Rajasthan governor, CM mourn Zakir Hussain's demise

Jaipur, Dec 16 (PTI) Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade and Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Monday expressed grief over the demise of tabla maestro Zakir Hussain.

Hailing Hussain as the pride of India, Bagade said in a statement, "His death is the end of an era. It is an irreparable loss to the field of music." Hussain, the exuberant maestro of tabla who embodied the universality of music in his 60-year career, died from complications arising out of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at a San Francisco hospital early Monday. He was 73.

The tabla virtuoso had been in hospital for the past two weeks and was shifted to the intensive care unit after his condition deteriorated.

Terming the passing away of Hussain extremely sad, Chief Minister Sharma said, "His demise is an irreparable loss to the world of Indian classical music. My deepest condolences are with his family, disciples and countless fans in this extremely sad moment." PTI SDA ARI