36 Comments
User's avatar
Arvind's avatar

Thank you for this. I saw the Ustad accompany Ravi Shankar in New York once. It's a pity I never saw more live concerts featuring him. But you have brought his essence to life. His range, generosity, and being both traditional and contemporary. We need to wait a while before someone matches that.

Narendra Mulani's avatar

Lovely, thank you for this heartfelt tribute

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

Thank you for your kind words.

Rana's avatar

Beautifully written. It conveyed the essence of the artist. Zakir Hussain was a celebrity but an artist first and foremost.

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

Thank you for your kind words.

Umesh Pujara's avatar

Lovely tribute, comes from the heart. You kindled my memories of the experience i have had witnessing Ustad's performance at various events since 70s. Thank you. God bless.

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

Thank you for your kind words.

Vijay's avatar

What a great tribute. Thank you.

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

Thank you for your kind words.

u_chill's avatar

Thank you for this beautiful tribute!

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

Thank you for your kind words.

Karthik S's avatar

Finally a piece that’s a proper tribute to the title of your blog!

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

:) I hope it’s a proper tribute to the folks who inspired the name….

Karthik S's avatar

very muchly! totally enjoyed reading this

Rakesh Jain's avatar

The road not taken by Zakir - thanks for an enlightening post

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

Thank you for your kind words.

Umang J's avatar

Beautifully written!

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

Thank you for your kind words.

Rajesh Achanta's avatar

What a lovely tribute - so well done. Zakir exemplified why music is scared, why it can reach places nothing else can. And yet he did all this with a lightness of being as if he merely was a transmitter - truly one of a kind.

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

Thank you for your kind words.

Rohith Jyothish's avatar

I had the privilege of seeing Remember Shakti live the night before a public economics exam. One of my favourite ever memories. Lovely tribute!

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

Thank you for your kind words.

Aditi Jain's avatar

Beautiful tribute. By the end of it, my heart felt a deep longing, the kind I haven't felt in a long time.

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

Thank you for your kind words.

Ravichandran Srinivasan's avatar

Superb!! Thanks for that post!!

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

Thank you for your kind words.

Charles Powell's avatar

Gorgeous tribute

Thanks for posting!

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

Thank you for your kind words.

Charles Powell's avatar

ps love your Substack moniker!

Bibhu Prasad Mohapatra's avatar

The best tribute I have read so far. Thank you Ms Rajagopalan.

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

Thank you for your kind words.

Bibhu Prasad Mohapatra's avatar

Hi, I am part of a new school of Public Policy at the KIIT University, Bhubaneswar. It would be extremely fruitful if you could collaborate with us on policy matters and pedagogy. My email is bibhu.mohapatra@kiit.ac.in

Ram's avatar

உளமார்ந்த எழுத்து. நன்றி! நீங்கள் சொல்வது போல, "Zakir played with everyone" மட்டுமல்ல, "Zakir plays in everyone." என்றும் சொல்லலாம். அமித் வர்மா அவர்களுடனான உரையாடல் தான் உங்களை எனக்கு அறிமுகப்படுத்தியது. வர்மா சொல்வது போல நீங்கள் மிக நல்ல எழுத்தாளர்! வாழ்க.

Shruti Rajagopalan's avatar

Thank you for your kinds words and for reading. I wish I had thought of "Zakir plays in everyone..."