GUWAHATI: The family of celebrated singer Zubeen Garg on Friday announced that they would set up a trust in his name to work for the society in accordance with his vision.The singer’s wife Garima Garg and sister Palmee Borthakur made the announcement at a press conference in Guwahati.
“We have decided to set up a trust in the name of Zubeen Garg after consultation with our family members, relatives, well-wishers, and people from different walks of life who were associated with him,” Garima said.Members of the ‘Zubeen Fan Club’ will also be working closely with the trust, she added.Garima said the family property in the Kharghuli area of the city will be donated to the trust, which will operate from there.“The trust will work on issues close to Zubeen’s heart, including nature conservation and promoting young talent. It will also take steps for scientific preservation of intellectual property rights of his creations, and have a dedicated research wing that will deal with his life and works,” she said.The trust will work closely with the ‘Kalaguru Artists Foundation’, founded by Garg, in the social and cultural fields, and with ‘Abhinaya: Jonkie Borthakur Performing Arts Academy’, named after the singer’s deceased sister, in undertaking initiatives for the new generation, the family said.They said that through this trust, they were aiming to safeguard his dreams, work, creative legacy, ideals and beliefs for future generations.The 52-year-old singer-composer-actor had died on September 19 while swimming in the sea in Singapore, where he had gone to attend the Northeast Festival.A Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the case, has charged festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer’s secretary Siddhartha Sharma and his two band members Shekharjyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta with murder, and his cousin Sandipan Garg with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.The singer’s two personal security officers (PSOs), Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya, have been charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust by misappropriating funds or property entrusted to them.
