Pandit Nirmalya Dey

Dhrupad Vocal

Pandit Nirmalya Dey

3 minute read

Pandit Nirmalya Dey is a master vocalist of the Dagarvani Dhrupad, known for patient, detailed elaboration of some of North India’s oldest musical forms. He took advanced training from Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar for 26 years, and regularly appeared with his guru on stage. He initially pursued a career as a cost accountant, but found that “Dhrupad was my calling”. Today he performs and teaches at the Dhrupad Gurukul in Delhi.

Pandit Nirmalya Dey performed at Darbar Festival 2013, bringing the rich and meditative traditions of Dhrupad to the stage. Accompanied by Sukhad Munde on the pakhawaj, he delivered a spellbinding recital, marked by deep introspection, slow unfolding of ragas, and powerful rhythmic interplay. His performance exemplified the timeless beauty and spiritual depth of the Dagarvani style of Dhrupad.

“Look at the life of an aspiring Dhrupad musician. There are many uncertainties. First, he/she must listen to good music to get inspired. Then, he/she must learn and pursue the art form devoting all their time to it. At the end of it, it is difficult to predict if the performer will be a successful one and secure a livelihood from its pursuit.”

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Pandit Prem Kumar Mallick | Director

Recorded at Darbar Festival 2007, on 13th April, at the Phoenix Theatre Leicester. Musicians: - Pandit Prem Kumar Mallick (dhrupad) - Prashant Mallick (dhrupad) - Ravi Shankar Upadhyay (pakhawaj) - Debipriya Das & Gunwant Kaur (Tanpuras) Music Pieces: - Raag Shudh Sarang, Thaat: Kalyan, Samay: Late Morning; Alap Jod Jhalla and Dhamar - Raag Bhimpalasi, Thaat: Kafi, Samay: Afternoon; Bandish in Dhamar taal - Raag Bhimpalasi, Thaat: Kafi, Samay: Afternoon; Bandish in Sool taal Demonstrating a striking balance between melody and rhythm, Pandit Prem Kumar Mallick and his son Prashant Mallick present ragas Shudh Sarang and Bhimpalasi from the dhrupad tradition of the Darbhanga gharana. The gharana is based on the Gauhar vani syllable, representing pure melody and spontaneous laykari. Pandit Mallick and his son begin their recital with Raag Shudh Sarang, performing an expansive alap in the ‘been-ang’ (instrumental style), exposing the key phrases of the raga. In the lower octave, Ni is sufficiently projected as the ‘nyasa swara’ (resting note) from where, they dip further to Sa of the lower-most tetra-chord, demonstrating a magnificent grasp over vocal range. With smooth meends, they join the lower, middle and upper octaves, portraying a detailed and wide range of possibilities in the Shudh Sarang terrain. Pandit Mallick and his son touch the extreme upper octave during the jod, creating dramatic and robust gamaks in Shudh Sarang. The most spectacular part is the jhalla that consists of intricate, super-fast syllables performed with sparkling clarity. Ravi Shankar Upadhyay plays an engaging 12-beat cycle, perfectly blending with the lyrics of the composition and producing commendable improvisations. Proceeding to the next piece, Pandit Mallick and his son present an evocative composition in Raag Bhimpalasi set to a 14-beat cycle of Dhamar taal. Plunging deeper into this early evening melody, they deploy an array of breathtaking laykari using bol-banav, weaving the lyrics of the composition in an exciting variety of patterns. Preserving the best for the last, the duo performs another composition in the same raga. This traditional, age-old song from the Darbhanga gharana is set to Sool taal, a 10-beat cycle. The Sanskrit lyrics paint a vivid picture of Lord Shiva’s appearance and his fierce powers that are capable of destroying the universe in order to pave the path for a new world which is devoid of sufferings. In this performance, the Mallicks reveal the uplifting quality of their repertoire which is replete with dynamic use of swaras, stylised projection of syllables and stunning laykari.