#darbarfestival #360 | Pandit Rupak Kulkarni, a senior disciple of Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, is one of today’s finest bansuri exponents, with a style rooted in his guru’s Maihar gharana
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Pandit Rupak Kulkarni is one of today’s finest bansuri exponents, with a style rooted in Ustad Allauddin Khan’s Maihar gharana. He is the senior disciple of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, having been accepted as the great master’s disciple after early training with his father Pandit Malhar Rao Kulkarni - he started learning tabla at the age of two, and took up the bamboo flute soon after. He describes his time with Hariprasad with fondness: “No matter how much he is tired and fatigue, he loves teaching. He just loves holding the flute 24hrs. He never scolded me for anything and always encouraged youngsters”.
Rupak has since sought to expand his guru’s pioneering approach, notably through looking to the work of surbahar legend Maa Annapurna Devi, and through studying the layakari (rhythmic interplay) of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. He has created new ragas - including Rang Malhar and Sonakshi - and even new flutes to aid in his quest, including the huge bass-toned adbhut bansuri (‘flute of wonder’).
He enjoys passing down the knowledge he has gained, saying that teaching “is food for my brain, so that I can improve myself - today's young generation is very curious”, and advises up-and-coming artists to keep their minds open to outside influences (“be well-versed in Indian and Western classical”), and takes a deep interest in the therapeutic use of Indian music. In his words, “musical satisfaction is about becoming one with Sa [Indian music's ever-present root note]”.
Read an extended interview with Rupak, and see his artist page here:
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“The bansuri is just a simple piece of bamboo. But it brings many benefits, not only for your ears but for your entire body and soul. Pranayama [breathing meditation] happens automatically, so to play is to soothe the mind. The flute needs no maintenance - the only thing you need is to be in tune internally.” (Pandit Rupak Kulkarni)
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Sarang family ragas, often associated with the 16th-century mystic-musician Swami Haridas, are said to have been used in snake-charming rituals of the past. Brindabani Sarang, named for its origins in the Vrindavan region of Uttar Pradesh, is fabled to have brought an incarnation of Krishna to earth when Haridas sung it for the first time.
It is linked with the blazing midday sun of the North Indian summer, and consequently tends to be expounded in the middle and upper octaves, often bringing a restless intensity to its phrases. It takes both Ni swaras, ascending as SRmPN (a bit like Raag Adi Basant with Re instead of Ga), and descending with SnPmRS. Re, the vadi (king note), and is typically played ‘unadorned’, free of slides, trills, or other ornaments.
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Recorded by Darbar in 2019, on location in West India:
-Pandit Rupak Kulkarni (bansuri)
Technical team credit:
- Jagdeep Shah (DOP)
- Sandeep Virdee (location sound)
- Nirmal Singh (360 editor)
- Christoph Bracher (ambisonic sound dubbing)
- Munshi Chohan (runner)
- Shivaji Shirke (village surpanch)
- Sunita Khandu Gore (catering)
- Special thanks to Sherna Chatterjee & Mortimer Chatterjee
Darbar believes in the power of Indian classical arts to stir, thrill and inspire. Through shared experiences and digital connectivity we ensure that one of the world’s finest art forms reaches the widest possible audience. Founded in 2006, we deliver premium quality live events, music education, broadcasts and online engagement through promoting artistic innovation and creative technology. We are also committed to providing a platform for new talent from India and the UK.
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