I didn’t choose Dhrupad, Dhrupad chose me: Uday Bhawalkar

Trained by the towering pillars of Dhrupad, the famous Dagar brothers, Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, Uday Bhawalkar has created a niche for
himself as the torch bearer of Dhrupad. For him music is an act of transcendence. “The real bliss of an artiste lies in immersing oneself in the ragas and let the music take over his or her existence,” remarked the Dhrupad maestro who was in Hyderabad to perform at music festival, Jashn-e-Deccan. In a tete-e-tete with Hyderabad Times, the acclaimed vocalist looks back at his musical journey. Excerpts:
Conventional education rarely interested me, it was music I was crazy about
My tryst with Dhrupad was a complete coincidence. I was born and brought up in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. In North India, people are more into harmonium, tabla, and sitar. Conventional education rarely interested me, right from my childhood. It was music I was crazy about. All I knew was that, I had to learn classical music. I was looking for a great guru, no matter which form of classical music he or she belonged to.
My tryst with Dhrupad was a complete coincidence
I remember the day I came across a newspaper ad in my neighbour’s house inviting applications for Dhrupad training under Ustad Zia Fareeduddin Dagar. I was 15 back then and had already started training in Khayal style under my elder sister. I applied without a second thought and got selected. My parents readily agreed because I would receive training in the highly respected Dagar tradition. Initially it was hard for me to figure out what was going on in the hour-long alaaps Ustad used to sing. It was only the ragas I could follow. Gradually with time, things fell into place. After finishing my four-year tenure at the Dhrupad Kendra in 1985, it was only Dhrupad that I wanted to sing.
Surviving on art is not easy
The journey was not easy, but it’s not easy for anyone, not even the Khayal singers. For any artiste, surviving on art is not easy. It takes time. For many years I had very few or no concerts at all. But I was happy. Music itself can be enlightening — when you hold a tanpura and render the ragas, the kind of upliftment you get is beyond the happiness of performing in any concert. For me connection with the raga I am rendering is more important than connection with people or the audience. Sthan se zyada sthiti mahatwapurna hai. That gives you strength, that gives you peace, that gives you love, that keeps you blessed by the divinity always. Once you are connected with the raga, the
audience will automatically connect with you. Happiness should be the priority of one’s life, and for me, music is the happiness.