Zubeen’s family awaits singer's mortal remains

Guwahati, Sep 20 (PTI) The grief-stricken family of popular singer Zubeen Garg was on Saturday awaiting the arrival of his mortal remains in Guwahati from Singapore, where he died a day ago while "swimming without a life jacket".

His octogenarian father Mohini Mohan Borthakur, who has been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, looked resigned to fate, while the wife of the singer appeared calm as they were receiving mourners and well-wishers at their Kahilipara residence in the city.

Garg (52), who was in Singapore to attend the North East India Festival, had gone with 17 others on a yacht trip and died while "swimming in the sea without a life jacket", Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said.

He said the autopsy of Zubeen's body was conducted at a Singapore hospital on Saturday, and the body is expected to reach Delhi late in the evening.

“Dada (Zubeen’s father) has Alzheimer’s disease. He is also a diabetic patient, and there was a spike in his blood sugar level yesterday after he received the news. But he is under control now,” Zubeen’s uncle Manoj Kumar Borthakur, who reached Guwahati on Saturday morning to be with his elder brother, told PTI.

For 85-year-old Mohini Mohan Borthakur, a former bureaucrat and acclaimed author-poet, losing those closest to him has been a tragedy that he has suffered over the years.

Borthakur had lost his wife, homemaker-singer Ily Borthakur, a few decades ago, and one of the couple’s daughters, Jongki, an actor-singer, in a road accident in 2002.

After Zubeen's death, Borthakur now has a lone surviving child, Palme, who teaches Geography at a private university here.

“Our family members have come to be with Dada (Mohini Mohan Borthakur) and Garima (Zubeen’s wife). Well-wishers have been coming to be part of our bereavement,” Manoj Borthakur said.

He added that Garima, a renowned fashion designer herself, has been maintaining her composure after receiving the news of Zubeen’s death.

With fans pouring in to pay their tributes to their beloved singer at his Kahilipara residence, the administration has restricted entry to ensure no untoward situation, Borthakur said.

“We don’t want a stampede-like situation or difficulty to our neighbours,” he added.

A former neighbour of Zubeen, Rickjyoti Batshya, recalled the youth icon as a down-to-earth person who never refused a request.

“He was a good neighbour with no airs. He was the guy next door, hanging out at the corner shops just like we did,” he said.

Whenever anyone approached him with a request for a photo or just to greet him, Zubeen would never refuse them, Batshya said.

“Once my father came across Zubeen da, he requested a selfie. Zubeen da himself clicked the photo,” he added.

Batshya also recounted the craze for Zubeen, especially among the youth.

“Perhaps, the only time the apartment gates were locked was on Zubeen da’s birthday as his fans flocked in huge numbers. Also, when his car passed through the gate, the residents of a youth hostel, opposite to the apartment, would shout out to him every time,” he added. PTI SSG SSG BDC