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Preserving the grand tradition in its quintessence

It was all about being at the right place at the right time

PHOTO:K. GOPINATHAN

EFFERVESCENTUstad Zakir Hussain

A combination of Lucknowi elegance and Western courtesy, Zakir Hussain is remarkably unassuming.

But, where should one begin a conversation with him? With the choices that Zakir was compelled to make in his life or in his work, replete with experiments, it seemed fascinating to start with the former.

"The choices that you make are largely dependent on what is available to you. At that time, when I made those choices, there was so much happening in the world of music. It was difficult not to respond to it. I always feel if my father, Ustad Alla Rakha was in my place, he too would have made the same choices. Born in different eras, we made different journeys," says the Ustad.

Change, as he perceives it, is hardly a conscious exercise and is only an outcome of the times. If the Ustad did what he did, it was only because it was made available to him.

"I took a leap in faith and chose the less- trodden path. It was unusual, yes, at least in my genre of music." The fact that he was educated also guided his complex choice.

"I was young and open to change. I was an educated, classical musician and not blinded by tradition. Whereas my father, steeped in tradition, found it difficult to cross boundaries. But then he was probably a step ahead of his forefathers," he quickly adds, looking at the entire process as one of natural progression.

Ustad Alla Rakha had just one demand to make of his son. Zakir had to promise to preserve the grand tradition he represented, in its quintessence.

He had even illustrated it: "When you come to a table with five others you are an assortment. But make sure you take to the table your specialty and don't simply become part of that assortment."

The words left a big impact on the Ustad. "I realised I didn't have to be a Western drummer, or a guitarist hamming away. All I had to be was just myself, a tabla player, and that's the specialty I brought to the table. My father felt reassured too," he says.

From here, Ustad Zakir Hussain went on to be hailed as an icon. He gave the tabla a status that it never enjoyed prior to him. "I was fortunate to be at the right place at the right time. There are musicians in India, who are as good as I am, or probably better. As a tabla player I'm just as good as I was 20 years ago. The difference is that I learnt the language the West understood. It gave me opportunities and also allowed me the kind of exposure hailed by young musicians today. Therefore, even though there have been musicians of equal calibre, I've enjoyed that iconic status," he says modestly.

The Ustad concedes that today's musician interacts with the audience at various levels, unlike the musician of yesteryear who was bestowed a demigod status and put on a pedestal, cut off from the common man. "When your audience realises that you too went to college like them, you too wear western clothes and go to Pizza Hut, it instils in them a sense of familiarity. With all these commonalities, they recognise a specialty in you that makes you different. And that's what has given me the identity of a global musician."

In the early days of his career, when Zakir Hussain associated himself with some of the best bands, it marked the beginning of fusion music. But now, when there are any number of competent bands, does Shakti, with which he has been associated since its inception, feel the need for a re-evaluation? "We are not trying to `make it' or have a huge success. We play music together even as we enjoy each other's company. It would be sad to even try and be young, or compete with them. The opportunity that Shakti gets to be what it `was' is important to me."Even while Shakti hasn't made efforts to realign, it surely doesn't mean it is devoid of influences. However, he admits, Shakti is not worried about pleasing its audience and only wants to enjoy its music. His answer is similar when asked about the recent Grammy nomination: "With the nomination, I've got my share of blessings. Whether I win or not doesn't matter."

The Ustad was in an introspective mood.He recalled his childhood and how one legendary tabla player and three aspiring ones drove their mother crazy. "For someone who wasn't musically inclined, we were a bit much," he says, remembering the annoyance on his mother's face.

"Our father gave us music, but she took care of everything else. She made sure that we all did well in our studies too. In a way, she's our real hero," says the Ustad, nostalgically.

DEEPA GANESH

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