We say tabla starts with ‘A’ for Alla Rakha and ends at ‘Z’ for Zakir Hussain: Rakesh Chaurasia

New Delhi, Dec 16 (PTI) He was his second guru after his uncle and celebrated flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia, says Grammy winner Rakesh Chaurasia who remembers the “god of tabla” Zakir Hussain as someone who gave the young generation of musicians a platform to thrive.

Hussain, a celebrated musician who gave tabla a global identity and prestige, died in a San Francisco hospital early Monday. He was 73. Hussain was the son of all-time tabla great Ustad Alla Rakha.

“We generally say that tabla starts from ‘A’ for Alla Rakha and ends at ‘Z’ for Zakir Hussain. I think everybody in the music fraternity calls him the god of tabla.

“A blessing from him was more than enough and he used to bless everybody from his heart. He gave a platform to young generation musicians like us to reach the top,” Rakesh Chaurasia told PTI in an interview.

The flautist, 53, collaborated with Hussain on “As We Speak” and “Pashto” , the two albums that won a Grammy each this year. Hussain won his third golden gramophone for his work with fusion music band Shakti on the album “This Moment”.  

Though they didn’t share a formal ‘guru-shishya’ (teacher-disciple) equation, Rakesh Chaurasia considers him as his “second guru”.

“On stage, off stage, I learned so many things from him. He never taught me sitting anywhere but while performing on stage, he gave me so many tips. He was an amazing human being who touched every single person’s heart in his audience.”

Remembering the time he spent with Hussain, Rakesh Chaurasia said the tabla virtuoso wanted to bring out the best in every artist he collaborated with. Hussain was also someone who he could reach out for advice.

When they were not performing, the discussions would often revolve around food. “We have travelled together, and we used to hunt for the best restaurant in every city we would be visiting. He would say, ‘Rakesh ji, Google it, we’ll go for a nice cuisine’. There are so many memories,” Rakesh Chaurasia said, adding that he was so disturbed by the news that he could not sleep.

Rakesh Chaurasia said his admiration for the tabla maestro began during his childhood as he used to accompany his uncle to most of their performances.

“I used to wonder when it would be my turn to perform with him. And when I got that chance, it was like a dream come true. He was an artist of artists. He introduced me to musicians Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer, and we got the Grammy.”

The flautist said Hussain would often turn translator for him as he would struggle with the language.

“He was so open minded and helpful, not just with me, but for everyone,” he said.