Agra: A few days ago, at a classical music event in South India, a scholar asked me, “What is the current state of the Agra Gharana, and who is preserving it?” My answer was burdened with ignorance and helplessness. This question points to a significant concern—how Hindustani classical music, especially the Agra Gharana, is being neglected in modern times.
Today’s fast-paced life and the desire for instant gratification have drawn the younger generation towards Bollywood music, rap, remixes, and Punjabi pop, which offer quick recognition. This shift has increased the risk of deep musical traditions like the Agra Gharana becoming extinct. The number of people who understand the need for patience, concentration, and dedication is dwindling. As a result, the Agra Gharana, once famous for its bold and complex style, is now fading into obscurity.
The once vibrant echoes of Hindustani classical music, especially the prestigious Agra Gharana, are fading into obscurity in the very city that symbolized this region’s rich musical heritage. Without dedicated patrons and enthusiastic disciples, this centuries-old tradition is now on the brink of extinction. The Agra Gharana, nurtured by legendary maestros like Faiyaz Khan and Vilayat Hussain Khan, is struggling due to a lack of recognition and support. The younger generation, enamored by fleeting global trends, remains largely unaware of this musical treasure. Without immediate efforts to revive and preserve it—through festivals, funding, and institutional support—the Agra Gharana risks disappearing, leaving a cultural void in a city that once resonated with its soulful rhythms.
The last distinguished representative of the four-century-old Agra Gharana, Ustad Aqeel Ahmed, lived in poverty due to a lack of support from any side. Currently, there is no one to train a passionate singer about the subtle nuances and diversities that distinguish the Agra Gharana from other streams. However, music teachers say that old traditions should be preserved as they are part of our musical heritage. Only when we learn the music of the old Gharanas and have a good grasp of classical streams can we excel in other forms of music. The youth are moving towards pop music streams that neither satisfy the soul nor soothe the senses.
Although the Agra Gharana was not popular in Agra, it had patrons all over India, and many classical singers were keeping it alive. “The Agra Gharana is not dead yet. Its fans and patrons are everywhere. But the people of Agra are not making efforts to preserve and promote the rich tradition, which is truly sad,” says Dr. Jyoti Khandelwal, Director, Nritya Jyoti Kathak Kendra.
The Agra Gharana was born from the efforts of Shamrang and Sasrang, two Rajput men who lived during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar. Later, they converted to Islam to sing in the Mughal court. They are believed to be relatives of Mian Tansen of Gwalior. Ustad Faiyaz Khan later introduced many nuances in music through the modulation of voice and rhythmic patterns of Alaap (the non-metered introductory section of Hindustani classical singing) and Bandish (a fixed melodic composition with words set in a cycle of beats). He is credited with establishing the proper Agra Gharana. This school of music emphasizes the melodic aspect of the raga and is full of embellishments. Famous singers of this school include Sharafat Hussain Khan, Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan ‘Agravale’, Latafat Hussain Khan, Yunus Hussain, Vijay Kichlu, Jyotsna Bhole, Deepali Nag, and Sumati Mutatkar. A famous independent singer trained by Ustad Faiyaz Khan was K.L. Saigal. Reflecting the unique versatility of the Agra Gharana, these singers have practiced and nurtured various styles of singing such as Dhrupad, Khyal, Thumri, Dadra, Hori, and Tappa.
Internationally renowned musicologist Dr. Sadanand Brahmbhatt explains that the term
‘Gharana’ signifies a specific way of presenting any raga (known as Gayaki). The practice of keeping it limited to their family was to prevent others from learning it and to keep their singing style confined to their family. This practice continued for years.
Pandit Brahmbhatt, who has been engaged in music practice for years, says that the notes of Raag Bhairav are the same in all Gharanas, which have been sung for years, but there is a difference in the way they are presented. This difference is very subtle, which only a discerning artist can understand.
Nowadays, in the era of recording, everyone listens to each other, so it is not as relevant. Because assimilating the singing style of any Gharana, whether it is Gwalior, Delhi, Rampur, Sahaswan, Kirana, Banaras, or Agra Gharana, is a long-term practice and process, which has declined. Now, people are called singers of that Gharana just by learning one or two ragas from someone. The first singer of this style, Nayak Gopal (founder of the Nauhar Bani), was asked by Akbar to convert to Islam and perform Hajj, after which he was called Haji Sujan Khan. Haji Sujan Khan is considered the founder of the Agra Gharana. The prominent singer of this Gharana was Faiyaz Khan, who left Agra in 1932 and moved to Baroda. After him, Bashir Khan and his two sons Aqeel Ahmed Khan and Shabbir Ahmed Khan continued it. Their family member Nazim Ahmed Khan moved to Kolkata, and his son Wasim Ahmed is at ITC Kolkata.
“After Faiyaz Khan moved to Baroda, three gurus of the Gwalior Gharana, Pandit Gopal Laxman Gune (my guru), Pandit Raghunath Talegaonkar, and Pandit Sitaram Vyavahare, came to Agra and promoted classical music and taught many disciples. Nowadays, the people taught by these three luminaries, i.e., the Gwalior singing style, are in Agra.
Among those residing in Agra and learning the Agra singing style is Varnali Bose, who lives here. The current prominent singers of the Agra Gharana are Pandit Arun Kashalkar (Pune), Wasim Ahmed Khan (Kolkata), Aditi Kaikini Upadhyay, Bharti Pratap, and other artists of the Agra Gharana.”
Music experts believe that Agra University should take concrete steps to preserve the “Agra Gharana”.
