Ustad Zakir Hussain- The Z Of Music Poem by Unnikrishnan Sivasankara Menon

Born into a world of music
small wonder he lived music
and breathed music;
hailed a child prodigy,
been a teacher in his teens
at University od Washington.

His associations with
Ustad Ali Akbar Khan
Pandit Ravi Shankar
guitarist John McLaughlin
Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma
Hari Prasad Chaurasia
Ustad Sultan Khan
produced music world class,
everlasting and evocative;
their jugalbandis
melodious, meditative.

His famous reposte
'I have not played
good enough, yet! '
His is a music divine!

Notes:
Z ji is what Ustad Zakir Hussain was for his closest. His father was Ustad Alla Rakha, tabla maestro of Punjab gharana.

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan: who had a music college in San Francisco
Pandit Ravi Shankar: the Sitar maestro
John McLaughlin: Famous English guitarist
Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma: exponent in Santoor
Hari Prasad Chaurasia: world renowned flautist
Ustad Sultan Khan: Maestro in Sarangi
Jugalbandi: A duet in Indian classical music where two solo musicians perform together