The common notion that Dhrupad has lost its popularity these days, was quite contradicted by the enthusiasm of Dhrupad lovers in two totally different programmes this past week. The first was an impressive Dhrupad recital by Neeloy Ahsan Zulkernain from Bangladesh, performing for the Delhi International Arts Festival (DIAF) at the Habitat Centre and the second was the Silver Jubilee Dhrupad Samaroh of the Dhrupad Academy at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Neeloy, the gifted young disciple of Gundecha Bandhu, impressed not just with his well groomed voice but also with his total tunefulness, singing against just the drone of Tanpura. The reposeful alaap and dhrupad in raga Bageshri spoke of his total commitment and dedication towards this demanding discipline. He was accompanied on pakhawaj by Roman Das, also from Bangladesh and a disciple of Pt. Akhilesh Gundecha.
Dhrupad, derived from ‘Dhruva Pada’, (Dhruva -immutable/fixed and Pada - verse), is a genre of raga-based music, that occupies the highest rank as a legacy from the past in the musical hierarchy of Hindustani music. Its distinguishing feature are a deliberate, unhurried style of presentation, an austere rather than ornate approach to melodic phrasing and raga elaboration; representing the depth and grandeur of musical classicism. It was in the times of Raja Mansingh Tomar of Gwalior (15th/16th century), that the Dhrupad gained an identity of its own, contemporary relevance and wide appeal. He, in collaboration with learned scholar-musicians of his court, brought about a blend of the codified Prabandha and regional styles infusing the Dhrupad form with stateliness and a durable sturdy frame. The sthayi-antara-sanchari-abhog structure of Dhrupad emerged through a process recasting the division of Prabandha.
Golden age
Dhrupad attained not just the highest position of respect and glory in Hindustani music but also popularity as a compositional structure, a graspable embodiment of the abstract raga. The golden age of Dhrupad commenced when emperor Akbar invited the great Dhrupad vocalist Tansen to the Imperial Court. This exalted position was retained till about the mid-19th century, when a decline set in because of a mechanical adherence to its formal aspects and because the stereotyped complexion of the presentation. In contrast, the Khayal, with its novel attractive features and a loose structure with livelier pleasing embellishments, provided greater potential of individual creativity. Thus Khayal overshadowed Dhrupad and by the early years after independence, Dhrupad genre was described as a museum piece.
Notwithstanding a decline in its popularity, the Dhrupad continued to hold its respected position as the epitome of musical classicism. The Dhrupad revival actually began when the indologist Alain Danielou and the UNESCO introduced the pre-eminent Dhrupad vocalist Ud. Nasir Aminuddin and Nasir Moinuddin Dagar to Europe. The success of this effort re-established Dhrupad as a unique phenomenon in art music.
Stylistic diversity
The stylistic diversity of the genre was marked first in Raja Mansingh Tomar’s treatise “Man-Kutuhal”, as four banis or styles of dhrupad – the Gauhar Bani, the Khandar Bani, the Nauhar Bani and the Dagur Bani representing respectively the Shant Rasa, the Veer Rasa, the Adbhut Rasa and the Madhurya or melodiousness. The diversity of style and approach is presently represented by five different traditions or gharanas practising the genre. They are the Dagar Gharana, the Darbhanga Gharana, the Bettiah Gharana, the Talwandi Gharana and the Mathura Gharana.
The Darbhanga Gharana was founded in the 18th century by two brothers Radha Krishna and Karta Ram, whose descendants have carried the Mallick surname. The most distinguished musicians of this gharana in the post independence era, have been Pt. Ram Chatur Mallick and Pt. Vidur Mallick. The Dhrupad Academy, Delhi founded by Pt. Uday Kumar Mallick, celebrated its Silver Jubilee with “Pt. Radha-Krishna & Pt. Karta Ram Mallick National Dhrupad Samaroh” in association with the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan at the Bhavan’s Auditorium on 9th and 10th of December.
The most outstanding performance of the two-day festival was the Dhrupad recital by Gundecha Brothers who opened with a meditative alaap in the timely raga Bihag followed by a dhrupad set to Chautala played on pakhawaj by Pt. Akhilesh Gundecha. The following Sooltal composition, “Toote sakal bandh...” on the poetry of the famous Hindi poet Nirala composed by them in raga Shankara; gave the recital a refreshing touch of their own ingenuity.
Pakhawaj jugalbandi
The pakhawaj jugalbandi by Sangeet and Shubhasheesh Pathak, the brilliant sons and disciples of Pt. Ram Asheesh Pathak was another attraction of the second evening. The totally tuneful instrument, so crucial to Dhrupad and the precious gems of their parampara (tradition) such as the “Dhum kit ka Rela” and “Laya ki Kaat-Chhant”, the intricacies of rhythm were admirable.
The two-day festival concluded with an impressive Dhamar recital by Pt. Naval Kishore Mallick, who displayed the significant features of Darbhanga gharana from the very first swar-lagaav of raga Kedar in which the Dhamar was composed set to Dhamar Tala.
The inaugural evening had also concluded with a signature Darbhanga gharana Dhrupad rendition by the host artiste Pt. Uday Kumar Mallick. Opening with a detailed alaap and Dhrupad in raga Rageshree, he fondly remembered Pt. Ram Chatur Mallick performing the same Dhrupad composition “Dhan dhan Brindavan, dhan ve gauvan, dhan ve pakshi, dhan ve Gopal Lal…..¨ in accompaniment on Pakhawaj by Raja Chhatrapati Singh in the Anandbagh Palace of Maharaja Darbhanga and continued “my father and Guru Pt. Chandra Kumar Mallick, the nephew of Pt. Ram Chatur Mallick, taught me this dhrupad and the rare talas of our parampara like the Lakshmi Tala, Jaya tala, Ashtamangal and Champak Tala on pakhawaj, in which I still sing several Dhrupad compositions. Pt. Uday Kumar Mallick who is an equally accomplished vocalist and Pakhawaj player; concluded with a drut Sooltala bandish in raga MalKauns accompanied on pakhawaj by Sangeet Pathak and on violin by Ranjan Srivastav.
Dr. Rita Das had played raga Gorakh Kalyan on sarod earlier. A young sarod player of Maihar Gharana, Rita shared her joy for being invited to perform at this prestigious Dhrupad Samaroh where she was playing, for the first time, her sarod in accompaniment of pakhawaj. She should have remembered that total tunefulness and the detailed alaap is considered the soul of the Dhrupad genre not just the pakhawaj sangat. The raga was a good choice but the out of tune instrument robbed it of the desired effect. The jhap-tala and sool-tala compositions were apt for Dhrupad style Pakhawaj Sangat but there was no need or justification of the Teentala Gat in raga Kirwani, although the melodious touch spoke of her training under gurus such as Pt. Sunil Banerjee. The evening has opened with the felicitation of Pt. Abhay Kumar Mallick followed by an invocatory Dhrupad by the youngest practitioners of the generation next who have to go a long way.
