Shankar Mahadevan pays tribute to Tabla legend Zakir Hussain during Ganeshotsav festivities at his home

Mumbai, Sep 4 Music composer-singer Shankar Mahadevan paid an homage to the late Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain at his house during the Ganeshotsav.

The composer took to his Instagram, and shared a video of the musical setting from his home. In the video he can be seen dressed in a pink coloured kurta pyjama. Fellow music composer duo Salim-Sulaiman can also be seen handling the orchestration of the song in the video.

They performed the song ‘Shringaar’ composed by Salim-Sulaiman. The video started off with Shankar Mahadevan rendering the Konnakol, the art of reciting percussion syllables vocally. Konnakol is a fundamental practice in South Indian Carnatic music that serves as a percussive language to express complex rhythmic cycles called taal. It is the spoken component of solkattu, a broader term that includes simultaneously counting the tala with hand gestures.

Shankar wrote in the caption, “Some moments stay with you forever. Singing Shringaar for the first time in our own home, in front of Bappa, with loved ones around us, was one such blessing”.

He further mentioned, “This song is a humble offering in memory of the legendary Ustad Zakir Hussain Sahab. Do hear it and share your love”.

‘Shringaar’ is a classical pop song, and features the vocals of Shankar Mahadevan. It offers a heartfelt homage to their mentor, the late Zakir Hussain. Salim-Sulaiman wanted to pair the voice of Shankar Mahadevan with the artistry of Ustad Zakir Hussain. The universe, however, had other plans, as Ustad Zakir Hussain passed away in December 2024. ‘Shringaar’ tells the story of a person expressing to his beloved that her natural beauty needs no adornment.

Earlier, Shankar Mahadevan had reflected that legends like Ustad Zakir Hussain were “walking encyclopedias”.

Shankar said one didn’t just learn music in his presence, one learned humility, camaraderie, teamwork, and the art of spreading positivity through music.

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