E11: Thoughts on Performance, the Guru, and The Disciple

With guest: Arun Dravid.

We continue our discussion with Dr. Arun Dravid, a venerated musician of the Jaipur-Atrauli style of Khayal and discuss concepts and the philosophy of performance of Khayal, the role of the Guru, and the responsibilities of the Disciple, extending our discussion to his recent work in the film of the same name: The Disciple.

Dr. Arun Dravid is a senior exponent of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. He began his early training under the tutelage of Abdul Majid Khan ji, a disciple of Alladiya Khan and later, became the first formal disciple of Kishori Amonkar ji. Arunji’s music is a balance of the bhaava-dominant nature of his guru’s music with the structural beauty that is characteristic of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. He is also engaged in imparting his wisdom of the gharana’s gayaki to the next generation. Recently, Dr. Dravid has also acted and sung in a supporting role for the film, The Disciple, now streaming on Netflix.

Hosted by Shishir Rao, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford and a student of Hindustani Classical Music.