Indian Tabla Legend Ustad Zakir Hussain Wins Three Grammy Awards

Indian tabla player and musician Ustad Zakir Hussain achieved a historical win at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards held on Sunday by winning three Grammy awards. The tabla legend wins his first Grammy with Indian flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, banjo player Béla Fleck, and bassist/composer Edgar Meyer, for ‘Best Global Music Performance’ for their song ‘Pashto’

The winning track, “Pashto,” beats out the other tough competition, including “Abundance of Millets” by Indian American singers Falguni Shah and Gaurav Shah. Notably, the song also featured Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Ustad Zakir Hussain Also Won In Best Contemporary Instrumental Album and Best Global Music Album Category

Ustad Zakir Hussain also won the Grammy for ‘Best Contemporary Instrumental Album’ for “As We Speak”, with Béla Fleck, and Edgar Meyer. Ustad Zakir Hussain’s third and final Grammy comes in collaboration with fusion band Shakti, consisting of vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, guitarist John McLaughlin, percussionist V. Selvaganesh, and violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan, which earned them the Best Global Music Album award for their album This Moment

Indian singer and member of Shakti, Shankar Mahadevan showed his gratitude for the loved ones and for India in the acceptance speech “Thank you, boys, and thank you, God, family, friends, and India’. He said. ‘We are proud of you, India. Last but not least, I’d like to dedicate this award to my wife, to whom every note of my music is dedicated.”

This Moment marks a significant achievement as it is Shakti’s first studio release in 46 years. The Shakti band’s and Ustad Zakir Hussain’s musical collaborations led him to bag three awards at the 2024 Grammy Awards.

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