Zakir Hussain
Read the passage given below carefully.
1.Zakir Hussain is India’s iconic tabla maestro. Long known for his capacity to move crowds of listening whenever he takes the stage, off stage, too, the maestro is a man with far-sighted patriotic vie He says that every Indian knows how to live peacefully. According to him, we are a diverse country and in our diversity, we have found peace and compassion.
2. ‘I am an Indian and am proud to be an Indian. My wife is an American and I can get an American passport but I never went for it. There is a deep-rooted connection between me and the art of India that we are constantly aware of. We are peace-loving and we need to hold on to this harmony. We should not give anyone an opportunity to pit us one against the other.
3. I am the quintessential Mumbai boy: I was brought up in Mahim. My father was the best tabla player I knew. His discipline and dedication were very inspirational. At home, after my morning prayers and riyaaz, I would go to a madrasa and pray. From there I’d go to St Michael’s School before which I would go to the chapel and say hymns and novenas. In the evening I used to go to a temple and then come home and learn tabla again. No one prevented me from doing what I did. I was welcomed in every house of God and felt blessed in each place. I grew up with this multi-religious faith imbibed in me.
4. Harmony is within us. Only when we allow the outside world to disturb the inner peace do we feel distanced from each other. Music is global. It has no boundaries or religion or nation. Religion is a way of life. It is a way of life for me. Therefore it is my religion and this religion encompasses all religions of the world. My father used to say: ‘I am a worshipper of Maa Saraswati. I love her and she loves me. He introduced me to Lord Ganesha’s pakhawaj and to Lord Shiva’s dumroo. Every religion preaches love thy neighbour. I believe if you are kind to the people around you have practised your religion.
5. On the artistic front, the first challenge every artist has is to overcome staleness in art. The tabla about spontaneity. Sometimes there is a creative block though, which can be difficult to overcome Being selfless on stage is another challenge as the audience has flocked to hear your rendition Also, it is equally important to allow your fellow artiste to perform his best. Another challenge accomplished artists are to know that you are not the best. 1 constantly strives to better me.
6. I am the original heartthrob of Indian classical music today. I wouldn’t want any young musician to be like me. They have to be better than me. I offered my best to audiences the world over. Today, I am sure there are many who can play better than me. Indian music gives each one an opportunity to create their own identity.
(I) On the basis of your understanding of the passage answer the following questions with the help of the given options:
(a) Zakir Hussain is India’s ——————
(i) iconic Indian dancer
(ii) iconic Indian tabla maestro
(iii) film star playback singer
(iv) crowd pulling acrobat
(b) Zakir Hussain does not want any Indian to be like him because——————-
(i) he wants to remain the best
(ii) he is unbeatable
(iii) he is a world class star
(iv) he wants them to be better than him
(II) Answer the following questions briefly.
(a) What is Zakir Hussain’s opinion about every Indian?
(b) How can we guard our Indianness?
(c) Where was Zakir Hussain brought up?
(d) What are his views about music?
(e) What are the challenges of a performer?
(f) How does he surmise his music education by his father?
(Ill) Find words from the passage which mean the same as:
(a) a state of peaceful existence (para 3)
(b) performance (para 5)
Ans. (I) (a) (ii) iconic Indian tabla maestro
(b) (iv) he wants them to be better than him
(II) (a) According to Zakir Hussain, every Indian knows how to live peacefully in India.
(b) We can guard our Indianness by not giving any opportunity to pit us one against the other and need to hold on to this harmony.
(c) Zakir Hussain was brought up in Mumbai. He lived with his parents at Mahim and went to school at St Michael’s School.
(d) According to Zakir Hussain, music is universal and has no boundaries of religion or nation as harmony is within all of us.
(e) The challenges of a performer are to overcome staleness in art. Since the tabla is about spontaneity, and at times mental block creeps up when the challenge of overcoming them is difficult.
(f) His father introduced him to Lord Ganesha’s pakhawaj and Lord Shiva’s dumroo.
(III) (a) harmony
(b) rendition
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