Anant debuts with uncle Umakant

BHOPAL: After the death of Dhrupad maestro Pt Ramakant Gundecha, his son Anant Gundecha performed with his uncle Pt Umakant Gundecha at the Dhrupad Sansthan on Thursday. The nephew-uncle duo regaled the audience with their maiden performance.

The new Dhrupad jugalbandi presented aalap, jod and jhala in Raag Bhupali and

bandish

in Sur Taal with the composition ‘Shankar Sut Ganesh Vighna Vinashak’. After the show, Veena exponent Pt Rajshekhar Vyas tied the traditional pagri on Anant Gundecha’s head.

Vyas said, “Jugalbandi of Dhrupad and

Gundecha brothers

will continue through the new duo. Anant Gundecha has received excellent training from his father and he is sure to excel in Dhrupad singing under the guidance of his uncle. Though it is difficult to fill the void created by Pt Ramakant Gundecha’s untimely death, Anant is capable enough to serve Dhrupad for long. ”

Earlier, after the sudden death of Pt. Ramakant Gundecha, the Gundechas had announced that his son Anant Gundecha will replace him in future performances. The Gundecha brothers were

scheduled to perform on November 10 in Pune that had to be called off after the incident. Known for their structured classical style of singing, the Gundecha brothers transformed Dhrupad through intense understanding of notative movement as well as an understanding of the chronological phases in which lyrical compositions are set.