The Gundecha Brothers are outstanding representatives of the northern Indian dhrupad way of singing. This Hindustani song-tradition reaches back into Vedic times, and the Gundecha Brothers' special contribution is cautious innovation.

The brothers Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha are stars of dhrupad, the oldest style of singing still surviving in northern India. After studying music at the Madhav Music College in Ujjain, the brothers were trained as dhrupad singers by the well known singer Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and his elder brother, the veena-virtuoso Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar in Bhopal.

Even today, dhrupad is held to be the quintessence of classical Indian music and has led to or influenced nearly all later styles and forms. Typical of dhrupad, which is sung mostly by two people, is the strict system of shaping the drawn-out musical form, the restrained use of ornaments, the wayward rhythmical variations and a contemplative manner. The name 'dhrupad' comes from the words 'dhruva' and 'pada' and means 'fixed verse'. The idea is that the text, the melody and the rhythm relate to each other in a fixed way and are part of the composition.

The Gundecha Brothers' singing is marked by a great feeling for melody, an imposing register, and a fullness and power, which are expressed in their timbre. By cautiously renewing the dhrupad-tradition, they have reawakened interest in this temple-music even in India; and by incorporating texts from the poets Tulsidas, Padmakar, Nirala and Reshav Das, they have revitalised its poetic force. The broad range of their musical interests has led them to work several times with Astad Deboo, the leading Indian choreographer.

The Gundecha Brothers have won many awards and appeared at many festivals like the Flanders Festival in Belgium, and in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.