The Ustad whose tabla blurred boundaries

IT ISN'T OFTEN that a percussionist finds life in the intricacies of punctuation.

- SUANSHU KHURANA

Its pauses mostly remain the preserve of literature. Tabla virtuoso Ustad Zakir Hussain (73), whose tenacity went beyond the cadence, tone, tempo and inflection; whose eloquence in putting apostrophes, ellipses and exclamations in the mathematically labyrinthine stories, lifted the tabla, and hoisted it as India's flag for over half a century, died in San Francisco on Sunday.

His family said in a statement that he was suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease. He had been hospitalised over two weeks ago. Hussain is survived by wife and Kathak teacher Antonia Minnecola, daughters Isabella Qureshi, Anisa Qureshi, brothers and tabla players Fazal and Taufiq Qureshi, and sister Khursheed Aulia. "His prolific work as a teacher, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on countless musicians.

He hoped to inspire the next generation to go further. He leaves behind an unparalleled legacy," his family said.

Condoling his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X: "Deeply saddened by the passing of the legendary tabla maestro, Ustad Zakir Hussain Ji. He will be remembered as a true genius who revolutionized the world of Indian classical music." Cultural ambassadors and musicians such as Hussain are not easy to come by. It takes hard work, interest, talent, innovation and something magical to make audacious trailblazers who are also repositories of ageold philosophy and knowledge.

Which is why listening to Hussain's music, be it at the uptown ticketed concerts or the others where entry was free and the aisles were brimming with rasiks - masses and musicians who heard him together -- or through his global collaboration that was Shakti and his extensive work with legends like Harrison, John George McLaughlin and Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart, the experience always gave one a heightened sense of being, a peek into his self actualisation. And, perhaps ours.