After their performance at the Shanmukhananda Hall in August 2024, percussionist Taufiq Qureshi asked his brother Ustad Zakir Hussain whether he planned to organise a special Barsi concert to mark their father Ustad Alla Rakha's 25th year on February 3. "Zakir-bhai had immediately agreed. He had even talked of inviting Kolkata tabla player Bickram Ghosh for the show," he recalls.

Hussain's demise on December 15 came as a huge shock to millions of fans worldwide. While Qureshi tried to come to terms with the loss, he decided to go ahead with the Barsi, and also have a remembrance for his brother. "The first thing I did was to check whether the venue, Shanmukhananda, was available. It was and I began planning my show," he says.

Unlike the traditional structure that had three sessions including one in the morning, this year will have performances only in the afternoon and evening. Says Qureshi, who has adapted the African djembe to the Indian style, "Besides Bickram, the afternoon will have a recital by flautist Ronu Majumdar, who will play at the Barsi for the first time, and Uzbek doyra player Abbos Kosimov."

He adds that the evening will feature all those who performed regularly with Hussain. These include keyboardist Louiz Banks, drummers Ranjit Barot and Gino Banks, his brother Fazal on tabla,  Sridhar Parthasarathy on mridangam, saxophonist George Brooks and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia. "We've got sitar player Purbayan Chatterjee too," he says.

Qureshi, distinctly remembers the day Alla Rakha passed away in 2000. He recalls, "He was otherwise in good health, and only affected by small things that happen to someone of his age. He was 80. But the news of my sister's death came as a huge shock to him."

Just a few days before, on January 30 2000, Alla Rakha had visited the studio to record with Qureshi for his album RhyDhun - An Odyssey Of Rhythm. Says the percussionist, "We used to sit together at the dining table, and he would tell us of various compositions he had picked up over the years. That's when he said he wanted to record Taal Suran Ke which became part of the track The Tree Of Rhythm. His voice is still fresh in my mind."

Alla Rakha had frequently worked in studios earlier in his career as a film music director under the name A.R. Qureshi. Says the son, "I was still not sure how he would adapt to the new technology. But he put on his headphones, told me not to worry and just proceeded. I consider that to be his last blessing for me."

When Qureshi was a young boy, his father would travel a lot with sitar maestros Pt Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan, and sarod great Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He says, "By his very personality, he was a huge inspiration not only for other tabla players and his students, but for other musicians. (Santoor maestro) Pt Shivkumar Sharma was hugely inspired by him. And while I looked upon Abbaji as a role model, and started learning tabla from him, it was Zakir-bhai who mentored me."

Since the age gap between him and Hussain was 12 years, he looked at his brother both as a father figure and friend. He points out, "Besides the music part, Zakir-bhai would play cricket with us brothers, and teach cycling. He was already playing in concerts and treated me to ice-cream or took me to films. And he has been a huge inspiration for anyone in the field of world music."

The desire to do something different prompted Qureshi to take up the djembe. He says, "Abbaji and Zakir-bhai have been the A to Z of tabla. I wanted to use a new language, a new medium to express myself. I played tabla in many classical concerts and worked in film music. But I was searching for something else. I admired the way Pt Shivkumar Sharma adapted the santoor, a folk instrument from Kashmir, to the classical stage, and wanted to do something on those lines."

Qureshi played drums for a while but found them too large to adapt to Indian music. He says, "It would take time to find dhaa or dhin or tin. Congadrum surfaces are too large and have little resonance. Bongos have too small surfaces. The darbouka is too sharp and has little bass. The dumbek has too much bass and little highs. It was Zakir-bhai who gifted me a djembe in 1998 and I immediately decided it was the instrument of my choice. Though it's been 27 years, I am still working on and discovering new things."

Besides regular concerts, Qureshi regularly teaches the djembe. His son Shikhar Naad Qureshi Is a regular performer. For his part, Qureshi is focusing on his project Mumbai Stamp, which creates music out of trash material like garbage cans. He is also working on a collaboration with Bickram Ghosh. "It is called Ramta - Ram coming from Bickram and Ta from Taufiq. I also have more things planned with my band Surya," he says.

Of all the things Taufiq learnt from his father and brother, two stand put. He elaborates, "The first is to never be scared of pursuing your dreams. That's what helped me move from playing the tabla to eventually focusing on djembe. The second is to always consider yourself a student."

He says that because of the second quality, he decided to learn the philosophy of south Indian rhythms from ghatam maestro Vikku Vinayakram at a late stage. "Abba-ji and Zakir-bhai used to say the moment you start thinking you're a master, you stop growing. It's their guidance and thinking that has helped me evolve," he says. The tribute on February 3 will be a great remembrance of those values.