Dagar Gharana: A melodious tale

India's musical traditions have been represented through a variety of voices. The gharanas, which are groups of artists or singers with a recognised style and a regional background, are typical of Hindustani classical music. One such organisation, the Dagar gharana, was founded in the early 15th century and is currently committed to performing traditional and classical music.

Image source: Hindustan times

It's true that Indian history is replete with engrossing stories laced with drama, suspense, and life lessons. It offers all the characters necessary to qualify for a movie, from the conquests of rulers to the everyday way of life and culture of common people. Music is essential to movies and films, just as Indian history is incomplete without it. The subcontinent experienced a musical past filled with sitars and alaps in the shape of Hindustani classical music.

In the past, classical music had many different types, and several schools, also known as gharanas, adopted unique styles to present and perform the musical art form. This parallels how diverse the country is today.

Dagar Gharana was one of many gharanas that flourished on the Indian subcontinent.This specific gharana dates to the fifteenth century and has strong ties to Ustad Behram Khan of Jaipur. Members of the twenty-generation-old Dagar gharana come from Mewar, Jaipur, and Udaipur. Its "sophisticated, nuanced, calm, and rigorous exposition of alap-jor-jhala" is what gives it its unique style. Prior to the entrance of Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, the members of the Dagar gharana who practised music concentrated solely on vocals or alaps without any assistance from musical instruments. However, the rudra veena was eventually adopted as a separate musical instrument.

When tracing the development of the Dagar gharana, it can be argued that Ustad Behram Khan significantly influenced this performance art. When his father, Baba Gopal Das Pandey, chewed on a pan that had been gifted to him by the then-Mughal monarch Mohammad Shah Rangila in appreciation for his superb performance of Dhrupad at his court, he was shunned by his own Brahmin community. Behram, his son, gained genetic genius in dhrupad music, which is to Gopal Das's credit. Behram also received musical instruction from Baba Kalidas Paramahansa. After that, Behram established a gurukal and committed to popularising this particular musical genre. He had a number of gifted pupils, including Gokhi Bai, Kale Khan, and Abdullah Khan. In addition to this, Ustad also trained Pt. Enayet Khan, one of his grandsons.

Overall, Ustad Behram Khan deserves all of the credit for preserving the Dagar gharana legacy, and following his passing, Ustad Saddu Khan took over as Udaipur's principal court musician. Mohi Bahauddin Dagar, Wasifuddin Dagar, Aneesuddin Dagar, and Nafeesuddin Dagar are notable artists from the younger generations who are preserving their cultural traditions.

Dagar gharana, like the majority of Hindustani classical music, has an ethereal quality to it in that the music, or more specifically, the alap, produces a spiritual environment and soothes the nerves of listeners who like each raga. Additionally, the veena, a crucial instrument in this gharana, helps to transmit peaceful sound waves. Additionally, the character of singing and playing the veena is complementary, with each activity enhancing and utilising the other's technique.

This exquisite gharana of Hindustani classical music continues to be popular because it has managed to distinguish itself among a wide range of melodies.