Ustad Zakir Hussain has been my role model since childhood: Ojas
I believe because of my love for the tabla, I never faced difficulty in making a mark for myself.
In a country where tabla is synonymous with late Ustad Allarakha Khan and Ustad Zakir Hussain, young tabla player Ojas Adhiya has made a mark for himself, too. The musician, who took to the instrument at the age of five, credits his success to his love for the tabla. “I believe because of my love and passion for the tabla, I never faced difficulty in making a mark for myself. Since childhood, I was exposed to not only the classical style of playing, but also ghazals, semi classical, fusion, jazz and so on,” he shares.
Young tabla players in the country invariably look up to Hussain as an inspiration. Ask if the veteran played any role in his journey, too, and Adhiya says, “Ustad Zakir Hussain ji has been my role model since childhood, not only as a tabla player, but also as a human being. I have grown up listening to him and other stalwarts such as Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Pandit Kumar Bose and Pandit Swapan Choudhury.”
Adhiya, who released an album called Tabla Symphony a couple of months ago, feels that tabla has a wide range that goes beyond just Indian music. “Tabla has been utilised by the Hindi film industry for decades, alongside western instruments such as drums, violins, saxophone and guitars. Later, tabla was featured by our stalwarts in western countries, and they jammed with jazz and rock musicians, and people willingly accepted the instrument,” says the 34year-old, adding that the instrument has evolved to a great extent: “All thanks to our masters such as Ustad Allarakha ji, Ustad Thirakwa Khan saab and Ustad Zakir Hussain, who established it as a mainstream instrument and not just an accompanying one.”
Besides being part of the same music circle, Adhiya is also ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas’ son-in-law. Talking about their equation, he says, “Pankaj ji has been an inspiration for me for many years. I look up to his music and humbleness.”