Kolkata, Jan 23 (.) Eminent tabla maestro Pandit Suresh Talwalkar has observed that for a long time the tabla remained a supporting background character in Hindustani classical concerts, until Ustad Amir Hussain Khan changed the way the instrument was imagined and performed.
Speaking at the Kolkata Literary Meet 2026, Talwalkar noted that in the earlier period, tabla playing focused mainly on maintaining the theka, a steady rhythmic framework that allowed vocalists to elaborate their khayal or other forms with comfort and continuity. “Even though the theka was aesthetically refined, the tabla had not yet evolved a fully developed solo language,” he said.
Talwalkar credited Ustad Amir Hussain Khan with fundamentally changing the situation by developing and organising an extensive solo repertoire for the tabla. He noted that once formats like peshkar, qaida, rela, tukda, paran and intricate tihai patterns took shape, the tabla began telling its own musical story. “From that point onwards, tabla was no longer just accompanying; it began conversing with the spectators,” Talwalkar remarked.
He also highlighted Mumbai’s role in this transformation, pointing out that the city became a melting pot for musicians from various gharanas. Mumbai gradually evolves into a cultural crossroads where leading exponents of Delhi, Farrukhabad, Ajrada and Punjab gharanas interact closely, shaping one another’s musical approaches. Tabla greats such as Ustad Munir Khan, Ustad Tirakwa Khan and Ustad Allah Rakha Khan spent extended periods in Mumbai, leaving a lasting imprint on its evolving musical ethos.
“Because of this interaction, tabla players here could learn from more than one gharana, which was uncommon elsewhere,” Talwalkar noted.
Talwalkar stressed that the tradition of openly passing on knowledge, without secrecy or exclusivity, was central to the state’s musical growth. “Honesty and openness are why Maharashtra has produced such a strong lineage of percussionists,” he concluded. . . .