This article is about Dhrupad,^[1] the genre of Indian classical singing. For the character in the Mahabharata with a similar name, see Drupada.

Dhrupad (Hindi: ध्रुपद) is a vocal genre in Hindustani classical music, said to be the oldest still in use in that musical tradition.^[2] Its name is derived from the words "dhruva" (fixed) and "pada" (words). The term may denote both the verse form of the poetry and the style in which it is sung.^[3]

Abul Fazl, courtier and chronicler at the court of the Emperor Akbar, defines the dhrupad verse form in his Ain-e-Akbari as "four rhyming lines, each of indefinite prosodic length." Thematic matter ranges from the religious and spiritual (mostly in praise of Hindu deities) to royal panegyrics, musicology and romance.^[4]

History[link]

There is no reference to Dhrupad in Bharat's Natya Shastra, commonly dated to the 1st Century AD, nor even in Sangit Ratnakar, a 13th Century text, taken as authoritative. Ravi Shankar^[5] states that the form appeared in the fifteenth century as a development from the prabandha, which it replaced. Under Mughal ("Mogul") rule it was appropriated as court music.

However the musical background of dhrupad is commonly thought to have a long history, traceable back to the Vedas themselves. The Yugala Shataka of Shri Shribhatta in the Nimbarka Sampradaya, written in 1294 CE, contains lyrics of similar fashion. Swami Haridas (also in the Nimbarka Sampradaya), the guru of Tansen, was a well known dhrupad singer.

The 18th Century saw the beginning of a great decline of dhrupad singing. A newer genre, khyal, gained popularity at dhrupad's expense, placing fewer constraints on the singers and allowing displays of virtuosity rare in dhrupad. Also, new instruments were being developed – the sitar and the sarod – that were not suited to the slow tempo and low register favoured by dhrupad so that dhrupad instrumental also began to lose ground. Only a few families carried on the tradition.

In 1960 the French ethnomusicologist Alain Daniélou invited Nasir Moinuddin and Nasir Aminuddin Dagar^[6] (the senior Dagar Brothers)^[7][8][9] to perform in Europe. Their concerts were successful and, upon the untimely demise of Nasir Moinuddin in 1966, his younger brothers Nasir Zahiruddin and Nasir Fayazuddin continued. The Dagars toured widely and recorded. Coinciding with growing foreign interest in Indian music, the Dagarvani-revival helped breathe new life into a few other families of dhrupad singers.^[10] Today, dhrupad enjoys a place as a well-respected but not widely popular genre, no longer on the brink of extinction.

Nature and Practice[link]

Dhrupad as we know it today is performed by a solo singer or a small number of singers in unison to the beat of the pakhavaj/mridang rather than the tabla. The vocalist is usually accompanied by two tanpuras, the players sitting close behind, with the percussionist at the right of the vocalist. Traditionally the only other instrument used was the Rudra Veena. Some artists have used other instruments. Preferably, such instruments should have a deep bass register and long sustain.

Like all Indian classical music, dhrupad is modal and monophonic, with a single melodic line and no chord progression. Each raga has a modal frame - a wealth of micro-tonal ornamentations (gamaka) are typical.

The text is preceded by a wholly improvised section, the alap. The alap in dhrupad is sung using a set of syllables, popularly thought to be derived from a mantra, in a recurrent, set pattern: a re ne na, té te re ne na, ri re re ne na, te ne toom ne (this last group is used in the end of a long phrase). Dhrupad styles have long elaborate alaps, their slow and deliberate melodic development gradually bringing an accelerating rhythmic pulse. In most styles of dhrupad singing it can easily last an hour, broadly subdivided into the alap proper (unmetered), the jor (with steady rhythm) and the jhala (accelerating strumming) or nomtom, when syllables are sung at a very rapid pace. Then the composition is sung to the rhythmic accompaniment: the four lines, in serial order, are termed sthayi, antara, sanchari and aabhog.

Compositions exist in the metres (tala) tivra (7 beats), sul (10 beats) and chau (12 beats) - a composition set to the 10-beat jhap tala is called a sadra while one set to the 14-beat dhamar is called a dhamar. The latter is seen as a lighter musical form, associated with the Holi spring festival.

Alongside concert performance the practice of singing dhrupad in temples continues, though only a small number of recordings have been made. It bears little resemblance to concert dhrupad: there is very little or no alap; percussion such as bells and finger cymbals, not used in the classical setting, are used here, and the drum used is a smaller, older variant called mrdang, quite similar to the mridangam.

Family and style[link]

There are said to be four broad stylistic variants (vanis or banis) of classical dhrupad – the Gauri (Gohar), Khandar, Nauhar, and Dagar, tentatively linked to five singing styles (geetis) known from the 7th Century: Shuddha, Bhinna, Gauri, Vegswara, and Sadharani. But more importantly, there are a number of dhrupad gharanas: "houses", or family styles. The best-known gharana is the Dagar family,^[11] who sing in the Dagar vani. The Dagar style puts great emphasis on alap and for several generations their singers have performed in pairs (often pairs of brothers). The Dagars are Muslims but sing Hindu texts of Gods and Goddesses. Some of the best dhrupad singers outside the Dagar family, such as Pandit Ritwik Sanyal and the Gundecha Brothers, also belong to the Dagar vani.

From Bihar state come two other gharanas, the Malliks (Darbhanga gharana) and the Mishras (Bettiah gharana). The Malliks are linked to the Khandar vani and emphasize the composed song over improvised alap with variety of layakaris. Pt. Ram Chatur Mallik, Pt.Vidur Mallick, Pt.Siyaram Tiwari were the famous exponent of Darbhanga gharana in the last century. Today the senior performer of the Darbhanga gharana is Pt. Prem Kumar Mallick. Shri Prashant Kumar Mallick and Nishant Kumar Mallick (Mallick brothers) are Dhrupad vocalist among young generation of Darbhanga tradition. The Mishras practise both Nauhar and Khandar styles with some unique techniques for nomtom alap. This gharana flourished under the patronage of the kings of Bettiah Raj. The most famous exponents of the Bettiah gharana today are Pandit Indrakishore Mishra and Pandit Falguni Mitra. The form of dhrupad prevalent in Darbhanga and Bettiah is known as the Haveli style. In Pakistan dhrupad is represented by the Talwandi gharana, who sing in the Khandar style.

References[link]

External links[link]

• www.dhrupadsangeetashram.com Aminuddin Dagar's website
• www.ritwiksanyal.in – Ritwik Sanyal's website
• http://dhrupaduday.com/ – Uday Bhawalkar's website
• www.dhrupad.org – The dhrupad school of the Gundecha Brothers
• www.dhrupad.info – Dagarvani singer Ashish Sankrityayan's web site
• www.dagarvani.org – Padmashri Wasifuddin Dagar's website
• www.premkumarmallik.com - Prem Kumar Mallick's website

v t e Hindustani Classical Music Concepts Swara · Tala · Laya · Raag · Shruti · Bandish · Alankar · Riyaz · Gharana Instruments Sitar · Sarod · Veena · Bansuri · Santoor · Shehnai · Harmonium · Sarangi · Tanpura · Tabla · Violin · Pakhawaj Genres Dhrupad · Dhamar · Khyal · Tarana · Sadra Semi-Classical Genres Thumri · Dadra · Tappa · Kajri · Chaiti · Sawani · Hori · Bhajan · Abhang · Natyageet · Qawwali · Ghazal Thaats Bilawal · Khamaj · Kafi · Asavari · Bhairav · Bhairavi · Todi · Purvi · Marwa · Kalyan

Gundecha Brothers
Gundecha Brothers (2012). Left to right: Akhilesh Gundecha (pakhawaj), Umakant Gundecha, Ramakant Gundecha
Background information
Origin	Ujjain, India
Genres	Hindustani classical music, Dagar Gharana
Occupations	Classical Vocalist
Years active	1985 - present
Labels	HMV, Music Today
Website	Official site

Umakant Gundecha and Ramakant Gundecha, known as the Gundecha Brothers, are leading Dagarvani dhrupad singers.^[1] They always sing together. So together they have been awarded Padmashree for 2012 in the field of Art - Indian Classical Music - Vocal - Madhya Pradesh

Early life and background[link]

Gundecha Brothers were born in Ujjain into a Jain family.

They studied at the local Madhav Music College. Umakant has a post-graduate degree in music and economics and Ramakant in music and commerce.

They moved to Bhopal in 1981, for training under dhrupad master, Zia Fariddudin Dagar and his brother Zia Mohiuddin Dagar. These gurus were second cousins of the two major forces in the second half of the 20th Century, two duos known as the senior Dagar Brothers (Nasir Moinuddin & Nasir Aminuddin) and the junior Dagar Brothers (Nasir Zahiruddin & Nasir Faiyazuddin).

Career[link]

Umakant Gundecha (2012)

After training for four years, they performed in public for the first time in May 1985, at the Uttaradhikar dance and music festival in Bhopal.

Umakant and Ramakant have good voices with strong lower registers. They have worked to expand the dhrupad repertoire by incorporating texts by Hindi poets such as Tulsidas, Padmakar and Nirala.

They have set up a dhrupad institute outside Bhopal where they teach students from all over the world. They are probably the most recorded dhrupad singers.^[2]

They run a music school in the Dhrupad tradition, according to the guru-shishya style of teaching that was prevalent in India for teaching of the arts.

The Gundecha Brothers have come to be regarded as a third force on par with the senior and junior Dagars.

Recordings and Fellowships[link]

Ramakant Gundecha (2012). Umakant Gundecha in background.

They have recorded many cassettes and CDs by H.M.V, Music Today, Rhythm House, IPPNW Concerts Berlin, Navras and Audio Rec London. They have also sung for many television channels in India and have been broadcasted on British, U.S., German and French Radio as well. As well as being an integral part of all of India's prestigious music festivals, the Brothers have also performed at many important international music festivals and institutions in Europe, U.S.A, Australia, Singapore, Bangladesh, U.A.E and Hongkong.

They have received M.P. Govt. Scholarship from 1981 to 1985, National Fellowship from 1987 to 89, Ustad Allauddin Khan Fellowship in 1993, Sanskriti Award in 1994 and Kumar Gandharva Award in 1998 by Govt. of Madhaya Pradesh and Dagar Gharana Award by Mewar Foundation in 2001.

Discography[link]

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Rhythm House(MCs):

• Vol. 1, Raag- Bhimpalasi, Gurjari Todi, Malkauns
• Vol. 2, Raag- Bihag, Madhumad Sarang, Sohni

Music Today (MCs and CDs)

• Bhaktimala / Rama - Vol. 1
• Bhaktimala/ Shiva - Vol. 1
• Bhaktimala/ Hanumana - Vol. 2
• Bhaktimala/ Ganesh - Vol. 1
• Young Masters -Vol.1
• Raga - Shyam Kalyan and Jaijaiwanti

HMV (MCs and CDs) Naad Sugandh

• Vol. 1, Raga - Bhupali, Puriya Dhanashri, Shankara
• Vol. 2, Raga- Jounpuri, Megh, Komal Rishabh Asawari

Raga – Bihag , Night Melody- Raga IPPNW – CONCERTS , Germany –1995

• Raga- Darbari, Audio Rec - UK -1998

• Navras- UK (CD) - Raag- Yaman and Charukeshi

• Isha Music - Durga Kavach

• Raga- Komal Rishabh Asawari – Dhrupad Vocal, Sundaram Records- 2003

• DARSHAN

Raga - Komal Rishabh Asawari Sense world Music, UK - 2003

• Raga- Bhairava – Dhrupad Vocal, Sundaram Records- 2003

• Dhrupad- Live of 19th Tokyo Summer Festival
• Arion Edo Foundation and Intoxicate Records
• DVD – Raga- Miyan Malhar, Megh, Shivaranjani,
• Malkouns, Adana

• Manthan- Lecture Demonstration on Dhrupad
• SPIC MACAY COMMUNICATIONS-2005

• Raga- Miyan Malhar– Dhrupad Vocal
• Raga Bageshri
• Raga Bilaskhani Todi
• Sundaram Records- 2004

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gundecha Brothers

• Official site
• An interview of the Gundecha Brothers
• Article on Gundecha Brothers
• Interview/Talk with Gundecha Bandhu

Mani Kaul (25 December 1944 – 6 July 2011) was an Indian film director of Hindi films. He graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) where he was a student of Ritwik Ghatak and later became a teacher. Started his career with Uski Roti (1969), which won him the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie, he went on to win four of them in all. He won the National Film Award for Best Direction in 1974 for Duvidha and later the National Film Award for his documentary film, Siddheshwari in 1989.^[1]

Early life and education[link]

He first joined Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune as an acting student and later shifted to the direction course, graduating in 1966.^{[2][dubious – discuss]}

He was the nephew of actor-director Mahesh Kaul. Initially studying acting at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, he changed over to directing. He is a 1966 graduate of the FTII.^[2]

Professional life[link]

His first film Uski Roti (1969) has been described as "one of the key films of the New Indian Cinema or the Indian New Wave".^[2] It marked a drastic departure from earlier Indian cinema techique, form and narrative. It was one of the early formal experimental films in Indian cinema.

Ashadh Ka Ek Din (1971), his next film, was based on a play by Mohan Rakesh.

Duvidha (1973), his third, was his first in colour. It grew out of a short story by Vijaydan Detha and tells the story of a merchant's son, who returns with his new bride to have to depart on family business. A ghost falls in love with the bride... It was widely shown across Europe.

Mani Kaul was one of the co-founders of the Yukt Film Co-operative (Union of Kinematograph Technicians) in 1976, leading to avantgarde films. Critics^[2] suggest that in "Mani Kaul's cinematic conception, fiction and documentary films have no clear demarcated dividing line." He also taught music in the Netherlands, and was Creative Director of the film house at Osian's Connoisseurs of Art, Mumbai.

Career[link]

In 1971, he was a member of the jury at the 21st Berlin International Film Festival.^[3]

He was a visiting lecturer at Harvard University for the 2000–2001 school year.^[4] Currently he was the Creative Director of the Film House at Osian's Connoisseurs of Art, Mumbai.

Personal life and death[link]

He was a nephew of the noted Hindi film director Mahesh Kaul, who made films like Raj Kapoor starrer Sapnon Ka Saudagar (1968). Mani Kaul died on 6 July 2011 at his home in Gurgaon, near Delhi. He had been ailing for sometime.^[5][6]

According to a tribute^[6] from Prabha Mahajan on the Indian documentary film discussion network Docuwallahs2[1], Mani Kaul's significant body of work included both feature films and documentaries. In an interview Mani stated: "The dividing line from my films and documentaries is thin. Some of my films like "Siddheshwari" are like poetic documentaries." Mani Kaul's fellow alumni from FTII intend to put together a collective tribute to Mani Kaul and his work, and interested persons were invited to send in their thoughts on Mani as a film maker, teacher/ mentor, colleague, and as a person.

Indian film critic Khalid Mohamed commented,^[7] " As a film director, he discussed the status of women (Uski Roti, Duvidha), crafted visually seductive documentaries (Arrival, Before My Eyes, A Desert of a Thousand Lines) and went through a spell of interpreting Fyodor Dostoevsky’s masterworks. The Russian writer’s short story A Gentle Creature inspired Nazar, shot in low, chiaroscuro lighting."

Awards[link]

National Film Awards[link]

• 1974: Best Direction: Duvidha
• 1989: Best Documentary Film: Siddheshwari^[8]

Filmfare Awards[link]

Mani Kaul won Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie four times.

• 1971: Uski Roti (1970)
• 1972: Ashad Ka Ek Din (1971)
• 1974: Duvidha (1973)
• 1993: Idiot (1992)

Filmography[link]

• Uski Roti (1969)
• Ashadh Ka Ek Din (1971)
• Duvidha (1973)
• Ghashiram Kotwal (1979)
• Satah Se Uthata Admi (1980)^[9]
• Dhrupad (1982)
• Mati Manas (1984)
• Siddheshwari (1989)
• Nazar (1989)
• Idiot (1992)
• The Cloud Door (1995)
• Naukar Ki Kameez (The Servant's Shirt) (1999)^[10]
• Bojh (Burden)(2000)
• Ik Ben Geen Ander (I Am No Other) Nederland 2002
• A Monkey's Raincoat Nederland (2005)
• 'Signature Film' for Osian Cinefan Festival of Asian Cinema (2006)

References[link]

11. Times of India, Avijit Ghosh, "He was, by far, our most original filmmaker; http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-06/news-interviews/29742602_1_indian-cinema-original-filmmaker-impatience-with-conventional-narrative

External links[link]

• Mani Kaul at the Internet Movie Database
• Mani Kaul on Cinematography and Time at Indian Auteur
• The Films of Mani Kaul
• An Interview with Mani Kaul

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2010)

Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar is an Indian classical singer of the dhrupad genre and the son of dhrupad singer Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar. Since the death of his father and later, his uncle, Wasifuddin has been singing solo. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2010.^[1]

Life and training[link]

Wasifuddin Dagar is the son of the late Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar, and the nephew of the late Ustad N. Zahiruddin Dagar, the well-known junior Dagar brothers and therefore a descendant of the legendary Swami Haridas Dagar, Tansen's teacher.

The maestro received most of training directly under the tutelage of his father, and younger uncle, the junior Dagars, since he was five years old. Additionally he has had opportunity to receive instructions from his grand uncle, Ustad N. Rahimuddin Dagar, his elder uncle, Ustad Aminuddin Dagar (one of the two the elder Dagar brothers), as well as some of his cousin uncles, Ustad Fariduddin Dagar, Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar and Ustad Sayeeduddin Dagar, all of whom are great exponents of Dhrupad singing.

Between 1989 and 1994, he was groomed by his uncle, Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar, with whom he used to sing jugalbandis (duets).

A detailed biography of Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar is available on his website http://www.dagarvani.org. A list of major dhrupad recordings, including Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar's solo and duet recordings including track details is also available on dagarvani.org.

Major recordings[link]

Wasifuddin Dagar's public career began on February 25, 1989, only a few days after his father's death, when he gave his first performance. He sang with Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar. Wasifuddin's first major recording were in Switzerland, India and Japan, in 1992. He has since recorded in Switzerland, India, and America with major recording labels. A French television company made a film based on their life and music.

Wasifuddin Dagar has toured North America performing dhrupad solo since 2000. He first performed live in New York in 2000, where he gave a rendition of Raga Bihag. He has since performed at the UN, the Smithsonian Institutions, Yale, the City of Chicago, University of Washington, Seattle, Stanford University, University of California, Los Angeles, and several other prestigious venues. The 2008 spring tour of his ensemble to North America is scheduled for April–June 2008. for A complete list of his recordings is at his website's recording page.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Dagarvani.org - Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar's official web site
• Dagar.org - The home page of the Mumbai branch of the Dagar family
• Musical Nirvana - Z M Dagar biography at Musical Nirvana
• Gundecha Brothers - The Gundecha Brothers' profile of Z M Dagar
• NYC Radio Live Podcast featuring a musical interview with Wassifuddin Dagar. Originally aired in New York City on WKCR 89.9 FM-NY

Video[link]

• Z M Dagar video from Robert Garfias site

Bahauddin Dagar
Dagar performs in 2007
Background information
Born	1970 (age 41–42)
Genres	Hindustani classical music
Instruments	Rudra veena
Associated acts	Zia Fariddudin Dagar, Zia Mohiuddin Dagar

Baha'ud'din Mohiuddin Dagar (born 1970) is the rudra veena player and son of famous north Indian musician Zia Mohiuddin Dagar.^[1][2] He plays rudra veena with the dagarbani style. He represents the 20th generation of Dagar lineage, referring to Nayak Haridas Dagur of the 16th century. However, he himself traces his ancestry to Baba Gopal Das, who converted to Islam, and became Baba Imam Baksh in the 18th century, making him the representative of the 8th generation.^[3]

Training[link]

Dagar started learning the veena from his father when he was 12 years old. After the demise of Zia Dagar in 1990, he continued his training under his uncle Zia Fariddudin Dagar.^[3]

References[link]

External links[link]

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