Salim-Sulaiman Dedicate New Track To Ustad Zakir Hussain

MUMBAI – Music composer duo Salim-Sulaiman have released their new track ‘Shringaar’ as a tribute to the late tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, with fellow composer and vocalist Shankar Mahadevan lending his voice. The song is part of the 6th season of Salim-Sulaiman’s music initiative ‘Bhoomi’.

‘Shringaar’ is a classical pop composition that features Mahadevan’s vocals and has been composed by Salim-Sulaiman. It offers a heartfelt homage to their mentor Zakir Hussain, who passed away in December 2024. The duo had originally envisioned pairing Mahadevan’s voice with the artistry of the tabla legend.

Salim Merchant recalled, “The idea to create this song with Zakir bhai and Shankar bhai happened at the end of October. In November, Sulaiman and I had the basic melody. Shankar loved it, but he advised me not to send it to Zakir bhai as he wasn’t keeping well. On December 15th, we all lost him. I had lost my musical father. Since we had decided to do the track with him, it was only natural that we completed it as a tribute.”

The song tells the story of a person expressing to his beloved that her natural beauty needs no adornment.

Reflecting on the release, Shankar Mahadevan said legends like Ustad Zakir Hussain were “walking encyclopedias.” From performing with him on stage to touring the world together, Shankar noted that one did not just learn music in his presence, but also humility, camaraderie, teamwork, and the art of spreading positivity through music.

“‘Shringaar’ is a tribute to someone who is our favourite—to me, to Salim-Sulaiman, to the entire musical fraternity,” he said. “This is a collective musical tribute we have given him. I am sure that when the song plays, he will be looking down on us from above, smiling, blessing us, and giving us all the good wishes he always did.”

The recording also carried its own moments of magic. According to Salim, Mahadevan’s rendition was so spontaneous that it barely needed retakes. “We left Shankar just to explore the classical part and he actually sang the whole thing in one take. It was so mesmerising that it literally felt like Maa Saraswati had come and blessed us. We actually captured Shankar live, something that normally doesn’t happen. You have to hear it for yourself.” (IANS)