Guwahati: Beneath the neon glow of Park Street now Mother Teresa Sarani ,the air hummed with a familiar refrain last weekend: Mon Mane Naa.
The iconic Bengali hit by Zubeen Garg, the late Assamese music legend, was splashed across billboards and echoed in impromptu street sing-alongs, transforming Kolkata's bustling artery into a poignant tribute.
Barely days after Garg's tragic death in a Singapore suspicious swimming accident on September 19, this heartfelt homage underscored his unbreakable ties to Bengal, where he was revered not as an outsider, but as family.
Garg, 52, wasn't just Assam's voice; he was Bengal's adopted son.
Born as Zubeen Barthakur in Tura, Meghalaya in 1972, he wove himself into the cultural fabric of West Bengal and Bangladesh through soul-stirring Bengali compositions.
His 2003 debut in Bengali cinema with hits like Mon Mane Naa and Bhalobashi Bhalobashi, earning him the Best Music Director award for Shudhu Tumi in 2004.
"I am half Bengali," Garg once quipped in a TV9 Bangla interview, reflecting his childhood in Karimganj now Sribhumi near the Bangladesh border, where Sylheti dialects blurred linguistic lines.
Across Bengal, the grief was visceral.
In border district Cooch Behar, the Trinamool Congress-run municipality announced a statue and named a Rash Mela stage after him, citing his electrifying 2020 performance.
"He mesmerized us with melodies that crossed borders," said civic chairman Rabindranath Ghosh. Fans in Kolkata's film circles, including Shiboprosad Mukherjee, hosted a starry evening on September 22, screening Garg's collaborations with Anupam Roy and Iman Chakraborty. Bengali icons like Prosenjit Chatterjee mourned on social media: "Your voice united us all."
Bangladesh echoed the sorrow, with Dhaka Courier hailing Garg as a bridge of cultural affinities. His tracks, infused with Bhawaiya folk from the undivided Goalpara-Assam-Bangladesh region, resonated in Sylhet and Chattogram.
"He blurred lines between Assam and us," wrote activist Taslima Nasrin on X.
Pakistani band Khudgharz's Karachi rendition of "Ya Ali his Bollywood breakout from Gangster (2006) went viral, amplifying his pan-South Asian appeal.
Garg's philanthropy deepened these bonds. He funded medical aid in Barak Valley and orphanages in Bengal, embodying unity amid Assam's ethnic tensions.
As Hindu-Muslim divides simmered, his songs preached inclusivity, defying ULFA bans on Hindi-Bengali tracks during Bihu. "Zubeen was for all," said journalist Gautam Sharma at a Guwahati memorial.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his October Mann Ki Baat, called Garg "Assam's brightest gem," whose music inspires generations.
From Jorhat's inter-faith Adyashraddha on October 1 attended by Karnataka's DK Shivakumar to Digboi's Nahor Park and the ICC Women's World Cup's 40-minute Guwahati tribute, his legacy endures.
As Park Street's crowds dispersed, a young fan whispered, "Mon mane naa—our hearts won't accept he's gone."
Garg's story isn't of loss, but of a melody that forever stitches Assam, Bengal, and Bangladesh into one harmonious heart.
