Kolkata potters’ colony crafting Zubeen's statues for Assam

Kolkata: Down the narrow winding streets of Kumartuli – the renowned potters’ colony of Kolkata, West Bengal – amongst various statues of gods and goddesses being made, from inside a studio featuring sculptures of superheroes Spider-Man and Batman studio, peeks through a familiar figure. It is a 4ft tall statue of Zubeen Garg, Assam's very own superhero who passed away on 19th Sept, 2025.

Studio owner and third-generation sculptor Raja Pal was working on a Radha-Krishna idol. On being asked about Zubeen’s statue, he said that it was one of the many he’d been creating since orders started pouring in from Assam in Oct-Nov. It was Garg’s birthday on Nov 18th.



An SIT is currently investigating the singer’s death. Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi recently demanded that Zubeen be conferred the Bharat Ratna posthumously.

A generational icon who touched the souls of the people with his voice, Zubeen’s untimely passing has been difficult on fans across the country, especially his native Assam. His last rites were performed at Kamarkuchi village near Guwahati. Thousands gathered to pay their last respects to the musician, and the day was marked by massive public gatherings across the state. The people of Assam have been celebrating his life since his passing, keeping his memory alive.

Until now, Pal has shipped out 22 statues from his studio, and says he will make more as and when orders are placed. Asked if he knew whose statue it was, he said, “I’m familiar with Zubeen’s music.”

The statues are made of fiber, Pal said. Fiber statues are more durable and expensive than their clay counterparts. Winter months are a lull period for the potters and sculptors, with puja season being over for the year. These months are when artists focus on work other than idol making. During this period, the streets of Kumartuli feature statues of Bengali greats like Raja Rammohan Roy and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. But over the past few months, artists at Kumartuli have been sculpting these statues of Zubeen to perfection to send them out on time. While Pal’s studio houses only one such statue currently, these statues have been quite a popular order recently. Most orders have been placed from Guwahati.

A very popular voice in Bengal, Zubeen’s work spanned across several states as he sang in 40 different languages and dialects – primarily Assamese, Bengali and Hindi. He was known for lending support to artists, having founded the charity Kalaguru Artiste Foundation. Therefore, it is not surprising that even in death, he is uniting the artists of Kumartuli with the people of Assam.