Just a day and a half old, the very first words Zakir hears from his famous father, Allarakha, are bols — rhythms played out on tablas! From then on, rhythms sing and dance in his head, on Amma’s cheeks, on the pots and pans in the kitchen…

Sandhya Rao follows these beats, stringing together little vignettes from his life. From a childhood around music to the highs of a performer who took the tabla to the world, this joyous story introduces children to a musical genius, whose busy fingers and flying curls make him the inimitable Zakir Hussain. Illustrator Priya Kuriyan’s fingers add their own magic with fine lines and subtle but striking use of colours. Her pictures bring to children a sense of place, time and the person, with warmth and energy.