Wasifuddin dagar biography books

The Dhrupad, sung by Dagars is one of the oldest surviving classical traditions, dating from the 15th century when a Dagar was a court musician for the Mughal Emperor Akbar. And it is continuing to this date. Today, with Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, it’s the 20th generation of the Dagars rendering this particular form of Dhrupad.

And now with Wasifuddin’s marriage to Zainab, which took place this spring, just days before the lockdown, the legacy is sure to continue … upcoming would be the 21st generation of the Dagars! Inshallah!

In fact, the history of this classical singing, carries such diverse and interesting turns to it, that an entire feature film can be made revolving around it and, of course, around the Dagar clan that’s kept it going … And if I were to focus on its recent history, then its best to quote Wasifuddin– “ In 1857 when the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was arrested and sent to Rangoon, almost all the courtiers left Delhi to settle in neighbouring states like Rampur, Alwar, Jaipur. Ustad Behram Khan Dagar who was already 104 years old at that time, was one of them.”

Musical artist

Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar is an Indian classical singer of the dhrupad genre and the son of dhrupad singer Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar. Since the death of his father and later, his uncle, Wasifuddin has been singing solo. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2010.

Life and training

Wasifuddin Dagar is the son of Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar, and the nephew of Nasir Zahiruddin Dagar, of the Dagar vani.

Dagar received most of his training under his father, and younger uncle, the Junior Dagar Brothers, since he was five years old. Additionally he has had opportunity to receive instructions from his grand uncle, A. Rahimuddin Dagar, his elder uncle, Nasir Aminuddin Dagar (who, along with Nasir Moinuddin Dagar, comprised the Senior Dagar Brothers), as well as some of his cousin uncles, Zia Fariduddin Dagar, Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar and H. Sayeeduddin Dagar.

Between 1989 and 1994, he was trained by his uncle, Zahiruddin Dagar, with whom he used to sing jugalbandis (duets).

Major recordings

Wasifuddin Dagar's public career began on 25 February 1989, a few days after his father's death, when he gave his first performance. He sang with Zahiruddin Dagar. Wasifuddin's first major recording were in Switzerland, India and Japan, in 1992. He has since recorded in Switzerland, India, and America with major recording labels. A French television company made a film based on their life and music.

Wasifuddin Dagar has toured North America performing dhrupad solo since 2000. He first performed live in New York in 2000, where he gave a rendition of ragaBihag. He has since performed at the UN, the Smithsonian Institutions, Yale, the City of Chicago, University of Washington, Seattle, Stanford Universit

Author:Humra Quraishi

Niyogi Books

Rs 1500: pp 156

Mention the Hindustani classical form of dhrupad, and music lovers would instantly talk of the Dagar family. For generations, they have been the master practitioners of the art, creating a rich and eloquent style called Dagarvani.

The story of the family’s contribution is captured in detail by Humra Quraishi in ‘Dagars & Dhrupad: Divine Legacy’. Beginning with an explanation of what dhrupad means and descriptions of the various generations of the family to the future of Dagarvani, the author impresses with her thorough research and easy narrative style.

Interestingly, Quraishi’s earlier publications include ‘Kashmir: The Untold Story’ and two books co-authored with Khushwant Singh. However, being a fan of dhrupad after attending a concert by Ustad Nasir Zahiruddin Dagar and Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar in the mid-1980s, she developed a passion for this genre, and eventually decided to explore their magic in print. Much of the details have been provided by Faiyazuddin’s son Wasifuddin Dagar, the current torchbearer of the legacy.

Though current audiences are more exposed to and in favour of the khayal style, dhrupad has had its own following. The word has been derived from ‘dhruva’, constant or immoveable, and ‘pada’, the poetic text. Legendary musicians like Miyan Tansen, Swami Haridas, Baiju Bawra, Gopal Nayak and Nayak Bakshu have been associated with this form.

As the late Faiyazuddin Dagar has been quoted, in the two parts of the dhrupad, the ‘alap’ or prologue is sung in free rhythm over drone, whereas the ‘pada’ or words comprise a rhythmic poem accompanied by drumming over the two-headed pakhawaj. It is a devotional and spiritual type of music, whose origins trace back 15 centuries.

Though there are many schools of dhrupad singing, Dagarvani is recognised as the most representat

With: Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar (vocals), Pandit Mohan Shyam Sharma (pakhawaj), Gilles Monfort (tanpura) and Sang Wang (tanpura).

The master of Dhrupad, a form of sacred vocal music from Northern India, Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar sets up a music salon against the backdrop of the Bijoy Jain / Studio Mumbai exhibition, establishing a resonance with his musicians and the public for an experience that borders on meditation.

“Music is ‘pitch, pulse, and pause’: the notes, rhythm, silence.”
Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar

An ancestral and devotional classical Indian music, Dhrupad requires a demanding vibratory vocal technique. The syllables become a mantra, the rhythm and range of the voice oscillate, the micro tonal nuances align their frequency to the rhythm of the percussion. Dhrupad also relies heavily on improvisation, inspired by the resonance with the audience. Heir to a long tradition of musicians spanning twenty generations and invited to perform all over the world, Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar is the expert in singing in one with his audience, leading them to vibrate in unison with his song. He is known for his gentle and subtle interpretations, as well as his powerful and sonorous gamaks (vibrating oscillations of a single note), while maintaining the purity of the raga (melodic framework).

For this Nomadic Night, accompanied by the esteemed pakhawaj (two-headed drum) player Pandit Mohan Shyam Sharma, Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar shares his refined art of innovation and improvisation in a music salon over the course of one unique evening, against the setting of the exhibition Breath of an Architect by Bijoy Jain / Studio Mumbai. The event offers the public a remarkable opportunity to enter into a deep form of musical meditation with him and his musicians.

Biographies

Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar is the leading dhrupad exponent representing the twentieth generation of the Dagar family and the nephew and son of Ustad Nasir Zahiruddin and Ustad