Dhrupad – Archives

A Tribute to Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar

Came across this old interview of Ustad Z. F. Dagar where he talks about his creation – The Dhrupad Kendra, Bhopal. It is truly wonderful how reasoned, trenchant and lively Ustad’s observations are in all his public pronouncements.

Everything has its pros and cons and today I raise a toast to the genius of Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and what he achieved in his life. Like all geniuses Chote Ustad and indeed all his brothers of the Dagar Gharana are complex, charismatic and truly lovable personalities. Despite their fierce and often bitter mutual rivalries and the difficult circumstances after Indian independence, the descendants of Zakiruddin and Allabande Khan  – The Dagar Brothers – managed to keep the essence of their knowledge and art alive ,  often making great personal sacrifices and  stoically enduring the disdain and neglect of a society  that did not value a contemplative  form that  did not strive to entertain or please.

Meeting them was like coming across a slice of history, of suddenly walking into another age. Hearing myself speak today I realize that I have subconsiciouly imbibed after all these years of sitting in front of them trying to catch every word they utter – their rich Hindi Urdu Sanskrit blend – in the words of Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar “mili jhuli ganga jamni zabaan”. I consider myself truly fortunate to have been able to know and observe my Gurus from fairly close. Looking back at all the ups and downs of my complex relations with them, I can only be filled with great awe, love and respect. How could I have been chosen to come into contact with something so old and so deep. Just my destiny or random chance I guess.

After my recent appointment as director of the Dhrupad Kendra Bhopal, the position held by Ustad for many years during which he single handedly reworked the future of the tradition, my job over the next few years would be to strengthen the institution he founded and use it to further the interests of the Dhrupad tradition with fairness, objectivity, impartiality and above all with kindness and humility.

The rate of attrition of knowledge in Dhrupad in recent times has been exponential. Only 20 or 30 years ago a huge repertoire of compositions still remained with some known and many obscure Dhrupad singers, most of whom were struggling to keep singing and at the same time earn a livelihood. I recently tried to locate disciples or recordings of Dhrupad singer Bharatji Vyas (1923-1983) who lived in Baroda, and I came up on a blank wall. Nothing remains except a few recordings of rare compositions in rare ragas with the Sangeet Natak Academy.

Although I am a singer of the style of Dhrupad practised by Ustad and his brothers, I consider it my duty to also work for the preservation of all traditions of Dhrupad and hope that this job will help me in addressing this task as well. Much of the composed repertoire of Dhrupad was common to all the traditions. One hears different versions of the same composition being sung by singers of vastly different traditions.

Some handwritten manuscripts I have located are being zealously guarded by family members of departed musicians who expect to be paid considerable sums of money to part with them. Yet seeing the colossal amounts being mentioned in connection with corruption scandals I cannot blame them. What they expect in comparison for true gems of our heritage is absolute peanuts!

Most of that composed repertoire of Dhrupad – little fixed models of Ragas created by master Dhrupad singers of the past to encapsulate the various concepts of classical music and pass them on from generation to generation has now gone to the grave, because the state system failed to reach out to these people and support them and record for posterity the precious bits of knowledge they carried. The recently enlivened debate on corruption and the abuse of power and misuse of public institutions has yet to permeate into the realm of art, culture and heritage management but is sorely needed there. It will also come. Everyone is waiting for someone to stand up and bell the cat.

All said and done a lot of knowledge has been lost in the last few decades and yet a lot still remains thanks to the efforts of individual Gurus like Ustad Z. F. Dagar and others who dared to take the initiative and do what they believed should be done in the vastly changed circumstances after independence when the entire class of highly cultivated and musically sophisticated royal patrons literally disappeared overnight. To quote one of my gurus (Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar) – “yeh sab to bas jhaadan hai. khazane to sab chale gaye. lekin yeh bhi kafi hai.” – These are all just leftovers … the real treasures are all gone.. but still this is enough.

In many systems redundancy makes it at least theoretically possible to reconstruct the whole from fragments. Lets hope that the same would be possible for Dhrupad.

ref – Dhrupada – Indurama Shrivastava 1980 Motilal Banarasidass

- Ashish Sankrityayan

Elder Dagar Brothers Nasir Moinuddin and Nasir Aminuddin Dagar

This is a very rare composition in Raga Bangal Bhairav – an uncommon Raga -sung by Nasir Aminuddin Dagar without pakhawaj accompaniment in the 1980′s at a concert in Delhi. The photo shows Aminuddin Dagar (left) with his elder brother and singing partner Ustad Nasir Moinuddin Dagar.  After the death of Moinuddin Dagar in 1966 Aminuddin Dagar sang alone – only rarely teaming up with some other cousins. He also changed the pitch of his singing far lower than what he used to sing in with his elder brother. As can be seen in the recordings here.

CDs and DVDs  of Dhrupad on Cdbaby –  Miya Ki Malhar –Abhogi and Lalit — Yaman and Malkauns

Recording from the personal archives of Ashish Sankrityayan

Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar

Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar sings a composition in Chowtal ( 12 beats) in Sawani Barwa.From a concert in Delhi in the1980′s.

CDS AND DVDS OF DHRUPAD ON CDBABY– Miya Ki Malhar –Abhogi and Lalit — Yaman and Malkauns

recording from the personal archives of Ashish Sankrityayan

It is interesting to compare this with another performance (below) of the same composition in 1991 in Bhopal where he sings a different ornamentation in the beginning and also in other places. Orally transmitted compositions probably mutate a lot in this way.

Dhrupad Alap in Raga Bageshree – excerpt from a concert – Ashish Sankrityayan

CDS AND DVDS OF DHRUPAD ON CDBABY– Miya Ki Malhar –Abhogi and Lalit — Yaman and Malkauns

Here is a recording made from a radio broadcast in 1965 of Ustads Nasir Moinuddin and Nasir Aminuddin Dagar singing Raga Desi – Alap followed by the Dhamar ‘udho tuma jaaye kaho hari paas tuma bina kaiso phaaguna maas’. This recording is from the collection of Maharawal Mahipalsinghji Sab of Dungarpur.

CDs and DVDs of Dhrupad on Cdbaby

– Miya Ki Malhar –Abhogi and Lalit — Yaman and Malkauns

This is a composition attributed to the legendary Dhrupad singer Tansen who sang in the court of Emperor Akbar… It is addressed to the Saki of Hauz-e-Kausar or the giver of nectar in paradise.. a term used by Sufi mystics  to describe the prophet..yet it makes a reference to the Hindu belief of  rebirth.  The singer declares himself to be a servant of the Saki of Hauz-e-Kausar since many births!!

CDS AND DVDS OF DHRUPAD ON CDBABY– Miya Ki Malhar –Abhogi and Lalit — Yaman and Malkauns

Ustad Rahimuddin Khan Dagar ( mid 1930s)

A recording of Ustad Rahimuddin Khan Dagar singing a Dhamar ( cycle of 14 beats) in Raga Purvi. Pakhawaj by Pandit Ayodhya Prasad of the Kudao Singh Gharana. It is interesting that in Radio broadcasts in those days the honorifics Ustad, Pandit etc. were selectively used for some artists. A practice that was subsequently discontinued.

In this photo taken a few months after the death of his illustrious elder Brother Nasiruddin Khan in Indore (1936?) Rahimuddin Khan Sab poses with the children of the household. ( Guess who is the rather solemn looking teen standing behind him).

In the other photo Nasiruddin Khan sits with his cousin ( and rival) Ustad Ziauddin Khan. It seems highly unlikely now that any recording of these two singers will ever be found. Probably none exist.

Ustads Nasiruddin Khan and Ziauddin Khan Dagar

CDS AND DVDS OF DHRUPAD ON CDBABY– Miya Ki Malhar –Abhogi and Lalit — Yaman and Malkauns

Dhamar in Lalit – lyrics – eri paga phari bhijoungi – Ashish Sankrityayan – Pakhawaj Pt. Udhav Shinde – from a concert

CDs and DVs of Dhrupad on Cdbaby

An interview with Ustad Rahimuddin Khan Dagar by musicologist S K Saxena in which Rahimuddin Khan talks about his teachers and illustrates the styles of his Uncle Zakiruddin Khan and his father Allabande Khan using phrases of alap in Raga Shree. In the photos on the left clockwise from upper left are Zakiruddin Khan, Allabande Khan, Ziauddin Khan and Nasiruddin Khan (photo around 1918).

CDS AND DVDS OF DHRUPAD ON CDBABY–  Miya Ki Malhar –Abhogi and Lalit — Yaman and Malkauns

Recording from the personal archives of Ashish Sankrityayan

Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar

Here is a composition in Sooltal in Raga Adana by Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar from a concert in Delhi in the 1980′s. Pakhawaj player not known. The beginning is missing so he seems to start abruptly with the antara but he comes back to sing the sthayi again. The composition curiously refers to the martial feats of fanatical Mughal emperor Aurangzeb who had banned music from his kingdom.

CHECK THESE CDS AND DVDS OF DHRUPAD ON CDBABY

–  Miya Ki Malhar –Abhogi and Lalit — Yaman and Malkauns

Recording from the personal archives of Ashish Sankrityayan