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Ustad Zakir Hussain was in the heart of every tabla player and music lover. He was born on 9 March 1951 in Mumbai to mother Bavi Begum in the house of Ustad Allah Rakha Khan, who is considered the Caliph of Punjab Gharana. The tabla of the Punjab family and the tabla made by Ustad Allah Rakha Khan Sahab, his own compositions, playing style etc. Zakir Hussain had received everything from his father since childhood. At the age of about five years, he started taking tabla playing lessons from his father and his school education also continued. At the age of twelve, Aap ji started surprising the listeners and teachers in the world of music with his tabla playing. He also received lessons from Ustad Ahmed Jan Thirakwa in his childhood and broadened his playing field.
Instead of limiting tabla playing to one family, he focused more on enriching the Indian tradition of tabla playing by assimilating the good qualities of each family. He also took lessons from great maestros like renowned artist Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar and Ustad Vilayat Khan. After completing his education from St. Michael’s School Mahim, Zakir Hussain graduated from St. Xavier’s College Mumbai and then started establishing himself in the field of art. His first album ‘Living in the Material World’ came in 1973.
After this Zakir Hussain decided to spread the sound of his tabla all over the world. From the year 1973 to 2010 he performed his tabla playing in various international concerts and albums. His identity was further boosted by the popular tea-leaf advertisement of the brand ‘Taj’ and Tabla Nawaz Zakir Hussain became known in every household even by those people who had no connection with music. In 1997, he directed music in the Hindi film ‘Saaz’. Apart from this, he also showed the magic of tabla rhythm in foreign films. Zakir Hussain was among the members who composed the music played during the opening ceremony of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He was the first Indian to receive an invitation letter from former US President Barack Obama for the ‘All Star Global Concert’ to be held at the White House in 2016.
The Government of India honored him with the ‘Padma Shri’ award in 1988 and he was only 37 years old at that time. He was also the youngest person to receive this award at this age. Similarly, in April 1991, he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. In the year 1999, Zakir ji also received the great honor ‘National Heritage Fellowship’ of the United States of America. He was awarded the ‘Padma Bhushan’ by the Government of India in 2002 for his contribution to the field of music.
Respect was also given.
Zakir Hussain also won the biggest music award ‘Grammy Award’ for ‘The Planet Drum’ in 1992 and ‘Global Drum Project’ in 2009 and in 2024 he won three Grammy Awards for different albums. He received the ‘Aga Khan Music Award’ in Oman last October 2022. On 22 March 2023, President Draupadi Murmu also received the ‘Padma Vibhushan’ award from the Government of India. Received ‘Jazz Journalist Performance Award’ in the year 2023. Apart from this, Zakir ji had received many honours, certificates and awards. Ustad Zakir Hussain was married to Kathak dancer and teacher Antonia Minecola and had two daughters (Anisha Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi). Aap ji accompanied Pandit Ravi Shankar on his sitar and Ustad Ali Akbar’s sarod on tabla.
During his visit to Punjab in 2014, Ustad Zakir Hussain, the Caliph of Punjab Gharana playing tradition, had said after a music conference that the fragrance of the soil of Punjab and the love of the people is unique from all over the world. He has a deep connection with Punjab. Come here and find solace. During a concert organized in Kolkata, Zakir ji shared an anecdote from his childhood and told that when he was 12 years old, he had played tabla with the famous sarod player Ustad Ali Akbar ji and he happily gave me 100 rupees. Gave a reward of Rs. This Rs 100 note is still a priceless thing for me. He said that when my mother came to know about this award, she was convinced that I was made for tabla only.
He was very happy and wanted me to continue playing the tabla. It is important to learn not only the nuances of music but also the ways of living from the life of this great Tabla Nawaz, who spread Punjab Gharana all over the world with the melodious words of his Tabla. The level of respect and love one has for one’s musical instruments is something all music learners today need to understand. Ustad Zakir Hussain Khan was an example of how even after reaching the pinnacle of success, he remained connected to his family, his soil and his people. He breathed his last on 15 December 2024 in San Francisco, USA at the age of 73.