Wah! Ustad                                                             By Jayanthi Kumaresh

One evening, a few years ago, I was nervously pacing up and down the green room and wondering how to structure my performance with the one and only Zakir Bhai that day. The maestro saw me pacing and casually put down his cup of tea and said, “You could think of a concert this way — a known story with all known characters, predetermined suspense, meaningful pauses, a few tricks thrown in between, not too noisy, not too quiet, a touch of humour, a soulful moment, a little magic, a lot of passion and honesty too. Feel it in your heart and have confidence in your expression and then just let go! What you say, they may already know. How you say it sets you apart. Now, let the music flow effortlessly.”

Once in many hundred years, God sends to earth a divine spirit in human form to fill the world with magic, the hearts with love and the souls with wonder. Everything about such an individual is extraordinary—their childhood, talent, journey, style, charisma, achievements, knowledge, and performance. One such rare creation of the divine is Ustad Zakir Hussain.

The first thing that captures you about him is his humility and warmth. For a man who has achieved the pinnacle in his field, his childlike smile and caring voice make you his admirer from the word go.

The first words that his father, the legendary Ustad Alla Rakha whispered into his ears were the tabla bols (rhythmic syllables), knowing in his heart that this was a music god that he was holding in his arms. This unique child grew up embracing all faiths equally since his childhood. Born in a Muslim household, he went to a Christian school, prayed to Goddess Saraswati and was always surrounded by Sikh fans. 

With a father who was a tabla icon, and was performing almost every other day, the young Zakir learnt so much by observing him rather than one-on-one lessons. His grasping power and photographic memory were something that stunned all the other students who were learning under his father at that time.

As he was playing more concerts, there was once a comment that he played ‘exactly’ like his father. That got him thinking about what his contribution would be to the repertoire and style that he had imbibed from his father. Zakir Bhai once narrated an incident about his first performance with the great Pt Ravi Shankar ji with whom his father had played and toured for many years. Zakir Bhai was prepared to play what his father would have in the concert but Panditji rendered the concert very differently from the one he would have, had it been his father and surprised the young Zakir Bhai. He then told Zakir Bhai the next day, “Why would I do the same thing with you?” This impacted his mind and in due course, he evolved his own independent style and expression, which was universal and beyond any genres or divisions.

Zakir Bhai’s fresh approach to music led him to join hands with many Indian and international artists alike. His subsequent tours in the US that ultimately culminated in him residing there, opened up several doors of opportunities to reiterate his vision of making the tabla universal. He became symbolic with the tabla and many generations of concert goers watched him effortlessly enchanting them with his music, virtuosity, charisma, and charm. 

His Tabla Beat Science, Shakthi, Masters of Percussion and other productions are sprinkled with the gold dust from his magical wand reeking of brilliance, togetherness and innovation.

Zakir Bhai always believed in re-inventing oneself periodically and remaining relevant and current with every new wave that swept across the music world. In this connection, he would tour with a few musicians from younger generations providing them the greatest of venues to perform. That resulted in presenting classical music in different formats and avatars, thereby showcasing the varied dimensions of his own performances. He had no qualms about sharing his limelight with others and was always magnanimous.

Apart from being a tabla genius and a global phenomenon, he was also a composer, actor, fashion icon, mentor, collaborator, remarkable human being, and an even greater friend.

He has done three chillas, being in recluse for 40 days with no human contact and spending time practising and discovering the secrets of the art form in solitude and silence. Zakir Bhai has mentioned some surreal experiences that he has had during these chillas where some of the oldest compositions and repertoire were revealed to him by some mystical experiences.

Beneath those twinkling eyes, naughty sense of humour, incredible charm and endearing extrovertness, there was a soul that was sacred, simple, silent, saintly and still. He would close his eyes for a few seconds before every concert and connect to that sacred space and then the rest would be history.

I was introduced to him by my husband violin vidwan Kumaresh ji, who along with his brother vidwan Ganesh Rajagopalan ji (Shakthi) had performed with Zakir Bhai for several years. I was subsequently blessed to tour and perform with him on several occasions and each one of those memories built and the lessons learnt will last until my last breath. I was honoured to be a part of his production titled Triveni, featuring Zakir Bhai, the wondrous Kala Ramnath ji and myself. We toured the US extensively and also many other countries. His guidance and experience brought in a paradigm shift in the way we approached our music, performance and careers.

He always encouraged us to find our own style, our expression and our own story to tell. He believed that the success of a musician was directly proportional to their ability to communicate their skill, repertoire and presentation to the audience.

Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, four Grammys, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, The Kyoto Prize, The Aga Khan Music award, United States National Endowment and several other awards were only a few feathers on those curly locks that swayed with the cosmic rhythm of one world and one music!

The body comes, grows and perishes. The spirit, the mission and the message live on for centuries to come. The music world will never be the same without him but what he has left behind will keep resonating. Be it his music, his humaneness, his incredible energy or his smile.

Everyone who crossed paths with Zakir Bhai felt a special connection with him as if he held a unique place in his heart just for them. Only truly divine souls can create such a sense of completeness in others. Whether you were a disciple, an organiser, a co-performer, a family member, a friend, or even just someone in the audience, you felt seen, as though he was smiling just for you. It was as if the universe had gifted him the rare ability to make everyone around him feel the magic he channelled through his tabla.

The sounds of that tabla and those magical moments will live on forever and ever and continue to steal our hearts as the drops of tears roll down our cheeks.

(The author is a vainika)

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