The Dagar Gharana took firm roots under
the adept supervision of Ustad Behram Khan (1753-1878), who was associated
with the royal court of Jaipur. Ustad Behram's father was Baba Gopal Das
Pandey who was ostracized by his fellow brahmins for having chewed a pan
offered to him by the then Mughal ruler in Delhi, Muhammad Shah Rangile, for
his excellent rendition of Dhrupad. Haider and Behram were his two sons.
Haider Khan died early while Behram Khan spent the best part of his long
life in establishing the purity of the gayaki not known before. The entire
credit for keeping alive and passing down to posterity the pure form of
dagarvani goes to him. A superb teacher, his disciples included his sons,
Haider Khan’s sons and their sons. Particularly famous and well known for
their jugalbandhi (duet) performances were Zakiruddin Khan (1840-1926) and
Allabande Khan (1845-1927), the sons of his two nephews.
The main representatives of the present-day Dagar gharana are the
descendants of Ustad Zakiruddin Khan as well as of Ustad Allabande Khan’s
four sons, Nasiruddin, Rahimuddin, Imamuddin and Husseinuddin: all of them
extremely gifted and highly respected Dhrupad musicians. Nasir Moinuddin
Dagar (1919-1966) and Nasir Aminuddin Dagar (1923-2000), now referred to as
the Senior Dagar Brothers, were the elder sons of Nasiruddin and grandsons
of Allabande Khan. Their jugalbandhi captivated audiences all over India and
even in Europe bringing about a major revival of the dying genre. After the
death of Moinuddin, their younger brothers, Nasir Zaheeruddin (1932-1994)
and Nasir Fayyazuddin (1934-1989) also gained fame as a duo. Major
contributions to the upkeep of this tradition also came from the sons of
Rahimuddin and Husseinuddin, Rahim Fahimuddin (b. 1927) and Hussein
Sayeeduddin respectively, as well as the grandsons of Zakiruddin Khan, Ustad
Zia Mohiuddin (1929-1990 - who revived the majestic Rudra Veena as a concert
instrument) and Zia Fariduddin (b. 1932). The rich heritage of the Dagar
tradition lives on in the remaining Dagar brothers and their sons and
well-groomed disciples from outside the family.
The Dagarbani dhrupad rendition is characterized by meditative and leisurely
development of alap. The purity of a raga is usually maintained all through
and in spite of intricate rhythmic patterns, there is a profound sense of
devotion. |
