As part of our ongoing series of monthly events, on 14 March 2025 (5pm UK time), we welcome the US-based Hindustani classical vocalist and teacher, Arijit Mahalanabis, for a Zoom demonstration on the structure, form, and function of dhrupad. Mr. Mahalanabis will be joined by Kishan Patel on the pakhavaj and Rishi Bhattacharyya on the esraj.

This event will be online-only. Please click on the poster and scan the QR code for the Zoom link.

Please write to us at rasad@durham.ac.uk for further queries, suggestions, and comments. 

For more details on the talk, kindly refer to the abstract below:

Dhrupad is considered the oldest extant genre of classical music in South Asia. Although its present form is often attributed to Rājā Mān Singh Tomār (reign 1486-1516) of Gwalior, its antecedent genres (chanda and prabandha) can be traced to the 11th century CE, in the aṣṭapadīs of Jayadeva, and even further back to the Nāṭyaśāstra of Bharata (c. 2nd century BCE to 5th century CE). Dhrupad and its ancillary genre Dhamār, were originally ecclesiastic in function, eventually migrated from the Hindu temple to the royal courts, and then became secularised into mainstream Hindustānī music performance, particularly after Indian independence. The original ecclesiastic usage can still be witnessed in the singing of Havelī padas in the temples of the Puṣṭimārg sect of Vaiṣnavism. 

Rooted in the origins of the music, in this demonstration, we will delve into the structure and form of Dhrupad and Dhamār as it is performed today and suggest a rationale for the structure the genre takes today.

Please join us using this zoom link:

https://durhamuniversity.zoom.us/j/97137378297?pwd=1Cz2VtrvsWsmvUo8uhbLgmql6TjNXR.1