South Asian Arts UK

Deepa Shakti – vocals
Mehar-Jot Singh Sagoo - Jori  
Ikhjhot Kaur - Taanpura 

Sounds of Medieval India

We invite everyone to join us for a very special lunchtime recital of Dhrupad music presented by highly versatile vocalist Deepa Shakti, disciple of Pt Uday Bhawalkar, accompanied by Mehar-Jot Singh Sagoo on Jori and accompaniment on Taanpura by Ikhjhot Kaur.

Considered to be one of the oldest and most abundant styles of Hindustani classical music, Dhrupal is characterised by its meditative and spiritual nature, often described as solemn, uplifting, and heroic.   

This music was originally rooted in Vedic hymns and mantras as seen as a form of worship, an offering to the divine through sound, predominately associated with a male voice as referenced in the Natya Shastra (a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts) by Bharata Muni thought to have been completed between 200 BCE-200 CE. Thanks to patronage from figures like Emperor Akbar and Raja Maan Singh Tomar, Dhrupad music gained prominence in the 15th and 16th centuries thanks to renowned court musicians Swami Haridas and Miah Tānsen.