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Ustad Zakir Hussain’s death marked a loss for the music world. The 73-year-old renowned tabla player died in San Francisco, California, of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The late artist added new dimensions to Indian music by spreading the culture and humility connected with our music over the world.
Zakir, born on March 9, 1951 in Mumbai, is the eldest son of tabla player Alla Rakha and is regarded as one of the best tabla players of all time. As a superb musician, the Ustaad was also noted for his personality, stage manners, and respect for art and fellow performers.
He struck a connection with every generation and group of listeners because of his extraordinary talent, charm, and ability to mix in with any genre. Every 1990s youngster remembers him shouting out his prowess on the tabla for a tea brand.
While the space of Indian television ads was still on its weak legs, Zakir gave it the necessary strength with his great screen presence, unrivaled brilliance on tabla, and the way he pronounced “Waah Taj”.
His influence was genuinely global, since he not only raised Indian music to new heights but also collaborated with many international performers, including George Harrison of The Beatles on the 1973 album ‘Living in the Material World’ and John Handy on the album ‘Hard Work’. He also appears on Van Morrison’s 1979 albums ‘Into the Music’ and ‘Earth’.
His illustrious body of work has been recognized with numerous awards, including four Grammy Awards, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan, the Government of India’s Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, Ratna Sadsya, and the United States National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor bestowed upon traditional artists and musicians.
Zakir Hussain continues to make a lasting impression on Indian music and its cultural heritage.
