90 flautists to pay tribute to Ustad Zakir Hussain

Mumbai: As the world mourns the passing of tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain this past week, 90 flautists in the city prepare to dedicate the 16th annual Bansuri Utsav, a festival of Flute Symphony, to the legend.The festival, organised by Bansuri maestro Vivek Sonar of the Gurukul Pratisthan, an NGO dedicated to promoting and popularising Indian classical music, especially the Bansuri, will be held over two days (January 4 and 5) at Dr Kashinath Ghanekar Auditorium, Thane. It will pay tribute to Hussain."The world of music mourns the untimely death of Zakir Bhai. I was fortunate to be in the company of flute maestro and my guru Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, who, along with Zakir Bhai, performed numerous times in India and abroad. We are holding the festival as a tribute to him," said Sonar. "We have prepared some special compositions for the occasion."Pandit Chaurasia, who toured extensively with Hussain, told TOI: "Bansuri Utsav's 16th edition is a tribute to the percussion maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain. He touched the souls of young and old alike through his rhythms and his beautiful nature. With his exceptional presentation abilities, Zakir took Hindustani classical music worldwide and made us all proud. His music is eternal, and he will continue to live in the rhythmic soul of every percussion lover. Zakir, we miss your radiant personality, and we know you will come back with the same sense of musicality and beautiful nature. We all wait for you eagerly."Featuring 90 flautists, aged between 8 and 80, the festival is special also because the Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia Lifetime Achievement Award, 2025, will be presented to noted musician-playback singer C. Illaiyaraja.Sonar added that Hussain promised to attend his Flute Festival next year but "now he will bless us from heaven."