The age-old Guru-Shishya Parampara is the basis of the gharana system of Hindustani Classical Music. Here are the different gharanas and stories of their origin
Since the vedic ages a guru has been worshiped like God. The gharana system of Hindustani musical traditions is a more recent example of the relationship between the teacher and his student in the guru-shishya parampara.
Musicians would travel around, performing in different courts, until they find popularity in one region and settle there
“A gharana is a place where a great ustad or a great pandit settled and started teaching his students,” says Purbayan Chatterjee, Sitar maestro. The patronage of the Mughal rulers to arts brought forth many talents from different parts of North India. Musicians would travel around, performing in different courts, until they find popularity in one region and settle there. In order to carry on his fame, these maestros would then invite students to live with him and learn his techniques and style. Thus, a gharana was formed. It was widely accepted that the status of gharana was given to only those who had had at least three generations of students. The gharana becomes famous by the name of the place or the founder guru.
“It’s an awesome system,” says Purbayan, who learnt the Sitar from his father Parthapratim Chatterjee, “the guru and the shishya interact with each other like father and son.” The student becomes part of the guru’s household. He not only learns the guru’s musical techniques, but also meets other artists and gentry that the guru associates with. Thus, the student develops not just the musical techniques but also similar musical tastes, temperament and inclinations. He also understands how to present himself during a performance. There was also heavy competition between musicians of different gharanas. “Students were not even allowed to associate with people from other gharanas,” says Sitar player Rajan Kulkarni, who hails from Maihar gharana. Stylistic differences between the gharanas were vast. Although the raagas were the same, each gharana had its own specialties it terms of the bandish they sang, the modifications in the instruments, the techniques the used etc.
Vocal Gharanas
There are many gharanas of vocal Hindustani music. We discuss a few which are widely distinct in their styles;
Gwalior Gharana: This is the oldest khayal gharana. During the era of the great Mughal emperor Akbar, three legendary musicians Haddu, Hassu, and Natthu Khan settled in Gwalior and developed the Gwalior gharana in the 16th Century. Famous for its preference of basic raagas as opposed to the compound raagas, they emphasize simplicity and lucidity. Taans and bol-baant are typical of their style. Some of the greatest artists from Gwalior gharana are Bal Krishna Baichal Karanjikar, Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, Veena Sahasrabuddhe and Malini Rajurkar
Agra Gharana: Haji Sujan Khan, Ustad Ghagghe Khuda Baksh are credited for being the founders. Agra gharana is known for being closest to the Dhrupad-Dhamar tradition. The style of singing involves deep, resonating notes. Grave and heavy emphasis on raagas is their distinctive features. Some prominent artists from this gharana are Faiyyaz Khan, Latafat Hussein Khan and Dinkar Kakini.
Kirana Gharana: Established in the late 18th century, Kirana gharana is known for its languid, elaborate renditions of raagas. Melody is more important to musicians here than rhythm. Founders of the Kirana gharana are Abdul Karim Khan and Abdul Wahid Khan. Some of the most widely known singers from the Kirana gharana are Hirabhai Barodekar, Begum Akhtar, Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hangal and Prabha Atre.
Sitar is the most popular stringed instrument. Sarod, Rudra Veena, Violin and more are also an equal part of these gharanas
Sitar Gharanas
Stringed instruments have their own gharanas. Sitar being the most popular, Sarod, Rudra Veena, Violin etc. are also equally part of these gharanas. “Guru may be a Sarod player, but the student can be a Sitar player,” explains Chatterjee.
Imdadkhani (Etawah) gharana: The oldest known Sitar gharana is the Imdadkhani Gharana, named after its founder Ustad Imdad Khan. Etawah is its birth place. This gharana is known to have developed in the gayaki ang, which means to play a raaga the same way as it is sung. Most notable names from this gharana are Ustad Vilayat Khan, his son Shujaat Khan, Shahid Parvez, Rajeev Janardan, Dr. Kamala Shankar and Budhaditya Mukherjee.
Maihar gharana: This is the youngest gharana in history. It was founded by Ustad Allaudin Khan in the early 20th century. It is one of the most prominent gharanas of the 20th century, made so by artists like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, Ali Akbar Khan, Annapurna Devi. Maihar gharana is known for its Tantrakari technique. This technique adds beauty to the raga such that human voice cannot replicate.
Jaipur Senia gharana: This gharana was probably established in mid 18th century. Rohim Sen, who was probably the great grandson of Masid Khan, the inventor of the first Sitar baj, is the founder of Jaipur Senia gharana. Masid Khan was a descendent of Miyan Tansen and hence ‘senia’ has been added to its name. The truth is that all gharanas claim descendance from Miyan Tansen. Barkatullah Khan, Ashiq Ali Khan and Mustaq Ali Khan, Debu Chaudhuri and his son, Prateek Chaudhuri are some of the prominent names from this gharana.
Tabla Gharanas
There are six widely accepted Tabla gharanas:
Delhi gharana: Established in the 18th century, this is the oldest Tabla gharana. Mia Siddhar Khan Dhadi was probably the founder of this gharana. Most improvisation rules used till date were developed by the Delhi gharana. Ajrara gharana is an offshoot of the Delhi gharana. Ustad Ghami khan saheb, Ustad Imam Ali Khan, Ustad munnu khan saheb, Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan saheb, and Ustad Shafaat Ahmed Khan are some of the famous names from this gharana.
Established in the 18th century, Delhi gharana is the oldest Tabla gharana, while Farukhabad is considered the youngest accepted Tabla gharanas
Lucknow gharana: This is another branch of the Delhi Gharana, which established itself in the late 18th century. Lucknow nawabs patronized kathak. And hence, the Lucknow Tabla gharana developed its style through accompanying for kathak.
Benares gharana: Established in the late 18th century, the founder of Benares gharana is Ram Sahai. The style characteristic to this gharana is resonating strokes like Na and Dhin.
Punjab gharana: Best known as the gharana of Ustad Alla Rakha and his son, Ustad Zakir Hussain, the Punjab gharana was established in the region of Punjab that is now in Pakistan. Established in the 19th century, Punjab gharana was originally a pakhawaj Gharana, which later took on the Tabla.
Farukhabad gharana: Established in the late 19th century, Farukhabad is considered the youngest accepted Tabla gharanas. Pandit Shankar Ghosh, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Pandit Abhijit Banerjee, Ustad Sabir Khan, Pandit Nayan Ghosh, Ustad Amir Hussain Khan, Pandit Pandharinath Nageshkar and Pandit Bickram Ghosh are some of the names associated with this gharana.
Since the vedic ages a guru has been worshiped like God. The gharana system of Hindustani musical traditions is a more recent example of the relationship between the teacher and his student in the guru-shishya parampara.
Musicians would travel around, performing in different courts, until they find popularity in one region and settle there
“A gharana is a place where a great ustad or a great pandit settled and started teaching his students,” says Purbayan Chatterjee, Sitar maestro. The patronage of the Mughal rulers to arts brought forth many talents from different parts of North India. Musicians would travel around, performing in different courts, until they find popularity in one region and settle there. In order to carry on his fame, these maestros would then invite students to live with him and learn his techniques and style. Thus, a gharana was formed. It was widely accepted that the status of gharana was given to only those who had had at least three generations of students. The gharana becomes famous by the name of the place or the founder guru.
“It’s an awesome system,” says Purbayan, who learnt the Sitar from his father Parthapratim Chatterjee, “the guru and the shishya interact with each other like father and son.” The student becomes part of the guru’s household. He not only learns the guru’s musical techniques, but also meets other artists and gentry that the guru associates with. Thus, the student develops not just the musical techniques but also similar musical tastes, temperament and inclinations. He also understands how to present himself during a performance. There was also heavy competition between musicians of different gharanas. “Students were not even allowed to associate with people from other gharanas,” says Sitar player Rajan Kulkarni, who hails from Maihar gharana. Stylistic differences between the gharanas were vast. Although the raagas were the same, each gharana had its own specialties it terms of the bandish they sang, the modifications in the instruments, the techniques the used etc.
Vocal Gharanas
There are many gharanas of vocal Hindustani music. We discuss a few which are widely distinct in their styles;
Gwalior Gharana: This is the oldest khayal gharana. During the era of the great Mughal emperor Akbar, three legendary musicians Haddu, Hassu, and Natthu Khan settled in Gwalior and developed the Gwalior gharana in the 16th Century. Famous for its preference of basic raagas as opposed to the compound raagas, they emphasize simplicity and lucidity. Taans and bol-baant are typical of their style. Some of the greatest artists from Gwalior gharana are Bal Krishna Baichal Karanjikar, Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, Veena Sahasrabuddhe and Malini Rajurkar
Agra Gharana: Haji Sujan Khan, Ustad Ghagghe Khuda Baksh are credited for being the founders. Agra gharana is known for being closest to the Dhrupad-Dhamar tradition. The style of singing involves deep, resonating notes. Grave and heavy emphasis on raagas is their distinctive features. Some prominent artists from this gharana are Faiyyaz Khan, Latafat Hussein Khan and Dinkar Kakini.
Kirana Gharana: Established in the late 18th century, Kirana gharana is known for its languid, elaborate renditions of raagas. Melody is more important to musicians here than rhythm. Founders of the Kirana gharana are Abdul Karim Khan and Abdul Wahid Khan. Some of the most widely known singers from the Kirana gharana are Hirabhai Barodekar, Begum Akhtar, Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hangal and Prabha Atre.
Sitar is the most popular stringed instrument. Sarod, Rudra Veena, Violin and more are also an equal part of these gharanas
Sitar Gharanas
Stringed instruments have their own gharanas. Sitar being the most popular, Sarod, Rudra Veena, Violin etc. are also equally part of these gharanas. “Guru may be a Sarod player, but the student can be a Sitar player,” explains Chatterjee.
Imdadkhani (Etawah) gharana: The oldest known Sitar gharana is the Imdadkhani Gharana, named after its founder Ustad Imdad Khan. Etawah is its birth place. This gharana is known to have developed in the gayaki ang, which means to play a raaga the same way as it is sung. Most notable names from this gharana are Ustad Vilayat Khan, his son Shujaat Khan, Shahid Parvez, Rajeev Janardan, Dr. Kamala Shankar and Budhaditya Mukherjee.
Maihar gharana: This is the youngest gharana in history. It was founded by Ustad Allaudin Khan in the early 20th century. It is one of the most prominent gharanas of the 20th century, made so by artists like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, Ali Akbar Khan, Annapurna Devi. Maihar gharana is known for its Tantrakari technique. This technique adds beauty to the raga such that human voice cannot replicate.
Jaipur Senia gharana: This gharana was probably established in mid 18th century. Rohim Sen, who was probably the great grandson of Masid Khan, the inventor of the first Sitar baj, is the founder of Jaipur Senia gharana. Masid Khan was a descendent of Miyan Tansen and hence ‘senia’ has been added to its name. The truth is that all gharanas claim descendance from Miyan Tansen. Barkatullah Khan, Ashiq Ali Khan and Mustaq Ali Khan, Debu Chaudhuri and his son, Prateek Chaudhuri are some of the prominent names from this gharana.
Tabla Gharanas
There are six widely accepted Tabla gharanas:
Delhi gharana: Established in the 18th century, this is the oldest Tabla gharana. Mia Siddhar Khan Dhadi was probably the founder of this gharana. Most improvisation rules used till date were developed by the Delhi gharana. Ajrara gharana is an offshoot of the Delhi gharana. Ustad Ghami khan saheb, Ustad Imam Ali Khan, Ustad munnu khan saheb, Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan saheb, and Ustad Shafaat Ahmed Khan are some of the famous names from this gharana.
Established in the 18th century, Delhi gharana is the oldest Tabla gharana, while Farukhabad is considered the youngest accepted Tabla gharanas
Lucknow gharana: This is another branch of the Delhi Gharana, which established itself in the late 18th century. Lucknow nawabs patronized kathak. And hence, the Lucknow Tabla gharana developed its style through accompanying for kathak.
Benares gharana: Established in the late 18th century, the founder of Benares gharana is Ram Sahai. The style characteristic to this gharana is resonating strokes like Na and Dhin.
Punjab gharana: Best known as the gharana of Ustad Alla Rakha and his son, Ustad Zakir Hussain, the Punjab gharana was established in the region of Punjab that is now in Pakistan. Established in the 19th century, Punjab gharana was originally a pakhawaj Gharana, which later took on the Tabla.
Farukhabad gharana: Established in the late 19th century, Farukhabad is considered the youngest accepted Tabla gharanas. Pandit Shankar Ghosh, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Pandit Abhijit Banerjee, Ustad Sabir Khan, Pandit Nayan Ghosh, Ustad Amir Hussain Khan, Pandit Pandharinath Nageshkar and Pandit Bickram Ghosh are some of the names associated with this gharana.
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