There are songs that live in recordings, and then there are songs that live in people. Today, one more of Zubeen Garg’s unheard voices is about to find its way into the world.
On Saturday, September 19 — exactly on Zubeen Divas, the first anniversary of the beloved singer’s passing — Angaraag “Papon” Mahanta is set to release an unreleased Zubeen Garg track titled “Ati Nohoi, Duti Nohoi.” The song belongs to Zubeen Garg’s Silaa album and is being brought out under the banner of Zeal Creations. Papon is scheduled to launch the track at around 2:40 pm.
It’s a moment that carries weight far beyond a simple song release.
Singer Manjyotsna Mahanta Goswami and noted filmmaker Rajesh Bhuyan are expected to be present at the release event, making it a gathering of people who understood, loved and worked alongside Zubeen Garg. That kind of presence isn’t just symbolic. It tells you how much care has gone into making this release feel like a tribute and not just a transaction.
The timing of the release is deliberate and deeply emotional. Just hours before the scheduled launch, thousands of Zubeen’s fans had already gathered at Zubeen Khetra in Sonapur to pay their respects at the memorial site. The temperature hovered around 33 degrees Celsius, with the heat index touching nearly 41 degrees — brutal conditions by any measure. But people came anyway. In large numbers. That’s what Zubeen Garg meant to Assam.
You don’t stand in near-41-degree heat for someone you simply liked. You do it for someone who sang a piece of your life back to you.
Zubeen Garg, widely regarded as one of the most iconic voices in Assamese music and culture, passed away last year. His contribution to Assamese cinema, folk traditions and popular music stretches across decades. He wasn’t just a singer — he was a thread in the cultural fabric of the northeast, and his absence has left a silence that no tribute can fully fill. But songs like “Ati Nohoi, Duti Nohoi” come close to trying.
There’s something quietly extraordinary about Papon being the one to hold this particular torch. He is himself a celebrated voice — nationally recognised, deeply rooted in the same Assamese musical tradition that shaped Zubeen. That he steps into this role today, of carrying an unheard Zubeen song to its first audience, feels right in a way that’s hard to put into words.
The release through Zeal Creations adds a layer of legitimacy, ensuring the song reaches listeners with the care it deserves. This isn’t a rushed archive release. It feels considered. Intentional. The kind of thing people do when they want to honour someone properly.
Assam has had many ways of remembering Zubeen Garg over the past year — ceremonies, memorials, blood donation drives, moments of collective grief and gratitude. But a new song hitting play for the very first time, in his voice, on the anniversary of his death — that hits differently.
Some artists leave behind unfinished business. Zubeen Garg left behind unfinished music. And today, thanks to Papon, a little more of it belongs to the world.
