Rhythms of legacy

Taufiq Qureshi continues the tradition with a special Barsi concert honouring Ustad Alla Rakha and Zakir Hussain

- Narendra Kusnur

After their performance at the Shanmukhananda Hall in August 2024, percussionist Taufiq Qureshi asked his brother Ustad Zakir Hussain whether he planned to organise a special Barsi concert to mark their father Ustad Alla Rakha's 25th year on February 3. "Zakir-bhai had immediately agreed. He had even talked of inviting Kolkata tabla player Bickram Ghosh for the show," he recalls.

Zakir Hussain's demise on December 15 came as a huge shock to millions of fans worldwide. While Taufiq Qureshi tried to come to terms with the loss, he decided to go ahead with the Barsi, and also have a remembrance for his brother. "The first thing I did was to check whether the venue, Shanmukhananda, was available. It was and then I began planning my show," he says.

Unlike the traditional structure that had three sessions including one in the morning, this year will have performances only in the afternoon and evening. Says Taufiq, who has adapted the African djembe to the Indian style, "Besides Bickram Ghosh, the afternoon will have a recital by flautist Ronu Majumdar, who will play at the Barsi for the first time, and Uzbek doyra player Abbos Kosimov."

He adds that the evening will feature all those who performed regularly with Zakir Hussain. These include keyboardist Louiz Banks, drummers Ranjit Barot and Gino Banks, his brother Fazal on tabla, Sridhar Parthasarathy on mridangam, saxophonist George Brooks and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia. "We've got sitar player Purbayan Chatterjee too," he says.