It is one of those surprising and inspiring stories where you are left bewildered wondering at the possibilities. The Gundecha brothers who have literally kept the tradition of “Dhrupad” alive, actually come from a very traditional Jain family where music exactly wasn’t the way of life. “We Jains don’t have a culture for taking up music seriously and land up managing family business instead. But our father encouraged us to take up music and excel in it,” says Ramakant Gundecha, the second brother of the trio.
The Gundecha brothers are world-renowned musicians having expertise in the “Dhrupad” tradition. Umakant, Ramakant and Akhilesh Gundecha started their training in their early childhood years where they found themselves taking a liking to it. Later on they received training under the legendary exponent of Dhrupad, Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar who is also a distinguished performer of the Rudra Veena.
Dhrupad is considered to be the purest form of music where ragas are presented in their most original form. It is known to have origins in the Sama Veda where music has a deeper meaning and is meant to connect at a spiritual level. Dhrupad originates from Dhrupad is believed to be the oldest form of music and the tradition is kept alive till today. It is the universal set of music from which other forms of music emanate and form sub-sets.
Due to the depth in the form, Dhrupad is also known to be famous for its complexity. But Akhilesh Gundecha, the youngest of the trio is of the opinion that Dhrupad is not as difficult as it is known to be. “The concept of Dhrupad has gotten too contrived over the years and people consider it to be very difficult. We would say it is the purest form but not impossible to learn,” says Akhilesh.
The alaap is the most important feature of Dhrupad. It has salient features, which can vary in tempo. The monosyllables are derived from the initials of mantra in a set pattern. The alaap has slow rhythmic pattern, which constructs itself in different speeds graduating into an accelerating beat. The three speeds are known to be Vilmabit, Madhya and Dhrut. Dhrupad is not meant for entertainment, is what Gundecha brothers say.
“Taraana or Thumri, which are various other forms of music and have originated from Dhrupad, are meant to be enjoyed. But with Dhrupad one has to be serious and understand in depth about its nuances,” says Akhilesh. He accompanies his vocalist brothers on the pakhawaj. It draws a clear distinction between the taal for tabla in other forms of music.
The pakhawaj in Dhrupad has four different kinds of taal which set it apart from the rest. And the temperament of the taal is much different from the ones used in tabla. Choutaal (12 beats), Dhamar (14 beats), Sultaal (10 beats) and Tivrataal (7 beats) are the distinct taals of Dhrupad. And the harmonium is never used in Dhrupad.
It is said that the distance between the notes in harmonium don’t suit the style of Dhrupad and hence it is never used. The tanpura and pakhawaj is all that is required for a Dhrupad performance. They let the notes be in their purest and original forms bringing about the spiritual connect.
“It is extremely important for any classical musician to connect with the audiences. If a lay person sitting in the audience can enjoy the nuances of what we are performing then I consider it to be a successful performance,” says Ramakant. He explains how Dhrupad provides that inner peace and brings about the union of the soul and the mind. The meditational techniques of yoga are used in Dhrupad where one is conscious of the breathing techniques of one’s body and helps in rendering an effective performance.
Dhrupad itself is a form of communication of music but the words that are used in the style come from the Madhya Pradeshi Brij bhasha.
The language of any form of communication gives us an insight into the culture of the society. Brij Bhasha was known to be the language of the royals and it was extremely poetic with deep-rooted meaning.
Dhrupad was highly sung around the period where Tansen was one of the nine jewels in the court of Emperor Akbar. Brij Bhasha came about to be the confluence of the Urdu and Hindi. “The essence and beauty of Brij Bhasha make the Dhrupad all the more interesting,” says Ramakant.
It was somewhere in 1981 that the brothers took a conscious decision of taking up music full-time and studied the Dhrupad tradition in depth. Till date the brothers continue to spread the beauty and essence of Dhrupad without diluting the rich cultural heritage it has.
“We always consult each other before taking any decisions and there is mutual respect for each other. And by chance we go wrong we just take care that the same mistake is not repeated. What is important is that we are together and perform our level best in every show,” says Ramakant.
The brothers have composed a lot of poems by legendary poets such as Tulsidas, Kabir and many more in the Dhrupad style of music. They currently run a school in Bhopal where there are 30 students taking lessons in the Dhrupad style full time.