I was in Class VIII when, for the first time, I watched Zubeen Garg perform live at a function in my locality.

It was the foundation day celebrations of Cricket Club of Assam, Guwahati, where I first watched Zubeen Garg perform live some of his path-breaking chartbusters. Though he was supposed to take the stage by midnight, it wasn't until 4:30–5:00 a.m. that the maverick got on stage with his pool of talented musicians.

"I was invited to sing last night, but it is morning. What will I sing? I will sing five songs and leave the stage," he said the moment he got hold of his favourite mic.

The show, however, ended at around 8 a.m., and in those around three hours Zubeen Garg hypnotised the audience with his soulful numbers.

The playlist had Ananmika, Maya, Hiya Dohey, Mukti, Piritir Subhase and many more of his melodious numbers that he had released from 1992 to 1998.

The long curly hair, the childlike innocence of his face and the intense dedication of his performance are still afresh in my mind, even today.

Well, ever since I got the news about his demise, I have been trying to jot down a few words, even failing many times to record some gibberish — but I was too numb to do so.

And today, I am taking this moment all for myself to jot down some gibberish in his tribute.

So, who is Zubeen Garg? For me, and lakhs of others like me, Zubeen Garg will always be "is" as he will never become passé.

So, who is Zubeen Garg?

Is he a singer, as the world has been calling him one? Or is he Assam's heartthrob? Or is he the maverick, carefree child who is always in everyone's hearts?

Well, Zubeen Garg is everything mentioned above and much beyond.

He is a voice for the countless voiceless, a medicine for thousands of broken souls, a pillar of strength for the down and dusted, and a ray of hope for the hopeless.

He can make us laugh, he can make us cry... most importantly, he makes us live and breathe easily.

He represents an indomitable free spirit.

He is the self-belief we all long for.

He is open, direct, frank, candid, forthright and sincere.

He teaches us to have patience at the time of a raging storm.

Yes, I do have a lot of complaints against him for many things he does which he should not do, but deep down I have immense love for him for the countless things he does, which no one else has ever done.

I do have a regret and that is I have not invited him on my Candid With Partha show. Every time I think of approaching him, I feel he will not agree for I do not have a fancy studio to sit and talk.

In Assamese, we do not have a synonymous word that means "goodbye."

In Assamese all we say is "Ahisu," meaning "will come again."

Zubeen Da, there cannot be a goodbye as you are here, and you will be here, forever.

Sorry, I cannot articulate further. Sorry, I cannot be more creative today. Sorry, I don't know what I want to say.

Gallons of water have flown through the Brahmaputra from yesterday to today, and millions of gallons will flow furthermore from today till we meet again, and I will tell you everything about it when we meet again.

Take care, be happy, and keep living the king's life you have always been living to date!

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