MUMBAI: 29 April is a special day for the world of music as it marks the birthday of legendary tabla master Ustad Allarakha. This year, the same day is even more special as it marks the 100^th birthday of the legend. On this occasion, his youngest son, disciple and a well-known percussionist, Taufiq Qureshi has composed the song, Alla Ne Rakha as a tribute to the doyen.

Speaking about the song, Taufiq Qureshi shares, “We have tried to capture the essence of Ustad Allarakha or Abbaji as he is known fondly. In this song, I have brought a galaxy of artists belonging to different genres of music- classical, folk, fusion, pop, rock, and Bollywood. All these amazing artists are paying tribute to Abbaji in their own unique and individualistic way.”

The song features stalwarts of today like Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande, Shankar Mahadevan along with popular names among youngsters like Salim Merchant, Ajay Gogavale, Rahul Deshpande, Neeti Mohan, Priyanka Barve and Gayatri Asokan, among others. 

Taufiq also spoke about the song’s lyrics and lyricist Rachana Dixit, “Rachana is a dear friend and she has penned the lyrics, which are extremely touching and help us capture the essence of the grand persona of Abbaji. He was a malang, messiah, a tapasvee who brought the art of tabla playing to heights, never witnessed before.”

The song also has the cream of the percussion world today like Pandit Yogesh Samsi, Aditya Kalyanpur, who also are the senior students of Abbaji.  Unparalleled artists like, Rakesh Chaurasia, Purbayan Chatterjee and Sabir Khan are also featured in the song. 

Thanking the entire team, Taufiq says, “I thank all the artists, percussionists, and my core team for making this song so beautiful.”

“The song beautifully composed and arranged by Taufiq Bhai talks about Abbaji and his association with the almighty. I am very fortunate and humbled to be a small part of this centenary anthem,” says Shankar Mahadevan.

Salim Merchant also adds, “While singing, I felt a divine presence, positive energy, as if Abbaji was right there blessing me. I have learned so much from Taufiq Bhai, it was a great experience to be a part of something so special.” 

Times Music Chief Operating Officer Mandar Thakur also shares his thoughts on releasing this song under Times Music banner, "To enable such a beautiful composition is a blessing in itself. Ustad Allarakha Saab's contribution towards the world of music is magnanimous and Alla Ne Rakha is a small tribute on his centenary year."

The video of the song begins with visuals of Mahim, the area where the legend resided in his initial days and also includes a brief recorded audio clipping in Abbaji's voice.

 Alla Ne Rakha, which is Times Music’s exclusive release, is available on its official YouTube channel.

Watch video here