By Ritu Jha-
Family, friends, disciples, artistes, and representatives of the Indian government paid emotional tributes to the legendary tabla player Ustad Zakir Hussain, who died on December 15. He was buried Dec 19, at the Fernwood cemetery in Mill Valley, near San Francisco, California, nestled with oak and bay trees mixed with the historic eucalyptus trees and is one of the country’s first environmentally conscious green cemeteries.
He was 73 years old, and was suffering from chronic idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
At the otherwise somber event, several artists played various percussion instruments as they cheerily celebrated Hussain.
Prominent among them was Indian percussionist Anandan Sivamani, who was clad in a white bandana and trampled off white kurta. He lighted the atmosphere with the beat of the drum. On answering indica’s questions, he said, “Zakir bhai was my guru.”
“He was all about rhythm. Whenever I traveled with him, he would talk about rhythm, and we would discuss different types of rhythm. He was a very inspiring person. It’s a big loss!”
Born in India on March 9, 1951, Hussain was a child prodigy. The eldest son of legendary tabla player Ustad Alla Rakha, Hussain was awarded the titles of Padma Shri in 1988, Padma Bhushan in 2002, and Padma Vibhushan in 2023. He had also received seven Grammy Award nominations.
At the 2024 Grammys, he earned the honor for best global music album for “This Moment” as part of the fusion music group Shakti, with guitarist John McLaughlin, vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan and percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram. The same night, he took home two other prizes — Best Global Music Performance for “Pashto”, and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for “As We Speak”. He, however, won his first Grammy Award in 2009 for Best Contemporary World Music Album.

During the funeral prayer service, Dr. Srikar Reddy, the Indian Consul General in San Francisco, paid tribute to the tabla maestro with an Indian flag and read a condolence letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The gesture by an Indian government representative touched the heart of Hussain’s family. Ustad Fazal Qureshi, younger brother of Zakir Hussain, who came from Mumbai, told indica, “We are very honored, Consul General Mr. Reddy brought the Indian flag. Zakir bhai has always been an Indian, wherever he lived, and always will remain an Indian, I am happy and appreciate that they came all the way to place the flag during his last rites… we are very thankful.”
Qureshi, also a renowned tabla player, describing Hussain’s 60- year-career, said, “He inspired us, and the younger generation as well.”
Hussain is survived by his wife Antonia Minnecola and two daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.
Among those who came from India to pay tribute was Ganesh Rajagopalan. A violinist, the Grammy winner and part of Shakti, who has been performing with Hussain for more than 25 years, told indica with moistened eyes, “Every day was a learning experience with him. It was not just only music but how to lead a life, and how to create an atmosphere of music around you.”
Rajagopalan, who flew from Chennai on learning the news, said with a smile, “He would always call me Panditji… I don’t recognize myself as ‘Panditji’, but he would call me that. I am fortunate to be here.”
Asked about Shakti’s future, Rajagopalan said they are releasing a live album. “Shakti plans to soon release an album ‘Shakti Live’, a tribute to Hussain,” he said.
Selvaganesh, an Indian percussionist and another Grammy-winning team member of Shakti, told indica that they canceled a planned tour in January 2025 after learning his condition was critical two months ago.
Selvaganesh said, “Playing with him was magic and every time he would come up with something new. There was a musician in him and I learned a lot.”
Selvaganesh described Hussain as a ‘lighthearted person’, who would jokingly ask Rajagopalan to use his tabla tuning hammer on his violin.
Kaushiki Chakraborty, a Hindustani vocalist and playback singer, who flew down from Kolkata, told Indica that she was in Mumbai for recording but stopped and flew back to Kolkata after learning about his demise. She has known him since she was 2 years old through her legendary father, Padma Bhushan Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty. They had recorded their first album when she was two-and-a-half years old. “He was like a father figure. He has always been my go-to place for anything I wanted to understand and learn better for clarity, anything about music and life,” she said.
“I emulated him on how to do namaskar on stage, how to talk to people, and how to greet people. I blindly followed him. There was a time when he started noticing me and my music, that was the biggest blessing,” said Chakraborty, who met him last this October in New York.
Chakraborty described how Hussain and his wife took her to an Italian restaurant and then to a Jazz club. It was a surprise to her because she once casually told him that she had never been to a Jazz club and he had remembered that.
A Padma Shri awardee, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan too was present to pay tribute. He told indica, “It’s a huge loss for all of us and the music world. We have lost a great musician who cannot be replaced,” Khan said.
Khan said he first met Hussain in the 1970s when he was 16. Khan described being on stage with Hussain and fellow sitarist, Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee. “It was the experience of a lifetime; I cannot forget that. He was a great human being and a very helpful person,” Khan said.