Remembering Zakir Hussain: Biggest Achievements Of The Tabla Legend, Padma Awardee, and Global Music Icon

Zakir Hussain:  A music prodigy, global icon, and an innovative tabla maestro, Zakir Hussain died on 15 December at a San Francisco hospital in the United States. He has been grappling with severe heart disease with days spent under critical care in the ICU before passing. His loss is not that of a nation but of the world ,he has etched his name on. 

Hussain’s musical prowess has earned him acclaim and applause across the country and the globe with his ability to make his music universally resonate. 

Born to Ustad Alla Rakha and Bavi Begum on 9 March 1951, he displayed his knack for tabla at a young age and learned the instrument skills under the tutelage of his father, a distinguished tabla player himself. At the age of 7 seven, he started playing tabla, and by 12 he was on tour around the world making his presence felt in the international musical space. 

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Till 73, Hussain has become a name synonymous with talents and laurels. He has been honored with some of the world's highest awards and titles for his contributions to the arts and music. 

Notable achievements of Zakir Hussain 

Hussain boasts of working as a musician and actor in the world of art. His music blended unconventional Indian classical music with international pop jazz, making him a pioneer in the genre with his fusion band Shakti. He has lent music to films like Little Buddha and In Custody and worked with an array of artists, including Mickey Hart, John McLaughlin, Vasnat Rai, and L. Shankar. 

 

 

 

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Hussain was the honorary recipient of the Padma Shri in 1988 and Padma Bhushan in 2002 by the Government of India. A seven-time Grammy nominee, he bagged four Grammys in his lifetime. 

In February 2024, he won three Grammys for ‘Pashto’ with American banjo player Béla Fleck, Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for ‘As We Speak’ with American banjo player Béla Fleck, American bassist Edgar Meyer and Indian flutist Rakesh Chaurasia and for the album This Moment with his fusion band ‘Shakti’. 

He won his first-ever Grammy for Best World Music Album in 1992 for ‘Planet Drum’ with Mickey Hart. 

In February 2009, he won the Grammy for his collaborative album Global Drum Project in the Contemporary World Music Album category. 

Hussain was one of the youngest recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by the President of India in 1990. 

Among the many accolades, he received the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, presented by First Lady Hillary Clinton in 1999; the Lifetime Achievement Award from the San Francisco Jazz Center in January 2017; and the Academy Fellow Award (Academy Ratna) by the Sangeet Natak Akademi for the year 2018.

Hussain continues to leave behind a legacy of great music with his albums, recordings, and the learning that he has passed on to his students as a teacher. His contribution to Indian Classical Music, and putting it on the international stage has been remarkable making him a legend in this league.