Maestros to pay a musical tribute to Ustad Allarakha on February 3rd

A galaxy of national and international artists are gathering together in Mumbai, to pay their homage through a musical performance to the most celebrated tabla maestro, Ustad Allarakha, or Abbaji, as he was fondly called, on his first death anniversary (Barsi). On the occasion, musicians like Shivkumar Sharma, Zakir Hussain and Sultan Khan will perform at the National Centre for Performing Arts and Kalaghoda on February 3, 2001.

Ustad Allarakha was a musician who, through his genius, injected that certain spark necessary to elevate an instrument to another level of expression and appreciation. Born in 1919 in Phagwal, a small village in Jammu, to a family of farmers and soldiers. Allarakha's interest always lays elsewhere in drama and music. At the tender age of eleven, he met his music guru, Mian Kader Bux, in Lahore. Through his mastery of the tabla, Ustad Allarakha was able to attain for the tabla, the stature and the respect of a solo instrument. Ustad Allarakha was one of the most celebrated exponents of the Punjab Gharana. The master died of a heart attack on 3 February, 2000.

"Abbaji started from scratch and his dedication towards music has earned him a place in everyone's hearts, across countries. He has always played a very important role in moulding the life and career of his children as well as his disciples," said Zakir Hussain, son of Ustad Allarakha. "Abbaji was the creator of fusion of world music in India. He has played a major role in the development of music, and has worked in the process of coming together of music as an universality. He contributed to the formation of Old Shakti, which includes John McLaughlin, L. Shanker, Vinayakram and myself. This homage to abbaji will once again witness the performance of the Old Shakti," revealed Zakir Hussain.

The electrifying musical interaction will begin at the NCPA and will witness legendary musicians like, Kishori Amonkar, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Ustad Sultan Khan and many more. Also present for the performance will be Latin Percussion maestro Giovanni Hidalgo. The day long event will wind up at Kala Ghoda, with performances from Fazal Qureshi, Shivmani, Selva Ganesh. All these musicians were at some time influenced by the maestro.

Ustad Allarakha was awarded the Padma Shree in 1977 and the Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1982. A humble man he was, with very simple habits, and his best way to keep himself busy was with music and students. He has also established the Ustad Allarakha Institute of Music to train amateur tabla players in the Punjab Gharana. The institute has been offering financial assistance and scholarships to the deserving candidate.

In Aditya Kalyanpur's words,
"Abbaji, for me, was God in human form." Aditya is a student of Ustad Allarakha Institute of Music, who received training under the maestro for more than 12 years. "To some extent, Abbaji succeeded in maintaining the Gurukul parampara in the institute, and we call it Talim. The tradition set by him is carried on by Ustad Zakir Hussain. "

By: Sharmistha Chakraborty
Photographer: Vinayak Prabhu