fond of rice—if there was no roti, he wouldn’t eat rice at all,” she said.

She remembered his fondness for xoru sorai curry and fried delicacies.

“Whenever he came from outside, he would call ahead and ask me to prepare xoru sorai curry. Sometimes he would come with his friends, and while we offered them tea, he wouldn’t eat much himself. He also loved vermicelli—I would cook it one evening, and the next day he would again ask me to make it. He was like my own son,” she added, breaking down while speaking.

Zubeen's aunt also shared anecdotes from Zubeen’s mischievous childhood.

“He would go fishing in the pond near our house, climb the gooseberry tree, and shout at the neighbors. Once, wearing a shirt made from blanket cloth, he scared me by sneaking up near the kitchen. He always sought love and affection from everyone around him,” she said.

Zubeen’s uncle, Nripendra nath Adhyapak, too, remembered his bond with the young boy.

“I saw him the day after his birth in Tura. My sister loved and cared for him like her own. I used to take him around town on my bicycle, and if I didn’t, he would be upset. Even after he grew up, whenever he was in Jorhat, he would visit me late at night—sometimes at 1 or 2 am—and wake me up just to talk. We would sit and chat for an hour,” he said.

Describing the pain of hearing the tragic news, Rupendra added: “My brother called me from Barpeta and said, ‘Goldie fell into the sea in Singapore and he is senseless.’ At first, I couldn’t believe it. Then I turned on the TV and saw the news. It felt unbelievable. We never thought we would lose him so soon.”

As thousands gathered in Jorhat, shutting down shops and businesses to honor his memory, the grief in his ancestral home reflected the deep personal loss behind the public mourning.

To his fans, Zubeen was a cultural icon, but to his family, he was the mischievous child who loved climbing trees, the nephew who sneaked in late at night, and the young man who never let go of his love for simple meals cooked with affection.