‘An Enthralling Musical Homage’

by

Irfan Zuberi

Like every year, Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar paid musical homage to his uncle and guru Ustad Nasir Zahiruddin Dagar on his 12^th death anniversary on the 7^th of May. He chose the reflective and somber evening melody, Raag Multani, for the occasion. Blessed with a rich, sonorous, steady and yet sensitive voice and endowed with the aesthetic sensibilities of his elders, he possesses the ability to plug into the mood of the raag almost immediately. During the aalaap, he caressed the notes softly inviting them and then played around with them beautifully. In a day and age when almost all raags are treated and elaborated in a broadly similar fashion, Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar comes across as a breath of fresh air with the ability to treat each raag in accordance with its mood and character (or what the big Ustads used to call the tabiyat of the raag).

  Wasifuddin Dagar_Dhrupad 

Another point to be noted is that it is only in the genre of dhrupad gayaki that the aalaap is accompanied merely by the drone of the tanpuras. It is thus very important to have an extremely cultivated voice which has the ability to merge with the tanpuras and this is exactly what Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar possesses. During the jod stage of the aalaap, he made the audience realize the continuity of swar and laya even during the silences thus involving them in the systematic unfolding of the raag.

Accompanied by Pt. Mohan Shyam Sharma on the pakhawaj, he sang the Choutaal (12-beat rhythmic cycle) composition ‘Bansidhar Pinakdhar…’ Interesting melodic-rhythmic interplay ensued between the two artists much to the delight of the audiences. Mohan Shyam Sharma must be commended on playing good upaj-ang pakhawaj which inspired Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar to demonstrate more innovations and ornamentations within the composition.

  Wasifuddin Dagar_Dhrupad 

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