Zakir Hussain (musician)
Ustad Zakir Hussain (born 9 March 1951) is an Indian tabla player, composer, percussionist, music producer and film actor. He is the eldest son of tabla player Alla Rakha.[1] He is widely considered as one of the greatest tabla players of all time.[2]
Zakir Hussain
9 March 1951
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Musician
1963–present
HMV
Padma Shri (1988), Padma Bhushan (2002), Padma Vibhushan (2023)
He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023, by the Government of India.[3][1][4]
On 8 February 2009 for 51st Grammy Awards, Hussain won the Grammy in the Contemporary World Music Album category for his collaborative album Global Drum Project with Mickey Hart, Sikiru Adepoju & Giovanni Hidalgo.
He was also awarded the Govt of India's Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1990, Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, Ratna Sadsya in 2018. In 1999, he was awarded the United States National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship, the highest award given to traditional artists and musicians. Hussain has a total of 5 Grammy awards equalling the tallies of the late sitar maestro Ravi Shankar and the master conductor Zubin Mehta; they are all in top spot, incidentally, on the list of Indians with the most Grammy wins. He received 3 Grammy Awards in February 2024.[5][6]
Early life and education[edit]
Zakir Hussain Allaraka Qureshi was born on 9 March 1951 in Mumbai (officially known then as Bombay), India.[7] He attended St. Michael's High School in Mahim, and graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.[8]
Book[edit]
Nasreen Munni Kabir compiled 15 interview sessions (each lasting about 2 hours) from 2016 to 2017 into the book Zakir Hussain: A Life in Music, which was published in 2018.[1] This book takes the reader through Hussain's life from his youth, his years of intense training, and growth as a musician.[1]
Personal life[edit]
Hussain married Antonia Minnecola, a Kathak dancer and teacher, who is also his manager.[19] They have two daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi. Anisa graduated from UCLA and is a film maker. Isabella is studying dance in Manhattan.[20]
Hussain has two brothers: Taufiq Qureshi a percussionist, and Fazal Qureshi, also a tabla player. Their brother Munawar died at a young age when he was attacked by a rabid dog.[1] His eldest sister Bilquis died before Hussain was born. Another sister, Razia, died due to complications during a cataract surgery, just a few hours before their father's death in 2000.[1] He has another sister named Khurshid.[1]
He was named an Old Dominion Fellow by the Humanities Council at Princeton University, where he resided for the 2005–2006 semester as full professor in the music department.[21] He was also a visiting professor at Stanford University.[22] In May 2022, he was conferred the honorary Doctor of Law (LLD) degree for his contribution to the field of music by Mumbai University.[23]
Tribute[edit]
The line "Zakir Hussain Tabela Ivaltana" in the Tamil song "Telephone Manipol" in Indian (1996) film directed by S.Shankar is a tribute to him. This song was written by poet Vairamuthu.[35]