Dhrupad
A brief introduction
Dhrupad is known as the oldest genre of classical music in the Indic subcontinent. It traces its roots to vedic singing and continues to draw its fundamental and core practices from the samavedic principles of sound. In ancient Indian spiritual and vedic system "sound" was referred to as Naad, or the principle of sonic vibration and it was believed that this principle was omnipresent and pervading, compared to universal consciousness and termed "Naad Brahma". Dhrupad draws its sonic tapestry from this belief system and focuses on a very internalized, expansive, and deeply meditative musical approach.
From 1486-1516, during Raja Man Singh Tomar's reign Dhrupad saw a revival after a period of decline due to foreign invasions. Raja Man Singh commissioned works like 'Mankautuhala' to preserve the dhrupad tradition. While dhrupad flourished under royal patronage it eventually faced challenges with the rise of popularity of other music forms.
Towards the 18th century Dhrupad became increasingly overshadowed. In 1981 with the establishment of the Dhrupad Kendra, by the Department of Culture of the Government of India took concrete steps to preserve and propagate this art form to a new generation of artists chosen from across India. My Gurus, Gundecha Brothers, who were conferred the prestigious Padmashri Award in 2012, were from this first batch of students who were taught at the Dhrupad kendra by Maestros Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar.
After an early tryst with the basics of Khayal I immersed myself in the systematic training of Dhrupad beginning in 2010, under the tutelage of Dhrupad Maestros Gundecha Brothers and their senior disciple Shri Sanjeev Jha. Currently I continue to deepen my knowledge and understanding of the intricacies of dagarvani dhrupad under the guidance of Dhrupad maestro Dr Suvratadev Sharmana Vandopadhyay. (Dr Vandopadhyaya dedicates his life to the preservation and sharing of vedic knowledge and dhrupad music through his organization Bharata Arsheya Sansthan)
Traditionally seen as a masculine art form, an attribution due to elements of vocal vigor and force used in certain styles of the genre, women were actively discouraged from practicing or learning Dhrupad. Also traditional society did not appreciate women from honorable, decent backgrounds to "perform" in public forums. It is only in the last century or so that women have taken up learning and practicing this art form and are being heard in traditional platforms.
There is a prevalent lack of understanding on Dhrupad and its intricacies. My work is aimed at changing perspectives on Dhrupad from people seeing it as a rigid, orthodox format slowly being relegated to textbooks, to an artform that is responding to a contemporary musical environment, and as a vibrant, living and continuously evolving tradition.
I seek to take Dhrupad forward as an inclusive form of music that can then be seen truly as one that inspired other formats of music in a multitude of ways. Through my performances, unique content and workshops I seek to create awareness and admiration for Dhrupad. Through collaborating with artists across various genres I have been sharing the depth & richness of Dhrupad in a more appealing, interesting and engaging form to a younger and global audience.
