Legendary the main tableUstad Zakir Hussain died on 16 December 2024. (Monday) in San Francisco after idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He was 73 years old. According to reports, Zakir Hussain was fighting idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis quite a long time and was hospitalized two weeks ago. However, his condition worsened and he was later admitted to intensive care.
Zakir Hussain was born on March 9, 1951 in Mumbai to a tabla player Allah Raha and Bavi Begum. He was the eldest child of the couple who grew up to become one of the greatest tabla players of all time.
Affirmations play a big role in our career and after you get to know this story about Zakir Hussain and his father, you will believe it too. Zakir Hussain’s career was shaped by music and its seeds were sown the very moment he was born. His father, Ala Raha, whispered something in his ears when he was a child, a powerful affirmation that guided his entire life and career. In one of his earlier interviews, Ustad Zakir Hussain told a family anecdote. He recalled how his father, who was a Muslim by birth but devoted to the Hindu goddess Saraswati and Lord Ganesha, always wanted him to be a player like him. So much so that when he was born, his father read tabla rhythms into his ears instead of prayers!
Recalling this incident, Zakir Hussain once said in an interview: “I was brought home and handed over to my father. The tradition was that the father should recite a prayer in the child’s ear; greeting the child and putting it with such kind words, he takes me in his arms, puts his lips to my ear and reads some (tabla) rhythms in my ears. The mother was angry and said: “What are you doing, not these rhythms?” And he said, “These are my prayers… This is how I pray.” I want to pass it on to my son. So why not pray to him earlier?”
And rightly so! Ustad Zakir Hussain began his musical career at the age of 13 and over the years has created his own legacy as a tabla maestro. He received Padma Shri in 1988, Padma Bhushan in 2002. and Padma Vibhushan in 2023. He has also won several awards, including five Grammy Awards.
Ustad Zakir Hussain is survived by his wife, Antonia Minekola, and two daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi. He also has two brothers Taufiq Qureshi and Fazal Qureshi and a sister Khurshid Auliya.
Although the legendary tabla maestro is no longer with us, his legacy will live on in the memory of future generations.
