Zubeen’s ashes to be available for organisations, individuals: Assam minister

Guwahati, Sep 23 (PTI) The ashes from the funeral pyre of Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg will be made available to organisations and individuals through an online application procedure, the state's senior minister Ranoj Pegu said on Tuesday.

Work on securing the area where the pyre was lit during the day at Kamarkuchi, on the outskirts of Guwahati, will commence on Tuesday night itself, while the demarcation and boundary wall for the premises of the memorial will also begin soon, he said.

The body of Garg (52), who had died while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19, was cremated at Kamarkuchi on Tuesday with full state honours as lakhs paid tributes to the singer-composer over the last couple of days.

Talking to reporters at the Kamarkuchi memorial spot, Pegu said, “The Assam government will open a simple portal through which organisations and institutions can apply to obtain ashes of their beloved artiste. The Cultural Department will look after it.

“If the remains are available after providing it to the organisations and there are individual applicants also, the department will look into it,” the education minister added.

Pegu said that, as announced by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, a portion of the ashes will be taken to Jorhat, from where a demand was raised to cremate Garg in that eastern town where he had spent his formative years.

“The rituals connected with the 13th day of demise will be performed at Jorhat. A memorial will also be built there, with site finalisation to be done soon,” he said.

The minister further said that the boundary wall of the memorial at Kamarkuchi will be built after complete demarcation.

“The spot where the pyre was built and lit will be secured from tonight itself. Temporary barricades were already there and work on permanent boundary of the pyre site will start tonight,” he said.

Pegu said a state police camp will be set up at the Kamakuchi site for security, with public to have access to pay their respects to their favourite singer. PTI SSG NN