Ustad Zakir Husain will accompany you on stage for the concert in January. How enriching is it for two legends when they perform on the same stage?
We have been playing together for a very long time. Zakir played his first concert with me when he was just 15 years old. Ours is a lifetime collaboration. Before Zakir, I have also played with his father. So, for us, it’s not only two musicians coming together, but something beyond that. The relationship, love and understanding that we share, is amazing. We enjoy playing together, and it’s very inspiring. Our music is not fixed, whatever happens, is decided on the stage. There are certain visions that he brings in, then I listen to him and I create something, and vice versa. This is the beauty of Indian Classical music — you can feed off each other while playing together.

Ustad Zakir Husain and Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma during one of their earlier performances. File Picu00a0