Inside the massive 38,000-song archive keeping Zubeen Garg’s legacy alive — and fighting for his family’s rights

Vishal Kalita’s residence in Guwahati, in India’s northeastern state of Assam, has transformed into a private museum, thanks to his extensive collection of music cassettes. 

Over the past decade, the 30-year-old has travelled across India, acquiring obsolete tapes that he meticulously stores at home. 

Last month, he opened this collection to the public, which also features hundreds of CDs and rare posters of global musicians. 

However, the highlight is the discography of Zubeen Garg, a beloved singer and composer from Assam, attracting numerous visitors.

Garg is best known for his work in Assamese, Bengali, and Hindi cinema and music, and became a household name across India after his 2006 hit song Ya Ali from the film Gangster.  

Kalita possesses a huge collection — 38,000 of Garg’s songs, some of which are rare, and irreplaceable.

Garg, an influential Indian singer-songwriter died in September following a scuba diving accident in Singapore.

On September 16, just before his death, Garg visited Kalita’s home and remarked that the collection evoked memories of his “long-forgotten” creations. 

Kalita is now part of a network aiming to make Garg’s work accessible online and secure royalties for his family. 

“Some of these cassettes are too old and can get damaged. I want to bring them back to public memory,” he explains.

The challenge lies in the murky ownership of Garg’s music, scattered among producers, distributors, and labels, complicating online uploads due to copyright risks. 

This issue is not unique to Garg; globally, music ownership remains a contentious topic. 

Taylor Swift re-recorded her albums to reclaim her music, and in India, creators often face contracts favouring producers and labels.

After Garg’s death, fans searching for his popular song “Mayabini Ratir Bukut” on streaming platforms found it missing, only to see it removed due to licensing issues. 

“There are hundreds of his songs whose ownership is either difficult to trace or remains contested,” notes filmmaker and Garg's friend Manas Barua.

India's Copyright Act (1957), assigns separate copyrights for lyrics, musical composition, and sound recordings. 

While lyricists and composers are the initial owners, producers claim sound recordings, leading to a complex ownership network. 

Garg’s songs from the 1990s and 2000s belong to various producers and distributors who pay royalties, but tracking these rights is challenging as the industry shifts towards digital streaming.

Shyamantak Gautam, an associate of Garg, is compiling a list of Garg’s songs, ith over 1,033 registered with the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS). 

IPRS CEO Rakesh Nigam emphasises protecting creators’ rights for 60 years post-mortem amidst digital complexities. 

Bollywood singer Shaan praises the initiative, noting the difficulty of tracking regional distributors but affirming its value.

Garg’s case reflects broader issues in Indian music, where legends like SP Balasubrahmanyam and Lata Mangeshkar also faced ownership disputes.

Meanwhile, Kalita seeks Japanese technology to digitise rare tapes, ensuring Garg's legacy endures. 

“I want these rare tapes to be digitised in the best quality. Zubeen Garg will live through his music. And, as his fan, that's the least I can do for him," Kalita says.