Ahmed Jan Thirakwa

Ustad Ahmed Jan Thirakwa is considered one of the greatest tabla players of the 20th century. He is known for his mastery over most of the different tabla "gharanas", and was one of the first tabla players to elevate the art of playing tabla solo to an art in its own right.

He was born to a family of musicians in 1892 in Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. Although his early musical training was in Hindustani vocals and the "sarangi", his interest in tabla was aroused when he heard the famous Ustad Munir Khan. He became Munir Khan's disciple at the age of 12.

The name "Thirakwa" is not actually his original name, but was an epithet he earned from his guru's father. One day, while watching him practise, his guru's father remarked that he played so well his fingers seemed to be "shimmering" on the tabla. This earned him the nickname "Thirakwa" (shimmering).