Ustad Zakir Hussain fills an evening with beats
Conversation between a father and a son, sound of lightning and downpour, noise of traffic, or rhythm of deer running through a dense forest -- all seemed real through his magical fingers on tabla.
World famous tabla player Ustad Zakir Hussain mesmerised the audience in the capital yesterday evening with his virtuoso performance in Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
The programme was arranged in memory of another great tabla maestro, his father, Ustad Alla Rakha.
Alla Rakha, an exponent of the Punjab Gharana, popularised solo tabla as a concert form worldwide. He played at the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971, organised by Pandit Ravi Shankar and George Harrison in Madison Square Garden of New York, during the Liberation War of Bangladesh. The concert played a great role in drawing international public support for Bangladesh.
The daily Prothom Alo and Transcom Group arranged yesterday's programme in honour of late Alla Rakha, a friend of Bangladesh, as the nation prepares to celebrate its 40 years of independence.
Before Zakir's performance, Chairman of Transcom Group Latifur Rahman handed over a Crest of Honour to him in remembrance of his father.
Matiur Rahman, editor of the Prothom Alo, welcomed him with a bouquet of flowers.
Sabir Khan, a Sarengi mastero, who is the son of Ustad Sultan Khan, accompanied Zakir on the stage.
About a thousand audiences heard them play a diverse array of ragas including 300-year-old Lahori originated in Lahore. Zakir Hussain received accolades worldwide including Padma Bhushan.
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