Last week, the music lovers of Hubli had a rare experience of listening to Dhrupad, a different form of music that is lesser known in South India but quite popular in the middle and northern part of India. Dhrupad is the most ancient style of Hindustani classical music that has survived in its original form till today.

The Dhrupad tradition enjoys pride of place in Indian heritage. The nature of this form of singing is spiritual; seeking not to entertain, but to induce feeling of peace and contemplation in the listener. The word Dhrupad is derived from ‘Dhruva’, the evening star that moves through our galaxy and ‘Pada’ meaning poetry. It is a form of devotional music that traces its origin to the ancient text of Sam Veda.

By the 11th century, Dhrupad music had crystallised into a perfect form which has retained its original structure and purity. The language of Dhrupad changed from Sanskrit to Brij Bhasha sometime between the 12th and 16th century.

Now there are hardly a handful of Dhrupad singers in the country. And one popular duet is the Gundecha brothers who rendered a scintillating performance at Sawai Gandharwa Hall in Hubli on November 19 as part of the three-day Dharwad Utsav. Perhaps, this is the first performance of the Gundecha brothers in North Karnataka. The brothers had given performance at Sri Ganapathi Sachidananda Ashram in Mysore two years go.
In a conversation with Sunday Herald, the brothers – Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha –  exponents of the Dhrupad style of music in India, shared their experiences. The Gundecha duo have carved a niche in the field of Dhrupad singing and imparting the same among interested students at their ‘Dhrupad Sansthan’, an institute of Dhrupad at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.

They are among the most active young performers of Dhrupad in Indian and international circuits. Born in Ujjain in Central India, both were initiated into music by their parents. While one brother has done post graduation in economics and music, another has completed M Com with music. Later, they learnt music under the guidance of renowned Dhrupad vocalist Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and also with Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (the distinguished performer of Rudra Veena) in Dhrupad Kendra Bhopal.

There is a notion among people that Dhrupad singing is very tough. Your comments.

It is not right. This canard is preventing younger generation from taking up Dhrupad singing as a career. In olden days, Dhrupad singing was prevalent in the courts of Maharajas and naturally it restricted itself to courts and never came out. Although, it has a history dating back to more than 100 years, it is yet to make an impact in the music scene in the country. It is heartening to note that of late, younger generation has shown interest towards this form of music and learning at our centre.

Is duet singing the main feature of Dhrupad singing.

There are many solo Dhrupad singers as well. In fact, our guru was a solo singer. But in duet singing, mutual understanding is very important or else a kind of competition builds among them. Dhrupad singing is of Rag tradition, just like ‘Prabandh’ and ‘Geet Gayan’. While ‘Prabandh’ and ‘Geet Gayan’ are on the verge of extinction, Dhrupad singing is slowly gaining popularity in South India.

Is learning Dhrupad singing tough?

Riyaaz (practice) is must for any form of music or instruments. Art is something which can be perfected through practice alone. Anybody who wishes to shine in this field has to practice hard without which even simple art may prove difficult. Even now we do riyaaz for five to six hours daily. Budding artistes should keep this in mind.

Tell us about your institute.

It’s situated in a sprawling three acre land on the outskirts of Bhopal city. It follows a Gurukul style of teaching where students have to stay with the masters for at least four years. They can return home only after the completion of training. There are about 40 students drawn from different parts of the country who are pursuing Dhrupad singing. A few foreign students are also learning it. Recently, a visually-impaired girl from Pakistan stayed in the institute for four years and went back to her country where she is teaching Dhrupad singing. Another student from Australia is also learning there and one from China is coming next week. This shows Dhrupad singing is slowly gaining importance not only in India but also abroad. Apart from this, we also conduct workshops abroad where non-resident Indian students and western students attend.

Your achievements.

We have sung great Hindi poetry by Tulsidas, Kabir, Padmakar and Nirala in Dhrupad style. They have recorded about 25 cassettes and CDs by HMV, Music Today, Rhythm House, Senseworld Music, Sundaram Records, IPPNW Concerts Berlin, Navras and Audio Rec London. They have also sung for many television channels in India and have been broadcasted on British, US, German, French, Japan and Australian Radio as well. We have given performance at all national and international festivals in about 25 countries.

How do you think Dhrupad singing can be popularised in South India.

The only way to popularise this traditional singing is by opening the institutes that run on Gurukul system. The state governments have to take interest in this. There is a need for exchange of culture of North and South India which will help promote art and culture in the country.