Zubeen Garg: The Voice of Climate Action

Zubeen Garg: The Voice of Climate Action

ANJAN SARMA

In Assam, where the Brahmaputra River surges with life of the people of Assam, Zubeen Garg was not just a musical legend but a relentless champion of climate action-a singer whose voice stirred souls and galvanized a region to protect its fragile environment.

His tragic death on September 19, 2025, at 52, in an accident off Singapore’s coast, has silenced a powerful advocate for Northeast India’s ecological and cultural survival. As the echoes of his state funeral fade in Guwahati, following a three-day mourning period that paused festivities and shuttered schools, Zubeen’s legacy as a climate warrior and cultural icon resonates louder than ever, urging continued vigilance against environmental threats.

Born Zubeen Borthakur on November 18, 1972, in Tura, Meghalaya, to a poet father and a singer mother, Zubeen was destined for greatness, named after conductor Zubin Mehta. Adopting “Garg” from his Brahmin gotra, he rooted his soaring talent in Assam’s soil. Raised in Jorhat amid the Brahmaputra’s rhythms and Bihu beats, he debuted with Anamika (1992), blending Assamese folk with pop to become the “heartthrob of Assam.” His three-decade career produced over 38,000 songs in 40 languages, including Bollywood’s timeless “Ya Ali” (Gangster, 2006), but it was his fierce environmental advocacy that defined his true melody.

RelatedPosts

Air Quality Management System Handed Over to Bajali HS School by Forest Department, Bajali District Administration & Mahabahu Climate Forum

March 10, 2026

বজালী উচ্চতৰ মাধ্যমিক বিদ্যালয়ত ‘বায়ুৰ গুণমান ব্যৱস্থাপনা প্ৰণালী’ অৰ্পণ 

March 10, 2026

A Historical Inquiry into Climate and Environment in Assam

March 5, 2026

In Northeast India, climate change is not a distant threat but a daily crisis. The Brahmaputra’s annual floods displace millions, erode Majuli-the world’s largest river island-by hundreds of meters yearly, and imperil Kaziranga National Park’s rhinos and tigers. Zubeen, a nature lover who trekked Assam’s forests with a poet’s eye, saw these crises as existential. “Our rivers are our veins; when they bleed, so do we,” he said in a 2018 interview, framing climate action as inseparable from cultural survival. His activism was a clarion call: art could be a weapon against ecological collapse, and protecting green lungs was as vital as breathing.

Through his Kalaguru Artiste Foundation, Zubeen turned stardom into stewardship, funding flood relief, scholarships, and COVID-19 aid, even playing charity football to support climate-ravaged communities. His fan clubs planted thousands of trees annually-far outpacing government efforts-turning melody into a movement for reforestation.

In the early 2010s, he led a movement against a highway expansion threatening Kaziranga’s ancient trees, mobilizing supporters to secure a rare victory: the project was rerouted, sparing the canopy. Honored by PETA India in 2018 for anti-cruelty efforts, Zubeen championed wildlife, regularly visiting Kaziranga to boost conservation campaigns.

“Garg raised a question, saying, “If the government cuts down all the trees around Dighalipukhuri, can they restore its natural beauty?” He emphasized that the plan to sacrifice greenery for development is unacceptable, regardless of which political party is in power. “This is not about BJP or Congress; this is about preserving what we love,” he asserted, cautioning that progress cannot come at the expense of vital green spaces.  In a direct message to government leaders, including the Chief Minister and Prime Minister, Garg warned of potential consequences. “Every year, we plant 5,000 trees, far more than what the government has managed. I challenge them—if they go through with this, I will start a revolution. I’m committed to protecting our trees, and I won’t back down.” With deep conviction, he declared that if the government proceeds with cutting down Guwahati’s trees, “they can cut me down too.””

A particularly poignant chapter in Zubeen’s climate crusade unfolded in 2024, when he took a defiant stand against the Government of Assam’s plans to fell dozens of century-old trees-some over 200 years strong-along the banks of Guwahati’s iconic Dighalipukhuri pond for a massive 5-km flyover project from Dighalipukhuri to Noonmati.

GLOBAL WARMING Song : ZUBEEN GARG and Others 

As bulldozers loomed and development trumped ecology, Zubeen marched alongside residents, students, and eminent citizens in fervent protests, warning of a “revolution” if the trees were harmed. “Cut down a tree one by one, then cut me down,” he thundered, his words a poetic blend of fury and folklore that echoed Assam’s deep-rooted reverence for nature.

His mobilization amplified the public outcry, forcing Chief Minister to reconsider and explore alternatives, sparing the arboreal sentinels. This victory underscored Zubeen’s belief that infrastructure must not devour heritage, and it highlighted the broader peril of unchecked development in a climate-vulnerable region where every tree felled accelerates flood risks and biodiversity loss.

His climate crusade shone brightest in Majuli, where he collaborated with artists like Papon and Adil Hussain to promote eco-tourism and spotlight the island’s erosion crisis. In 2020, he inaugurated a sustainable bamboo bridge over the Na Dihing River, a villager-built marvel named in his honor, symbolizing community-driven climate resilience.

His films, like Kanchanjangha (2019), critiqued deforestation and corruption, urging viewers to reclaim Assam’s “stolen green.” A socialist inspired by Che Guevara, Zubeen linked climate equity to indigenous rights, advocating for Northeast communities as frontline defenders against environmental injustice.

Beyond ecology, Zubeen’s artistry was vast. A National Film Award winner for Mon Jaai (2008), he directed films like Mission China (2017), weaving socio-political and environmental themes. His opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) saw him join the All Assam Students’ Union in peaceful protests, calling the bill a “threat to Assam’s cultural essence.” “Protests against CAA should continue… wherever, however I can,” he vowed in 2024, emphasizing legal resistance. His compassion-mentoring artists, funding causes-made him a beacon of hope.

“Garg noted, “In the past 10 years, I have planted more trees than the government has been able to plant until now.” He emphasized that Assam is rich with natural resources-trees, rivers, and fertile land-which need preservation, not destruction. “Talk to me; I don’t just protest-I stand for what matters. And if the government doesn’t listen, I will lead a revolution.””

Climate change, Zubeen knew, threatens not just landscapes but identities. Assam’s shrinking islands and flooded fields endanger its cultural heartbeat, while government-led tree-cutting for roads and flyovers exacerbates vulnerability to extreme weather. His work underscored that protecting the environment is protecting heritage-a message that resonates globally as rising seas and extreme weather imperil vulnerable regions.

In death, his green legacy flourishes: on World Rhino Day, September 22, Kaziranga planted 52 fruit-bearing saplings-one for each year of his life-while fans planted thousands of Bakul trees, his favorite, transforming grief into a forest of renewal.

Tributes reflect his impact: Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded his “rich contribution to music,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called him “Assam’s favorite son,” and Adil Hussain hailed him as a “cultural ambassador” who amplified Northeast voices on climate and rights.

As Assam reflects on his pyre in Kamarkuchi village, flanked by a 21-gun salute and seas of flowers, with fans singing Mayabini, Zubeen Garg’s spirit endures in every saved tree, every climate protest, every resilient river bend. His life-a fusion of melody and mission-teaches that climate action is a song of survival, one Assam, and the world, must keep singing: “Our land is our song; let it never fade.”

26-09-2025

Mahabahu.com is an Online Magazine with collection of premium Assamese and English articles and posts with cultural base and modern thinking.  You can send your articles to editor@mahabahu.com / editor@mahabahoo.com (For Assamese article, Unicode font is necessary) Images from different sources.