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In a land where the epitaph of the grand old musical tradition of dhrupad had all but been written, they carry forward the Dagarvani tradition of dhrupad with aplomb and effortless ease. Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha, better known as the Gundecha Brothers, sing with full gusto, eliciting applause, often standing ovation, at venues across the country as well as the world over. Over the years, they feel that appreciation for classical music has only increased. Yes dhrupad, the oldest and the purest surviving musical tradition known to Hindustani classical music, too, has more than its fair share of takers. At least these recipients of honours like Kumar Gandharva award, Dagar Gharana award by the Mewar Foundation, Sanskriti award and even Rajat Kamal National Film Award (2006) for Best Music Direction in film The Raga of River Narmada have not looked back ever since their first performance more than two decades ago.
This despite the fact that they do not belong to any gharanedar parampara and music has not been handed down to them as part of lineage. Rather they happen to be the first generation of singers in their family. But for this they give credit to their gurus, renowned dhrupad vocalist Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar. To learn dhrupad in particular, they say in chorus, "One needs patience." That is not to say that dhrupad is more difficult than khayal gayaki. In fact, they bust many myths associated with the tradition. Sure , they agree, that the form of dhrupad is structured but not rigid. Adds Ramakant, "However, it is most certainly creative and allows enough room for improvisation." Then they disprove through their resounding recitals to the beat of the pakhawaj (played by their brother Akhilesh Gundecha) that dhrupad’s tempo is slow or boring. Quips Umakant, "See, when exponents are not able to do justice to a particular musical style, they shift the blame on the tradition itself." But they are determined to set the record straight. Among other misconceptions they belie is that only powerful male voices are best suited for dhrupad. Not surprising, among their many disciples at Dhrupad Sansthan at Bhopal are females. "Bhopal", they assert, "without doubt is a cultural nucleus most conducive to art forms." Interestingly, they decided to pursue music as a vocation rather late in life after getting their post graduation degrees in subjects like economics and commerce. As for zeroing in on dhrupad, Umakant muses, "Sur ka asli maza lies in dhrupad." Isn’t dhrupad steeped in bhakti ras alone ...? While Umakant agrees that devotional is the defining thread of dhrupad, the younger brother Ramakant feels, "All musical journeys begin with shingaar rasa to finally arrive at the spiritual." But for this difference of opinion both are at the same musical wavelength. The decision to sing together was a foregone conclusion as their musical trysts had begun simultaneously. Steadfast in their
commitment to dhrupad, they want its flavour to spread all
across. In unison, they exclaim, "Our mission will be
accomplished only when dhrupad will be sung in every nook and
corner of the country."
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