Nation lost towering musical genius: J&K LG on Zakir Hussain’s death; CM, Karan Singh grieved

JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Monday expressed grief at the passing of tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, saying the nation and the music world had lost a “towering musical genius”.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and veteran Congress leader Karan Singh also condoled the death of the award-winning artist and paid tributes to him.

Hussain died in a hospital in San Francisco, US, from complications arising out of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He was 73.

“Deeply grieved to learn about the sad demise of legendary tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain ji. In his passing, the nation and the music world have lost a towering musical genius and the most famous and accomplished exponent of contemporary world music,” Sinha said in a post on X.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in Samba district, Abdullah expressed grief over Hussain’s death and said his passing away has created a huge vacuum in the country’s field of art.

Karan Singh, the son of the last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh, also expressed profound grief over the death of Hussain.

“I was shocked to learn that the great percussionist Ustad Zakir Hussain has passed away in San Francisco. His father, Ustad Alla Rakha, was from a village near Jammu and always cherished his association with the Dogras.

“I knew Hussain from the time when he was a young boy and saw him with great pleasure growing into perhaps the greatest tabla player we have produced. In fact, he and the late Pundit Shiv Kumar Sharma are two great musicians that Jammu has given to the nation in recent years,” he said in a statement. (PTI)