Throughout his more than six-decade long career, the tabla maestro not only inspired young Indians to pursue the art form but also became the ambassador of Indian music globally
Ustad Zakir Hussain
Ustad Zakir Hussain, one of the most celebrated classical musicians of India and a renowned name across the world, passed away on Monday morning at a San Francisco hospital. Aged 73, he was battling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which has been stated as the official cause of death according to the family statement.
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Throughout his more than six-decade long career, the tabla maestro not only inspired young Indians to pursue the art form but also became the ambassador of Indian music globally.
From starting his music career at a young age to contributing his expertise to various international albums, Ustad Hussain set several award-worthy benchmarks.
Most recently, he won three Grammy Awards in February 2024 for different albums, alongside other artistes who contributed to them.
Here’s a look at the musicians long list of awards.
- Hussain was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, the fourth-highest civilian honour in India. Furthermore, he was also won the Padma Bhushan in 2002, the third-highest civilian honour in India, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023, India’s second-highest civilian honour.
- One of the earliest awards he received was the Sangeet Natak Academi Award in 1990, given by the President of India. The academy also accorded Hussain with the Academy Fellow award, also known as the Academy Ratna, for the year 2018.
- In 1992, ‘Planet Drum’, an album he collaborated with Mickey Hart on, won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best World Music Album.
- Hussain has 7 Grammy nominations and 4 wins.
- In 2009, at the 51st Grammy Awards, the table maestro won the Grammy in the Contemporary World Music Album category for his collaborative album ‘Global Drum Project’.
- In 2024, at the 66th Grammy Awards, Hussain won three awards: Best Global Music Performance for Pashto, written and recorded in collaboration with Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Rakesh Chaurasia; Best Global Music Album for This Moment, which marked the comeback of the pioneering world-fusion band Shakti; Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for As We Speak, which he won alongside Fleck, Meyer and Chaurasia.
Apart from these world-renowned honours, Hussain has been conferred with several regional, national and international awards and recognitions.
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