An evening with the Ustad

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Yesterday evening me and Sachin went for a music concert by Zakir Hussain, Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer. It was such a memorable evening. Apart from the music, meeting the 3 musicians was such a previlige. I was very excited to meet Zakir Hussain. I have respected and adored him and his music since I was a kid. He was amazingly modest. A person of his calibre says to me that I am kind enough to love and appreciate his music!!

When he first came on stage he touched the stage with his hands and then to his forehead and heart, the normal Indian custom of showing respect to the stage. After the show was over he bid a good bye to the audience with a namaskar. How lovely are the customs of India. If you can really understand the meaning of these customs, they can make you so humble. Everything about India pricks me these days. My current feelings for my country remind me of something I read in a book (Ghost of Che) that Indians residing outside of India develop a love affair with India. That is exactly how I feel....

Ustadji's wonderful tabla transported me back to India for a while. It was a night to remember, not just because of the music, or the meeting with Ustadji, but because it reminded me of why I miss India. Thank You Mr. Zakir Hussain.

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