The Journey Continues

He is sitting with a faraway look in his eyes. Contemplative. Perhaps he is thinking about his work, his achievements, his life. Suddenly...

He is sitting with a faraway look in his eyes. Contemplative. Perhaps he is thinking about his work, his achievements, his life. Suddenly, a smile crosses his face. A smile which makes him almost childlike 8212; vulnerable and untouched. Perhaps he thinking about his childhood, his journey through life 8212; a journey which still continues8230;

These thoughts fleet across my mind as I watch my father and Guru, Ustad Allahrakha, sitting in his flat at Napean Sea Road, watching the sea from the window. His smile transports me back to my childhood. To a vivid picture of him as a big, strong, ever-smiling man. A man who gave me gifts and love. I grew up listening to anecdotes of Abbaji8217;s life; most of which still remain with me. Especially the story of his divine experience as a child: A light fell on him on the banks of a river and a voice simply told him to get up and go 8212; as if he was summoned to follow the path which led him to his destiny. In that split second, he knew that the quot;Tablaquot; was to become the centre of his Being. The restlessness that used to disturb him subsided. He felt calm. It is then that his journey began 8212; a journey that took him to Lahore at the age of 12.

The other incident that I remember is his meeting with Guru Mian Kader Bux, the Ustad of the Punjab Gharana. It is like the Ekalavya Story. When the Ustad heard the young Allahrakha at a Sangeet Sammelan in Lahore, he asked him who his guru was. The Ustad was astounded to hear that the young boy had always regarded him his Guru. This faith compelled the Ustad to take the young boy as his disciple. In Bombay, Abbaji did varied things in the field of music including giving music for Hindi films most of which celebrated silver jubilees. He also started his journey across the world, popularising the tabla as an instrument and enhancing the status of Tabla players 8212; a status further enhanced by his eldest son, Zakir Hussain. Awards like the Padmabhushan, Sangeet Natak Academy, Indo-American were showered on him. The journey continued.

In 1970, we shifted from our small house behind the durgah of Makhdoom Shah Baba to Simla House at Napean Sea Road. The house was bigger, cleaner, a different environment. A new set of friends and unlike Mahim, we stopped playing on the roads and went to a better school. And then, my life changed 8212; I started playing the Tabla, bringing me closer to Abbaji. His happiness knew no bounds when he saw all three sons taking to the Tabla. The world has many different names for him. Ustad Allahrakha, Ustadji, Abbaji, Masterji but for me he will always remain a big, strong man with an ever-smiling face. A smile so infectious you want to break into smile as well. Looking at him now, I think time has not changed him. The childlike quality, the generosity of spirit8230; Suddenly, he looks at his watch. It8217;s time to go. Time to teach the children who are eagerly waiting for him to take their class at Shivaji Park. The journey continues.