Wah....Ustad....

"Solo, I am the captain of the ship. And I decide what I will play...and dictate the pace of the show." Zakir Hussain

Yes....The tabla maestro’s incredible speed, dexterity, and creativity mesmerized audiences across cultures. It is hard to believe that he is no more.

Born on March 9, 1951, in Mumbai, Zakir Hussain was the eldest son of tabla legend Ustad Alla Rakha and Bavi Beegam in Mahim, Mumbai. Music was ingrained in him from an early age, and he revolutionized the global perception of Indian classical music. A child prodigy, he began performing professionally in his teens and went on to intertwine traditional tabla rhythms with contemporary music styles.

From the age of three, he started playing an instrument Pakhavaj which was similar to Mridangam. Later he turned to tabla as inspired by his father Alla Rakha. In the words of Zakir, "The tradition is, the father is supposed to recite a prayer in the baby's ear, welcoming the baby....My father didn't give aazan , but started playing tabla near to my ear." He continued, "From seven years, he had never allowed me to think anything other than tabla,rhythm and music. From 12 years onward I started playing along with him. At the age of 19, he sent me to New York to play for Pandit Ravi Shankar, as his substitute, which turned my fate upside down. He once gave me a great piece of advice,'Never try to become a master, but become a student' which became beacon light in my life."

Zahir lost his father Ustad Alla Rakha when he was participating in Kozhikode Malabar Mahotsavam on 3rd February, 2000. Zakir called him Abbaji. About father, he said, "Abbaji was my friend, philosopher and guide; for me he was my last word!"

Zakir completed his formal education Saint Michel's school and Saint Xavier's College, Mumbai. But his heart was fully into tabla playing and performance.

He played with Pandit Ravishankar (Sitar), Ustad Vilayat Khan (Sitar), Shivkumar Sharma (Santoor), V.G.Jog (Violin), Bhimsen Joshi (Hindusthani vocal), Pandit Jasraj (Indian Classical Vocalist) , Amjad Alikhan (Sarod) and T.N.Seshagopalan (Carnatic Vocalist). He also performed with world famous Mridangam artists Karaikudi Mani and Patri Sathishkumar and made en-semblance on stages. he had also played a jugalbandi with the famous Mridangam vidwan Umayalpuram Sivaraman. In 2019, he also performed jugalbandi with Mattannoor Sankarankutty, the famous chenda artist from Kerala on 19 stages from Los Angeles to New York. Sankarankutty remembers that Zakir recorded the thayambaka played by him at the request of the latter and might have applied some of the chenda techniques in tabla later on.

Zakir felt that every stage was a classroom for him. He, with humbleness says about learning from other artists with whom he played, "Every time I play with someone, Just interacting with them, points me to a different nook or corner in playing that I had overlooked."

In a year, he used to perform in 150 days on stage. He brought tabla from background to front using his magical fingers. Initially, he had gone to US as music teacher and music research scholar. Once he accompanied Ustad Ali Akbar Khan on tabla in a concert. That performance gave him a new vision that research is not his cup of tea, but stage performance is. He quickly turned to Jugalbandis, Fusions and Solo performance. He traveled across the world performing on different stages.

His first album, "Making Music" was widely acclaimed. It was praised as a beautiful mix of western and eastern music.

Zakir formed a band called "Sakthi" with L.Shankar (Violinist), John McLaughlin (English guitarist), Ramnad V Raghavan (Mridangist), and Vikku Vinayakaram (Ghatom). Later he reconstituted this band in the name, "Remember Shakthi" involving U.Srinivas (Mandolin), Selva Ganesh (Ghanjira) and Shankar Mahadevan (Vocalist). The band performed in stages across the world. Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, who had known Hussain since the 1960s, invited him to create the special album Planet Drum, featuring drummers from different parts of the world. The first Planet Drum album, released in 1991 on the Rykodisc label, went on to earn the 1992 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album, the first Grammy ever awarded in this category. The Global Drum Project album and tour brought Mickey Hart, Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju, and Giovanni Hidalgo together again in a reunion sparked by the 15th anniversary of the Planet Drum album. The album Global Drum Project won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album at the 51st Grammy Awards Ceremony held on 8 February 2009.

Zakir Hussain set music for many films. 'Vanaprastham' in Malayalam was one among them. "Heat and Dust" , "In custody", and "Mystic Maser" of Merchant Ivory productions, Bertaluchi's "Little Budha", Aparna Sen's "Mr & Mrs Iyer" and Rahul Dholakia's "Parsania" are other films in which Zakir was the music director.

Zakir Hussain’s six-decade-long career was marked by numerous accolades. He was a four-time Grammy Award winner, including three awards at the 66th Grammy Awards earlier this year (2024), showcasing his enduring relevance and mastery. He also received India’s highest civilian honours, including the Padma Shri (1988), Padma Bhushan (2002), and Padma Vibhushan (2023).

Hussain composed, performed and acted as Indian music advisor for the Malayalam film Vanaprastham, directed by Shaiji N Karun a 1999 Cannes Film Festival entry which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival (AFI Fest) in 1999, and won awards at 2000 Istanbul International Film Festival (Turkey), 2000 Mumbai International Film Festival (India), and 2000 National Film Awards (India). Mohanlal who played the role of a Kathakali artist in this film was honored with the award for the Best Actor. He kept close friendship with Zakir.

Zakir was a humble man. He never allowed his students to carry his tabla bag. He always carried it by himself! Once in Mumbai after listening to thayambaka of Pallavoor Appumarar, Zakir prostrated before him!How great is his respect to other artists!

Zakir Hussain (73) succumbed to Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) on 15th December, 2024 at San Fransisco, California, leaving behind his wife Antonia Minnecola, a Kathak dancer and two daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi. Anisa graduated from UCLA and is a film maker. Isabella is studying dance in Manhattan.

Ustad Zakir Hussain played tabla for ghazals of Hariharan in an album 'Zahir'. This album remains as a cherished possession in my collection.

He believed in the sanctity and purity of music. He had taken a stand that he wouldn't perform programmes in private parties, corporate programmes and wedding parties. He visualized his instrument as the symbol of humanity! That made him a Global Citizen.

People are mortal. But some of them become immortal by their contribution to some area or other of life. Zakir is a light in musical world that will continue to shower light on many artists to come.

Read more from my upcoming book : "The Real Thing that Matters."

Dr.Subramoniam Krishnan