Yes, it did happen. Music lovers in Qatar finally managed to see the magician at work in the legendary tabla (drums) maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain. And he did treat them to one of his best solo performances, besides jamming with none other than the ghazal maestro Hariharan.
At the duo’s concert Hazir 2 recently, more than a thousand people at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) watched in awe as the great ustad played tabla at an impossible-to-achieve pace, generating unmatchable beats and rhythm.
Hariharan jumped in with his alaap to create a jugalbandi (entwined duet) that the audience was eagerly waiting for. It was received with an extended applause and a flurry of ‘wows.’   
Indian legendary singer Hariharan and tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain truly created magic to leave the Doha audience spellbound. They were witnessing the spectacle for the first time in town.
“It is a one-of-its-kind opportunity for music lovers in Qatar to experience the best of Indian classical musical instruments and enjoy ghazal. You are going to see two of India’s legendary performers coming together on stage,” Stephen Devassy, the Director of Music Lounge, who organised the event, told the audience before the concert began.
He also thanked the Qatari authorities for their support in making the event a possibility.
“The Music Lounge management and team are very excited about the event, especially due to its pure classical nature. Music Lounge is also grateful to the support of sponsors who believe in the rich cultural heritage of India and the government of Qatar for their support,” said Devassy.
Indian ambassador P Kumaran and South African ambassador Saad Cachalia were the chief guests. 
Devassy, himself a popular artist from India, opened the event with his soulful piano performance. It was a perfect mood-setter. 
Hariharan sang some of his old and new ghazals, besides popular selection from some of his best albums.
The maestro, accompanied by Ustad Zakir, brought popular Urdu poets to life – including Ahmad Faraz and Mumtaz Rashid – by singing some of their ever-green ghazals. Hariharan’s famous ‘Kaash’ was part of the list. And he did pick up a pure classical tune with a Sufi rendition.
Supporting the duo on stage were Ustad Akhlak Hussain Varsi on harmonium, Dilshad Khan on sarangi, Anurag Naidu on piano and Sanjoy Das on guitar.
The event was attended by a large number of ghazal lovers from expatriate communities, including people from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and others.
Created by Hariharan, Hazir has been a sell-out event all over the world.
Zakir Hussain, born to the legendary tabla player Allah Rakha, has stood colossal in the field of music. As a tabla player, he has become a music producer, film actor and composer.
He has been awarded a PhD in Music by the University of Washington, the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan (the highest civilian award in India), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the National Endowment for the Arts (the highest award given to traditional artist and musicians in US), along with multiple Grammy awards.
Today he is appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon. His consistently brilliant and exciting performances have not only established him as a national treasure in his own country, but also on the world stage as a great classical musician and architect for the contemporary world music movement.
Hariharan is a son of the renowned Carnatic vocalist, Shrimati Alamelu and the late Anatha Subramani Iyer. He has inherited his parents’ musical talents.
Hariharan was captivated by the passion of ghazal. Inspired by the ghazals of legendary Mehdi Hassan, he started to train under the illustrious Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan. He is today known in the world of Indian music as one of the greatest ghazal singers of all time.
Fluent in multiple languages (Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali and English), he truly has influenced all demographics in the Indian subcontinent. Touching hearts and minds of fans throughout the world for more than 40 years, Hariharan has earned his place on the list of music legends.