“Agla janam ho toh Assam mein ho…” — When Sonu Nigam spoke from the heart, remembering Zubeen Garg and Assam

“Zubeen will not be here in Guwahati, so it will be quite an emotional moment for me while performing this time,” Sonu Nigam said, and in that single line lay the weight of loss, memory, and an unbroken bond between an artist and a land.

As Sonu Nigam prepares to begin his ‘Deewana Tera’ tour from Guwahati, the city has become more than just the starting point of a concert series. It has turned into a space of remembrance—of friendship, of music, and of a cultural love that, as Sonu himself admits, is unmatched anywhere else in the country.

“The last time I was here was for an award show where Zubeen and I performed together. That was the last time I met him,” Sonu recalled. “His death will remain unfortunate forever. I still can’t believe it. It is painful for me.”

For Sonu Nigam, Assam is not merely another performance destination. “Assam is something else,” he said plainly. “Performing here is always lovely. It feels like performing in front of sensible people—people who understand music so properly.”

Those words were not casual praise. They were rooted in decades of observation, in a friendship that began in the 1990s. “Zubeen and I have been friends since the ’90s,” Sonu said. “Though we did not meet regularly—he was in Guwahati, I was in Mumbai—the connection was always there.”

What moved Sonu most was not just Zubeen Garg’s artistry, but the way Assam loved him back. “Hats off to the people of Assam for showing so much love to an artist like Zubeen,” he said. “The love people here gave him is unmatchable. Great people are the Assamese people.”

Speaking earlier on the Radio Nasha Official podcast, Sonu Nigam explained why starting the ‘Deewana Tera’ tour from Guwahati was an emotional decision rather than a strategic one. “We are beginning the tour from Guwahati, and it was the last place where I saw Assam’s heartthrob Zubeen Garg at an award function,” he said. “Zubeen, my brother, went away too early. It will be a little tough for me to perform there.”

Sonu reflected deeply on Zubeen Garg’s musical legacy. “Artists will come and go in the coming years,” he said, “but an artist like Zubeen must have done something divine to receive so much love from the people of Assam.”

“As a singer, I could see layers in his voice,” Sonu added. “His voice was modern, yet it carried a strong touch of tradition and cultural roots.”

He pointed out something that continues to stay with him: “It is unthinkable that a person who may not have showcased his quality across the nation could be so big in reality—so big that lakhs of people came out when he passed away. Even today, Assam has not been able to come out of the pain of his loss.”

For Sonu Nigam, the credit lies first with the man himself. “The first credit goes to Zubeen—for being a great human being,” he said. “There will be many great artists, but he had something special. That is why he received that kind of love.”

And then came a line that captured the emotional peak of his reflection:
“I hope in my next life I am born in Assam. The people of Assam are great. They know how to love an artist.”

True to his emotions, Sonu confirmed that he will dedicate a few lines in tribute to Zubeen Garg during his Guwahati concert.

Before stepping onto the stage, Sonu Nigam chose to begin the journey spiritually. Early in the morning, he visited the sacred Shakti Peeth Kamakhya Temple, offering special prayers at the feet of Goddess Kamakhya under tight security arrangements.

“Whenever I come to Guwahati, I try to visit the Kamakhya Shakti Peeth,” he said. “My mother has imposed this habit on me—to begin any journey after visiting a temple. Assam is a beautiful state, and the people here are music lovers by nature.”

The music world is still grieving the loss of Zubeen Garg, a voice that shaped Assam’s cultural identity for decades. Tributes continue to pour in, and Sonu Nigam—known for timeless songs like Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin, Bole Chudiyan, and Deewana Tera—now adds his own deeply personal homage as he prepares for his first-ever solo live concert in Guwahati.

Announcing the concert on Instagram, Sonu wrote: “Dec 14. A night in Guwahati will be remembered forever. Sonu Nigam live for Deewana Tera!”
In his press note, he admitted that choosing Guwahati as the starting point broke him emotionally. “Watching the people of Assam honor Zubeen left me deeply moved. I have never seen such pure love and respect.”

After Guwahati, the ‘Deewana Tera’ tour will travel to Indore, Jaipur, and Lucknow. Earlier, on his 52nd birthday, Sonu had announced another nationwide tour, ‘Satrangi Re’, covering Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Shillong, and Delhi NCR.

Zubeen Garg’s influence, however, continues to transcend borders. During a recent concert in Guwahati, global pop-country star Post Malone paused his performance to say, “To be in the home of the great legendary Zubeen tonight… I just hope everyone’s having an amazing day and an amazing night.”

In Guwahati, as Sonu Nigam sings, the absence of Zubeen Garg will be felt—but so will his presence, echoing through every note, every memory, and every heart that understands music the way Assam always has.

Also Read: Rita Choudhury Dedicates Podcast Revenue to Preserve Zubeen Garg’s Legacy