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Ustad Zakir Hussain was very popular not only in India but all over the world. The world has never seen another tabla player like him. They were united in this sense. He inherited tabla playing from his father Ustad Allarkha Qureshi. He started learning tabla since childhood. But he got the values of music and playing Tabla since birth. While narrating a story about this, Zakir Hussain himself had once said, ‘After I was born, my mother made me sit in my father’s lap for the first time.
Our tradition was that when a child was born, the father would say some prayer and say the first words into the child’s ear. Instead of praying, my father whispered into my ears the rhythm of the tabla: Dha gi ti te na gi dhi te.. Hearing this my mother said to my father, what are you doing? Say something in the child’s ear. In response to this my father said that this is my prayer… this is how I pray.
‘Although the father was a Muslim, the mother was a worshiper of Saraswati and Ganapati.’
Zakir Hussain once said: ‘My father was a Muslim by birth and religion, but in the musical tradition he worshiped Mother Saraswati and Ganapati. This was a tradition in my house. This is how we worship music. My father always respected Mother Saraswati, the goddess of music and Ganapati is also worshiped for his musical qualities, so we used to worship him. This is an Indian tradition, which we respect.
Zakir Hussain gives emotional farewell to Shivkumar
Worked a lot with Shivkumar Sharma and Zakir Hussain. The tuning between the two was also amazing. Fans will always remember his juggling act. Shivkumar Sharma and Zakir Hussain performed music together for almost six decades. Shivkumar Sharma was born in Jammu and Zakir Hussain’s father was also originally from Kashmir. The common factor of Kashmir will create an emotional bond between the two. When Shivkumar Sharma died in 2022, Zakir Hussain stood silently near his funeral pyre and bid him an emotional farewell.
Apart from Indian classical, he also has expertise in fusion.
Indian classical music was in his blood and he contributed a lot to it, but he also composed music in Bollywood and did a lot of work in fusion music. His contribution to international music is unforgettable. He has done many global music projects and albums with well-known artists abroad. In 1973, Zakir Hussain played tabla on George Harrison’s album Living in the Material World. He received a lot of praise at that time. His tabla playing on John Hardy’s Hard Work album also caught the attention of fans around the world.
Shakthi remained active in fusion music for a long time and founded the band
In 1973, British guitarists John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, Shankar Lakshminarayan, TS Vikku together started the Shakti Band. This band is a band of jazz category and is famous in Jag Indian Fusion. The band won the prestigious Grammy Award this year. The band included Shankar Mahadevan, Ganesh Rajagopalan, V. Actors like Selvagnesh, Ramnad Raghavam are active.
Zakir Hussain arrives to bid final farewell to Pankaj Udhas
When famous singer Pankaj Udhas passed away in February this year, Zakir Hussain came to Pankaj Udhas’s house in Mumbai to bid him his last farewell. Zakir Hussain’s brother Taufiq Hussain was with him at that time. Then he said that there is no answer to the joy that Pankaj Bhai gave through music. Our family loved Pankajbhai very much.
Tabla training from the age of three
When Zakir was three years old, his father trained him to play the tabla. His father Ustad Allarkha Qureshi was a famous tabla player, so he taught Zakir to play tabla with his father as his guru.
Along with his primary education at St. Michael’s School, he also began training in tabla. Practiced music for years and also graduated from St. Xavier’s College. From the age of 12, he was playing tabla on stage with his father. After completing his education in India, he studied music at the World Cultural Exchange at the University of Washington, and established himself as a global musician.
Zakir- Antinia’s love story
Zakir Hussain himself has heard the stories of their love story many times. While studying music in America, he fell in love with Antonia Minnecola, an Italian-American. Interestingly, Antinia Minekola was learning Kathak.
The two fall in love but his family is initially against his relationship with Antinia. Especially the mother was unhappy with this relationship, so both of them got married secretly. After about eight years of relationship, the family finally agreed and the marriage took place with great pomp.
Zakir Hussain
Birth: March 9, 1951, Mumbai
Died: December 16, 2024, California
National Awards: Padma Shri (1988), Padma Bhushan (2002), Padma Vibhushan (2023), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1990), Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna (2019)
Foreign Awards: First Grammy Award for Planet Drum in 1992, Grammy Award for Contemporary World Music Album in 2009, San Francisco Jazz Center Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, Special Grammy Award in 2024. He has been nominated for Grammy Awards seven times, winning a total of four times.
Family:
Father: Allarakha Qureshi
Mother: Biwi Begum
Wife: Antinia Minecola
Children: Anisha Qureshi, Isabelle Qureshi.
Siblings: Two brothers Taufiq Qureshi and Fazal Qureshi are also tabla players. A brother named Munnavar died at an early age. Zakir’s elder sister also died at an early age. A sister named Razia died after surgery in the year 2000. A sister named Khurshid is alive.
Zakir Hussain’s demise is a big loss for the music world. He was known for his extraordinary creativity and inventiveness. He has enthralled generations of music lovers around the world. He was a bridge between Indian and Western musical traditions.
– Draupadi Murmu, President
‘Ustad Zakir Hussain will be remembered as a genius who revolutionized the world of Indian classical music. He took Tabla to the global stage and mesmerized millions of people with his incomparable rhythm. He became a symbol of cultural unity by integrating Indian classical traditions with global music.’
-Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
The demise of great tabla player Ustad Zakir Hussain is a big loss for the music world. My thoughts are with his family and fans in this hour of grief. He has left behind a legacy of his art, which will always live in our memories.
-Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition
The king in whose hands rhythm became magic. He has abandoned us. Tribute to my dear Zakir. we will meet again
– John McLaughlin, jazz guitarist
Zakirbhai was an inspiration. He was a powerful personality who took Tabla to the global level. I regret that I couldn’t make music with him as I did decades ago.
– A.R. Rahman, musician
Ustad Zakir Hussain was one of India’s greatest musicians and personalities. Apart from being the best, Zakirji was known for his extreme humility and amiable nature. He made the career of many musicians. His legacy will live on forever.
– Ricky Cage, Grammy Award winner
