Indian tabla maestro Zakir Hussain dies

NEW DELHI: Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain died on Sunday at the age of 73 after he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a San Francisco-based hospital with heart-related problems earlier in the day. According to Hussain’s manager, the US-based musician had been suffering from blood pressure issues.

Zakir Hussain, who took tabla to the global stage, was the eldest son of legendary tabla maestro Allah Rakha. Hussain carved a distinguished path in the world of music, mirroring his father’s legacy. Renowned both in India and globally, Hussain has earned an impressive five Grammy Awards throughout his career, including a remarkable three accolades at the 66th Grammy Awards earlier this year.

One of India’s most celebrated classical musicians, Hussain was honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan

in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023. Throughout his six-decade-old career, the musician collaborated with numerous celebrated Indian and international artists. However, it was his groundbreaking 1973 project with English guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L Shankar, and percussionist TH ‘Vikku’ Vinayakram that redefined music by blending Indian classical traditions with elements of jazz, creating a fusion style previously unheard of.

Condolences started pouring in on social media soon after Hussain’s death. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called Zakir Hussain’s death an “irreparable loss to the world of art and music”. Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia also condoled the tabla maestro’s death. Thiruvanthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor also condoled the tabla maestro’s death.