Grammy for Ustad Zakir Hussain and BAFTA for A.R.Rahman

What a great coincidence... two of my role models are getting the ultimate accolades in international music arena. Ustad Zakir Hussain bagged Grammy award for the second time. This was under a category of the Contemporary World Music Album for his collaborative album "Global Drum Project". On the other hand, A.R.Rahman got the BAFTA award becoming the first Indian to win this award.

While Ustad Zakir Hussain is well-known globally for his contribution to the World Music, A.R.Rahman is getting into limelight after his breathtaking music score for Slumdog Millionaire. Interestingly, A.R.Rahman accompanied Zakir Hussain on a world tour. I've been a big fan of both; and it feels so ecstatic to watch them riding high on success.

Both are highly creative, intelligent and versatile. Each of them is a true wizard in his own field and inspiration for contemporaries. They are good listeners with good ears for music. Zakir Hussain had so many international collaborations through Shakti, Planet Drum, Tabla Beat Science etc. A.R.Rahman has worked together with famous artists on international ventures like Bombay Dreams, The Lord of the Rings. One more similarity - they love to fuse the Indian Classical style with the Western genres. A.R.Rahman produced many soundtracks by mixing the Carnatic music with Western music; Zakir Hussain had numerous performances with western musicians like John McLaughlin, Mickey Hart.

With Golden Globe award and BAFTA award for Slumdog Millionaire, A.R.Rahman already has 3 nominations for Oscars...
after winning the Grammy award, Ustad Zakir Hussain hopes that A.R.Rahman wins Oscar... so be it!!!

- Kiran