Dhrupad is one of the oldest surviving classical styles of Hindustani music, the etymological origin of which comes from ‘dhruva’ which means steady or still and ‘pad’ which means verse.
On 29th January 2022, New Acropolis Culture Circle hosted an online concert Exploring Dhrupad, with Dhrupad exponent Pelva Naik to appreciate and learn more about this style. She went on to explain that although an ancient art, Dhrupad has a timeless quality which allows every human being to relate to it. Using a simple metaphor to explain, she compared syllables to clay which can be bent, broken or moulded using tools of time and space. Dhrupad is thus a language that expresses intricate emotions and communicates the truth within us, with the audience and artist sharing the same beauty and trying to experience oneness.
Pelva Naik started her training in the Dhrupad in the eminent Dagar Vani School under the tutelage of Ustaad Faruddin Dagar. Today besides being a Dhrupad performer, she also is a teacher of art, music and the humanities.
