DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2024, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES ZAKIR HUSSAIN ● `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 1951 - 2024 A beat goes missing PRESIDENT DISSANAYAKE’S VISIT TO INDIA In the hands of tabla’s greatest player, music became magic, Indian classical resonated with the universal SUANSHU KHURANA NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 16 IT ISN’T often that a percussionist finds life in the intricacies of punctuation. Its pauses mostly remain the preserve of literature. Tabla virtuoso Ustad Zakir Hussain (73), whose tenacity went beyond the cadence, tone, tempo and inflection; whose eloquence in putting apostrophes, ellipses and exclamations in the mathematically labyrinthine stories, lifted the tabla and hoisted it as India’s flag for over half a century, died in San Francisco early on Monday. His family said in a statement that he was suffering from idiopathic pulmonaryfibrosis, a lung disease. He had been hospitalised over a fortnight back. Hussainissurvivedbywife and Kathak dancer Antonia Minnecola, daughters Isabella Qureshi,AnisaQureshi,brothersandtablaplayersFazaland Taufiq Qureshi, and sister Khursheed Aulia. “His prolific work as a teacher, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on countless musicians. He leaves behind an unparalleled legacy,” his family said. Condolinghisdeath,Prime MinisterNarendraModisaidin apostonX:“Deeplysaddened bythepassingofthelegendary tabla maestro, Ustad Zakir Hussain Ji. He will be rememberedasatruegeniuswhorevolutionizedtheworldofIndian classical music.” Cultural ambassadors and President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. Anil Sharma Lanka: Won’t allow use of our land against India Signal to China: ‘Free, safe Indian Ocean Region’ in statement SHUBHAJIT ROY Archive BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY MORE REPORTS PAGES 2, 8 & 10 musicianssuchasHussainare not easy to come by. It takes hard work, interest, talent, innovationandsomethingmagical to make audacious trailblazers who are also repositories of age-old philosophy and knowledge. Which is why listening to Hussain’s music, be it at the uptown ticketedconcertsortheothers where entry was free and the aisles were brimming with rasiks—massesandmusicians who heard him together — or through his global collaboration that was Shakti and his extensive work with legends like George Harrison, John McLaughlin and Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart, the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 16 SRI LANKAN President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday assured New Delhi that Colombo will not permit the is- land nation’s territory to be used “in a manner that is detrimental to the interest of India”. The recently elected Sri Lankan President is on his first bilateral visit to India. “I have given an assurance to the Prime Minister of India that ‘FOR PEACE OF DEPARTED SOUL’ At site of tragedy in Lothal, BJP MLAs perform puja RITU SHARMA AHMEDABAD, DECEMBER 16 NEARLY THREE weeks after a PhD scholar from IIT-Delhi died when an excavation pit from which she was collecting soil samples in Lothal gave way, the BJP MLA from the region, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, performed a 'shanti puja' at the site in the Harappan-era port town. Chudasama, a veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Education CONTINUEDONPAGE2 we will not have our land... be used in a manner that is detrimental to the interest of India in any way,” Dissanayake said after bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 After NC, TMC questions EVM talk: ‘Show video’ ASAD REHMAN NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 16 AFTER JAMMU and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah’s dismissal of objections raised by Congress leaders CONTINUEDONPAGE2 India, China set to hold special representatives’ meeting tomorrow SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 16 LESSTHANafortnightafterIndia andChinaheldofficial-leveltalks inNewDelhi,followingtroopdisengagement at two friction points along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, their SpecialRepresentativesaresetto meet in Beijing on Wednesday. India’sSpecialRepresentative forthedialogueisNationalSecurity Advisor Ajit Doval while the Chinesesideisheadedatthetalks by Foreign Minister Wang Yi. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 In ‘confession’, aide says Bishnoi showed 2 phones during video call from jail NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 16 cess to cellphones inside Gujarat’s Sabarmati Central Jail where he is currently lodged. Hashim Baba, who was FOR THE first time, a close associate of Lawrence Bishnoi has claimedina“judicialconfession” thatthearrestedgangsterhasac- DSP FACES AXE OVER JAIL INTERVIEW P 12 MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Investing feels too complicated? Building wealth with Mutual Funds is SIPlified. Advantages of SIP Freedom from timing the market Flexibility to choose investment amount SIP - Systematic Investment Plan. Contact your MFD/RIA to know more. An Investor Education and Awareness Initiative Visit https://www.hdfcfund.com/information/key-know-how to know more about the process to complete a one-time Know Your Customer (KYC) requirement to invest in Mutual Funds. Investors should only deal with registered Mutual Funds, details of which can be verified on the SEBI website (www.sebi.gov.in/intermediaries.html). For any queries, complaints & grievance redressal, investors may reach out to the AMCs and / or Investor Relations Officers. 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