Raag Gujri Todi | Ayan Sengupta | Morning | Darbar VR360

#darbarfestival VR360 | Ayan Sengupta brings his vocalistic style to the auspicious Raag Gujri Todi, named for its origins in Gujarat, India’s Westernmost state.
► Welcome to the Darbar VR 360 Festival. We’ve released around 50 immersive VR videos showcasing some of India’s finest artists performing in breathtaking natural landscapes, spanning Hindustani, Carnatic, Dhrupad, and percussion.

For the best experience use a VR headset with headphones. Experience being the sole ‘audience member’ right next to the musicians for your own private raga performance, enjoying the music amidst India’s natural world. For more info, including the full program, see www.darbar.org/video360

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Ayan Sengupta’s sitar style expertly blends the vocalistic turns of his gurus, who include singers such as Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty as well as esteemed sitarists Pandit Manilal Nag, Pandit Partha Chatterjee, and Pandit Kushal Das. He also learned from his grandfather, another vocalist, who gifted his grandson some biryani after he received his first scholarship, but also cautioned him, saying “This is your gift. But, don’t think what you’ve achieved is the end. This is just the beginning. You have to practice more...”.

As a youngster he enjoyed success in local competitions, and in 2007 won the All India Radio youth sitar competition. Aged 21 the station awarded him an ‘A’ grade rating, making him one of the first sitarists born in the 1990s to achieve this accolade. He currently studies as a scholar at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, while also pursuing a Masters degree in Music.

Though still young, he is starting to receive acclaim for his growing international touring schedule, debuting in London in early 2019. Outside of classical music he has participated in a 'fusion reality TV show', #LifeIsMusic, alongside artists such as Taufiq Qureshi, Purbayan Chatterjee (who also appears at the VR 360 Festival), and Indian jazz godfather Louis Banks.

Learn more at:
-https://www.darbar.org/artist/ayan-sengupta/147

"My grandfather was a very learned singer. In his career, he developed a throat problem and he had to stop singing. That really hurt him. That’s when he decided that he would make his grandson a musician, but he wouldn’t let him be a vocalist. He was afraid that something similar may happen to me." (Ayan Sengupta)

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The Todi raga family is central to the Hindustani tradition, overflowing with musical ideas not found anywhere else on the planet. In the words of musicologist Rajan Parrikar, Todi is “the most profound, finespun idea in melodic music...from ecstasy to frolic to pathos to bathos to melancholy - every conceivable human emotion has refracted through the Todi prism.”

Many hear an unsettling, existentially anxious mood, and others see Todi ragas as having “the playfulness of a newborn lying in bed content, smiling and playful”, while a Sikh writer considers the raga to “explain things that we may be aware of, but fail to ponder upon”. Suffice to say, it is a versatile, ambiguous raga family, which calls the listener to connect with it on a deeply personal level.

Gujri Todi is a popular member of the Todi family named for its origins in Gujarat, India’s Westernmost state. Associated with the morning hours, it takes a similar set of swaras to the main Raag Todi, with the main difference being that its SrgMdN shape omits the Pa in both ascent and descent.

David Courtney’s Chandrakantha site notes that “there are differences of opinion concerning the vadi and samvadi - Dha, Ga, and Re have variously been declared to occupy these positions”. Rudra veena master Ustad Bahauddin Dagar mentioned in a recent lecture that he plays his Sa (root note) one śruti higher than the tanpura when playing Gujri Todi, linking his overall ‘seven shades of Sa’ tuning concept to the daily cycle of the sun across the sky.

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Recorded by Darbar in 2019, on location in West India:
-Ayan Sengupta (sitar)

Technical team credit:
-Jagdeep Shah (DOP)
-Sandeep Virdee (location sound)
-Nirmal Singh (360 editor)
-Christoph Bracher (ambisonic sound dubbing)
-Narvir Singh (assistant editor)
-Special thanks to Sherna Chatterjee & Mortimer Chatterjee

Darbar believes in the power of Indian classical arts to stir, thrill and inspire. Through shared experiences and digital connectivity we ensure that one of the world’s finest art forms reaches the widest possible audience. Founded in 2006, we deliver premium quality live events, music education, broadcasts and online engagement. We are committed to providing a platform for new talent from India and the UK.

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