Who was Zubeen Garg? Zubeen Garg (18 November 1972 – September 2025) was a singer, composer, actor, film director and poet from Assam, India. Born Zubeen Borthakur in Tura, Meghalaya, he sang tens of thousands of songs in Assamese, Hindi, Bengali and dozens of other languages. He became known across India for “Ya Ali” (2006), and in Assam he was loved simply as Zubeen Da.
He began singing at three. He spent eleven years at the tabla. And he refused, all his life, to belong to anyone who could own him. This article tells his life in brief, sets out what he believed in his own words, and lists the ten principles he lived by.
Watch: Zubeen Garg Biography | Zubeen Da’s 10 Rules for a Fearless Life, a seven-minute animated film by TD Film Studio, in English or with a full Assamese voice track.
Zubeen Garg: quick facts
| Born | 18 November 1972, Tura, Meghalaya |
| Birth name | Zubeen Borthakur. He was named after the conductor Zubin Mehta; “Garg” came from his gotra |
| Known as | Zubeen Da, Goldie, the King of Humming |
| Training | Singing from age three, with his mother as his first teacher; eleven years of tabla under Pandit Robin Banerjee; Assamese folk music under Guru Ramani Rai |
| First album | Anamika (1992) |
| Breakthrough in Hindi film music | “Ya Ali”, from the film Gangster (2006) |
| Songs | Widely reported as 38,000 to 40,000, in about 40 languages and dialects (there is no audited count) |
| Instruments | Widely reported as twelve, among them tabla, dhol, dotara, guitar, harmonica, mandolin and keyboard |
| Films he directed | Tumi Mor Matho Mor (2000), Mission China (2017), Kanchanjangha (2019) |
| A national award | National Film Award for Best Music Direction (non-feature), 2009, for Echoes of Silence, a student film he scored for free |
| Poetry | Zubeenor Podyo and Xabda Anubhuti |
| Last film | Roi Roi Binale, released on 31 October 2025 |
| Died | September 2025, aged 52 |
Early life: a boy who sang before he could read
Zubeen grew up in a home full of music. His father wrote lyrics and poetry, and his mother, the singer Ily Borthakur, was his first music teacher. He was singing by the age of three. He then spent eleven years learning the tabla, which gave him the rhythm that runs under everything he later sang.
He went to school in Jorhat, Karimganj and Tamulpur, and then to college in Jorhat and Guwahati. He enrolled for a science degree and left it, because music had already taken over. In 1992 he released his first Assamese album, Anamika. Albums such as Maya (1994) and Asha (1995) followed, and by his early twenties he was the voice of a generation in Assam.
From Assam to Mumbai: “Ya Ali”
In 1995 he moved to Mumbai. He sang for Hindi films through the late 1990s and early 2000s, and in 2006 “Ya Ali”, from the film Gangster, made his voice known across India. It won him awards and nominations, and he later sang “Dil Tu Hi Bataa” for Krrish 3 (2013).
He could have stayed. He chose not to. He was openly impatient with being typecast after “Ya Ali”, and he turned down offers. His reason, in his own words:
“A king should never leave his kingdom.”
Back home: Assamese cinema
Zubeen poured his time and his own money into Assamese films. He acted, composed and directed. Mission China (2017), which he wrote, directed and starred in, and Kanchanjangha (2019) drew large audiences to cinema halls in Assam. His last film, Roi Roi Binale, in which he plays a blind musician, was released after his death and became one of the most-watched Assamese films ever made.
What did Zubeen Garg believe? His words on religion and caste
The question many people ask about Zubeen Garg is his religion. He answered it himself, many times, on stage and on screen:
“I have no caste, no religion, no God. I am free.”
His fans heard this as a rule for living: belong to no group that could own you, and judge people by what they do. He was also deeply at home in Assam’s devotional traditions and sang many of them, so the line reads as a refusal of division rather than of meaning.
He held to that freedom when it was costly. In April 2013, when there were threats against Hindi songs on Bihu stages, he sang “Ya Ali” anyway. He planted trees every year, gave to flood relief, and supported other artists through his foundation.
Zubeen Garg quotes (sourced)
Many lines attributed to him online cannot be traced. These can:
- “I have no caste, no religion, no God. I am free.” (Pratidin Time, 25 September 2025; India Today NE, 8 October 2025)
- “A king should never leave his kingdom.” (EastMojo, 18 November 2025)
- “I can fall, but never fail.” (India Today NE interview, 3 November 2022)
- “You cannot dictate me.” (to organisers who objected to his Hindi songs; The Wire, 24 September 2025)
- “Art is all about freedom.” (on whether his songs counted as folk music)
- “I am not God.” (to a fan who asked whether he was human or god; Pratidin Time, 25 September 2025)
The ten principles Zubeen Garg lived by
The book The Unfiltered Universe of Zubeen Garg and its companion film distil his life into ten principles that anyone can practise:
- Let the heart choose, then make the brain build.
- Create from the pain, not to escape it. He turned grief into songs. “Mayabini Ratir Bukut” is the song he asked to be sung for him one day.
- Refuse to be one thing. Singer, composer, actor, director, poet.
- Become your own shelter, and never mistake that for hiding.
- Earn, and give it away on purpose.
- Rebel, and put the weapon down.
- Serve the place that made you. He came home to Assam.
- Build family, not followers.
- Treat time like a stern god.
- Leap, with your eyes open.
Each principle has its own chapter in the animated film (the chapter list is in the video’s description), and its own full chapter in the book.
When is Zubeen Garg’s birthday?
Zubeen Garg was born on 18 November 1972. On 18 November 2026 he would have turned 54, and it is the first birthday since his passing in September 2025. His fans remember the day with his songs. If you want to spend seven minutes with his life on that day, the film above was made for it.
A short essay on Zubeen Garg (for students)
Zubeen Garg was one of the most loved artists of Assam. He was born on 18 November 1972 in Tura, Meghalaya, and began singing when he was only three years old. He learned the tabla for eleven years and released his first album, Anamika, in 1992. He sang in Assamese, Hindi, Bengali and many other languages, and became famous across India for the song “Ya Ali”. He was also an actor, a film director and a poet. Zubeen Garg believed in freedom and equality. He said, “I have no caste, no religion, no God. I am free.” He helped flood victims, planted trees and supported young artists. He passed away in September 2025, and the whole of Assam mourned him. His songs and his message of freedom live on.
(About 150 words. Students may quote it with a link to this page.)
The book: The Unfiltered Universe of Zubeen Garg
The Unfiltered Universe of Zubeen Garg: Ten Principles for a Fearless Creative Life is an illustrated book of 198 pages by filmmaker Tarunabh Dutta. It is not a biography. It sets out each of the ten principles with his own sourced words, the evidence from his life, an honest look at the shadow side, and exercises for anyone who makes things: musicians, writers, filmmakers and students.
The author met Zubeen Garg in 2009, with a film trailer in his hand, and never forgot the kindness.
Read it on Kindle: Amazon India · Amazon worldwide · free on Kindle Unlimited. More on our books page.
About the film
The animated film was made at TD Film Studio in Guwahati as a companion to the book: researched, written, illustrated, directed, edited and narrated by Tarunabh Dutta, in English with a full Assamese voice track, and subtitles in English. Every image in it is an illustration, not a photograph or archival footage. Watch it on YouTube, and see more of our work on the films page.
Questions about Zubeen Garg
Who is Zubeen Garg?
Zubeen Garg (1972–2025) was a singer, composer, actor, director and poet from Assam, India, known across India for “Ya Ali” and loved in Assam as Zubeen Da.
What was Zubeen Garg’s real name?
He was born Zubeen Borthakur. He was named after Zubin Mehta, and took “Garg” from his gotra.
Where was Zubeen Garg born?
In Tura, Meghalaya, on 18 November 1972. He went to school in Jorhat, Karimganj and Tamulpur in Assam.
What was Zubeen Garg’s first album?
Anamika, released in 1992.
What was Zubeen Garg’s religion?
In his own words: “I have no caste, no religion, no God. I am free.”
Which films did Zubeen Garg direct?
Tumi Mor Matho Mor (2000), Mission China (2017) and Kanchanjangha (2019).
When is Zubeen Garg’s birthday?
18 November.
Is there a book about Zubeen Garg’s philosophy?
Yes: The Unfiltered Universe of Zubeen Garg: Ten Principles for a Fearless Creative Life by Tarunabh Dutta, on Kindle in India and worldwide.
This article, the film and the book are an independent, interpretive tribute to the publicly documented words, work and life of Zubeen Garg. They are not authorised or commissioned, and his family, his estate, the Zubeen Garg Trust and his professional associates have not reviewed or endorsed them. All images are artistic illustrations. Film and song titles are named for reference only; all rights remain with their owners.