Ustad Zakir Hussain appeared on the Hyderabadi stage after six long years. He, who is a household name for fans of Indian classical music, spoke to The Pioneer’s Shikha Duggal about his influences in music and more!
Ustad Zakir Hussain, very early on in his career, became a fast household name for fans of Indian classical music. His lightning-fast yet extremely clean drumming reflects the style of his gharana, but it also contains rhythmic elements from other influences. When we heard that Ustad Zakir was going to be the guest of honour for a show in Hyderabad, we couldn’t hold back our enthusiasm and quickly arranged an interview with the maestro himself. It was because of his liberality that he decided to tell us all about his influences in music and more!
On hearing his tale, we realised the virtuoso was actually performing after a long hiatus of six years: “All this while, I kept wondering why I had even taken an interval from the one thing that I love the most. Probably, was I too bad in my last concert? (he laughed.) This was not my first visit to your city; I recall having the opportunity to visit Hyderabad in the mid-1960s. Joy of joys, I was performing with my father over here! I explored Khairatabad, and later on, life brought me back to this city for my first ever movie to be shot here. I have my past intact with Hyderabad, and I will always have it.”
Awarded the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India, he is also a founding member of Bill Laswell’s world music supergroup Tabla Beat Science! He refuses to be referred to as a “guru” because it is only his father’s teachings that he has continued to follow in order to become such a massive master. “Whether he’s with me or not, his tapes are a source of true learning for me.
When I was just two years old, I began the journey of music in my life alongside my father. The tribute that I owe to my father is totally inspired by the mythology we have grown up with. It was Valmiki’s Ramayana that highlighted the concept of “guru-shishya,” and we are following it today. Nevertheless, history cannot be rewritten! Our lifestyles have completely changed. Earlier, a “guru” was provided with an ashram and confectionery for the whole month; today, we, in a similar position, continue to worry about rent, groceries, and whatnot for our disciples. So the concept is slightly topsy-turvy now,” said the maestro.
Connecting with young artists these days, the one who was among many musicians invited by President Obama once upon a time, finds it a blessing to bond with the best of the best artists of the present century. He explained, “They may be young tabla players, but they are very mature. They have a fresh approach to “raag” traditions, they renewed their “taal vidya”. I hear their musical ideas come alive before the performance; it gives me a great high! They push me to keep up with the changes in life, which is one of the reasons I’m still in this profession after all these years. I still feel relevant, and that’s the invocation for me.”
Do you know? His first ever true blue experience of performing before a very big audience happened in the city of Nagpur. “I was supposed to perform in tandem with a violinist, and you won’t believe it, but in the next twelve minutes the listeners shooed us away from the stage. We had to leave! Soon after this unfortunate incident, I was performing again, and by the grace of God, the listeners didn’t allow us to stop. The stage performance turned out to be a gigantic hit, and I was on the front page of the city’s newspaper the following morning. There is no certainty in this profession; you can be on top while also hitting a low’ that moment taught me,” he said.
Continuing our enlightening conversation with him, he stated, “I’ll be performing tabla on the stage for you, while in my subconscious: I’ll be counting on my flaws. I’ll be wondering about how to head towards a positive future hereafter. This profession has always filled me with life; that’s the relevance of it in my life.” His honours are uncountable, and at the same time, we realised how grounded he is! He said to us, “With so many national awards in my kitty, I still believe it’s not the pinnacle of my life yet. How do I look at it? Well, the government is trying to prod me by saying that they see potential in me to take the country forward in “Sangeet”. They saw my potential and gave me a pat on the back! I’ll continue to perform with an affirmative vigor always.”
Zakir Hussain firmly believes that “classical music” is not the only pioneering art form in the arena of music; hence, he claimed, “All the upcoming music aficionados don’t have to force themselves upon classical music. Even freelance jazz or rock music is an art form to be taken seriously! Neither have I ever seen a dearth of audience for the type of music I am into, my stage shows are always houseful. I spot the faces of youth too, which means a few of them are definitely interested! Nevertheless, attachments can vary.
In fact, I feel youngsters are better prepared than maestros like us.They always stump me with their performances! This is going to be a lifelong deal with Hindustani classical music in our country; it can never take its last breath. I see a ray of hope in youth.”
Talking some more about our city, he exclaimed, “Hyderabadi audiences are very well-informed about classical music. Ancient court musicians were born here! Those musicians built their fan bases prior to independence, and they are still dedicated to classical music here. When I was performing here, I saw the ripple effect of it.”
