Zakir Hussain and Niladri Kumar’s jugalbandi leave music lovers spellbound in Delhi

Sitar trills infused perfectly with tabla beats echoed throughout the Siri Fort auditorium recently, when tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and sitar player Niladri Kumar performed in the capital. The performance started with an energetic jugalbandi by Zakir and Niladri, and they even had a few solos. The audience gave the duo a standing ovation for their enthralling performance.
DON’T CALL ME USTAD
Donning sport shoes and a pink shirt, Zakir was seen interacting with guests backstage.When some walked up to him and called him ustadji, he said, “Please mujhe ustadji mat kaho. I have a beautiful name, Zakir, aap mujhe Zakirji keh saktein hain.” Justifying it with his wardrobe, he said, “Yeh dekho, I’ve mixed and matched two shirts and I’m in sports shoes. Kya main kisi bhi angle se aapko ustad dikhta hun?”
FAMILY TIME
Speaking about his plans for bringing in 2015, Zakir said, “I’ll be leaving for the US soon as my family is there and I want to spend Christmas and New Year’s with them.”