Eight years ago, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain had narrated how his father Alla Rakha had welcomed him into this world by putting the musical instrument's rhythms into his ears when asked to recite prayers.
'The largest listenership for Vividh Bharati outside the country is in Spain.' 'The labourers who go there for the tomato-picking season feel cut off from their country and listen to Vividh Bharati to overcome their loneliness.'
Ustad Zakir Hussain's story will be told in a thousand ways by each person who met him, loved him, spent time with him, got to know him and shared some precious time off stage with him, says Maanveer Singh.
He was a formidable musician but seemed utterly human, a Peter Pan who wore his genius with deceptive lightness. Sandip Roy remembers Ustad Zakir Hussain.
Speaking from his workshop at Kanjurmarg in Mumbai, Vhatkar said he last met the 73-year-old tabla maestro in August this year in Mumbai.
Zakir Hussain was the maestro of tabla, percussionist, composer and even actor -- a legend who was India's very own and yet belonged to the world. Hussain died from 'idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis', a lung disease, in a San Francisco hospital early Monday. He was 73.
'The security guards at the stadium did not recognise him. He kept saying he was Zakir Hussain but they did not permit him to enter.' 'Zakir bhai was calm and told me it is not their fault. They were doing their job.'
'Post COVID, people are much more enthusiastic about going to concerts.' 'The live music scenario has suddenly become very relevant to people's lives.' 'They see that it is cooked on the spot.'
Ustad Zakir Hussain was laid to rest on Thursday at a San Francisco cemetery as renowned percussionist A Sivamani and other artistes performed on their drums at a little distance away in a tribute to the tabla maestro.
Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain died at a hospital in San Francisco, his family said on Monday.
The eulogies will pour for Ustad Zakir Hussain. There will be those who recount his genius, his enterprise, his achievements, his grace, and his charm. I have no selfies or autographs to remember him by, but I will never forget his most generous and gracious gift to me -- one day in heaven, among the celestial ensemble of Indian music.
'When there was a match, he would be up all night watching it on his laptop with Kishori Amonkarji singing on the side.'
'When AR Rahman's concert is around, you just can't miss it! What a vibe!!'
Noted Indian musicians came together to pay tribute to Ustad Alla Rakha on his 15th death anniversary.
Tabla pioneer Ustad Zakir Hussain presents a series of concerts at Carnegie Hall.
The sarod maestro launched his book, Master On Masters.
Pandit Ravi Shankar was George Harrison's link into the Vedic world.
For Rahman, who had never attended college, the event hosted by the Berklee College of Music must have seemed humbling.
An increasing number of young classical musicians are dabbling in fusion music, discovers Aditi Divekar.
The incomparable Mohammed Rafi would have turned 93 today, December 24. Raju Bharatan salutes the legend.
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