“We should keep remembering him with love”: Music composer Lalit Pandit on demise of Zakir Hussain

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 16 (ANI): Renowned music composer Lalit Pandit paid tribute to late table maestro Zakir Hussain on Sunday.

Speaking to ANI, Pandit recalled the time spent with him at formal gatherings and other events. He also urged the upcoming artists to keep following the footsteps of Zakir Hussain and keep the art alive.

“Ustad Sahab’s demise is a matter of grief, not just for industry but the entire India. I have good memories attached to him. We have very old family relations with the family of Zakir Bhai. Art doesn’t die but artists reach their peak and leave us,” he said.

“The place that Zakir Bhai carved for himself is something which perhaps nobody else can carve. Sadly, our country doesn’t have such great artists anymore. But he brought laurels to India with his art. We should keep remembering him with love. The new artists should try to follow his path and keep that art alive,” he added.

The film fraternity, music industry and fans are in mourning today after the demise of Ustad Zakir Hussain. He was being treated in a hospital in San Francisco.

The tabla maestro took his last breath on December 15 at the age of 73. His death was confirmed by Job Bleicher of Prospect PR, representing the family.

Born on March 9, 1951, in Mumbai, India, Zakir Hussain was the son of the iconic tabla master Ustad Alla Rakha. From a young age, he displayed a remarkable affinity for the tabla, quickly gaining recognition for his exceptional talent. By the time he was a teenager, Zakir was already performing alongside some of the greatest Indian classical musicians.

Throughout his career, Ustad Zakir Hussain collaborated with some of the most iconic names in both traditional Indian and global music scenes. He worked with legends such as Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan and was a key figure in creating international fusion bands like Shakti with guitarist John McLaughlin and Planet Drum with Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart.

His collaboration on the Planet Drum album also earned him a Grammy Award.

Zakir Hussain’s contributions to music were recognized by numerous prestigious awards over the years, including the Padma Shri (1988) and Padma Bhushan (2002) from the Indian government, as well as four Grammy Awards.

His excellence in Indian classical music was honoured by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and in 2014, he received the National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honour for traditional artists in the United States.

As news of his death spread, tributes poured in from across the globe. Musicians, artists, and fans alike mourned the loss of a man whose music not only transcended borders but also united people of diverse cultures.