The notion of perfection in music is allegorical at best. Even while imbibing the fundamentals, there is always more to discover or review. The technically precise and expressive music of Ustad Zakir Hussainthe tabla genius, who passed away at 73 on Sunday in San Francisco, was probably the closest an artiste of his generation got to that standard of perfection. His excellence stood on two pillars — integrity towards his art form combined with open-mindedness towards every other, and never wanting to stop being a student. “Main iss layak nahi ki mera zikr kiya jaaye. Abhi toh hum seekh rahe hai” (There isn’t a single day where I can look in the mirror and say that I know everything. We are all students), he once said.
He was only 37, when in 1988, Pt Ravi Shankar introduced his accompanying tabla artiste as Ustad Zakir Hussain. A day earlier, he was conferred the Padma Shri. Hussain, though, was never comfortable being called Ustad. He felt that it would increase the distance between him and the audience in a musical form that was already the preserve of a few. Unlike most of his predecessors, he loved interacting with his audience. Hussain’s approach to music and people and his generosity of spirit were rooted in the way he was brought up to understand religion, faith and music as a child. As a young boy, he bowed to goddess Saraswati, and learnt about Lord Shiva and Ganesha during the 3 am riyaaz with his father, guru and Punjab gharana icon Ustad Allarakha. This was followed by a visit to the madarsa to study the Quran. Then at the morning assembly at St Michael’s school at Mahim, in what was then Bombay, there were hymns and psalms. This is probably why he’d feel at home during performances in different places of worship with music as his only religion.
A child prodigy, Hussain was touring by the time he turned 13. His mother wanted him to take up a more stable job — an engineer or a doctor. But Hussain wanted to listen to rock music, wear jeans and become a rockstar. At 20, he went to the US, found more music and with guitarist John Mclaughlin created what is now described as “world music”. While he scaled heights with this music, Hussain would often come back to his roots and perform at traditional classical concerts. His quest to find newer sounds made the tabla one of India’s greatest cultural exports. His father along with Pt Krishna Maharaj and Pt Samta Prasad, brought tabla out from the shadows of being just an accompanying instrument to a solo instrument. Hussain climbed the pedestal they built and reached heights that percussionists in India consider the pinnacle of success. So long, Ustad, and thank you for the music.
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