The Music of the Gayan Shala
Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid’s 95th Urs
Saturday, February 5th, 2022 | 11am Richmond, 5pm Suresnes, 9:30pm Delhi
In honor of the musical legacy of Hazrat Inayat Khan, his Urs celebration this year will explore repertoire of the Gayanshala, a music academy founded by Inayat Khan’s grandfather Maula Bakhsh in 1886.
Maula Bakhsh, sometimes referred to as “the Beethoven of India,” used his prodigious musical gifts to invent a system of notation to unify India musically by encompassing traditions of both North and South India for the first time, and to make musical instruction available to all, including women, of every caste and creed. These ideas were revolutionary.
Hazrat Inayat Khan received his first musical and spiritual instruction from his grandfather, forming a strong soul bond with him that lasted well beyond his grandfather’s passing when Inayat was 14. As a young man on the faculty of the Gayanshala, Inayat published a textbook of music in 1903 using Maula Bakhsh’s notation, and a few years later the Minqar i Musiqar which contains over 70 original compositions.
For this celebration of Murshid’s homecoming, we invite you to listen to music of the Gayanshala, including a composition from the Minqar i Musiqar which hasn’t been heard in a century, sung by renowned Indian singer Aziza Rekha Bhardwaj, and then to delight in the heavenly tones of the Rudra Veena, Maula Bakhsh’s preferred instrument, in the hands of two modern masters: Ustad Baha’ ud-din Dagar, whose family has been associated with the Inayati lineage for generations, and Ustad Zahid Khan Faridi Desai, whose father was a dear friend of Pir Vilayat.
As our official program comes to a close, after a short break, we will continue with Zikr w/ Zuleikha.
Please come and let your soul soar!
BIOGRAPHIES
Aziza Rekha Bhardwaj, a seeker on the path, is trained in Hindustani Classical Music under Guru Pandit Amarnathji of the Indore Gharana. Her inner journey started with an album of Sufi poems “Ishqa Ishqa” (2002) penned by filmmaker, poet Gulzar and composed by filmmaker, composer Vishal Bhardwaj initiating her into the world of Sufism which became a way of life. An opportunity in film, “Omkara” (2005), earned her success as a playback singer in the Indian Film Industry. She has won a prestigious National Award and two Filmfare Awards for her songs. She has a distinctive soulful voice which leads one to a touch of Divinity. Her daily riyaaz heals her. Music is Ibaadat to her. She was initiated by Pir Zia in July 2020, is a Salik in the Suluk Global class, Na koja abad, and has been working on songs from Murshid’s Minqar i Musiqar. Her music can be heard on Spotify, Instagram and YouTube.
Ustad Mohi Baha’ud-din Dagar was into the illustrious Dagar family of Dhrupad musicians in 1970, Mohi Baha’ud-din first began his foray into Indian Classical Music at the early age of seven, training on the Sitar under the expert tutelage of his mother, Smt. Pramila Dagar. Once he’d finished three years of initial training, he received brief instruction on the Surbahar and was later introduced to the Rudra Veena by his father, Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, a legendary Rudra Veena maestro and his uncle, Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar, a renowned Indian classical vocalist from whom he later also learnt vocal music.
In 1990, Mohi Bahaʼud-din received the Lakhanpal Foundation Fellowship for two years. He also received a two-year Fellowship in 1993 from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, India. At the early age of twenty, Mohi Bahaʼuddin formally stepped onto the stage and made his mark in the industry as a classical performer.
Mohi Baha’ud-din is a unique artist who has played for diverse and varied audiences in India and across the world. A cross-platform performer, he has made regular appearances on television and radio networks. His music has been recorded by Music Today (India), Makars (France), Ragini Sutra (India), Sense World (London), and India Music Archives (USA).
Mohi Baha’ud-din has also been invited to serve under Nana Shirgaokar Research Professorship at the University of Goa from 2013 to 2015. Mohi Baha’ud-din continues to receive able guidance from the esteemed Pandit Pushpraj Koshti, a senior disciple of Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar.
Ustad Zahid Khan Faridi Desai is the son of Miya Ustad Shamsuddin Faridi Desai, part of the Indore Binkar family. He is the last successor as well as the master of the unique art of Gauhar Bani style Khayal and Dhrupad, believed to have been developed by Swami Gopal Nayak in 1250 AD. Zahid Khan is the only current artist who has learned the art of Bin (Veena) through the tradition of the Indore family. He developed an interest in learning the art of playing the Bin, an instrument that dates back at least 5000 years, since childhood, with powerful guidance from his father Ustad Shamsuddin Faridi, and through complete devotion and hard work under his guidance, became an illustrious musician at the very tender age of 28.
The art of Bin is deeply connected to spiritual knowledge as it was the instrument of Lord Shiva and to master it one needs spiritual awakeness. In order to achieve this inner knowledge, Zahid Khan has been the follower of Qari Sibte Rasool Qadri[Reh], a well-known Sufi saint who spent his life teaching mankind the power and beauty of love and peace.
Zuleikha: Trained in music, movement and mysticism by Master teachers of eastern and western lineages, international Storydancer and educator, Zuleikha, is an ambassador for Unity in artistic and spiritual expression. As a Storydancer and performer, Zuleikha has been described as “a singular figure on the horizon of sacred theater and dance” (Edinburgh Guide). She is renowned for her collaborations in the Rumi Concert with the celebrated poet and translator of Rumi’s poetry, Coleman Barks, and with award-winning world musicians. Zuleikha loves Zikr. She is a conductor of this practice, leading groups of people through active Oneness meditation that often combines silence, sitting, melody and motion. zuleikha.com
Speakers
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Pir Zia Inayat KhanPir Zia Inayat Khan, PhD, is a scholar of religion and teacher of Sufism in the universalist Sufi lineage of his grandfather, Hazrat Inayat Khan. Pir Zia is president of the Inayatiyya and founder of Sulūk Academy, a school of Sufi contemplative study and practice. He is the author of Immortality: A Traveler’s Guide; Mingled Waters: Sufism and the Mystical Unity of Religions; Saracen Chivalry: Counsels on Valor, Generosity and the Mystical Quest; and the editor and compiler of Dream Flowers: The Collected Works of Noor Inayat Khan, for which he also wrote the critical introduction. Pir Zia divides his time between Richmond, Virginia and Suresnes, France. inayatiyya.org
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Aziza Rekha BhardwajAziza Rekha, a seeker on the path, is trained in Hindustani Classical Music under Guru Pandit Amarnathji of the Indore Gharana. Her inner journey started with an album of Sufi poems “Ishqa Ishqa” (2002) penned by filmmaker, poet Gulzar and composed by filmmaker, composer Vishal Bhardwaj initiating her into the world of Sufism which became a way of life. An opportunity in film, “Omkara” (2005), earned her success as a playback singer in the Indian Film Industry. She has won a prestigious National Award and two Filmfare Awards for her songs. She has a distinctive soulful voice which leads one to a touch of Divinity. Her daily riyaaz heals her. Music is Ibaadat to her. She was initiated by Pir Zia in July 2020, is a Salik in the Suluk Global class, Na koja abad, and has been working on songs from Murshid’s Minqar i Musiqar. Her music can be heard on Spotify, Instagram and YouTube.
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ZuleikhaTrained in music, movement and mysticism by Master teachers of eastern and western lineages, international Storydancer and educator, Zuleikha, is an ambassador for Unity in artistic and spiritual expression. As a Storydancer and performer, Zuleikha has been described as “a singular figure on the horizon of sacred theater and dance” (Edinburgh Guide). She is renowned for her collaborations in the Rumi Concert with the celebrated poet and translator of Rumi’s poetry, Coleman Barks, and with award-winning world musicians. Zuleikha loves Zikr. She is a conductor of this practice, leading groups of people through active Oneness meditation that often combines silence, sitting, melody and motion. zuleikha.com
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Ustad Mohi Baha’ud-din DagarUstad Mohi Baha’ud-din Dagar was into the illustrious Dagar family of Dhrupad musicians in 1970, Mohi Baha’ud-din first began his foray into Indian Classical Music at the early age of seven, training on the Sitar under the expert tutelage of his mother, Smt. Pramila Dagar. Once he’d finished three years of initial training, he received brief instruction on the Surbahar and was later introduced to the Rudra Veena by his father, Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, a legendary Rudra Veena maestro and his uncle, Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar, a renowned Indian classical vocalist from whom he later also learnt vocal music.
In 1990, Mohi Bahaʼud-din received the Lakhanpal Foundation Fellowship for two years. He also received a two-year Fellowship in 1993 from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, India. At the early age of twenty, Mohi Bahaʼuddin formally stepped onto the stage and made his mark in the industry as a classical performer.
Mohi Baha’ud-din is a unique artist who has played for diverse and varied audiences in India and across the world. A cross-platform performer, he has made regular appearances on television and radio networks. His music has been recorded by Music Today (India), Makars (France), Ragini Sutra (India), Sense World (London), and India Music Archives (USA).
Mohi Baha’ud-din has also been invited to serve under Nana Shirgaokar Research Professorship at the University of Goa from 2013 to 2015. Mohi Baha’ud-din continues to receive able guidance from the esteemed Pandit Pushpraj Koshti, a senior disciple of Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar. -
Ustad Zahid Khan Faridi DesaiUstad Zahid Khan Faridi Desai is the son of Miya Ustad Shamsuddin Faridi Desai, part of the Indore Binkar family. He is the last successor as well as the master of the unique art of Gauhar Bani style Khayal and Dhrupad, believed to have been developed by Swami Gopal Nayak in 1250 AD. Zahid Khan is the only current artist who has learned the art of Bin (Veena) through the tradition of the Indore family. He developed an interest in learning the art of playing the Bin, an instrument that dates back at least 5000 years, since childhood, with powerful guidance form his father Ustad Shamsuddin Faridi, and through complete devotion and hard work under his guidance, became an illustrious musician at the very tender age of 28.
The art of Bin is deeply connected to spiritual knowledge as it was the instrument of Lord Shiva and to master it one needs spiritual awakeness. In order to achieve this inner knowledge, Zahid Khan has been the follower of Qari Sibte Rasool Qadri[Reh], a well-known Sufi saint who spent his life teaching mankind the power and beauty of love and peace.
