‘He was upbeat, not anguished’: Rita Chowdhury on last meeting with Zubeen Garg

Guwahati, Oct 28: In a heartfelt reflection on her last meeting with Assam’s beloved cultural icon Zubeen Garg, noted author Rita Chowdhury described him as “upbeat and passionate” about his upcoming film Roi Roi Binale, dismissing any notion that he appeared troubled or withdrawn before his untimely death abroad last month.

“He invited me to his home and studio and even said he would give me a role in the film. I did not see any anguish in him,” Chowdhury said, recalling one of her final interactions with the beloved singer, post appearing before the SIT probing the circumstances leading to his death, on Tuesday.

She spoke fondly of Garg’s attachment to his under-construction home in Kharghuli. “He told me, ‘If someone wants to give pain to a person, ask him to build a house’. That home was his dream,” she said, adding that the project had become deeply personal for the artiste.

Chowdhury, however, expressed regret that Garg was allowed to travel abroad despite appearing unwell. “I didn’t know he would be going to Singapore. When I saw him during the podcast, he didn’t look well. He should not have been permitted to travel,” she said.

Urging restraint and empathy from both the media and the public, the Makam author appealed for dignity in the ongoing discourse surrounding Garg’s death.

“This is a difficult and emotional time for all of us. We must respond with dignity and sensitivity,” she said.

Chowdhury also criticised what she called the “misrepresentation and distortion” of her actions and statements following Garg’s death.

She said reports about her travelling to Patna soon after the tragedy were “taken out of context and sensationalised”.

“The news devastated me. I didn’t want to travel. But my family and colleagues insisted that a change of environment might help. I booked a late-night ticket and left, but the media portrayed it in another way,” she explained, adding that the misreporting compounded her grief.

The author also clarified her earlier appeal to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on social media, in which she urged the government to reconsider the strict SOP imposed at Zubeen Kshetra.

Her intention, she said, was to ensure that protective measures did not inconvenience grieving fans.

“Perhaps the Chief Minister felt the SOP was relevant then. I only expressed my opinion as a responsible citizen. Such decisions must always consider the emotional state of the people,” she said.

Chowdhury concluded by reiterating her wish that Zubeen Garg’s artistic legacy, not controversy, should define his memory.