'The ring from Lata was like a blessing from Saraswati'
Bombay, January 11, 2001, 1 pm: Zakir Hussain got a bit delayed, having some difficulty in locating the rediff.com office at Mahim. But once on, his replies were music to the viewers!
Mr Zakir
Hussain : Hello Friends! I am here.
Tabala : When is your new album is expected
to release?
Mr Zakir Hussain : The new album is that of Shakti, which has
already been released in Europe and America, and will hopefully make its debut
in Indiain the summer. Look out for it.
Mr Zakir Hussain : Everyone:
This is my first Chat show and I am very nervous. So bear with me, I might be a
little slow in reacting to your questions. A very Happy New Year to everybody,
and Welcome!
Tabala : Sir,
how did you celebrate your new year?
Mr Zakir Hussain : I stayed home with my mother and brothers
and their wives and kids -- meaning my nieces and nephews -- sort of a quiet
evening. But I had a great time watching Asha Bhosle on TV.
friendrtna : Namaskar Ustadji from
Ratnakar Limbkar
Mr Zakir Hussain : Namaste Sanjay and Ratnakar. Nice to talk
to you.
bal : WHO
IS U FAVOURITE MUSICAN ALL OVER THE WORLD I KNOW IT SHOULD BE INDIAN BUT TELL
ME SOMTHING DIFFERENT
Mr Zakir Hussain : I really like the singing of Aretha
Franklin, the queen of soul!
sunilp : HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR
JUGALBANDI/ SATH , HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM PLAYING SOLO
Mr Zakir Hussain : I usually do field work before I sit down to
play with somebody; in other wordsI go listen to them play in a concert, listen
to their music, tapes, whatever, sothat when I sit down with them, I have a
vague idea what their temperament is about and what kind of musical
patternsthey enjoy playing. Solo, I am the captain of the ship, and I decide
what I will play and dictate the pace of the show.
Ron : Do you think people like
percussionist shivamani are on the right track by playing for hindi films?
Would you compose music for a hindi film?
Mr Zakir Hussain : Yes. I think that Shivamani is doing great
work for Indian films. I learnt a lot about the tonal expression that I needed
to put into my tabla by playing for film music. I think that by playing in
films, one can learn a lot about saying alot in very little time. And as simply
as possible.
bal : hi ther i want to ASK YOU SIMPLE
QUESTION WHAT DO U FEEL ABOUT WESTERN ROCK BANDS LIKE METALICA BRYAN ADAMS WHO
USE TO SEAT WITH BIG ORCHESTRA R THEY REALY GEART AND COMPARING TO OUY MUSIC
Mr Zakir Hussain : I am a fan of Bryan Adams and also
of Metallica. These are different types of music, and in their own genres,
theyare great! There is no question of Indian music being better than anyone
else's.It is just different and equally great.
aakashk : zakir sahaab, with the
massive commercialisation today, do you think that musical integrity is being
compromised in favour of popular public tastes?
Mr Zakir Hussain : I think that commercialisation in the long
run will not affect the integrity of the music. In every venture, musical or
otherwise, you will always have good and bad. The same applies here.
Taj : Sir, are you still a Bachelor?
If yes, when do you plan to marry?
Mr Zakir Hussain : Sorry, I am taken!
guruji : 70TH TIME - WHO AND WHOT IS
YOUR SOUCE OF INSPIRATION
Mr Zakir Hussain : My father is my source of inspiration.He
was, is and will always be.
abhiramia : Sir, There is a widespread
belief that musicians (at least carnatic) who play in fusion concerts are not
taken seriously in the pure classical circles. What is your opinion?
Mr Zakir Hussain : I have a feeling that it may be true in a
more conservative Carnatic traditon to accept Carnatic musicians to be
fusionists. But in north India, people seem to have a more of a panoramic
view of the creative journeys of an artiste. I firmly believe that we need to
educate the world about our traditions and culture. It is throughthe
understanding of this paramparawill the world develop a reverent respect for
India. And to do that, we must learn the languages of the people we need to
teach about us! So we need to try our hand at fusion, ifonly as a tool of
interaction and communication.
babbbba : Don't your fingers ache
after chatting with the TABLA?
Mr Zakir Hussain : No way!
gyptian : zakir ... what do u think of
Begum Akthar ??
Mr Zakir Hussain : The greatest practitioner of that art form
in the last century.
Taj : Sir, Do you have any plans to
enter into Politics?
Mr Zakir Hussain : NO.
sj : what u prefer to play for Mass or
class
Mr Zakir Hussain : I prefer to play for a class mass!
bhartiya : ZAKIR SAHAB IS SLEEPING AND
WILL RESPONSE ONLY RELATED ANSWERS.
Mr Zakir Hussain : I am awake and will respond to related
answers!
MJ : pay lagu, ustad ji. Is there a
web site on tabla (learning/audios) that you would recommend.
Mr Zakir Hussain : There is something called tabla.com that may
have info on tabla.
aakashk : , zakir sahaab,how do look
at young musicians entering public stage much before they are ready?
Mr Zakir Hussain : As far as I can remember, Indian classical
music history is full ofchild prodigies and in recent times,people like Pandit
Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Amjad Ali Khan,U Srinivas, Baby Gayatri,
and many others were performing on stage while stillin their teens. It is only
after being consistently good in performancefor many years were they recognised
as bona fide geniuses. So lets give the young musicians of today a few
yearsyears to prove themselves before criticising them. They need our support
and understanding to be a success.
SunilPhade : Ustadji, Please can you
tell us where to contact for tickets for 3rd FEB's anniversary homage
Mr Zakir Hussain : The passes for 3 Feb will be available at
the Kala Ghoda venue. We will letyou know when, through the ads.
zakirrsadd : answer my question please
Mr Zakir Hussain : What is your question?
laxmikanth : IAM FROM DUBAI AND I WANT
TO ASK U WHEN DO U HAVE PLANS FOR DUBAI
Mr Zakir Hussain : I am playing a concert in Dubai on January
16, 2001. Hope to see youthere!
galeej : Sir: do you think the World
will see anothe rZakir Hussian ever?
Mr Zakir Hussain : I think the world will see many others much
better than Zakir Hussain. The idea is to use the knowledge that has been
accumulated till nowand go further with it. And if you do that, you can only
make it better.
wazeer : Hello, here is someone from
australia
Mr Zakir Hussain : Good on ya, Australia!
dreamr : we wud appreciate replies..,
even short ones
Mr Zakir Hussain : Hi dreamr
Bonner : Hello, ZaKir Hussain
Mr Zakir Hussain : Hi bonner!
sachin.k : SIR, HAVE YOU ANY PLANS OF
A TABLA SCHOOL ON "GURUKUL" CONCEPT?
Mr Zakir Hussain : In this day and age, it is economically
next to impossible to set up a Gurukul system. However, my father and many
other masters of Indian music have taken it upon themselves to host their
deserving students in their own house for a limited time every year. The
students come from all over the world, and spend time on a crash course type
basis with their masters. None of these masters charge their students, and in
fact, feed them and take care of them and also teach them. Just like in the old
Gurukul system. So it is up to us artistes to create this sort of system
whereby we can take some time off from our busy concert travels to make
ourselves available to the students in the above mentioned manner. That is
about as close as we will get to the old Gurukul system.
kglunatic : Ustad ji namaskar....
don't u get bored of being in limelight all the time.... i mean don't u wish u
can a some time for urself??
Mr Zakir Hussain : I do have time for myself, you see, when
summer comes, I don't take on concerts, I just retire either to my backyard
garden or in some nice beautiful remote area with my family and roast
marshmellows on the fire, take hikes into the mountains, and just chill!!
Mr Zakir Hussain : samiullah, pls ask
your question again.
kolsun : Zakirji! what will be the
right age to start learning ?
Mr Zakir Hussain : Right age of learning is about five years
old, but sometimes, that is not true! Simply because we also rely on the shape
and size of the hand, and if the child is 6 or 7 or 8 and the hand is not the
proper size, we still have to wait.
sangeeet : ustadji..what feelings you
had when lataji gave u diamone ring after listening to you in Goa..how was it?
Mr Zakir Hussain : When I played that evening for her, I was
in such awe of her presence that I could not even lift my eyes to look at her.
It was like in being in the presence of a goddess. Getting this ring from her
was like getting the blessings and 'vardan' from Saraswati herself. I have
still not come down to Cloud Eight!
friendrtna : I wanted to know more
about to join your tutions, Can i have your personal email address so as to
communicate more indetail? Please confirm
Mr Zakir Hussain : Right now, the school building is under
renovation. And we will not begin the classes until March 2001. What you have
to do is call 022-3697493 for info.
anamika : why donna u take out a new
album with ashaji
Mr Zakir Hussain : I am hoping that I will be lucky enough to
get a chance to work with Ashaji. You'll be the first to know.
kukie : CAN V WATCH U LIVE ONUstad
Allarakhaji's tribute
Mr Zakir Hussain : We are planning to have a webcast of my
father's first death anniversary homage. So far we have tied up for the audio
webcast but are looking for the video webcast of the late night jam session at
Kala Ghoda, Mumbai. Colgate Total, my sponsors, are helping me organise that.
You will of course get info about it on the web. Just for your info, the
anniversary homage is set for Feb 3, starting at 6 am and will culminate at
about midnight the same day.
suparna : ZAKIR
BHAI ITS MEE...SUPARNA FROM DELHI...DID U RECV. THE RAKHI?
Mr Zakir Hussain : Yes I did receive the rakhi, and God Bless
You.
Ghanashyam : Do you think with new
additions of fusion people tend to forget tabla?
Mr Zakir Hussain : I think people have rediscovered
tablabecause of its popularity. As aninstrument, which is not only
classical,but can fit with any kind of music, it is truly a fusion instrument
of today. And that is why when you hear fusion musicall over the world, 80 per
cent of the time you will find at least one littlehit of tabla in a song. That
is one of the reasons why I am paying tribute tomy father at Kala Ghoda along
with manyfamous fusion artistes from all over the world, including John
McLaughlin,Giovanni Hidalgo, Sikiru Adepojo, George Brooks, L Shankar,
Shivamani, Trilok Gurtu, Ranjit Barot, and many others.They have all been
touched and influencedby my father's music and therefore bytabla! So along with
Kala Ghoda association, and Colgate, I invite you to come on the evening of Feb
3, and see how tablahas influenced world music.
sangram : adios
amigo..........................
Mr Zakir Hussain : Adios muchachos. It's been great
conversingwith you all. Hope to Chat with youagain. Love, Peace, and Happiness.
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