Mahim, the neighbourhood where Zakir Hussain was born, mourns his loss; hopes for his burial alongside his parents

The exact year of their departure is unclear, but residents remember the family living on the ground floor of a now-purple building, which has changed hands twice since.

Salma Ansari, a woman in her late 60s, from Mahim.

While the younger generation knows of legendary tabla virtuoso’s connection to Mahim loosely, a general store owner directed this writer to Salma phuphi, seated on a chair at the entrance of a narrow lane leading to the dargah.

“I was very young when Ammaji and Abbaji moved to Nepean Sea Road. Ammaji treated me like a daughter and took me with her. I stayed there until I got married,” she said, adding, “Even now, I would visit the family whenever they would come to India. Zakir bhai would always ask me ‘how am I doing’ and ‘if all is well’ and even his wife Tony bhabhi (Antonia Minnecola) was very kind.”

She breaks into tears as she recalls the moment she heard the news. “I was at home when my nephews came asking if I’d heard. It was really unfortunate. Since then, I’ve been trying to figure out when and where the burial is happening. I tried reaching out to his team and his sister’s son but to no avail,” she added. Salma fervently wished the burial would take place in Mahim. “When Abbaji passed away, his maiyyat (body) was brought here. Thousands of people came to bid him adieu,” she recalled.

The burial will happen in the United States on Thursday, December 19.

Nearby, in a home on the fifth floor of an old building just 300 metres away, lives a family of musicians whose ties to Zakir Hussain go beyond blood. “We are related by music,” said Arfat Shakil Khan, 54, whose father Iqbal Ahmed played the sarangi for Doordarshan and had performed with Hussain and Alla Rakha, both.

“My husband Shakil Khan is a singer and teacher. My jeth (elder brother-in-law) is also a singer, and my devar (younger brother-in-law) is both a singer and a tabla player. He learned from Abbaji himself,” she said. Recalling fond memories of Zakir Hussain’s concerts, she said, “We last met at CCI, where he performed with the late Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. I was taking a photo of him and my husband when he said, “‘Aapa, aap bhi aayiye na (Sister, you also join us).’ He was always so thoughtful and charismatic,” she said, adding, “Don’t mind, but no words can describe what he did, achieved, and meant to thousands of people.”

When she learned that the burial was happening in the United States, she nodded with understanding.

“His family is there,” she noted softly, though she admitted she wished it could have been in Mahim. “So many would have liked to attend his last rites and pay their respects.”

Behind her, in her 1 bed-room-apartment is a photo of her husband who shares a resemblance to Zakir Hussain. “Sometimes he does get mistaken for Zakir bhai at gatherings and fairs,” she admitted.

“My father and Alla Rakha were close friends. When my sister got married, the family was invited, and while Zakir was in the US, Abbaji came to give his blessings,” said her husband Shakil Khan over a telephone, adding that he dedicates every Guru Purnima to Hussain.

Their nephew, Tajdaar Khan, who lives in the adjacent flat, carried forward the family’s memories of Zakir Hussain. “There are not enough words to describe him. My father attended Abbaji’s funeral and told us that Zakir’s sister Razia had also passed away the same day. It’s a big loss for anyone. Yet, my father said, Zakir remained calm, bowing down to all the elders who came to pay their last respects,” said the young singer and anchor, adding that he too hoped that the maestro’s last rites were happening in Mahim. “His passing away is like tabla losing its soul,” he concluded.