Zubeen da’s Idea of Assam: Can Humanism be Our Strongest Politics?

At a time when the state of Assam is about to plunge into the ‘election fiasco’ and when leadership is synonymous with power and partisanship, the vacuum of an authority that defines ‘moral conscience’ seems evident. The greater part of the last two decades had found that resonant voice in Zubeen Garg, affectionately known as our Zubeen Da.

Every evident moment when Assam confronted growing social fragmentation met with economic inequality and a deep cultural anxiety, a parallel voice emerged, be it through songs or the words of wisdom—the Zubeen Da Way…. “Moi Ghaanta Kaku Khatir Nokoru…” (I don’t give a damn!)… resilience against injustice is what defined him.

The man never sought a political podium, but history has it that a very rare few individuals could ever accomplish this unimaginable feat—influence Assam’s public imagination and unify them under any circumstances.

Assam fondly remembers him through music, his often quirky public interventions, and acts of solidarity. The legend of Zubeen Garg emerged as a by-product of a step-by-step cultivation of qualities—voicing against injustice through the years of perseverance.

He emerged as a social leader who practically stands for the basic footholds of philosophy called humanity and lived secularism, imbibed in a form of socialism that is rooted not in a political ideology but existential empathy.

Zubeen da realized the concept of ‘leadership’ beyond ‘power,’ and Zubeen Garg’s leadership did not flow from institutions but came from conviction. Be it standing abreast with the flood-affected families, voicing out against injustice, or aligning himself with the marginalised and impoverished, he is known for putting human dignity at the centre on a consistent note in case of any public discourse and discontent.

What makes him different from the rest of the lot is his undaunting understanding of practical socialism and his personal approach, evident from his ever-engaging nature with the populace, pushed beyond the scales of development. For him, it was never about the rhetoric but about personal presence and attachment. It’s not about charity, but solidarity…that is the quality that gradually transformed him from Zubeen Garg to the legendary ‘Zubeen Da,’ referred to as hiyar amothu (apple of the eye) by generations across Assam.

His concept of humanism was equally instinctive as his secularism. While the society is often marred with religious and ethnic identities, often politicised, Zubeen da’s view of the world resisted division. His secularism was not declarative; it was lived, often through undying friendships, humane collaborations, and his position in the public that cut across communities. While doing so, he just taught us with his reaffirmations of a simple truth that Assam’s cultural strength lies in coexistence.

In reality, Zubeen Garg belonged to an immemorially long tradition of Assamese cultural heroes who had played the role of the moral backbone of society. From Jyotiprasad Agarwala’s artistic resistance to Bishnu Rabha’s revolutionary humanism and Bhupen Hazarika’s universal compassion, Assam has historically looked to its artists for ethical guidance.

But what distinguished Zubeen da from others was his miraculous ability to carry the great legacy even into a volatile and media-driven age. Where his predecessors spoke through enduring art, he responded to injustice in real time…. Always repudiating silence when being a mute spectator became convenient for the society.

In an era when culture risks being reduced to spectacle or political utility, Zubeen Garg remained uncomfortable, unpredictable, and uncompromising. That discomfort was precisely his value.

The matter of primary concern today is not about the absence of Zubeen Garg as an individual, but about the absence of institutions that nurture such humanist voices.

Personalities like Zubeen da are difficult to categorise as they do not categorically fit ‘neatly’ into ideological checkboxes, nor do they offer convenient slogans. The concern is not that such voices disappear with time, but the danger lies in the fact that society stops producing them.

The question of the hour remains, who will now speak without a dearth of hesitation for the flood-affected, the oppressed tea garden worker, the artist at the threshold of extinction, or the community under suspicion and social hatred? Who will flamboyantly remind Assam that ‘secularism’ is not merely an external imposition or a word within the preamble of our constitution, but an undying organic part of its basic social fabric?

In fact,Zubeen Garg’s life and legacy resonate with the idea that ‘humanism’ itself can become the ultimate form of resistance, as no guns or ammunition can match the combustive nature of humane resilience.

Zubeen da, while often quoting Che Guevara, the iconic revolutionary whom he considered his social mentor, made the world realise that the idea of socialism cannot be only about redistribution alone but primarily a recognition…. recognising pain, labour, dignity, and shared humanity is the ultimate marker of an ideal social structure. He reminded us that ‘development’ without ‘compassion’ is nothing but a hollow structural grandeur; human values and human dignity are what make Assam great.

Maybe Assam does not require another icon, as icons are very much irreplaceable. What it actually needs is the necessity of internalising values along with the courage to speak; the resilience to ‘NOT’ look away at injustice; and the ever-wilfulness to stand abreast with the vulnerable and the marginalised, even when it is inconvenient or risky.

Also Read: ‘My Silence Is Not Weakness’: Garima Garg Breaks Calm on Justice for Zubeen Garg