Uday Bhawalkar

Pandit Uday Bhawalkar is an Indian Hindustani vocalist. He is an exponent of the dhrupad genre.

Early Years

Uday Bhawalkar was born in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. He is the youngest of three siblings. He began training in Hindustani classical music from his elder sister. At the age of 15, he received scholarship at the Dhrupad Kendra, Bhopal. Here and subsequently in Mumbai, Uday was initiated into the carefully guarded Dhrupad legacy of the Dagar Family that has been transmitted orally for 19 generations, in the age old Guru Shishya Parampara, under the tutelage of Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar, and later under his elder brother, Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagarsahab.

Career

In 1987, delighted by Uday's first public performance, Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar (one of the elder Dagar Brothers) awarded him a gold medal. Since then he has performed widely in India and abroad, in concerts, workshops and lecture - demonstration sessions. Based in Pune, he regularly performs on National TV and radio in India. Additionally, he has contributed to the soundtracks of International Art films including Mani Kaul's Cloud Door, Aparna Sen's Mr & Mrs Iyer and Amol Palekar's Anahat, Arun Khopkar's Lokpriya and Rasikpriya, Renuka Shane's Rita and Ganjendra Ahire's Ma Baap.

Teaching

Uday began teaching at the age of 20. He now lives in Pune and his own house is a 'swarkul' (Gurukul) of sorts with students coming and practicing at any time of the day. He was also a Visiting Artist in Residence at the University of Washington in Seattle in the Dept. of Ethnomusicology,^[1] a position held many years ago by his Guru, Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar. He gives workshops in London every year at the Asian Music Circuit. He is also one of the gurus at ITC SRA (Sangeet Research Academy), Kolkata.

The Veena Foundation

In 1992, he was instrumental in the creation of the Veena Foundation, a trust founded in memory of the late Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar. This organization was conceived to promote Dhrupad music by organizing concerts, giving scholarships to students who may be economically challenged, and various other activities.^[2]

Awards

• Ustad Allauddin Khan Academy, Bhopal Scholarship (1981–1985)
• National Scholarship (1986–1989)
• Gold medal from Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar (1987)
• Junior Fellowship (1993–1995)
• Rashtreeya Kumar Gandharva Samman (2001)
• Vishva Sangeet Ratna From Della Heritage Foundation (2005)
• Raza Foundation Award 2006-2007, New Delhi (2008)

References

External links

• Official website
• Dhrupad gets new life (The Telegraph)
• http://swaratala.blogspot.com/2007/04/uday-bhawalkar-dhrupad-is-not-guarantee.html