Fans are fans. They are known to take it far. But when an artist, series, or film leaves a big mark on their hearts, they take it way further, sometimes, by rewriting maps one pin at a time. Just weeks after Assam's cultural icon Zubeen Garg died during a sea outing off Singapore's St John's Island on September 19, fans have moved fast. They marked the island "Zubeen Garg Island" on Google Maps, just like fans of Prime Video series Panchayat did so in the Madhya Pradesh village where it was shot.Now, in the real-life Madhya Pradesh village of Mahodiya, new tags have popped up on Google Maps marking spots from Prime Video series Panchayat, like the village temple, Phulera paani tanki, Pradhan Ji's house, Bhutkun ki tapri, even the approach road Bhushan once made a poll issue against the incumbent Pradhan. Locals say after the shooting of the OTT series, their village has become very popular.Similar fan-made tags have shown up before, like the highly classified US's Area 51 in the Nevada desert and Harry Potter's Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at London King's Cross railway station.
It's all on Google Maps.After 52-year-old singer-actor Zubeen Garg died during a sea outing near Singapore's St John's Island, fans added a location label to the island, calling it "Zubeen Garg Island" after their beloved "Zubeen Da".Apart from the island tag on Google Maps, fans have also put old photos of Zubeen performing onto the same location pin.While some fans believed the Singapore government had officially renamed the island and celebrated it as a rightful tribute, a few media outlets even reported it that way. But it was just a fan-made location tag. A way of paying tribute to the beloved singer.Zubeen Garg was in Singapore for the North East India Festival when tragedy struck. On September 19, during a yacht party near the island, he lost consciousness while swimming and was rushed to Singapore General Hospital, where doctors couldn't save him.Singapore authorities ruled out foul play. However, the Assam Police arrested four people, including Zubeen's manager, the event's organiser and a bandmate, over negligence and conspiracy charges.But how did fans tag a Singapore island after Zubeen Garg?Anyone with a Google account can suggest or add a location to Google Maps through the "Add a missing place" option. The user needs to key in details like the name, category, and address, and can even upload photos for verification. Then, these edits are reviewed by Google's moderation system, which uses both AI and human checks before approval.However, it is usually governments or local authorities that can request official name changes, but small edits, like shops, landmarks, or tags, come directly from users.Google Maps edits are not permanent; they can be flagged, challenged, or removed if deemed inappropriate.Far from Singapore, web series Panchayat's mania hit Madhya Pradesh's Mahodiya village earlier, where it was filmed.Fans tagged filming spots with fictional labels from the show, including "Prahlad Cha's residence", "Sachiv ji ka sasural Rinki ka maika", "Bhutkun ki chai tapri", "Phulera paani tanki", and the "Panchayat karyalaya".Viral posts on social media showed the dusty roads and other landmarks of the fictional Phulera, even sharing 360-degree map views that have now crossed over a lakh views.Reviews of these locations, reportedly all with 4+ stars, are filled with fans quoting dialogues and pouring their hearts out about their favourite spots."Aee bhutkun duu cup of tea banao kadak," a person wrote on the location: "Bhutkun ki chai tapri".
Planning a Panchayat fan tour? Google Maps has all the filming locations sorted for you.Even the library built in memory of Prahlad Cha's soldier son, who died in the line of duty, has been named on Google Maps in Phulera context, instead of its real name. It now shows up as "Shaheed Rahul Pandey Pustakalaya".On the Paani tanki location tag, one person reviewed, saying "Good place to see the whole village… climb it once, and you'll fall in love… It's real… But I couldn't find Rinki there… Maybe try going in the evening…"A person claiming to be a local near the Madhya Pradesh village in Sehore district, wrote, "This place has turned into a tourist spot after Panchayat".So, from Singapore to Madhya Pradesh, and, from London to the US, fans have turned maps into memorials, and shrines of pop-culture. These gestures show how fandom leaves a mark as tangible as any brick-and-mortar landmark. And why not? In this age of pixels and map pins, no island or a chai tapri is too small for the love of jabra fans.
