RAMDASI GHARANA

Ramdasi Gharana was established shortly after the death of Aurangzeb. The gharana was established in the singing style of Baba Ramdas Bairagi.

Baba Ramdas Bairagi was a resident of Gwalior and was a court musician of Akbar and Jahangir. He had a close relationship with Abdur-Rahim-Khan-E-Khana. Baba Ramdas singing often used to move Khan-E-Khana to tears. Baba Ramdas singing was famous due to his dramatic deep voice. Mian Tansen was a great admirer and a student of Baba Ramdas. It is believed that Mian Tansen was so affected by the deep resonance of Baba Ramdas voice that he styled his singing after him.

Baba Ramdaas was a musicologist with a great knowledge of Shastras of music and treated music as a source of spiritual satisfaction rather than a means of livelihood, unlike Mian Tansen who made music a source of his livelihood and performed to please the emperor for his material gains. This is why Tansen was never called a "Nayak".

Baba Ramdas created many high classical ragas. Some of the Ragas are Ramdasi Malhar, Ramdasi Sarang, Ramkali, Rama, Ramkaunsi, Ramdas, Ram Kalyan, Ram Sakh.

After the death of Baba Ramdas, his son the great Nayak Surdas carried on the tradition and also created many ragas, such as; Surdasi Malhar, Surdasi Todi, Surdasi Kalyan.

Ramdasi Gharana style of singing is not commercially popular and remains obscure in India due to the fact that the great masters from this gharana are brahmins that believe that the main purpose of music is spiritual and not commercial. The music taught in the gharana explores the very rare ragas and rare talas that are not commonly taught in modern times.

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