Inarguably, the oldest practising musician family in North India with a written lineage of 20 generations, the Dagars have kept the dhrupad tradition alive for centuries. In addition, in the last few decades, they have worked immensely towards reviving the tradition. From the 1960s onwards, all forms of dhrupad, not just Dagarvani, became popular again.
The members of this family are settled all over North India, including Udaipur, Jaipur, Ajmer, but it was the Dagar Bandhu, Ustads Moinuddin and Aminuddin Dagar, then Ustads Zahiruddin and Faiyazuddin, who settled in Delhi, took the music across the globe.
Ustad Faiyazuddin Dagar passed away in 1989, and in 1990, a memorial concert was held in his name, which continues till today. His son Wasifuddin then began to perform with his uncle and guru Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar. In 1994 when the ustad passed away, Wasifuddin started another annual memorial concert (held on May 7).
Formidable line up of artistes
Pt. Shubhendra Rao | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Over the decades, the memorial events have come to present pure music, performed by erudite musicians. This year’s edition was no different. The evening started with Pt. Shubhendra Rao, senior disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar, who presented a beautifully etched Raga Marwa, in the authentic Maihar gharana tradition, playing ‘alap jor jhala’ followed by two compositions. He ended with Khamach, in which the highlight was an old Senia bandish in Khamach, complete with nuanced bolkaari (strokework). On the tabla was Babar Latif Khan (son of Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan), who in the tradition of the finest tabla sangatkaars of the Delhi gharana, played a restrained, muted accompaniment that did not seek to steer the concert in another direction. Again, his baaj was pure unadultered Delhi, without drawing ‘inspiration’ from other styles.
The evening concluded, appropriately with dhrupad. Ustad Wasifuddin sang a version of Raga Chandrakauns, with a subtle addition of rishabh; the exposition was as usual masterly, restrained with implied notes, soft suggestions, impeccable gamak work. He was accompanied by another purist, pakhawaj exponent from Vrindavan, Mohan Shyam Sharma, who represents the famous Kadau Singh baaj of pakhawaj.
Plagiarism row
However, the piece de resistance of the dhrupad concert was the brief five-minute exposition of the now-controversial ‘Shiva Shiva’. Acknowledged to be the original on which the popular song ‘Veera Raja Veera’, from the movie Ponniyan Selvan 2, by A. R. Rahman is “based,” (according to the song’s official video) on the powerful drut composition in raag Arana that never fails to move listeners.
Before singing it Wasifuddin said that in the future, “I may not be permitted to sing or share this online, in case they copyright the tune”. Predictably there was an outcry from the audience. Over the years, many of them have heard ‘Shiva Shiva’ rendered by the Dagars, and their disciples, the Gundechas.
Classical musicians don’t usually acquire copyright for the works they create. As Shubhendra Rao said, “the jhaptaal composition I played in Marwa was created by me just this morning! Imagine if someone hears it, adds lyrics, copyrights it, and it’s no longer mine!”
Wasifuddin added, “This is prasad, We would be lucky if we get a little. Musical integrity is important. Jiska imaan saccha, uska swar saccha is what my grandfather would tell.”
Published - May 12, 2023 04:13 pm IST
