MUMBAI, Dec. 13 -- A year since the world stilled itself in disbelief at the passing of tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, Mumbai is preparing to reiterate the cadences he loved, shaped and shared generously. This weekend, the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) - an institution intrinsic to his artistic life - will host 'Maestro Forever', a two-day global tribute that gathers over 50 artistes from India and abroad, in remembrance of the musician who changed how rhythm is imagined and heard. Hussain's bond with the NCPA is almost mythic in its longevity. In 1969, at the Centre's foundation, a young Zakir took the stage alongside his father and guru, Ustad Allarakha Khan. That started a 55-year relationship that saw him return for epoch-defining concerts, compose for the Symphony Orchestra of India, and serve on the NCPA Council. "This tribute feels special because of Zakir's deep connections with the NCPA," said his wife, Antonia Minnecola. "As a musician he could hold hands across the seas." Antonia, accompanied by her daughter Anisa Qureshi and granddaughter Zara, recalled the quality that made Hussain impossible to forget: his commitment to furthering music itself. He was, she said, deeply invested in supporting young musicians "who were important to further the legacy of music." She shared a story of a forwarded mobile clip featuring two African djembe players. "Zakir went to great lengths to find them, and not only got them recorded in Paris but went all out to help them find a place on the international concert circuit," she said. The tribute, spread across multiple NCPA venues from 9 am to 9 pm, is envisioned as a living canvas. Performances, lecture-demonstrations, talks, documentary screenings and a curated photo exhibition by Dayanita Singh will trace the arc of a life spent expanding the tabla's vocabulary. More than a memorial, it is a celebration of the stories, laughter, mischief and musical discoveries Hussain sparked in those who shared a stage or studio with him. Many of them will be here - from jazz giants to Indian classical maestros, from long-time Shakti collaborators to rising stars whose artistic journeys he midwifed. The line-up reads like a map of Hussain's vast musical terrain: John McLaughlin, Louis Banks, Dave Holland, Ganesh Rajagopalan, Ranjit Barot, V Selvaganesh, Shankar Mahadevan, Chris Potter, Sanjay Divecha, Gino Banks, Ajoy Chakrabarty, Amjad Ali Khan, Niladri Kumar, and many others. They come not merely as performers, but as custodians of memories....