On March 9, Nazrul Manch saw drummers and percussionists gather in their numbers for the Kolkata International Drum Festival, with My Kolkata as the Digital Media Partner. Organised by Eventmas and Make Calcutta Relevant again, the Drum Festival paid tribute to the legendary tabla player Zakir Hussain
Photos: Soumyajit Dey
The event started with the artistes cutting a cake to celebrate the birth anniversary of Zakir Hussain. (Right) Meghdut Roy Chowdhury, of Make Calcutta Relevant Again, said, “It’s not easy to pull off a festival that’s a bit niche, because we’re focussed on percussive instruments. To be able to pay tribute to Zakir Hussain through this kind of a festival makes it even more special.”
The event was curated by tabla player (left) Subhen Chatterjee and (right) Sambit C. Sambit said, “Organising something of this level is not easy. Getting all these artistes to Kolkata had its challenges. I haven’t slept properly for the last 20 days, but this has been worth it. Being able to pay tribute to Zakir Hussain on his birthday makes me very proud, and we will pay our respects to the legend through this festival every year.”
Shariq Tucker, a gospel drummer from New York, was in Kolkata for the first time. Speaking to My Kolkata ahead of the event, he said, “I had the opportunity to meet Zakir Hussain once. The advice I took from him was to remain focussed and keep producing music. To be performing at an event that pays tribute to him makes me excited and nervous at the same time.” Speaking about his experience in the city, he said, “I love the food and culture I have been indulging in. I went to Skinny Mo’s Jazz club and I also had phuchka, which for me was the highlight of my trip.”
