The Dagars in Berlin

Reflecting on this wonderful concert by Bahauddin Dagar, it seems that the wider Dagar family has a special history with Berlin, dating back to the first appearance of the Senior Dagar Brothers in 1964 on the invitation of Alain Daniélou and the newly founded Institute for Comparative Studies, later renamed Institute for Traditional Music. This concert took place at the Orangerie of the Schloss Charlottenburg. And further recordings were made and released on the famous Unesco Series. In 1981, the Junior Dagar Brothers spent a year in Berlin on invitation of the DAAD- Berliner Künstlerprogramm, They performed several times during their stay, most outstanding was a special radio recording for a small invited audience at the RIAS (now Deutschland Radio) of which I had the privilege to be part of. In 1983 the Intl. Institute in Co-Operation with the Ethnological museum hosted a Dhrupad Mela (Festival), curated by Peter F. Müller (later Pannke), which included Zia Mohiuddin and Zia Fariduddin Dagar, Bahauddin's father and uncle.

After a gap of 40 years, it is time to pick up the thread again...

- Werner Durand, Berlin, April 2023

Born 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 for three years 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.

mohibahauddin.com

****

This special concert by Ustad Baha’ud-din Dagar occurred at the small music venue in Berlin known mostly for experimental or “echtzeit” music on the evening of February 19th, 2023 as part of the Spiral Sundays series curated by Sacred Realism. Upon hearing he would be in Berlin visiting his student, Uday Krishnakumar, Catherine Lamb (a former student of Mani Kaul, who also taught Baha’ud-din after his father’s passing) asked Baha’ud-din if he would be willing to give a small concert. Unbeknownst to us, the interest and response was to be overwhelming and the small venue was quickly swamped with people eager to hear this music that is, these days, quite rare in Berlin. This audience was rapt with attention and the music performed was incredible. As a last minute change we amplified the Rudra Veena and decided to make a simple recording from the mixing desk. Thanks to this chance decision the evening was documented and is by no means a “perfect” recording but it captures this intimate and beautiful concert which can now be heard by future listeners who were not present on that cold February evening along the Spree.

- B. E., Berlin, July 2023