HINDUSTANI VOCALIST-GUNDECHA BROTHERS

Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha are one of India's leading exponents of the Dhrupad style of music. 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. Gundecha Brothers received conventional university education and learned the Dhrupad vocal art under the renowned Dhrupad vocalist Ustad    Zia Fariduddin Dagar and also with Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (the distinguished performer of Rudra Veena) in Dhrupad Kendra Bhopal.  The Gundecha Brothers have sung great Hindi poetry  by Tulsidas, Kabir, Padmakar, Nirala in Dhrupad style and have also composed music for several documentaries. They have  recorded   many cassettes and CDs by H.M.V, Music Today, Rhythm House,  IPPNW Concerts Berlin, Navras   and  Audio Rec London. They have also sung for many television channels in India and

have been broadcasted on British, U.S., German and French Radio as well. As well as being an integral part of  all of India's prestigious music festivals, the  Brothers have also performed at many important international music festivals and institutions in Europe, U.S.A, Australia, Singapore, Bangladesh, U.A.E and Hongkong.  They have received M.P. Govt. Scholarship from 1981 to 1985, National Fellowship from 1987 to 89, Ustad Allauddin Khan Fellowship  in 1993, Sanskriti Award in 1994  and  Kumar Gandharva Award in 1998 by Govt. of Madhaya Pradesh and Dagar Gharana Award by Mewar Foundation in 2001.  Akhilesh Gundecha has learned  Pakhawaj playing from  Pandit Shrikant Mishra and Raja Chhatrapati Singh JuDeo. He is post graduate in music and graduate in Law. Has also got scholarship from Ustad Allauddin khan  Sangeet Academy,Bhopal   and Govt. of India. Has accompanied to many of the Dhrupad Maestros like- Ustad Z.F. Dagar, Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar, Pt. Siyaram Tiwari, Shrimati Asgari Bai, Dr. Ritwik Sanyal and Bahauddin Dagar. He has also played solo recitals in Tansen Festival-Gwalior, Haridas Sangeet Samaroh Mumbai, Dhrupad Samaroh Bhopal and many other festivals.  Has toured  Germany, Switzerland, Hongkong , USA and Canada. Is regularly featured on  Radio and Television. He is doing Ph.D on Raja Chhatrapati Singh Ju Deo.

Edited by vinnie-thepooh - 17 years ago

Gundecha Brothers

The Gundecha Brothers:

New Shoots of the Dagar Dhrupad Tradition

SHANTHA BENEGAL

For centuries dhrupad, the ancient and stately genre of North India, had been nurtured in

the refined atmosphere of the princely courts. With Indian Independence in 1947 and the

changing of the old order dhrupad was thrown to the mercy of less discerning audiences. A

style of singing and playing that was austere, and which demanded considerable listening

acuity and patience from its audience, dhrupad could have vanished had it not been for the

Dagar family's determination to uphold their Dagar bani tradition. Thus, of the four original

bani (or vani, i.e., "schools" of dhrupad – Gaudhari, Khandari, Nauhari, and Dagar) only

one style survived the metamorphosis into a relatively lighter khayal tradition (e.g., the style

of the Agra gharana [family-based musical tradition] of khayal is derived from the Nauhari

bani).

With missionary zeal, members of the Dagar family have performed worldwide, recorded,

taught extensively, and actively participated in dhrupad conferences all over India. At one

such conference, the Dagar Saptak,1 held in Calcutta in 1987, it became apparent that

dhrupad was putting out new shoots. Appearing on the stage with the senior Dagars was a

new generation of dhrupad aspirants – both from within and outside the Dagar family.

Among them was Ramakant Gundecha, who gave able support to his guru Ustad Zia

Fariduddin Dagar.

On a recent tour of the United States, Ramakant and his brother Umakant Gundecha

performed together on over twenty stages for SPICMACAY,2 speaking to student audiences

through their music. Performing with them were their brother Akhilesh on pakhawaj [barrelshaped

drum used to accompany dhrupad], and their sister Sangita on tanpura. Seattle was

an unscheduled stop, since they wanted to meet with the many students of the late Ustad

Zia Mohiuddin Dagar living in the city. Older brother to Zia Fariduddin Dagar, Zia

Mohiuddin Dagar had also taught the Gundechas.

The following is a transcript of informal conversations between Umakant, Ramakant, Annie

Penta, Matt Rice, Jeff Lewis, and myself during the four days they spent in Seattle. The one

important thread that emerges from these conversations is that dhrupad is no longer

endangered. Its vitality is demonstrated not only by the appearance of vibrant new talent,

but also by the recent enrichment of its repertoire.

Gundecha Brothers 
Sattva
Sense World Music While dhrupad is the oldest and "most profound" style of singing in Northern India, it is less popular than the khayal style in which khayal vocalists greatly out number dhrupad vocalists.  Dhrupad was the dominant form of vocal music in India up until the 18th century until the khayal style rose in popularity and nearly eclipsed dhrupad.  A recent revival of this dhrupad vocal style can be attributed to the Dagar family and through learned students who are refreshing this vocal tradition.  Brothers, Ramakant and Umakant Gundecha are internationally recognized dhrupad vocalists and their work is highlighted at festivals in India and abroad.  They combine the Dagar families' renditions with their own experimentation.  You can find all of this detailed information in the liner notes. I'm certainly not an expert on Indian classical vocal music and I've only come in contact with the dhrupad style on occasion and only on recordings.  I've not seen any live performances of this vocal style.  I'm mostly acquainted with the khayal style and some of the lighter classical vocal styles.  I find that listening to dhrupad vocal recordings takes a great deal of concentration.  The ragas that appear on the Gundecha Brothers' latest recording, Sattva (Quality of Truth), for the most part unwind at a very slow pace.  However, the vocals are gorgeous, involve a great deal of technique and innovation that even I, a novice can hear.  John Ball sums it up in the liner notes, "This beautiful recording captures all the delicate nuances of the music in a detailed way whilst maintaining the live interaction so essential in this music."  And yes, this is a live recording in which the brothers perform for an extremely appreciative audience, obviously the concert attendees possess more energy than I feel at the moment when writing this review.

The brothers perform Raga Behag which includes an Alap, Jor and 2 Jhallas and Dhamar.  Akhilesh Gundecha and Shrikant Mishra join the vocalists on Pakhawaj (barrel drums).  The last track, Shiva of Raga Adana is the liveliest of the tracks and possesses a catchy rhythm that reminds me of revival music of various spiritual traditions.  The subject is the auspicious Hindu god, Shiva, who is both the destroyer and restorer.  This is often misunderstood as is the same with the Hindu goddess, Kali.  "...as it refers to the help a deity such as shiva gives mortal humans to help them destroy negativities and cultivate positive qualities within their own consciousness."  And who couldn't use Shiva or Kali's help right about now?  

Edited by vinnie-thepooh - 17 years ago

Drawn to India by Music

Aliya Rasheed , dhrupad singer and performer, has given music lovers a lot to mull over. Despite there being a rich tradition of music in her home country, Pakistan, Rasheed chose to cross the border and learn dhrupad - the most demanding of Indian classical vocal music forms - in India rather than her native Pakistan.

Not only that, she followed the traditional guru-shishya parampara (tradition) which requires the disciple to take up residence in the home of the guru or teacher. This involved a four-year stay at a vegetarian gurukul in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) at a time when Indo-Pakistan relations were at their most strained. Last but not least, Rasheed is visually challenged.

The daughter of Abdul Rasheed and Bushra Rasheed, Aliya was born in 1978 in Dubai and spent a very happy childhood. "You should ask my mother about all the mischief I got up to during my childhood. I was known for being the naughty one among my brothers and sisters," she says, her charming looks, beaming smile and lilting voice instantly winning over people..

To learning music, Rasheed became a student of the Sanjana Institute in Lahore, her hometown. The timbre of her voice and her extraordinary capacity to pick up nuances and reproduce them led her teachers and well-wishers to believe that Rasheed's talents needed to be nurtured with care.

Her training at an institution patronized by the city's music aficionados was, at best, a gathering place for aspiring talent and serious listeners. What Rasheed needed was an atmosphere of higher training and exposure to a demanding and well-defined art form.

Despite the geographical closeness of the two countries, Rasheed's entry into dhrupad and India did not follow a direct route. India's famed dhrupad practitioners, the Gundecha brothers (Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha), were on one their tours of the United States when a music-loving acquaintance there strongly recommended that they take one Aliya Rasheed, a talented singer from Pakistan, under their wing. The Gundecha brothers' gurukul (residential school that follows the ancient Indian style of learning), Dhrupad Sansthan, in Bhopal, their hometown, has long been a notable address on the dhrupad learners' directory worldwide.

The Gundechas agreed to include Rasheed among their disciples who, at that time, were from Australia, Spain and Japan. Rasheed's challenge - and one she willingly accepted - was a four-year training period (which started in 2001) to learn the art of dhrupad singing up to a standard that one could perform it on a prestigious platform.

"It was the time when the Kargil war had just ended," recounts Rasheed, about her first days in India. "The atmosphere was quite different then. Maine achha buraa sab sunaa...(I had to take flak sometimes)" she recalls. But she was undeterred. There were, of course, fleeting moments of doubt about her being able to stay in India and continue her training; but those moments became fewer and then disappeared altogether.

The one thing Rasheed was sure about during those four years was that she had nothing to fear in India and that gave her the courage and the will to make the most of her stay at the gurukul.

For her gurus and the other family members too, there were a few initial hiccups. "But before long, she could find her way around the whole house and never needed any help at home. Even our food habits were not an issue with her. We are Jains and Aliya never uttered a single word of protest about the vegetarian food," says Mrs Gundecha.

On their part, the Gundechas made Rasheed feel at home. "She kept Roza fasts during Ramzan; and on Id, I made sure that we all had a feast of sevian and other traditional delicacies." The highlight of their family togetherness was Aliya's 27th birthday (in 2005), which the family celebrated in Bhopal. "There was a birthday party for her and Aliya loved the custard that was served!" says Mrs Gundecha.

Food and family were important but it was music that was the core focus of Rasheed's four-year stay. Here gurus' assessment was that she had a limited understanding of classical music at the start of her training. Listening to her performance now, after the completion of her training under the Gundecha brothers, music critics have marveled at her mastery of the dhrupad style's intricate details. Her creative play of musical ideas by means of a precise and accurate sub-division of the beat are an attractive element of her individual style.

Her choice of compositions, ranging from references both Islamic and iconic, are proof of Rasheed's universality of thought. Her finale, with verses dedicated to the Hindu God, Shiva, were sung with care and conformity. Rasheed stresses that dhrupad is 'ibadati sangeet' (devotional music).

Having flown back to Pakistan after her training (in May 2005), Rasheed has ambitious plans for the future. On the eve of her departure for Pakistan, she had her future course mapped out with dhrupad-like precision. It will be performances at Sanjana Institute, of course. Then Al Hamrah and wherever there is an opportunity for it. "This music cannot stop; it has to grow. I will perform, I will teach," she says passionately. "This is what I am contributing to the peace process (between India and Pakistan)."  

The mood of these songs is meditative'

MAKING A POINT: Hindustani Dhrupad singers Ramakant Gundecha, Umakant Gundecha and Akhilesh Gundecha at a face-to-face programme organised by the Kozhikode Press Club on Friday. KOZHIKODE: Indian classical music tradition can be preserved only through the Guru-Shishya tradition or the oral tradition, according to Umakant Gundecha and Ramakant Gundecha, exponents of the Dhrupad style of music. "The oral tradition of teaching music 'one-to-one' alone can preserve it,'' the singers, popularly known as the Gundecha brothers, said at a face-to-face programme organised by the Calicut Press Club on Friday. (Dhrupad music's origin is linked to the recitation of the Sama Veda. The nature of this music is spiritual, seeking not to entertain but to induce deep feelings of peace and contemplation in the listeners. The word Dhrupad comes from 'Dhruva,' meaning fixed or steadfast, and Pada, which means word or composition. The language of composition changed from Sanskrit to Brijbhasha between the 12th and 16th centuries. In Dhrupad music, there are two parts: 'Alap,' which is sung without words, and 'Dhrupad,' sung with the accompaniment of 'Pakhawaj,' a two-headed barrel shaped drum.) ''Dhrupad is a very old music — the oldest classical form of music of India, especially north Indian classical music. It can be a prayer to God. Basically, it is temple music. The oldest songs in the style are in prayer to gods and goddesses. There is now a growing audience for Dhrupad throughout India and abroad,'' the Gundecha brothers say. Since there were very few singers of Dhrupad music, there were fewer performances and, hence, the music form had become rare. "There may be around five good Dhrupad singers in the whole country,'' they said. The brothers, born in Ujjain, have started the Dhrupad Institute in Bhopal to train talented people. "Any talented person is welcome to join the institution. We also welcome talented people from Kerala between the ages of 15 and 30. We have residential facility for students in India and abroad. We want to bring out accomplished singers from this institute,'' they said. The Gundecha brothers have made certain experiments, such as singing the new poems of the famous Hindi poets, including (Suryakant Tripathi) 'Nirala,' in Dhrupad style. But they are averse to bring out a music album, such as those in vogue. "We can consider bringing out an album in pure Dhrupad music,'' they said in response to a query.

Drawing a difference between 'khayal' (standard classical vocal form in Hindustani music) and 'Dhrupad,' the brothers said the mood of Khayal was 'Sringara,' while that of 'Dhrupad' was meditative.

Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha
Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha were trained in Dhrupad at Dhrupad Kendra, Bhopal, under Ustads Zia Fariduddin Dagar and Zia Mohiuddin Dagar. They were recipients of the Madhya Pradesh Government Scholarship from 1982 to 1985. Ramakant Gundecha secured the first prize in the all India Radio music competition in 1985. The Gundecha brothers have performed in various Dhrupad festivals and other music events in India and abroad. They have several cassettes to their credit. They have performed in the Festival of India in Germany.

Thanx Vinnie for the thread. i hav heard the brothers long back i think in 2000 something..

I still remember the brothers started with gradual unfolding of Mian-ki-Malhar through Vilambit Alap. This followed by a highly impressive Jod with enthralling gamaks blended with intelligent note designs. the sound effects created in different styles of gamaks were superb.

this was followed by a Charukeshi composition.The orthodox nature of Dhrupad style does not usually permit deviations and additions because of its very orthodox nature and its special emphasis on staying pure. however, the Gundecha Brothers' experimentation with Charukeshi came out too good.They ended the concert with a soulful Shivstuti in raga Adana based on Sultala.

I had the recording in cassette somewhere and if i find it will surely upload it here. 😊

From Sruti, April 2001
Opinion Column

The Adverse Effect Of Notating Raga-s



The following article was written by well-known dhrupad singers UMAKANT & RAMAKANT GUNDECHA. It was translated from the original Hindi by NANCY LESH, an American student of Z. M. Dagar and Z.F. Dagar, who performs dhrupad style on the cello.


In our raga system, the tonic (Sa) can be any pitch. All other musical pitches derive their position and musical effect relative to this fundamental pitch. Also, if we would imagine the scale as a family, each pitch has a specific relationship with all other pitches of the scale, just as members of a family have specific relationships to each other. From this it is apparent that the basis for all intervallic relations within the scale is the shadja.


If we choose to alter the position of the shadja within the scale, then all of the other intervals change accordingly. The original swaroopa of the raga will also be changed. Therefore, if we choose to change the position of Sa in any raga, then each pitch in the scale of that raga also changes. Sometimes these changes are so minute that they are difficult to perceive.


For example, if we consider the Hindustani raga Bhoopali and adopt the note ga as the tonic pitch, the resulting scale becomes ga-pa-dha-sa-re and has the superficial sound of Malkauns. However, this Bhoopali- a derived form of Malkauns- will lack the true sound of raga Malkauns unless we adjust the intonation of the pitches slightly. This is because the intervallic distance between the notes of Bhoopali is not the same as the intervallic distance between the notes in Malkauns. There is actually a slight difference between these intervals. Unless we adjust the intervals, this Bhoopali-derived Malkauns will lack the true character of Malkauns.


Many Indian musicians and scholars believe that it is not only difficult but impossible to properly notate Indian pitches and raga-s, especially using the musical notation   commonly used today. However, many of us feel we have to notate our music, even if the available system of notation is inadequate. Therefore we notate it somehow. But we must ask ourselves if notating our raga-s is contrary to the nature of this ancient music.   


Even though we are unable to notate the exact tuning of our musical pitches, are we still able to identify and preserve the soul of our raga-s? I think the the felt-need, the compulsion, for notating the pitches has negatively affected the basic nature of our raga system.


It seems that, because we are not aware of the melodic intervals in our raga-s, we have turned to identifying our raga-s by 'catch phrases', reducing their status to simple tunes. We have started relying on fixed melodic patterns rather than using the traditional approach of identifying the relative positions of the notes in the raga scale.


For those who believe that the shadja is fixed, and that the multitude of frequencies within the octave must be reduced to only 12 semitones, it is almost inconceivable that the phrase sa-re-ga can be sung in many ways to create the mood of various raga-s, such as Bhoopali, Jaijaiwanti, Yaman, Chhayanat and Suddha Kalyan. The secret to creating a particular raga from this phrase is placing each pitch in the appropriate position for each raga. But this has become inconceivable for many of us today.


Due to the fact that we have become unable to identify our raga-s properly by fixing by hearing the positions and intervals of the pitches within each raga, we have begun to select certain phrases as 'catch phrases'. Because of this tendency, we have abandoned the subtle distinguishing features of the raga-s and have become fixated on the gross differences between them.


For example, nowadays we have established the phrase ni sa dha ni re as the catch phrase of raga Jaijawanti, and we think that no performance of this raga is complete without this phrase. We have been persuaded to believe that Jaijaiwanti should be identified by this phrase, whereas we have forgotten that the true nature of Jaijaiwanti comes from the slow glide (meend) from the gandhara to the rishabha and finally resting on that note. Indeed we are no longer taught to pay attention to this subtle glide as the distinguishing feature of Jaijaiwanti.


In this way the subtleties of the entire raga system are disappearing, due to our misinterpretation of raga-s and our obsession with catch phrases, which have robbed the raga-s of their subtleties and reduced them to a very simple and low level reproducible even on the harmonium.


For example, the phrase pa-ni-sa-ga, when sung correctly, can give the precise mood of raga Behag. But this essential Behag phrase is also present in other raga-s, and it must be intoned differently in each raga. However, when this phrase is played on the harmonium, it will always sound the same, because the harmonium is only able to produce 12 equal semitones in the octave. So then, if we use the harmonium, how are we to distinguish Behag from other raga-s using this phrase? In the circumstance, we are forced to take up another phrase as the catch phrase for raga Behag. It is necessary to use this new catch phrase, pa-ma(#)-ga-ma-ga, because, although it is less essential for Behag, it is present in other raga-s. And it also can be notated easily.


Thus, the phrase-based concept of raga-s has come into vogue and displaced the traditional concept and the true essence of our raga-s. Thus we have abandoned the swara bheda system, which emphasises listening rather than writing. We have started identifying each raga by a few fixed phrases. We have been compelled to do this because we are no longer trained enough to hear the subtle differences of pitches in various raga-s, and because we believe in and follow the notation system.


About 10 years ago, our ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar related to us a story about the dhrupad maestros   Allabande Khan and Zakiruddin Khan regarding this subject. This event occurred around 1920. The two brothers were giving a recital of raga Kedar at a conference and, while they were singing the true form of this ancient raga, they purposely avoided singing the catch phrase associated with it. The famous Indian musicologist V.N. Bhatkhande was seated in the audience. Even after listening to the brothers' lengthy alapa, Bhatkhandeji was unable to identify the raga. Whereupon he asked the ustad-s for the name of the raga. Only then did the ustad-s sing the common Kedar catch phrase ma#-pa-dha-pa-ma. At once the entire audience exclaimed: "Oh, this is raga Kedar!"


Bhatkhande established schools which taught the general public the catch phrases for many common raga-s. For this task, some notation was necessary. The traditional guru-sishya mode of teaching one-to-one was not possible in the schools where large classes are the norm. And students can be trained to grasp the minute variations of pitch and intervals in each raga only through one-to-one teaching-learning.


In the dhrupad tradition of Hindustani music, much attention is given to the exact position of each pitch, and there is no obsession with catch phrases. The guru-s demonstrate to each student the subtle position of each note in the raga; they do not make an attempt to notate the pitches, because they understand the true nature of the raga-s and refuse to ruin our music through superficial rendering of the raga-s.


Bhatkhande wanted to preserve and teach our raga-s through notation. Even though it is not possible to capture the essence of the raga-s in notation, he was driven to do so in order to make our classical music available to the general public and to enable even those without access to the knowledge of the subtle differences in pitch to sing the raga-s.


It may be that Bhatkhande never considered these issues, or perhaps his thinking was faulty. The use of catch phrases in raga identification is like trying to understand Malkauns through hearing a film song in that raga. Many years ago. Naushad Saheb composed a film song beginning with the words Man tarpat Hari darsan, based on raga Malkauns. Bhatkhande used this same superficial approach to our raga system   when he assigned the catch phrases ga-ma-ga-sa or some others to raga Malkauns.