Raag Komal Rishabh Asavari | Pelva Naik | Morning | Dhrupad | Darbar VR 360

#darbarfestival | Komal Re Asavari is in fact the ‘original’ Raag Asavari. Here, vocalist Pelva Naik demonstrates how it has been maintained by her Dagarvani Dhrupad tradition.
► 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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Pelva Naik is one of India’s finest young Dhrupad vocalists. She is also one of the few women who sing the style, but believes that “gender dissolves once the tanpura starts”. Born into a Mumbai family of dancers, writers, and filmmakers, she studied a wide variety of creative forms as a child, including kathak dance, khayal singing, miniature painting, and literature in Hindi, Gujarati, and English.

At age 17 she found an instant bond with Dhrupad when the legendary Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar gave a workshop at her school (“it matched my element…like a rediscovery”). She soon became his disciple, as well as receiving instruction from Dagarvani veena maestro Ustad Bahauddin Dagar, and after school went to study full-time at the Panvel Dhrupad Gurukul. Today she continues to build a highly impressive performance resume as well as nurturing a more recent passion for teaching.

She is keen to remind listeners that gender has always been more of a barrier to worldly success than to mastery of the music itself: "I think it is the matter of least concern as to which gender pursues dhrupad more and which less. The concern is how true the individual singer/musician is towards the art form."

Learn more at:
-https://www.darbar.org/artist/pelva-naik/70

“I still haven’t figured out why people say that Dhrupad is a masculine art form, or where that idea comes from...It’s just that on the public platform, men had more exposure…[my guru’s] grandmother was a veena player. She used to practice veena at home, and teach the children” (Pelva Naik)
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Komal Re Asavari is in fact the ‘original’ Raag Asavari. Bhatkande, the late-19th-century musicologist, named his ‘Asavari thaat’ base scale to resemble the ‘shuddha Re’ variant of the raga, and Raag Asavari now refers by default to this newer version, which avoids the komal re. The older version is still preferred by Dhrupad musicians, including Pelva here, and the greats of her Dagarvani tradition such as Ustads Moinuddin and Aminuddin Dagar (the ‘Senior’ Dagar brothers).

Komal Re Asavari has a near-identical note set to Raag Bhairavi, ascending with SrmPd and descending with SndPmgr. Dha and Re are the most common vadi-samvadi (king and queen note) pairing. It is sometimes known as Asavari Todi, suggesting phraseological links to the Todi family. Its distinctive melodic turns are heavy with meend (wide bends), and the Sa is often skipped in descending phrases, bringing an unresolved feel.

Recorded by Darbar in 2019, on location in West India:
-Pelva Naik (Dhrupad vocal)
-Shibu Muity (tanpura)

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 through promoting artistic innovation and creative technology. We are also committed to providing a platform for new talent from India and the UK.

Видео Raag Komal Rishabh Asavari | Pelva Naik | Morning | Dhrupad | Darbar VR 360 канала darbarfestival