Ghatam artiste Giridhar Udupa on his solo album and playing alongside Zakir Hussain

Bengaluru-based Giridhar Udupa shares his life’s journey and how a dream came true

“We spoke about Zakir bhai just last week and now he is no more. It is hard to believe,” says Giridhar Udupa. The son of legendary mridangam artiste Ullur Nagendra Udupa, Giridhar is also known as Ghatam Giridhar or Ghatam Udupa. While we were discussing his performance at the recently-concluded Echoes of Earth festival, he talked about his musical journey.

He recalled how his dream was to play with Zakir Hussain; a dream which came true in February last year. “For over 20 years, I wished for a chance to play in concert with Zakir bhai; I often dreamt we performed together only to wake up and realise it wasn’t so.“

“Then, when I got to know we were finally going to perform together, all I hoped for was not to get overwhelmed by the realisation my dream was coming true. I was close to tears every time I thought of it, but by the day of the concert I was able to work through my emotions and he made me feel at ease on stage. Still, performing with Zakir bhai was the ultimate thing and that concert was phenomenal.”

“He is probably the only musician who would have a sold out show anywhere in the world, not just India. Nobody comes close enough to second that boast. His passing is a loss to the world of music.”

Zakir was part of the Udupa Music Festival in February this year, his last concert in Bengaluru. “He loved playing in Bangalore. He’d always say the audiences here were the best,” remembers Giridhar.

Zakir has been associated with the Udupa family for a long time and Giridhar himself developed a bond with him over the past 20 years. “He was an amazing person who had the gift of making anyone feel comfortable. The music world was in awe of him but he was kind to everyone who approached him for a photograph or autograph, asking their names or their interests, making a connect even if it was for a brief moment.”

“He made me feel comfortable on the stage with him, he was an amazing human being.”