With his technical mastery, creative genius, and complete understanding of the tabla, he carved out a distinctive niche for himself in the esoteric world of Indian classical music so much so that he became synonymous with the tabla.
Ustad Zakir Hussain, who was born on March 9, 1951, in Mumbai, was a child prodigy. As the worthy son of the legendary Ustad Allah Rakha, a renowned tabla player, he shot to fame at the tender age of 12, when he accompanied India’s most prominent classical musicians, including Sitar maestro Ravi Shankar and Sarod legend Ali Akbar Khan.
How do we describe someone as talented and versatile as Ustad Zakir Hussain? For, he spanned the complete spectrum of music as a tabla player, as composer, percussionist, music producer, and film actor. Ustad Zakir Hussain exemplified the Matthew Arnoldian sense of “man and the milieu”.
William Wordsworth called poetry “the impassioned expression which is in the countenance of all science” and Matthew Arnold stressed, “We should conceive of it as capable of higher uses, and called to higher destinies, than those which in general men have assigned to it hitherto”. These attributes of poetry isolated and identified by Wordsworth and Arnold apply equally to music in all its forms and manifestations.
The Tabla Maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain was completely familiar with the long and distinguished tradition of Classical Indian music, a tradition which continues to hold its own despite all-pervading Western influences in most aspects of life, activity, and culture. With his incredible skill, versatility, and passion for the ancient instrument, this musical genius was symptomatic of the times he lived in- a powerful example of what T.S. Eliot called it “tradition and individual talent”. In the sense of Eliot’s “following tradition”, he had a “historical sense” which enabled him to draw on the past and the present to craft something new and innovative-what is now fashionable to call an “out of box” work. No wonder, then, the honorific “Ustad” was always prefixed to his name.
In his outstanding career, Zakir Hussain experimented and collaborated with a diverse range of musicians, from Indian classical legends, such as, Ustad Rashid Khan, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia to Western jazz and rock icons to create an enchanting music.
His trailblazing work with Western musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, Charles Lloyd, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mickey Hart and George Harrison and the fusion band Shakti, which he co-founded with English guitarist John McLaughlin, L. Shankar, and T.H. Vinayakram, broke fresh ground, expanded the horizons of Indian music and enthralled audiences worldwide John McLaughlin who performed with Hussain in the band Shakti – described him as “the King, in whose hands, rhythm became magic”
Accordingly, Zakir Hussain’s indelible impact on the music world transcended his extraordinary technical prowess. He was instrumental in popularizing Indian classical music globally, introducing it to new audiences, and inspiring a new generation of musicians. His dedication to preserving and promoting India’s rich cultural heritage is reflected in awards, including the Padma Shri in 1988, Padma Bhushan in 2002, and Padma Vibhushan in 2023. He also won four Grammy Awards.
His concerts in India and overseas always reflected his “breath and finer spirit of knowledge”, his unfathomable energy, creativity, and passion for music. In the words of Zakir Hussain himself, “Music is the universal language, and the tabla is my voice.” This power of music seamlessly swept across borders, cultures, and generations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “a true genius who revolutionised the world of Indian classical music”.
Incidentally, the word “Ustad” is originally an Arabic word and is used to denote a person, who has scaled the top of his profession with utmost aplomb and acclaim. The exalted position of Professor in the Arab world’s higher education system is called “Ustad.”
My father, who was Professor & Head of the Department of English & Modern European Languages at the University of Lucknow for twenty years moved to the Middle East on his superannuation and was Professor & Chairman there for about twelve years. At the domestic airports there, most passengers were required to undergo a stringent security check. But my father had to identify himself as “Ustad”, i.e., the Arabic word for Professor and he was always given the red-carpet treatment. This is the universal significance of the title “Ustad”, something which doesn’t come easily but is entirely appropriate in the case of Ustad Zakir Hussain, who lifted the art of the Tabla to a new and higher level. This was a tall order because as the Maestro himself wrote in his Foreword to Sadanand Naimpalli’s Theory And Practice Of Tabla, 2005 “[the] tabla is one of the youngest instruments in the field of North Indian Classical music”. Nayan Ghosh, who plays the sitar and table, justifiably maintained “He was a path-breaker, a game-changer, an icon who put tabla and Indian music on the world map” Shankar Mahadevan’s words “I’ve never seen a rhythm artist with so much musicality and there will never be one more like this. Either there will be knowledge or expertise… It is impossible for an artist to be born of this calibre or to have knowledge, expertise, and stage presence. Tabla is never going to sound like this ever again” resonate and reverberate globally.
Zakir Hussain’s legacy as a tabla virtuoso, a pioneer of Indian classical music and an extraordinary human being will be enduring and long-lasting. May his soul rest in peace!
Note: This article was first published in Financial Express on December 18, 2024.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr. Manoranjan Sharma, Chief Economist, Infomerics Ratings is globally recognized as an expert in the Indian economy, banking, MSMEs, rural credit, financial inclusion, etc. He has over 300 publications, including in The Business Review (Cambridge), Journal of Economy and Business (Bulgaria), Occasional Papers (RBI), The Indian Banker (IBA), Bank Quest (IIBF), CAB Calling (RBI), The Economic Times, Financial Express, Times of India, Hindu Business Line.
Mrs. Archana Choudhary, IRS, is former Principal Director General of Income Tax (Pr. DGIT) with 36 years of service. In her distinguished career, she worked across geographies and areas, viz., assessment, appeal, investigation, administration, judicial processes, and training. A recipient of the gold medal for academic excellence at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (1987), she did her Mid-Career Training at the Maxwell School, Syracuse University, USA and the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B).