Zakir Hussain And Ustaad Sultan Khan Concert

 Zakir Hussain : Tabala

First time I come to know about Zakir Hussain by Taj tea advertisement. So I am aware he played TABALA very well. Yet, I faced dilemma, a person like me, can enjoy Zakir Hussain TABALA? Finally I attended it. It was a pleasant Saturday evening of 8^th January. After attending interactive session from our Lucent CEO, I rushed towards Chowdiah Hall, for Zakir Hussain and Ustaad Sultan Khan live concert. It is the same hall where I attended Jagjit Sing live concert.

I was a bit late. Sultan Khan just started. It was very slow. Then Zakir Hussain started on TABALA slowly….. His TABALA was slow and Sultan Khan playing his SARANGI at very high pitch and speedily. Slowly it becomes reverse. Zakir started his TABALA on full fledge. Sultan Khan was just accompanying by his SARANGI. Once I felt, he was playing two rhythms in parallel on TABALA. Slowly the TABALA rhythm TAL became faster….faster…. and time becomes slower and like it stopped. I tuned to that TAAL – rhythm. Zakir Hussain’s face was moving in that rhythm. His long hair had a small phase shift to that movement of face!!! I just called my friend to share that enjoyment/music on mobile.

We reached to middle of the show. It was interval. During interval I found one more Lucent’s colleague at the show. It was a pleasant surprise! After interval the show continues. Sultan Khan presented on Utter Pradesh folk song.

“NAINA BOLE RE, TARAS GAYE BALAMAA…”

A nice and sweet song. There was a small break in that JUGAL-BANDHI of both experts. Miss India 1973 Rupam came to stage. Her fellow anchor Fashion Guru Prasad Bidapa, told, TABALA is like oxygen for him. The auction for Zakir’s TABALA started. Prasad requested, Zakir to share that interesting emotional story about his attachment to this TABALA. Zakir always wanted that TABALA from his father USTAAD ALLARAKHA, which he was playing. Once he replaced his father’s TABALA before check-in at airport. Thus, he stole that TABALA for the selfish reason of having it, which is blessed by his father. Now it is quite old TABALA.

Its auction started with modest bid of Rs. 25,000. It was not taking momentum. So Rupam requested him to tell one more story. He told, this art of playing TABALA is 100 years old. It is cultural heritage of India. This rhythm TAAL is even very older. Lord Ganesha is an excellent PAKHAVAAJ player.  Zakir Husain, showed his sense of humor in this process. Rupam surprised about Zakir’s act as thief. She could not believe it. Zakir replied, “OK you mean to say, am I a liar? If so, I want to tell you, you are the most beautiful woman of the world.”

The bidding took about 20 minutes with contenders constantly outdoing the other. During that time, Zakir was even playing rhythm on microphone! The closest contender missed the TABALA by a narrow margin. At last it went for whopping Rs. 7,00,000. The buyer was Ushir Bhatt, an employee of Tesco, and his wife Pavitra. He personally met the buyer on the stage. Generally he does not wish that his TABALA went outside his family, he convinced only because of the noble cause. The proceeds of the concert and the auction money goes to Concern India Foundation, an NGO working for various developmental issues. A piece of musical history was passed down to Bangaloreans

Then he started to present all different situation by TABALA. This music is our heritage of Indian culture. When Lord Shiva wanted to destroy the universe, he took form of Lord Nataraj. He played Damaru. Lord Ganesha played PAKHAVAJ. With this sound, first the earth and the sun separated. Then the all the natural calamity starts. He offered prayer to lord Ganesha by TABALA.

“GANAANAAM GANAPATI….

DHRUVPAD GAAYE ATI VICHITRA

GANANAATH AAJ MRUDUNG BAJAYE.”

We felt like TABALA was also producing human voice and speaking the same SLOKA!

Then he played different sound on TABALA and we all imagine the same situation that he was telling. He played rain. Rain is falling, then what will be the sound. The Rain is falling with black clouds. The rain is falling with black clouds and lightening also occurs. We realize all these situations in the sound of Tabals.

Then he talked about animals. Elephant. How it walks. First he explained with action. He himself tilted to left and right. Then he played sound on TABALA with same action. We all could visualize that elephant is walking. A group of deer. How they run? They run for some time, and then they jump. He really played TABALA that we all could visualize the deer are jumping. How the horse runs? How the rabbit runs? How the lion runs? He creates the whole jungle full of all wild animals just with help of TABALAs.

How the Railway train runs. Train slowly started. It takes speed. It going away and away…so its sounds slowly diminish. How a motorbike runs, and then it stops. How a heavy truck runs. Suppose on a road a motorbike is running in zigzag way. Truck is going. Elephant is coming. And finally it was a traffic jam!!

Finally they both performed a Zugalbandi, once again. At last Zakir Husain told, “Ustad   SultanKhan” Ustad SultanKan told,  “Ustad Zakir Husain”

The end.

Vaah Ustad Vaah!

Are Hujur, Vaah Taj Boliye!

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