Artists at the YAMAN Raagmahotsav
We are proud to have senior & eminent artists perform at the first Naadyatra Raagmahotsav
Gauri Pathare - Khayal
Gauri Pathare is a name to reckon with amongst the present generation of Indian Classical Music artists. She has been fortunate to have received her initial musical training from Pt. Gangadharbuwa Pimpalkhare of Kirana gharana, and later guidance from Late Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki & Pandita Padmatai Talwalkar. Since 2010 she has been receiving Jaipur Gharana training under Pt. Arun Dravid.
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This wonderful opportunity of training under different Gurus has left an indelible mark on her Gayaki. - she has successfully blended the Gayaki of the Jaipur, Gwalior and Kirana Gharanas to form her unique style of khayal presentation.
She has received many prestigious awards like the ‘Swara Bhaskar Puruskar’, an award instituted in the memory of Late Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. She has performed at most of the prestigious classical music festivals in India including Sawai Gandharva Mahotsav , Tansen festival etc and also in other countries such as Switzerland, Singapore etc.
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She believes in Retaining the emotional quotient of each raag while blending the Gayaki.
Abhay Datar - Tabla
Born into a Musical family, Abhay, started learning the TABLA at the early age of 5 years from his father Shri Prabhakar Datar.
Abhay’s formal training in the Guru-Shishya Parampara was under the renowned Pt. Suresh
(bhai) Gaitonde popularly known as Bhai Ghaitonde, who was a disciple of the great singer-composer Pt. Jagganath bua Purohit - Gunidas and the legendary Ustad Ahamad Jaan Thirakhava.
Eager to understand fully the nuances of vocal music Abhay worked closely with PT. Yashwant Bua Joshi, the doyen of Gwalior Gharana.
To further enhance his expertise as an accompanist Abhay has maintained a close association with the great Tabla Mestro Pt. Suresh Talvalkar.
He has accompanied with many well known artiste like: Pt. Yashwant Bua Joshi, Pt. Babanrao Haldankar, Smt. PAdma Tvalkar, Shri Shounak Abhisheki, Shri Jayteerth Meundi, to name a few.
Abhay has been a faculty member as Music Assistant for the past 20 years in the Music Department of the Mumbai University.
Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar - Sarod
Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar is one of the foremost Sarod artist both nationally and around the globe.
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Early initiation into music by his grandfather, Late Bibhuti Ranjan Majumdar and later his father, Late Ranjan Majumdar, nurtured his talent. Vocal and rhythm training under Late Pandit Amaresh Chowdhury and Sri Anil Palit further ensured a holistic musical development for him. His talent further blossomed during the eighteen years of intensive study under Late Ustad Bahadur Khan. He has been fortunate to have been a disciple of Late Swara Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He continued to learn from the Legend until his demise.
He has been awarded some of the most prestigious awards in the country, including the President’s Gold Medal and ‘Banga Bhushan’ and ‘Sangeet Mahasamman’, the highest awards for music in West Bengal.
Tejendra ji is considered to be one of the best equipped musicians to carry on the great Senia Maihar mantle. He combines the intellectual density and technical virtuosity of his Gharana, with an extraordinary tone, touch and ambient melody.
His repertoire combines elements from the Dhrupad, Tantrakari as well as Gayaki styles of music.
Akhilesh Gundecha - Pakhawaj
Akhilesh Gundecha has received his training in Pakhawaj from Late Pandit Shrikant Mishra and Late Raja Chhatrapati Singh Ji Deo. He has accompanied many Dhrupad Maestros like- Ustad Z.F. Dagar, Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar, Pt. Siyaram Tiwari, Shrimati Asgari Bai, Dr. Ritwik Sanyal etc.
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He has also played solo recitals at the Tansen Festival-Gwalior, Haridas Sangeet Samaroh Mumbai, Dhrupad Samaroh Bhopal and many other festivals. He has toured, USA ,Europe, Japan, Australia.
Akhileshji has been training Indian and foreign students at the Dhrupad Sansthan, Bhopal under the Guru Shishya Parampara style. He has created the ‘Pakhawaj Vrind’, a unique rhythmic group presentation that he presents along with his students. The vrind has been performed at many reputed platforms across India and is gaining immense popularity.
He is regularly featured on Radio and Television.
Padmashri Gundecha Brothers - Dhrupad
Padmashri Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha are the leading exponents of the Dhrupad style of music both in India and abroad.
They started their formal Dhrupad training soon after completing conventional university education. They learned the Dhrupad vocal art under the renowned Dhrupad vocalist Late Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and also with Late Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (the distinguished performer of Rudra Veena) under guru shishya paramapara in Dhrupad Kendra Bhopal.
They were conferred “Padmashri” in 2012 by the Govt. of India for their contribution in the field of Dhrupad and Indian Classical Music. And just recently, they have been awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
We are very fortunate to have them perform here just after receiving this reward.
The brothers have performed and conducted workshops at many important international music festivals and institutions across the world. They run the Dhrupad Sansthan in Bhopal, a first of its kind Dhrupad Gurukul in India, where they train Indian and International students in Dhrupad. Today, about 22 of their students are already performing on various platforms across the world.
The contribution of the Gundecha brothers to Dhrupad and Hindustani Classical music is only that they have made Dhrupad accessible and popular throughout the world but that they exhibit a certain state-of-art quality in the presentation style. This is firstly their vocalism which is strong, resonant and exquisitely shaped for time and tension, and their concert technique that brings their voices to merge together so perfectly that their combined presence on the stage is not of two singers.
Pandit Dalchand Sharma - Pakhawaj
One of the most eminent exponents of Pakhawaj in India is Sangeet Martand Pandit Dalchand Sharma of the Nathdwara Gharana.
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He learnt pakhawaj from Acharya Pandit Tottaram Sharma in the old Indian tradition of guru-shishya-parampara. He also had an opportunity of learning from his Dada Gurus, Late Pandit Murlidhar Sharma and the legendary Padma Shri Pandit Purushottam Dasji.
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Pandit Dalchand Sharma is a Top Grade Artist of AIR and Doordarshan. He has participated in many prestigious music festivals in India. He has provided Pakhawaj accompaniment to almost all of the leading Dhrupad singers in India including Late Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar, Late Ustad Naseer Zahiruddin Dagar, Late Ustad Fariduddin Dagar, to name a few. He has received many prestigious awards like the Sangeet Martand, Taal Shiromani, Mridangamani etc.
At present he’s one of the Staff of the Faculty of Music & Fine Arts at the University of Delhi. He also continues to train Indian and International students.
Pandit Dalchand ji is famous both as an accompanist and soloist, for his extraordinary fitness, delicacy and expressiveness, for the brilliant tone, the clarity of Layakari and the balancing of Padhant and Bajant.