Tabla maestro Fazal Qureshi talks to Karan Bhardwaj about comparisons with brother Zakir Hussain, training young guns and childhood
Starting under the shadow of a legend and carving your own path is not a cakewalk. Ask noted percussionist Fazal Qureshi about it. Being the son of Ustad Allah Rakha and brother of Zakir Hussain, music comes naturally to him. He braved decades of comparisons. Wherever he would go and perform, he would either be reduced to his family lineage or made feel ‘lesser’ than his genius brother. “There was a time when I stopped telling people about my family. Since there was a different surname — Zakir doesn’t use Qureshi — people would appreciate my music without preconceived notions. Gradually, I created my own style and established myself in the music industry,” he tells us minutes after his performance at RIFF. Here, he has collaborated with Dilshad Khan (sarangi) and Mahesh Vinaykram (vocals). What Qureshi says can be gauged from the fact that the trio received thunderous applause for several minutes for their one-of-its-kind performance. He holds his brother in high regards and recalls it was almost inevitable to steer clear of him. “People would say ‘accha hain par Zakir jaisa nahi tha’. I also didn’t mind since I never wanted to match up to my brother. Zakir is 11 years older to me and was a child prodigy. By the time I came to notice, he was already a star. So I was too determined to create my own style,” he says.
Critics only encouraged him to strive harder. “It’s natural to have enormous expectations when you come from a legendary lineage,” he says. However, bitter feedback in the initial years didn’t affect his camaraderie with his brother. They both have performed multiple times in India and abroad.
“We learnt together. My father used to train both of us like any other student. There was no favouritism. He used to believe that if we have got talent, nobody will be able to stop us. In fact, when he first invited me to perform on stage along with Zakir, I felt so honoured and priviledged. That was the day when I thought I had arrived. I had come to the level when legends agreed to share the stage with me,” he says with pride.
Music lovers find Ustad Allah Rakha’s style in Qureshi more than his brother.
“Zakir bhai adapted my father’s style but evolved it heavily with his own style which impressed music aficionados. I have remained closer to his original style,” he says.
There’s an unspoken rapport among brothers when they now appear together. “He is such a master that he knows where to start and where to stop. He revises the notes if I go out of sync. He would smile and do it. He is one rare musician who enhances your personality as well as music,” he says.
Over the years, Qureshi has performed with legends such as Shiv Kumar Sharma, Sitara Devi and others. Now he trains young guns at Ustad Allarakha Institute of Music. “I always tell students to create their own identity. They will never succeed if they copy anyone,” he says. Unlike many other musicians of his league, he believes that there’s enough scope and growth of classical music. There are many new platforms and universities to hone young people.