New York: Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain was laid to rest in San Francisco on Thursday. Hussain, one of the world’s most accomplished percussionists, died at a San Francisco hospital on Monday due to complications arising from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease. He was 73. Hussain, the son of the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha, revolutionised the instrument, taking it beyond the limits of classical music to other forms, including jazz and Western classical.
Drummer Anandan Sivamani attended the funeral in the US city.
Who was Zakir Hussain?
The celebrated musician, one of India’s most well-known, received four Grammy Awards in his career spanning six decades, including three at the 66th Grammy Awards earlier this year. Hussain is survived by his wife Antonia Minnecola, daughters Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi, his brothers Taufiq Qureshi and Fazal Qureshi and his sister Khurshid Aulia.
Born on March 9, 1951, Hussain was the son of all-time tabla great Ustad Alla Rakha. The legacy of genius was perhaps destined. Hussain once recalled that his father recited “tabla rhythms” in his ears when he was born instead of the usual prayers. His mother was livid and then life took on its own trajectory.
He was just seven when he gave his first performance and started touring at the age of 12. In his early career, Hussain went on to collaborate with virtually all of India’s performers of the time, including Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and Shivkumar Sharma.
President Murmu, PM Modi condole death of Zakir Hussain
As news spread about the death of the loved musician, a distinctive figure with his broad smile, curly locks that kept rhythm with the rapid, blurry movement of his fingers on the tabla, the tributes poured in. “He was a bridge between the musical traditions of India and the West. I had the privilege of conferring the Padma Vibhushan upon him. I convey my deepest condolences to members of his family and his countless admirers,” President Droupadi Murmu said in her message.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Hussain “brought the tabla to the global stage, captivating millions with his unparalleled rhythm”. “Through this, he seamlessly blended Indian classical traditions with global music, thus becoming an icon of cultural unity. His iconic performances and soulful compositions will contribute to inspire generations of musicians and music lovers alike. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and the global music community,” the PM wrote on X.
Tabla is a mate, it is a brother, a friend: Zakir Hussain
Hussain, pivotal in moving the tabla from an accompanying instrument to centre stage, told PTI last year that music is his world. “It is the garb I wear. Tabla is a mate, it is a brother, a friend, it’s the bed I sleep in.
My father always said that each instrument has a spirit and half the battle if you are a student is to get that spirit to accept you as a mate, as a friend and once that happens then the instrument reveals how you should react to it, how you should touch it and express yourself through it,” Hussain said.
Through his long career, the percussionist was at the front of innovation and experimentation in fusing different sounds from different worlds. He collaborated with several renowned international and Indian artistes but it was his 1973 project Shakti with English guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L Shankar and percussionist T H ‘Vikku’ Vinayakram that brought together Indian classical music and elements of jazz in a hitherto-unknown fusion.
Zakir Hussain’s global collaboration
His groundbreaking work with Western musicians such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma, jazz musician Charles Lloyd, banjo player Bela Fleck, bassist Edgar Meyer, percussionist Mickey Hart and The Beatles’ George Harrison brought Indian classical music to an international audience, cementing his status as a global cultural ambassador.
Hussain received four Grammy Awards in his career, including three at the 66th awards ceremony earlier this year. And, in fact, was planning a series of concerts in Mumbai early next year as part of the fusion band ‘Shakti’, for which he got one of his Grammys.
The percussionist, who was also a composer and dabbled in acting, received the Padma Shri in 1988, Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023. “The King, in whose hands Rhythm became Magic, has left us… RIP my dearest Zakir. We will meet again,” Shakti founding member John McLaughlin said on Instagram.
(With inputs from agency)
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