Ustad Zakir Hussain

 

December 15th 

It was Sunday and out of the blue WhatsApp messages began to come in about Ustad Zakir Hussain passing away. Then new outlets started sharing messages from his family stating he was in critical condition but “ very much alive”. Alas! The hope lasted just a few more hours. Family confirmed that indeed he had died.

I have personally attended a few of his live concerts in California, but never had a chance to meet him upclose. Yet his personality was such that he felt close. Warm, charming, wise and absolutely gifted. Social media has been flooded with not just glowing tributes to him but also several old videos and anecdotes about his life. 

Mr. Warren Buffet was talking to a group of students once and he told them to think of five people they admire and try to emulate the qualities in them that make them admirable for you. Think of five people who you don’t like and try to avoid their traits that you think make you dislike them. 

When the world mourns great people it is really a time to ponder on what they taught us through their lives. Zakir ji has on several occasions stressed upon the role of being a student. “ Knowledge is like a big river constantly flowing. It is up to us to fill from it. Whether we draw with a cup, a bucket or a truckload depends on us.” He added that the “ the teacher never teaches. A student learns. A student must inspire the teacher to teach.”  Proactive learning is what he is calling upon. Be hungry to learn, improvise, learn more and keep going. 

There was another video of his I came across where he was asked about goals. He said earlier in life I would think playing alongside Pandit Ravi Shankar would be a goal. But once I got there I realized the work is just beginning. You set a goal to touch the horizon, reach that point and find that the horizon has moved farther. That’s how journey in music is. It is a quest. I will try to do my best until I can. And he did exactly that. Kept stretching his horizons until the end.

He has really summed up the essence of life. In the universe center is everywhere and circumference is nowhere to be found. In whatever we do learning and growing doesn’t ever stop. That is the sign of being alive. When learning stops or we believe we have achieved our maximum potential that is as good as being dead. 

On another occasion he expressed his views regarding legacy of masters, especially in the world of music. He said that it is a way of life that one must die. The artist may die but the body of work that is left behind lives forever. It lives by itself in the recordings but also gets carried forward through the generations that are inspired by it. The artist is mortal but art is immortal. 

What can we learn from Zakir ji’s life? Indeed it’s an encyclopedia! 

Born into a household of a tabla maestro whose life was a prayer in the form of his art Zakir’s first lesson was whispered into his ears by his father on the day he was brought home from the hospital. His father literally spelled out tabla notes into the two day old baby’s ear with the faith that this was his prayer. The following 73 years Zakir lived with the same sentiment, treating the tabla with devotion and making it his way of serving the Almighty. His life is a perfect example of karma yoga and Bhakti yoga blended together. 

In times when religion is politicized and used to create divisiveness Zakir ji remained a voice of unity. Himself a devout Muslim he paid respects to Ganesh and Saraswati. You do this when you understand what these Gods represent and you also understand what being a Muslim really means. There was no conflict in that for him. And this deep respect for religion, not just his own but that professed by others, is what translated into his interactions with fellow musicians and fellow human beings. Never was there any insecurity. No wavering or succumbing to social pressures. He completely rubbished ideas that claimed India was intolerant of Muslims. Citing the public’s endorsements of prominent Muslim film personalities, leaders, artists, poets, writers, musicians including himself he made an emphatic point about tolerance being the fiber of Indian culture. It is a perfect case of choosing your perspective and living with your perspective. He chose to focus on good at all times and in every way. 

Navigating his personal life amidst a family of devout Muslims was another master skill he displayed. He fell in love with an Italian American woman Antonia Minnecola and was certain this was the woman he wanted to spend his life with. Getting the approval of his parents for this marriage wasn’t as easy as one would expect. Yet he persisted and won them over. He remained married to the love of his life right until his death. Together they raised two daughters. 

Much will be written about his career achievements and they are certainly glorious, unparalleled and well deserved for the highest recognition. I would vouch and join in with the millions of voices in India asking for a Bharat Ratna to be bestowed upon him posthumously. It really should have been done much earlier. Yet he was not just a successful musician that broke into so many genres. It was his human side that made his talent look more resplendent. He was so naturally humble despite the accolades, it is rare and refreshing to see. 

That cheerfulness, playfulness, humor, kindness and grace that he exuded is something I would like to emulate. Oh dear !! Just this man would be enough to emulate if anyone wanted to make good of their own life. 

Indeed an Ustad !! 

My sincere respects 🙏🏼🙏🏼