I am still a student, there is a lot to learn: Ustad Zakir Hussain

Internationally-acclaimed

tabla

virtuoso Ustad Zakir Hussain let his fingers spell magic during his visit to Bengaluru on Wednesday evening. The Grammy Award winning artiste was in the city to perform at ‘Classical & Beyond’ — a concert that seamlessly weaved

Indian classical music

with global

music

— along with Rakesh Chaurasia on bansuri, U Rajesh on mandolin, Patri Satish Kumar on mridangam and V Selvaganesh on the kanjira. In a conversation with Bangalore Times, the maestro talks about his bond with the tabla, his love for Bengaluru and his mantra of playing the musical instrument flawlessly. Excerpts:
You have often spoken about your bond with the tabla. What is the bond you share with the tabla and how important is it for a musician to connect with his/her musical instrument?
Being born in a family of tabla players is almost like being connected to the instrument with an umbilical cord. That's the kind of connection I share with the tabla and I always felt very comfortable in its presence. Even when I am travelling, the instrument lives with me in my room. This lets the instrument, and me, be in a space which is very comfortable for both of us. So, the relationship prospers in more ways than one can possibly imagine. Every musician has to establish a connection with their instrument. They must embark on a musical journey together. The instrument has a spirit. If it doesn't want to respond to me, no matter what I do, it will not be a pleasant experience.

What is the greatest skill that one needs to master a musical instrument — patience, dedication or practice? How many years does it take to master and hone skills when it comes to playing Indian musical instruments?
The greatest skill that one should have is to be able to establish a relationship with your musical instrument. It's not the technique, it's not about how fast you can play. It's being able to understand what your musical instrument has to offer and extract it to the best of its capacity. One skill that you need is to be able to harness the power of your mind and transmit that information on to your hands. It's not just a physical skill, the mind is involved too. It's by synchronizing everything that you'll be able to let the emotions flow to the instrument.

Making the tabla needs a lot of expertise. Do you think tabla makers in India get the appreciation they deserve?
In my opinion, they don't get the kind of accolades they deserve. Neither do they get the remuneration they need. If a person spends hours in hand-making an instrument in the US, he will probably charge thousands of dollars. In India, however, tabla makers barely make any money and mostly live in huts. I have two to three tabla makers, whom I have put on stipend, so that they can at least have a regular income. Many times, an order is placed to a tabla maker. They spend their money on buying everything that is needed to make it. The tabla maker then brings it to the player, who even rejects it at times. The tabla is not even used in that case. So, the tabla maker would go back and spend more money on making another one. They only get the fee that is promised for that one tabla. That's one of the reasons why there are not as many tabla makers as there used to be and there should be. If any instrument has progressed in terms of piquing the interest of students, it is the tabla. Therefore, more tabla makers are needed, but there are less of them now. It is only because the work is not financially feasible.

Classical music in India is about purists. Were there any apprehensions when you decided to take a different path and collaborate with Western musicians? Did you ever face criticism from purists?
I don't think there is criticism. I also don't think classical music is dominated by purists. I think there is place for everyone. Purists are connoisseurs, who are needed because what was has to be preserved, what is, is something we're experiencing now and what will be, is something that the young musicians of today will take forward. So, musicians need to have the freedom to find out a new way to be able to tell the same old story. I think purists have come to terms with the fact that music changes from generation to generation. Having said that, I do not mean that the core of music will change. The change will only be in terms of presentation. Things that work can be taken forward and things that don't work can be discarded. That's what many young musicians like Rakeshji or U Rajesh are trying to do today without severing their relationship with classical music because that is what defines them.

You’ve often said that you believe we’re born being students and we will die being learners. There is no point in trying to be a master. Can you elaborate? Do you still think of yourself as a student when it comes to playing the tabla?
Absolutely! I am still a student. There's a lot to learn and miles to go before I sleep. Every day is an opportunity to learn something new and different. If you consider yourself a master, you've decided that there is nothing more to learn and that's not the way to live life. Progress is important and one needs to keep reinventing themselves for the audience. If they've seen you perform for ten years in a row, you will need to find something new about yourself that will attract them. So, learning has to be an ongoing process.

How has been your experience performing in Bengaluru? What do you have to say about the audience here? Is there any local spot or cuisine that you like?
Bengaluru is a great place to perform. I've been coming here since the mid-60s and it's amazing to be here. Although it was quite different from what it is now and it's a bit difficult to come to terms with the change. The audience in Bengaluru has come from all over the country and settled here. So, it's a multi-faceted audience and a very discerning one. So, it's great to come and perform here. I really look forward to come to the city whenever I get an opportunity to do so. The kind of food that's available here is to die for. The South Indian dishes are amazing and of course, you get to taste food from all the Southern states here in Bengaluru.

During your previous visit to Bengaluru, you had donated your tabla. Is it difficult to part ways with a musical instrument you've played for a long time?
Yes, it is very difficult to do it because it is like giving away a part of yourself to someone. My relationship with the tabla has many layers. One of those layers is like a bond with a sister or a daughter and giving it away is like giving away a daughter in a marriage to someone and learning to live with it. However, I gave it away for a special cause. It is good that people get to see the instrument and young students who see it get inspired to learn it. I also hope they understand the relationship that I have with my tabla and see if they can establish it too.