'Zakir bhai always said, 'koi chala nahi jata hai', he believed even after death, you left something of yourself behind and he has left so much of himself behind.'
Earlier this year, we spoke to flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia's nephew and protege, who had just won two Grammys -- Best Contemporary Instrumental Album with Ustad Zakir Hussain, Edgar Mayer and Bela Fleck for As We Speak, and for Pashto which was adjudged Best Global Music Performance.
Ten months later, we connected with a more subdued Rakesh Chaurasia, grieving the loss of his mentor. Ustad Zakir Hussain, 73, passed away on December 16 in San Francisco. In his last social media post, the tabla maestro had shared a picture of trees turning autumnal gold with the caption, 'Just sharing a wonder moment'.
Rakesh Chaurasia shares his wonder moments with his Zakir bhai and tells Rediff.com Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya, "Devta jaise insaan the woh (He was a God-like person), he had no ego and didn't try to make you gumrah (wayward) on stage with his experience and expertise. He left me with a khazana of invaluable lessons that will stay with me all my life."
The concluding segment of the must read two part interview.
- Part 1 of the Interview: 'Zakir Bhai Loved Cricket'
Let's flashback to your earliest memories of Ustad Zakir Hussain?
Babuji (his guru, flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia) and Zakir bhai played together for decades.
When I would accompany Babuji on stage, I would watch Zakir bhai and him perform with wide-eyed wonder, their chemistry was mind-boggling!
Like Babuji, Zakir bhai was a creative genius, and with his signature style and body language, had everyone mesmerized
Looking at him, I would wonder if in this life I would get an opportunity to do a play with him.
Babuji and he had a set pattern when they played together, my guru would play the flute, then it was Zakir bhai on the tabla, after that it was back to Babuji, back to Zakir bhai, and so their jugalbandi continued.
I had been playing with them for a while, when during a concert, when it was his turn, Zakir bhai looked and with a subtle ishara indicated that I should play.
That must have been intimidating?
Yes, for a moment I was terrified since I wasn't mentally prepared to have the spotlight turn on me so suddenly and wondered if I should follow Babuji or do something different.
It was Zakir bhai's badapan, his large-heartedness, that he was giving a platform to a young boy to perform in such august company.
He liked that I didn't try to play too much, was Babuji's counterpart, and at the same time, had started coming into my own.
I realise today that he must have been observing me closely for a while, seen a spark and thrown that challenge at me.
And I must have done something right because he continued to throw such challenges in my direction, always upping the standard, expecting you to match up and excel.
Without me even realising it, he was guiding me, both on stage and off it.
Hariji is my guru, but by default, Zakir bhai became my mentor too.
Then, around 10, 12 years ago, I suddenly got a call, he wanted me to play with him at a concert in Scotland.
Your dream came true...
(Laughs) Yeah, and the phone almost slipped from my hand.
All through that 40 to 50-minute concert, I played with my eyes shut.
I couldn't look him in the eye because I was so much in awe of Ustadji.
I called him Ustadji then and he would laugh, "My parents have given me a good name. Why don't you call me Zakir bhai?"
But I just couldn't bring myself to say his name, till one day, he made me understand that he didn't want to build a wall between us on stage which was inevitable if it remained a guru-shishya relationship.
He believed friendship created good chemistry on stage and wanted us to be friends.
He believed that only if we enjoyed our music, the audience would too.
After that, we became friends, I would tell him silly jokes, I would discuss everything with him, not just music but even my personal life.
He was amazing, he never lectured or advised like an older person, but would explain things by talking about his own experiences.
Did he continue to challenge you on stage when you were doing solo shows together?
Oh yes, he would throw me off often by doing something unrehearsed and completely unexpected, then would turn to me with a look that said, "Okay I did this, let's see what you can do!"
If I goofed up, he would manage things beautifully and no one in the audience would even realise it.
After the concert, he would never reprimand, just say quietly, "You need some more practice with that."
He gave his 100 per cent every time he went on stage and he wanted you to give your 150 per cent.
Musicians like Babuji and Zakir bhai are great role models because they inspire you with their commitment, infuse you with their energy and nurture your soul.
He was a mentor to so many musicians of my generation, and even the next, giving us a chance to play to his audience.
Who does that in today's day and age!
What was his equation like with his audience which was always growing?
For him they were all important, after a concert, he would always stay back and meet everybody no matter how busy he was.
He would laugh, talk and joke with them, the way he did with us.
To me he would always say that if someone had paid for a ticket and had come all the way from Thane or Kalyan to Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai for our concert, it was imperative that they returned with good memories.
He would constantly give tips on how to speak to the audience without talking much, how to reduce the distance between us.
But there were times when looking at the audience which was very different from what I had expected, I would ask him if I should play something else.
He would dissuade me, saying, "Play whatever you had planned without worrying about how they will react, if you try to change things at the last minute, you could stumble. Play from the heart and they will respond to your music."
Devta jaise insaan the woh (He was a God-like person), he had no ego and didn't try to make you gumrah (wayward) on stage with his experience and expertise.
He left me with a khazana of invaluable lessons that will stay with me all my life.
What now when he is no more?
Zakir bhai always said, 'koi chala nahi jata hai', he believed even after death, you left something of yourself behind and he has left so much of himself behind.
All his life, he endeavored to extend the reach of classical music, take Indian music across the globe.
With that in mind, he was always open to nurturing upcoming talent.
Now, it is up to all of us who he mentored and collaborated with to work together and take his life's mission forward.
There will never be another Zakir Hussain, but there is a lot of good talent around.
He gave youngsters like us a platform to perform, moulded and challenged us, we have to do the same with the next generation, that's what would make him happy.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
