Music maestro Zakir Hussain left an indelible mark on the lives of musicians worldwide. His passing on Monday has left a significant void in the world of music. Born into a family of esteemed musicians, Hussain faced numerous challenges in his childhood that ultimately shaped his journey to becoming one of the world's greatest tabla players.

Despite his father's fame, the Hussain family faced financial struggles at times, which added to the difficulties Zakir encountered in his early years. The financial pressures made it harder to focus solely on music and required him to overcome additional hardships.

During his early days, Zakir often traveled by train, and if he couldn't find a seat, he would spread newspapers on the floor and sleep. To ensure no one’s feet touched his tabla, he would keep the instruments in his lap during such journeys.

Hussain spent his childhood in Mumbai, where the rhythm of the city blended with his innate musical genius.

In an interview with The Lawrentian, Hussain reflected on his early days as an emerging musician: "I remember as a 14- or 13-year-old going to play at rich people’s homes, and I’d be made to wait in their kitchens ‘til those who were having these parties were ready to hear some music, and that’s when I would come out with other musicians I was accompanying, and that was that, and we were given leftover packed food to take home with us. But now, it is reversed, because in the same houses, I am now invited to have dinner at the table, but they don’t know that I have been to their house, which they don’t remember, but the fact is that I get to go and do that. In my younger days, when I became popular, I even took one or two of their daughters out on dates and that was allowed suddenly."

Hussain also recalled an incident from his youth when he was 12 years old. He had attended a concert with his father, where music legends like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Bismillah Khan, Pandit Shanta Prasad, and Pandit Kishan Maharaj were present. Zakir joined his father on stage and received five rupees for his performance. "I have earned a lot of money in my life, but those five rupees were the most valuable," he had said.

Born on March 9, 1951, in Mumbai, Ustad Zakir Hussain was honored with the Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023. He received his early education at St. Michael's School in Mahim and graduated from St. Xavier's College, both in Mumbai.