Sukhad Munde

Dhrupad Percussion Pakhawaj

4 minute read

Sukhad Munde hails from a distinguished family of pakhawaj maestros—his father, Pt. Manik Munde, being a prominent exponent of the tradition. Born on January 13, 1959, he began rigorous training under his father’s tutelage at the age of six, immersing himself in the Farrukhabad-Benares style of pakhawaj and tabla. He also received deeper musical insight (swar-gyan) through guidance from renowned dhrupad singer Pt. Uday Bhawalkar. Today, Sukhad leads the trio Samvad, blending traditional percussion with Western-trained flautists (Virginia and Igino), creating cross-cultural musical dialogues.

Sukhad has built a strong reputation as both a soloist and accompanist. He regularly performs solo pakhawaj recitals, jugalbandis, and tal-vadya kacheris. He’s shared the stage with luminaries like Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Rattan Mohan Sharma, Ustad Bahauddin Dagar, the Grammy-nominated Gundecha Brothers, flautist Pt. Ronu Majumdar, and Kathak dancers—all noted for his nuanced rhythmic support. His innovation extends to blending Indian classical rhythms with Western instrumentation through Samvad, performing widely across Indian and European music festivals.

Sukhad Munde has made notable appearances at the Darbar Festival, showcasing his mastery of the pakhawaj in both traditional and collaborative settings. At Darbar Festival 2013, he performed in a unique cross-cultural percussion ensemble that highlighted rhythmic interplay between Indian and Western traditions, blending pakhawaj with instruments like the Western drum kit and mridangam. His nuanced playing added depth and character to the ensemble’s dynamic conversation. In Darbar Festival 2018, Sukhad accompanied Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, one of the foremost Dhrupad vocalists, delivering an evocative and meditative performance at the Barbican Centre. His precise and soulful accompaniment brought out the intricate rhythmic textures of the Dhrupad tradition, earning praise for its sensitivity and control.

Darbar believes in the power of Indian classical music to stir, thrill, and inspire. Explore our YouTube channel or subscribe to the Darbar Player to watch extended festival performances, talks, and documentaries in pristine HD and UHD quality.

Explore all our live and on-demand music courses guided by world-class maestros. From beginners taking their first steps to advanced students refining their craft, our globally accessible platform empowers you to learn, grow, and connect deeply with the tradition of Indian classical music

Pandit Ram Mallick & Samit Mallick | Dhrupad | Full Concert

Recorded at Darbar Festival 2017, on 11th November, at Lilian Bayliss Studio, Sadler's Wells, London. Musicians: - Pandit Ram Kumar Mallick (Dharbanga Dhrupad) - Samit Mallick (Dharbanga Dhrupad) - Surdarshan Chana (Jori) - Seetal Dhadyalla (Tanpura) - Keertan Reha (Tanpura) The Darbhanga tradition of dhrupad gayaki combines melody, rhythm and poetry to create a powerful style. It follows two schools of dhrupad syllables - the Khandarvani and Gauharvani that synthesize the poetry and melody into an astounding interpretation of dhrupad through intense rhythmic elaboration. Pandit Ram Kumar Mallick and Samit Mallick are leading exponents of this gharana. In this Director’s Cut concert, they present two morning ragas – Lalit and Bhairav. Lalit is elaborated with a patient alap that gradually reveals its texture, first in the lower octave and then unfolds one note at a time over the middle octave. With a combination of Khandarvani and Gauharvani syllables, a linear pulse is introduced wherein, ample emphasis is laid on the lower tetra chord - the hot-bed on which Lalit unfurls its wings for flight. The pulse quickens, introducing the jod. Pandit Mallick’s voice has a husky charm which couples with Samit’s energy and groove to lay out an intricate design of the jhalla in Darbhanga style. Their crisp delivery of the syllables along with heavy-set and meend-based gamaks build the rendition into an intense, condensed body that embodies the raga, technique and soul in apposite measures. The composition in Lalit is set to a 12-beat cycle of Chaar taal. Surdarshan Chana joins in with a powerful and irresistibly mystique sound of the jori. His highly intuitive and poised accompaniment transforms the listener’s experience into one of transcendence. With spontaneous improvisation of the poetry around energetic rhythmic structures interwoven into the 12-beat cycle, the Mallicks make this piece immersive for the mind and soul. This is followed by a dhamar in the same raga in 14 beats. The Mallicks give a glowing and extraordinary rendition of this composition with a potent combination of diligent vocal ornamentations and laykari. The next raga, Bhairav, is first expanded in the same format as before, only this time, they stick to brevity and let go of the jhalla in the introductory section. The composition in a 10-beat cycle of Sool taal is conditioned with stately delivery of lyrics in buoyant gamaks over a primordial edifice of pure notes and dramatic delivery. Chana’s support is unfaltering and steady. He disarms with dynamism as he blends with the deeply rhythmic nature of the Darbhanga delivery and softens his thekas according to the demand of the vocals. As artistic director of Darbar Sandeep Virdee puts it, the enormity and diversity of Indian classical music is such that it is possible for us to present just the tip of the iceberg in one festival. But the highly evolved and remarkably transcendental Dhrupad is the genre that steals everyone’s heart every year.