Zakir Hussain opens up about his family, says 'My wife is a...'

Music is his world, the garb he wears and the tabla his mate, brother and friend, their relationship so special that it motivates him to get up in the morning to say hello, says tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain.

Hussain, amongst India's best known classical musicians who has also composed for films and even acted in a few, said his father, the legendary percussionist Alla Rakha, believed it was important for every student of music to have an intimate bond with it.

"My father always said each instrument has a spirit and if you are a student, half the battle is to get that spirit to accept you as a mate, as a friend. Once that happens, the instrument reveals how you should react to it, touch it and express yourself through it," Hussain told PTI in an interview.

The 72-year-old said he cannot imagine his existence without the tabla, an instrument he has been playing since he was a child.

"Music is my world. It is the garb I wear. Tabla is a mate, it is a brother, a friend, it's the bed I sleep in... I am at a point where my relationship with the spirit of my tabla is special. I find myself at a place where I cannot imagine that I can exist without it. It motivates me to get up in the morning and say, 'hello'."

It is wrong, he said, to think that Indian classical music will have the same appeal as film music.

"I advise my Indian musician friends, don't despair that you don't get the same kind of audiences as AR Rahman, Shankar Ehsaan Loy and Salim Sulaiman are having in their concerts. You have a chamber form of music and you should realise that's the kind of audiences you have to play for. That's where your music thrives, you put it in the stadium, it's going to lose its strength."

Hussain started as a child prodigy, performing his first concert at the age of seven, and began touring at 12.

After completing his education in Mumbai, he moved to the US in 1970. It marked the beginning of his international career that saw him perform with the likes of George Harrison, John Handy, Van Morrison and pop group Earth, Wind & Fire.

Music and arts have had a profound impact on his life, and even his family. The renowned artiste said music "designs the way he lives, his character, his likes and dislikes".

"My wife (Antonia Minnecola) is a dancer, my one daughter is a filmmaker, and my other daughter is a ballet teacher, so everything is art and music.

"It is such an agreeable place to be where we all are in a world where we think, act, behave and go forward with the same ideas, thoughts and on the same path. Music has given me everything that I am. Music has brought me to the world, it has brought the world to me. I cannot imagine being separate from music. It is the outfit I wear."

Hussain is currently looking forward to performing with acclaimed sitarist Niladri Kumar and flute player Rakesh Chaurasia on September 23 and 24 in the city for The Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) Autumn 2023 season.

The event, which commences from September 10, will showcase the amalgamation of Indian classical music with Western orchestral traditions. The high point of this season is the triple concerto for sitar, bansuri and tabla, composed by Hussain.  Artistes don't find it difficult to keep themselves motivated, believes the Padma Vibhushan awardee. The reason, he said, is the newness which comes from collaborating with artistes from across the world. 

"If as a tabla player I was playing with the same sitar player for 25 years, I would wither after a certain time. I would not expand as much. If I have no comparison, no way to be able to dial in other information, I would not grow. Therefore, I would die as an artiste," the US-based musician said.

Drawing parallels with cricket, Hussain said Indian classical music is in a "happy place" and has a bright future with many young musicians trying to make a mark for themselves.

"There are so many great musicians performing but you look behind and there are hundreds of amazing young Indian musicians, in traditional form, who are just waiting their turn.

"Indian classical music at this moment is at a very happy place because of the media and their ability to project the musicians out to the world. It has gained popularity, visibility and therefore there is more focus on it," Hussain added.

Besides his work as a tabla player, Hussain has also composed music for many movies, including "Manto" and "Mr and Mrs Iyer". He also acted in movies "Heat and Dust", "The Perfect Murder" and "Saaz".

It is due to lack of time, mainly because of his concert commitments, that prevents Hussain from taking time out for films.

"My love is performing and when you are on tour it is difficult to do music (for films) because you have to be in stationery, in the place and be available to the director, producer, and writer. I can't do that from far away. Shankar has an advantage, he can travel as Ehsaan and Loy are holding the fort, so he can get on the phone with them and say, 'let's do the music'," he said.