A brother remembers: Zakir Bhai was father figure, friend and brother, says Taufiq Qureshi

New Delhi, There is one concert that Taufiq Qureshi says was both memorable and a turning point -- when he got to perform alongside his great father Alla Rakha and brother Zakir Hussain, not just for 10 minutes but for the entire duration. It was the late 80s in Germany, Qureshi said as he recalled his bond with Hussain, always much more than a brother.
"Being one-on-one with both these legends was something that I will never forget in my life," Qureshi, an accomplished percussionist himself, told PTI in a phone interview from Mumbai.
Hussain, the tabla virtuoso who won many awards in India and abroad, including four Grammys, died on Monday in San Francisco due to complications of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease. He was 73, 12 years older than Qureshi.
Like every young classical musician learning the ropes, Qureshi would usually get to perform the last 10 minutes of the concert. That Germany concert was different.
"For me it was a great moment to be sharing the stage with them definitely... but to be there from the beginning till the end, that was a turning point for me as I could play all my compositions in a very relaxed way rather than come in the last 10 minutes and try to play everything fast," he said.
Qureshi has composed albums such "Rhydhun 2000" and contributed to the score of films such as "Devdas" and "Dhoom 2".
His brother is a constant presence.
"He has always been very encouraging to all younger artistes. In fact, he never gives a feeling that they are on stage with a legend. He always brings himself down to our level so that if there are any flaws and faults in us then they get hidden," Qureshi said, remembering his brother in the present tense.
"Growing up, I looked up to him as a father. There was always that father and a brother and a friend connection with him," he said.
He said his famous father Alla Rakha would travel the world with the likes of sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar.
Discussing his brother's connection with two stalwarts, Qureshi said he learned "how to meet people, how to talk to people, how to understand different cultures".
"He (Hussain) always said that Pandit Ravi Shankar ji has been instrumental in making him understand the world. And my father has been instrumental in making him understand the world of rhythm.
"But Ravi Shankar Ji was responsible for making him understand the world in itself, different cultures, different cuisines, different people and audience," said Qureshi, an expert not just on the tabla but other percussion instruments like djembe, duff, bongos, and batajon too.
Hussain will be laid to rest in California in the US. His family and friends in India will hold a memorial service for him at Shanmughanand Hall in Mumbai in December 27.