This tribute video opens with a clip from the last interview of Ustad Zakir Hussain with Upendra Mishra of INDIA New England News in 2024—a rare and deeply meaningful moment that captures the maestro’s voice, wisdom, and spirit near the end of his extraordinary life.
The reflections that follow were recorded soon after Zakir Hussain’s passing by George Ruckert, a Senior Lecturer Emeritus in Music at MIT and a lifelong scholar and practitioner of North Indian classical music. Speaking as a musician, teacher, and witness to history, Ruckert offers a personal and thoughtful remembrance of one of the most influential artists of our time.
To watch the interview, please click here, or on the imae below.
Remembering Ustad Zakir Hussain
March 9, 1951 – December 15, 2024
The world lost a towering figure in global music with the passing of Ustad Zakir Hussain, the legendary tabla virtuoso whose artistry, humanity, and boundless joy transformed the soundscape of Indian classical music and far beyond.
After nearly a month in the hospital due to complications from chronic lung disease, Zakir Hussain passed away peacefully on December 15, 2024, surrounded by his family in San Francisco. His loss has left an immeasurable void—not only in music, but in the hearts of those who knew him, learned from him, or were moved by his performances.
Born in Mumbai in 1951, Zakir Hussain was trained by his father, the legendary Ustad Alla Rakha, and began performing professionally at the age of 12. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he redefined the role of the tabla as both an accompanist and a solo instrument, elevating rhythm to a central expressive force.
A master of tradition and a fearless innovator, Zakir Hussain played a pivotal role in genre-defying collaborations that brought Indian classical music to global audiences. His musical partnerships included Ali Akbar Khan, Ravi Shankar, John McLaughlin (with whom he co-founded the groundbreaking ensemble Shakti), Charles Lloyd, Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, George Harrison, Van Morrison, and many others.
Equally important was his legacy as a teacher and mentor. He taught internationally and shaped generations of musicians through his passion, rigor, and generosity of spirit. A particularly meaningful chapter unfolded during the 1970s, when he served as Director of Percussion at the Ali Akbar College of Music in Marin County, where countless students experienced his brilliance firsthand.
Zakir Hussain was honored with some of the world’s highest cultural distinctions, including India’s Padma Vibhushan, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the U.S. National Heritage Fellowship, France’s Order of Arts and Letters, the Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy, and multiple Grammy Awards. Yet for those closest to him, it was his kindness, warmth, and infectious joy that defined him most.
About George Ruckert
George Ruckert is Senior Lecturer Emeritus in Music at MIT and a respected authority on the classical music of North India. A longtime student of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Ruckert studied sarod with the maestro for more than two decades and has performed extensively across North America, Europe, and India.
He founded MITHAS (MIT Heritage of the Arts of South Asia) in 1993, which has brought more than 150 concerts, lectures, and demonstrations to MIT, featuring distinguished artists from around the world. Ruckert has authored five books on North Indian classical music, recorded two sarod albums, and composed extensively for Kathak dance.
His reflections in this video come not only from scholarship, but from lived experience—rooted in decades of musical dialogue with Zakir Hussain and the lineage they shared.
