Zubeen Garg came to Singapore to relax, not just for North East India Festival: Organiser

Popular Assamese singer Zubeen Garg had travelled to Singapore primarily to relax and spend time with members of the Assam Association, and not solely to attend the North East India Festival (NEIF), festival chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta has clarified.

The three-day festival, scheduled to begin on Friday, was cancelled following the singer’s untimely death while swimming in the sea without a life jacket. 

Speaking to PTI from Singapore, Mahanta said, “Zubeen had told the festival organising team that he wanted to go to Singapore and we arranged for his stay at a hotel. He had not come for the festival alone but had also made his own plans with members of the Assam Association in Singapore.”

According to Mahanta, Garg had coordinated with the Assam Association even before arriving in Singapore to explore local sites, relax, and interact with people. “He was not supposed to give a full-fledged performance but wanted to meet people and sing a few songs for them,” he added.

Garg had travelled with only a small entourage: his cousin Sandeepan Garg, manager Siddhartha Sharma, and musician Shekhar Jyoti Goswami. Mahanta emphasised that the singer’s visit was voluntary and dismissed circulating claims that he had already performed in Singapore prior to the incident.

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The organiser also clarified that the festival team was unaware that Garg and his associates had gone on a yacht trip with members of the Assam Association. “We were holding meetings with stakeholders at a hotel far from the incident site when we received the news, and we immediately rushed to Singapore General Hospital,” Mahanta said.

Mahanta further refuted claims that NEIF is a business venture. “The festival aims to connect Northeast India with Southeast Asia to promote industry, trade, tourism, and agricultural products from the region. After organising the festival in Thailand, a direct flight between Bangkok and Guwahati was inaugurated,” he said.

NEIF seeks to promote northeastern India’s culture, music, dance, cuisine, and fashion in Southeast Asia, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Act East Policy. The festival’s past editions were held in Bangkok in 2019 and 2022, and in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 2023. This year’s edition was expected to mark the 60th anniversary of India–Singapore diplomatic relations and coincide with the India-ASEAN Year of Tourism.

Mahanta concluded, “Zubeen Garg always attended our events voluntarily, whether in India or abroad. He felt it was his duty, as a prominent figure from the Northeast, to represent the region positively on all platforms.”