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Unhurried Relationship

Reading the news of Zakir Hussain's passing a few days ago reminded me of the evening we heard him perform live and get his autograph a CD for J. He asked me her name, smiled at us both and repeating it flawlessly as he signed. It was a magic moment, such a privilege. It is as if her name had acquired special meaning to hear him say it. Listening to him made a strong impression on J though she was too young to have words to describe it. There are many amazing tabla players but only one Ustad Zakir Hussain - he teased life out of the instrument in ways you never knew were even possible. The Taj Mahal tea ad from my childhood came to mind - and then I saw this great Times of India tribute to the maestro. Really loved his quote about his good fortune with music 

"I am one of those musicians who came at the cusp of a great change in the music world and I was carried on that wave," he explained.

"I had the good fortune of establishing a very unhurried relationship with music, and at the same time, the wave took me places."

Made me wonder if its a person's good karma that brings them to the world at that perfect time when their particular talent has the best chance of blossoming and thriving, allowing them to form that "unhurried relationship" with that special gift they have. I feel so fortunate that I had the opportunity to watch him perform live in a a small venue. Most importantly, J had a chance to experience his genius even if she was very young at the time. I like to believe that it enriched her life just as profoundly at it did mine. 


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