Sound & Raga
A 10 session online workshop, uncovering principles of the ancient musical tradition of Dhrupad
Workshop Overview
Dhrupad is the most ancient style of Hindustani classical music that has survived until today in its original form. Characterized by a deep focus on fundamental elements of sound, it works on building holistic coordination between the body, breath and mind to create an effective apparatus for musical expression. It is typically seen as a deeply contemplative form of music that emphasizes the beauty of the shades of every musical note in themselves before creating tunes with these notes. This workshop is an exploration into some of the frameworks of building sound perception as developed over the centuries by generations of Dhrupad scholars & maestros.
This workshop is for you if...
1. You are curious about Indian music in general or Dhrupad in particular and want to get a structured entry point into its philosophy & practice.
2. You are fascinated about the potential of sound to impact the consciousness and wish to delve into at an age-old tradition of sound practice that has evolved over many centuries.
3. You are a practitioner of a different form of music and want to explore a different set of musical frameworks and philosophies.
4. You’re and artist (theater, painting, writing etc.) and wish to enrich your artistic vocabulary by getting into the fundamentals of a different discipline in a systematic and structured approach.
Prerequisites?
The workshop will be open to participants of any musical background, and even to those with no prior musical training, but with an interest to learn and understand. The modules are structured and arranged in a way that can engage the participant at different levels, based on their prior background and skill level.
The workshop will be led by Sajan Sankaran and Ankita Athawale - both full time students of the Gundecha Brothers, and very experienced practitioners, performers and teachers.
Sajan Sankaran
Sajan discovered his interest in Indian Classical Music whilst doing his BTech from IIT Bombay, and was introduced to this world by Shri Harshal Pulekar and Prof Milind Malshe - who also introduced him to the Dhrupad form of Indian music. On discovering Dhrupad, he decided to shift into a full time study of this form, and was fortunate to be accepted as a full time student by Padma Shri Gundecha Brothers - the leading Dhrupad performers and Gurus today. He has been learning at their Gurukul in Bhopal since 2013, and has won many scholarship awards for his musical merit including ICMA San Francisco's Indian Music award, Ministry of Culture's scholarship and the NCPA Scholarship for Dhrupad musicians. He has accompanied his Gurus as well as performed solo recitals on many platforms and is also finding newer spaces of expression and engagement for Dhrupad through his association with Naadyata Foundation and Still Space Theatre.
Ankita Athawale
Ankita wrote software, business plans and project proposals, also stage plays and short stories until she finally met her Gurus, the Gundecha Brothers, and her interest in Dhrupad trumped everything else. She is now a theatre artist sometimes, a writer at other times and a student of Dhrupad at all times. Ankita has been a disciple of the Gundecha Brothers for over 5 years and brings to her work, insights from all the fields that she is fortunate to be dabbling in.
Interested? Submit your inquiry
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