Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain died in a hospital in America after a long illness on Sunday. Reportedly, the Padma Shri recipient was suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. But do you know that Ustab Zakir Hussain’s first concert was at the age of 11 that too in America, where he took his last breaths? Yes! spread his art not only in India but all over the world. Even after achieving fame in life, he preferred to live a simple life and remained connected to the ground. Read further to know about his life history.
The first concert was in America at the age of 11
Zakir Hussain was born on March 9, 1951 in Mumbai. He is the son of tabla player Ustad Allah Rakha. Zakir inherited the talent of playing tabla from his father. He learned to play the instrument with full dedication since childhood. He learned to play pakhavaj at the age of just three years. This art was taught to him by his father. He gave his first concert in America at the age of just 11 years. After this, he launched his first album ‘Living in the Material World’ in the year 1973.
Zakir had strengthened his hold on the tabla at a very young age. After this, he started the journey of playing tabla at the age of 11-12 years. He used to travel from place to place for his concerts. Considering his tabla as Saraswati, he left no stone unturned in its protection and worship. There was also a time when Ustad did not have a reserved seat to sit in the train, so he used to spread a newspaper and sit down. He used to keep the tabla in his lap so that no one’s foot or shoe touched it.
Great contribution to Indian classical music
After crossing all the challenges, he made a place in the hearts of people all over the world. Ustad Zakir Hussain has made a great contribution to the development of Indian classical music. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1988 and Padma Bhushan in 2002. After this, in 2009, he was also awarded the Grammy Award, the most prestigious award in music.
Also Read: Zakir Hussain, tabla maestro, dies: A complete ‘wah ustad wah’ journey of India’s Padma Vibhushan
