Zakir Hussain was called Ustad by Pandit Ravi Shankar. Zakir Hussain was called a maestro by Pandit Ravi Shankar: Youngest Padma Shri and the only Indian to win three Grammy Awards simultaneously

When Ustad Allah Rakha Qureshi, the most famous tabla player of the 20th century, held his son in his lap, he did not recite the verses in his ear, but recited the lyrics of the tabla. When the family asked the reason, he said, these beats of the tabla are my ayat. That child was Zakir Hussain, who gave the whole world an opportunity to dance to the beats of tabla.

Zakir Hussain, who cherished the heritage of music in his veins, was one of those artists of the country who not only brought glory to Indian classical music at the global level, but also gave the tabla a prominent place in the world of percussion instruments.

The only one to win three Grammy Awards simultaneously Zakir Hussain was born on 9 March 1951 in Maharashtra to Ustad Allah Rakha and Bavi Begum. His childhood was spent listening to the beats of his father’s tabla and at the age of 3, Zakir was also given the tabla, which he never left behind. Apart from his father and first guru Ustad Allah Rakha, Zakir also took tabla lessons from Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan and Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan. Zakir did his first professional show in India at the age of 12 for which he got Rs 100.

This year his band got a Grammy Not only was he proficient in classical music, but due to his successful experiment in bringing together contemporary world music i.e. the music of the West and the East, he also gained fame as an international artist at a very young age. While creating fusion music with artists like Mickey Hart, John McLaughlin, he also started his own band Shakti.

This band has been awarded the Grammy in the same year, 2024. Even after making fusion music, he never left the tabla, because according to him, the tabla remained with him like a friend and brother since childhood.

Apart from this, Zakir Hussain was a percussionist of that rare ability, who had accompanied artists of 4 generations from Senior Dagar Brothers, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Sahab to Birju Maharaj and Niladri Kumar, Hariharan.

Ustad Zakir Hussain’s contribution is also important in the cinema world, Ustad had a big role in the music of old films like Bawarchi, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Heer-Ranjha and Saaz. Not only music, Ustad has also acted in films like Little Buddha and Saaz.

Youngest Padma Shri In the year 1988, Zakir Hussain became the youngest youth to be awarded the Padma Shri. That’s when for the first time Pandit Ravi Shankar addressed Zakir as Ustad. After this this sequence never stopped again. Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1990, Zakir’s co-created album, Planet Drum was awarded the Grammy Award in 1992. In this, recording was done by combining Hindustani Taal Vidya and foreign Taal Vidya, which was rare at that time.

This was the reason why around 8 lakh records of this album were sold at that time. Padma Bhushan in 2002, Kalidas Samman in 2006, another of his albums received a Grammy in 2009. Padma Vibhushan in 2023 and he created history by winning 3 Grammy Awards simultaneously at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on 4 February this year.

All these achievements are very big for Zakir Hussain’s crazy music lovers in the country and the world, but this was the biggest award for Zakir personally. When he was overjoyed after receiving Padma Shri, his guru and father Ustad Allah Rakha had given him the necklace. What could be a better and more memorable moment than this for a disciple?

In the year 2010, on behalf of Ustad Allah Rakha Institute of Music, he was given the title of being the greatest guru of tabla playing of Punjab Gharana.

Interesting stories of Ustad