Blitz Bureau
THE world of music lost a gem with the demise of renowned tabla player Ustad Zakir Hussain in San Francisco, California, at the age of 73. He was a pathbreaker and an icon who put tabla and Indian music on the world map.
Widely considered as one of the greatest tabla players of all time, he struck a chord with every generation and every set of listeners owing to his exceptional skills, his charm and the ability to blend in with every genre. Zakir, who was born on March 9, 1951 in Mumbai, was the eldest son of Alla Rakha, himself a renowned tabla player.
His presence was truly global as he not only elevated Indian music to great heights but also collaborated with many international artists like George Harrison of the iconic band, The Beatles, on the 1973 album ‘Living in the Material World’ and John Handy for the album ‘Hard Work’. He also performed on Van Morrison’s 1979 album ‘Into the Music’ and ‘Earth’.
“From the age of seven, I sat on the stage with Abba whilst he played with so many greats. It was a lived experience for me, and it allowed me to absorb all that I had heard over the years,” he told Nasreen Munni Kabir, his biographer, in 2018. As a teenager, he got an opportunity to perform with legendary Indian sitarist and composer Pandit Ravi Shankar.
He was feted with several awards like four Grammy Awards, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan, Government of India’s Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, Ratna Sadsya, United States National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship, the highest award given to traditional artists and musicians.
