BY PURVI RADIA | NT BUZZ
Versatile percussionist, Taufiq Qureshi gets talking about his music and life with NT BUZZ in a candid chat 

“I love watching Tom and Jerry,” says versatile percussionist, Taufiq Qureshi, who informs that he used to watch cartoons with his son. Son of legendary tabla player, Alla Rakha Khan, Taufiq pays close attention to background music of cartoons and discusses this with his only son. Till date, if, while swapping channels, Taufiq comes across his favourite cartoons, he stops to watch.
This musician, so young at heart and who has set new standards in the world music, when not playing at any concert, spends his leisure time watching thrillers and horrors – at deafening decibels. “I apologise to my neighbour for the deafening sound before setting back and enjoying my movies,” says the musician who loves both Indian classical and western genres.
A man of simple tastes, Taufiq says when he is at home he often goes out for a movie or for food. “I am a foodie,” says Taufiq while sharing that he loves Mughlai and continental food, before adding on a wittier note, “But, I am not a connoisseur. Most definitely I can differentiate between fresh and stale and also if salt is missing.”
Hiking and trekking hobbies complete the personality. Though, of course, he makes it a point to mention that he stays away from beaches as he does not know how to swim.
Riyaz, what one would associate with musicians normally, is not the only essence of Taufiq’s life as the musician makes sure that fun is also a part and parcel of his life.
This artiste has created a niche for himself in the field of music and established his identity away from the shadows of his illustrious musical family. A self learner, Taufiq plunged into the world of music with the support of his brother and also his wife, Geetika.
Taufiq informs that his sense of rhythm developed by listening to a 1960s album of his father and jazz drummer, Buddy Rich on LPs in his childhood. “I used to listen to the sound and try to produce it on things that I found at home. On radio, listening to Bollywood music, I would imagine that I was part of an orchestra, and give music for the songs,” says Taufiq, who is very fond of R D Burman’s style of vocal percussion. “Whenever I imitated Burmanji my mother would say, ‘you are sounding like a dog’, but little did it affect me,” shares Taufiq. 
From his sense of rhythm was born the band ‘Mumbai Stamp’, which collected trash materials from Mumbai and used it to produce rhythms. Around ten years ago, in New York, Taufiq heard the band ‘Stomp’ that used buckets and trash materials. This greatly influenced him. However, when he returned to India this concept did not materialise. On another occasion, after returning from Singapore, the musician saw litter all over the place and felt his city was being destroyed. He asked his students to collect material that could produce sound from all across Mumbai; the result was a phenomenal blending of sounds. Taufiq says anybody can do this and on voicing a similar concern about Goa’s garbage problem he says, “I would love to bring this to Goa.”
A composer and music arranger, he had his interest in sounds that were different from the traditional. Though his music has a traditional flavour it incorporates rhythmic motifs from Africa, Indian Classical, fusion (John McLaughlin), Bollywood songs of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. He has given music for some movies in the late 70s and some present day movies. “I was not even born during the 60s, but the songs have had a great influence over me,” said Taufiq, who has given music for films and jingles.
He also mentions versatile percussionist, Trilok Gurtu, who had an influence on him. Taufiq explains, “Trilok introduced the concept of tabla and mridangam on drums. This has influenced me.”
After his brother bought the African percussion instrument Djembe, Taufiq defined his unique knowledge of rhythm on it. He also experimented with African music on tabla. In fact, he still remembers playing the African instrument for the song, ‘Bhumro Bhumro’ from the film ‘Mission Kashmir’.
The worthy torchbearer of the rich legacy of percussion has many albums to his name - ‘Surya’ (1986-87), ‘Rhydhun’ (2000), ‘Colours of Rajasthan’ (1995), ‘Taalisma’ (2002) and many more.