The communal cauldron that catapulted the sleepy town of Kairana (Kirana) in Uttar Pradesh (a village close to Kurukshetra) into news was followed by the counterpoise by all those whose finer sensibilities found vent through write-ups on the village as the origin of Indian culture. One of the major schools of Hindustani music known by the name of this village, was born and it thrived thanks to the likes of Nayak Gopal, Nayak Dhondu Shukar Ali Khan, the inimitable 19th century mesmerising maestro of melody Abdul Karim Khan and his nephew Waheed Khan. But the writers missed out on a very valid point; that with Abdul Karim Khan the Kirana Gharana khyal gayaki moved far from its home and took wings darting Southwards, to Karnataka-Maharastra, where it nested spawning generations of a brilliant brood of musicians who have immortalised the gharana and the guru. Hindustani music was established in the home of Carnatic music only with the Kirana (Kairana) gharana.
If we were to be region specific, this gharana found its votaries in the Hubli-Dharwad (Karnataka-Maharastra border) zone as also to an extent in Hyderabad where a mixed culture existed with the Nawabi reign. The Hubli-Dharwad belt, jested as the LoC by the music fraternity, has given birth to the largest tribe of luminous musicians so much so, today, it is casually referred to as the Dharwad gharana. In music circuits, Dharwad was seen as the southern frontier of the Hindustani classical music tradition, from where downwards, Carnatic music held its sway.
The 20th century cultural mileu of Dharwad bloomed with poets, singers, litterateurs who contributed to its fame. Scholar and musician Dr. Meera Rajaram Pranesh, who did extensive research on the Wadiyars of Mysore says, “The Mysore royal court records testify to Abdul Karim Khan being under the regal patronage as a visiting musician whose remuneration was by the royalty. For a visiting musician, it was mandatory to visit and perform in Mysore twice in a year. Ustad Abdul Karim Khan was patronised by Nalwadi (IV-1884-1940) Krishnaraja Wadiyar , a great musician himself who embraced both Hindustani and Western classical with equal fervour as Carnatic music.” While it is most natural for the cross currents of Carnatic music to flow into Hindustani based in the south and vice-versa, so was Abdul Karim Khan’s music influenced by Carnatic raga(s) and methods of rendition. No wonder then that Kirana gharana gayaki took well with south Indians ears tuned to Carnatic music. In turn, it spurned an interest in learning the art form and in no time, the Ustad found himself thronged with earnest, eager and devoted disciples. From Abdul Karim Khan (1872-1937) to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi (1922-2011), Kirana gayaki incorporated many features of Carnatic music. The Kairana Ustad was supposed to have revolutionised khyal (manodharma) singing thereby bestowing new dimensions to ragas like the Thodi, Puriya, Marwa, Darbari, Shudh Kalyan, the komal-rishabh Asaveri and other such.
Kirana style of singing is known for uncompromising purity and exclusivity to this day. In a way, it is a withdrawn, introverted style sans show and sensationalism, a characteristic of its major proponent Abdul Karim Khan. As history has it, post 1857, most musicians left their birthplaces in north India and were scattered across the country. Today, Hindustani music is everywhere except in Uttar Pradesh where most gharanas originally existed. About Kirana gharana, both Dr. Prabha Atre and Shrinivas Joshi (Bhimsen Joshi’s son) have stated, ‘note by note delineation of the raga in vilambit (slow tempo) called Khandmeeru is a significant aspect of this gayaki. Kirana’s sweetness of tone creates a general soothing effect and evokes esoteric emotions. The voice straightaway touches the heart...each note is dripping with honey hence a common listener could also experience its beauty. The essence is serenity with sweetness. Many features of Carnatic music have been incorporated into Kirana gharana and hence a Carnatic touch can be gleaned in the application of swara (notes) because of Abdul Karim Khan’s association with Mysore. But then, beyond the original influence, the practitioners of this style adhere rigidly to its core principles and the meditative mode that defines this gharana.’ With Sawai Gandharva (Ramachandra Kundgolkar Saunshi), and his illustrious pupils Basavaraj Rajguru, Gangubai Hangal and Bhimsen Joshi, famed musician-gurus Puttaraj Gawai, Pandit Madhav Gudi, Srikant Despande and currently Venkatesh Kumar, Somnath Mardur, Vinayak Torvi, Kaivalya Kumar Gurav, Komkali and other performers of calibre, along with quite a few women musicians, Kirana gharana has made South India its home.
