Introduction to the Six Major Gharanas

There are six commonly recognized gharanas ("school" or "lineage") in classical Indian tabla:

• Dilli – दिल्ली (dillī)
• Lucknow – लखनऊ (lakhanaū)
• Farrukhabad – फर्रूखाबाद (pharrūkhābād)
• Ajrara – अजराड़ा (ajarāṛā)
• Punjab – पंजाब (panjāb)
• Benares – बनारस (banāras)

Classical tabla’s vast repertoire of compositions and styles grew out of these six primary traditions, starting in Dilli, most likely in the mid-to-late 1700s.

As discussed in the Tabla Gharanas section, the gharana tradition has been in steady decline for many decades. And today’s players commonly perform material and styles from any gharana they choose.

Yet the gharanas are still relevant to modern tabla. Most players feel it is important to be trained in one of the six major traditions, hopefully by a well-respected guru. And many of the unique compositions, styles, and techniques of the six gharanas live on in the artistry of today’s top performers.

As discussed below, the first two gharanas of Dilli and Lucknow were particularly important. They set the foundations of the classical tradition in terms of repertoire and style, and strongly influenced their descendants.

Eventually, all of the gharanas developed their own materials and styles, and made significant contributions to classical tabla. In modern times, the gharanas of Farrukhabad and Punjab have been especially influential.

Geographic Origins

The tabla gharanas originated in the north of India, and are named after their city, or region, of origin. (Lahore has been a part of Pakistan since partition in 1947.)

Gharana lineages have since spread out from their original locations. During the era of court musicians, many players moved to the courts that employed them. And in the modern era, many players have moved to the urban areas which offer a better chance to find work as musicians.

Today, music centers such as Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai have players from all the gharanas living there, many of them for generations.

Chronology of the Gharanas

Below is a rough chronology of the gharanas and their connections to each other. The founders’ birth dates are taken from Gottlieb’s Solo Tabla Drumming of North India, but note that these dates are estimates, and there may be some disagreements among musicians and historians:

1. The Dilli gharana is believed to be the oldest of the gharanas and was founded by Siddhar Khan (born around 1700).
2. From Dilli came the Lucknow gharana, founded by Mian Bakhshu Khan and, it is commonly believed, by Modhu Khan¹ (born around 1770).
3. From Lucknow came the Farrukhabad gharana, founded by Haji Vilayat Khan (born around 1780).
4. From Dilli came the Ajrara gharana, founded by Kallu Khan and Meeru Khan (born around 1800).
5. The Punjab gharana developed more independently in Lahore, first as a pakhawaj tradition founded by Lal Bhawani Singh. This lineage was then adapted to the tabla by Kader Baksh (born around 1810).²
6. From Lucknow came the Benares gharana founded by Ram Sahai (born around 1830 or earlier).³

Notes:

1. While it is commonly believed that Modhu Khan was both a brother of Mian Bakhshu and a co-founder of the Lucknow gharana, Kippen notes that there is very weak historical evidence for this (p. 66). More interestingly, some players of the Lucknow gharana, including the former Khalifa Afaq Hussain, do not believe Modhu Khan was a brother or a co-founder, but arrived in Lucknow some 50 years later. Modhu Khan was also the teacher of Ram Sahai of the Benares gharana. And so this alternate history would also affect the origins of the Benares lineage.
2. Some believe the Punjab gharana is actually the oldest gharana, predating even Dilli, although there is no convincing evidence to support this.
3. There are widely differing dates given for Ram Sahai’s birth, the earliest being 1780. Gottlieb’s discussion of these dates (Vol. 1, p. 10) explains the problem in detail.

Two Centers of the Tradition: Dilli and Lucknow

The first two gharanas, Dilli and Lucknow, were especially important. Their repertoires and styles helped to create the foundations for the gharanas that followed. Today, most tabla lineages are built firmly on the twin foundations of Dilli and Lucknow, though there are still many differences in style and repertoire.

Two Kinds of Compositions

As discussed in the Overview of Compositional Forms, tabla compositions are typically put into two general categories: theme-and-variation and fixed, or into similar categories such as cyclic and cadential. These two kinds of compositions have their origins in the first two gharanas of Dilli and Lucknow.

The most important forms to come from the Dilli gharana are the kayda and peshkar (theme-and-variation/cyclic forms). The kayda became the most common compositional form across all gharanas, and is the form that tabla students practice the most. The peshkar is also an exceptionally popular form performed by most players in all gharanas other than Benares.

Kayda bols (phrases) are also found in many other kinds of compositions and styles, and form part of the foundation of the tabla’s classical language. In this way, all other gharanas have some connection to Dilli.

The second gharana, Lucknow, was founded by two members (or one member) of the Dilli gharana who moved to Lucknow. And so the Lucknow repertoire includes kayda and peshkar. But because of the local influences—especially kathak dance—Lucknow developed new kinds of compositions that included the gat, tukra, and paran (fixed/cadential forms).

Of these forms, the tukra (and its big brother, the chakradar) is especially popular and has become a standard form across the gharanas. Gats are also popular across the gharanas but remain a specialty of the purab ("eastern") gharanas: Lucknow, Farrukhabad, and Benares.

And so the two classes of compositional forms that grew out of these two gharanas give us the foundations of the modern repertoire:

• Dilli Gharana: kayda and peshkar (theme-and-variation/cyclic)
• Lucknow Gharana: gat, tukra, and paran (fixed/cadential)

(Note that most gats are both fixed and cyclic, and only sometimes cadential.)

There are other important forms, but those above are the most representative of the two general kinds of compositions. All gharanas now include a wide variety of both kinds of forms. (See the Compositional Forms section for more information about these and other forms.)

Two General Styles

As discussed in the section on Baj, the Dilli gharana is also known for its particular baj, or style. This includes particular hand techniques, as well as a general style of performance. Together they are known as Dilli baj.

With its expanded repertoire, Lucknow developed new hand techniques and styles of playing. Some of these were adaptations of pakhawaj techniques. This new style came to be known as purab baj ("eastern style", because Lucknow is east of Dilli), and was now distinct from Dilli baj.

These two general styles, Dilli and purab, were passed on to their descendant gharanas. This gives us two historical groups of tabla baj:

• Dilli Baj: Dilli and Ajrara gharanas
• Purab Baj: Lucknow, Farrukhabad, and Benares gharanas

The Punjab gharana is perhaps closer to purab than Dilli, but has qualities of both styles.

Gharana Characteristics

The gharanas which grew out of Dilli and Lucknow all went on to develop their own unique material and techniques, while still keeping the influence of their parent gharanas.

Below is a brief summary of their repertoires and styles in relation to the two major styles of Dilli and purab. Again, keep in mind that these are historical characteristics, and that modern lineages may not share these characteristics completely (see the Compositional Forms section for descriptions of the forms mentioned below, and the section on Baj for a more technical discussion of style):

Dilli:

• Dilli is known for its kayda, peshkar, rela, and mukhra-mohra, and as the originator of the Dilli baj. It is the most gentle and refined gharana, with fast and nimble techniques.
• Ajrada is considered very close to Dilli in its material and style (also geographically). Ajrara is especially known for its unique kaydas in aralay (3:1; 6:1, etc.) which are popular with players from all gharanas.

Purab:

• Lucknow is known for its tukra, gat, chakradar, nauhakka, and paran, and as the originator of the purab baj. With a strong kathak and pakhawaj influence, it introduced bolder, and more "open" techniques.
• Farrukhabad is known for its gat, tukra, rela, and chalan, but does not have the strong kathak influences of Lucknow. This gharana is often noted for its refined balance of Dilli and purab compositions and techniques.
• Benares is known for tukra, gat, uthan, farad, paran, and bant. Benares has its own local kathak influence, but a stronger pakhawaj and laggi influence than in Lucknow. Benares is known for its bold, purab style.

The Punjab gharana developed more independently, but has some features of both Dilli and Purab in its repertoire and technique. It has a strong pakhawaj foundation, and is sometimes aggressive in style. The Punjab gharana in India is now dominated by the lineage of Alla Rakha and Zakir Hussain, which is different from other Punjab lineages. It is especially known for its gats and relas, and for a "mathematical" approach, with unusual phrase divisions and patterns.

Modern Gharanas

All major tabla lineages and performers now practice both styles, Dilli and purab, and play compositions from other gharanas. Over the decades, there has been so much sharing between gharanas, that many modern lineages now have similar repertoires. And despite what some players might tell us, it is often impossible to know where some compositions originated.

However, most lineages still teach their traditional gharana foundation, and may have significant differences in technique from one another. There are also a few traditional performers who still play only their own gharana’s material and style.

But such players are increasingly rare. As discussed in the section on Tabla Baj, the dominant trend in modern tabla has been a move toward a common style and repertoire. From a traditionalist’s perspective, this is a great loss, and it is one of the reasons that many complain about the state of modern tabla.

From a modern perspective, this decline of the gharanas has freed the modern performer from the limits of a particular style and repertoire. Players now have a vast tradition of six major gharanas to explore, giving them a better chance to find their own voice as artists.

References