MUMBAI: SwarYatra presents a two day Dhrupad festival in memory of Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar (ChoteUstad) celebrating his 85 birthday. The Festival will be held at The Mini Theatre of P. L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy (Ravindra Natya Mandir), Prabhadevi, Mumbai on Saturday, 10 June 2017 (5 pm onwards) and Sunday, 11 June, 2017 (8.00 am onwards)

Dhrupad singing suffered a decline in popularity after the emergence of Khayal gayakii; this accelerated after 1947, when the princely states like Udaipur, which supported and patronised eminent Dhrupad singers, found much of their income reduced. The Dagar family kept alive the tradition in very trying circumstances. A resurgence of sorts happened when a far-sighted Government of Madhya Pradesh set up the Dhrupad Kendra in Bhopal in 1981 and invited Chhote Ustad to teach there. This instituion groomed some of the pre-eminent performers of Dhrupad in contemporary times, under the watchful eyes of Chhote Ustad. Today, if the ecosystem of Dhrupad is much more stable than a few decades back, albeit small, it is no small measure due to the efforts of the entire Dagar family, and the significant contribution of Chhote Ustad in making use of an institutional framework to impart training in a systematic and dedicated manner.

Dhrupad is performed either as a vocal form, or on Rudra Veena and Surbahar. The pakhawaj provides rythmic accompaniment instead of the tabla. Neither the Sarangi nor the Harmonium is used to provide melodic accompaniment nowadays, though some of the singers of the Dagar family have used Sarangi accompaniment around 40-50 years back. Dhrupad performances are marked for their fanatial adherence to the chosen shruti or pitch of the tanpura . The expression is intense, starting with a slow alap that gradually leads to a ‘jor’ with a steady rhythm, a faster and more vibrant ‘jhala’, the composition, and finally, rythmic interplay with the words of the composition.

Day one of the festival features Shri Abhijeet Sukhdane (Dhrupad Vocal), Shri Mrinal Upadhyay (Pakhawaj Solo) and Ustad Mohi Bahauddin Dagar (Rudraveena).

Day two of the festival features Shri Bhushan Koshti on the Surbahar, followed by a vocal recital of Pandit Kedar Bodas.

Manoj Mandalikar of SwarYatra said, “It is indeed a great honour and a blessing granted to me to to present a two day Dhrupad festival. Classical music lovers are in for a treat with some of the finest musicians performing at the festival.”