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I belong to a family with an illustrious lineage of Dhrupad vocalists in the Darbhanga tradition. Both my grandfather Shri Birendra Mohan Pandey and maternal grandfather Pandit Siyaram Tiwari gave me the privilege of upbringing in a musically rich atmosphere.
Growing up, I loved holidays. Bohot maje karte the saare bache. And these days gave me an introduction to music. You know, tab dadaji ke pass ek cycle hota tha. Mujhe bohot maan hota tha wo cycle chalane ka aur dadaji ka maan hota tha hume music sikhane ka. So, while other kids were playing, I used to stay with dadaji to take music lessons and have the opportunity to ride the cycle in return. Fortunately, the greed for the cycle didn’t last long, as I became genuinely interested in learning classical music and explored the various musical instruments.
I continued my training but didn’t consider taking our family legacy forward. Moreover, none of my family members forced me to pursue it seriously. During the 1990s, making a career as a classical musician was a risky affair. So, I continued with the formal education, did MBA and landed a corporate job.
About a decade ago, I decided to make a switch. I won’t say that I felt frustrated with my job. I was a Brand Manager in a leading MNC with a good salary and enjoyed working in the 9 to 5 job. But the music bug in me kept scratching me. I felt I wasn’t committing enough to do justice to the art.
So, I talked about it with my guruji, Pandit Abhay Narayan Mallick. He felt glad but also spoke about the rigorous effort required to succeed in the field. We talked about the financial aspect as well. I was paid way better in the corporate job. And to be honest, committing towards Dhrupad was never a rational decision. Ye to dil se liya gaya decision hai, just for the love of art. Initially, my family members were shocked, but later on, they supported me in nurturing the music bug inside me.
Talking about Dhrupad, let me share a little bit about it. The word ‘Dhrupad’ is derived from dhruva-pada. 'Dhurv' means immovable, just like the Pole Star, and 'Pad' means poetry. So, in essence, Dhrupad is a style of music in which poetry is sung in a precomposed manner, followed by improvisation by the artist. Its history dates back to more than 600 years ago when it was sung in temples. Later on, the music evolved, and it was sung in the royal court of the Mughals. And now, the genre has been adopted in public performances as well. I feel that’s how the life-cycle of art goes; the essence remains the same, and otherwise, it evolves over the years through different artists.
Over the last decade, I have been fully committed towards Dhrupad. No doubt, the journey has been unreal so far. I have performed art across India and beyond as well. Every time I perform, it feels like doing meditation. You know, Dhrupad has the power to create an environment where the artist and the audience are lost in enjoying the art. The experience is pure bliss. And to reach that level, you need a little bit of artist madness. The madness to practice the craft every single day. The madness to keep yourself fit to perform the art for an hour or two in one go. When you do it consistently, you experience the magic of art and the honour of giving it back to the audience.
So, never measure the art in terms of claps, likes, comments and shares. Our Dhrupad is about bridging an inner connection that brings peace and refreshes the soul. Don’t we need it in today’s fast-paced lifestyle?
I’m giving it all to take forward our tradition. It would be great if more people came forward. It’s not that there is a lack of interest in art. The real problem is the lack of security. If you compare, there is a huge gap in the remuneration between popular and classical music. I feel our government should seriously consider reviving the rich culture of classical music. Art is vital to bring a sense of calmness to our society.
For my part, I’m organising music concerts in ten cities this year under the banner of Pt. Siyaram Tiwari Memorial Trust. I’m also performing on 6th May 2023 between 4 pm - 6 pm at DLRC Auditorium Doon Library & Research Center, Dehradun, organised by creative agency words rhythms images. So, join us if you’re in and somewhere around Dehradun.
Quitting a well paying to pursue an art that dates back to more than 600 years. Well, it’s rare to find such stories. Glad we found Sumeet’s.
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