Madhup Mudgal

Padma Shri Madhup Mudgal’ has a special place in his heart for Kabir’s Nirgun verses ,he has often explained –“I first heard Kumarji’s nirgun bhajans. It was soul stirring and haunting. The notes still reverberate in me. My life changed after that.

Listening to Padma Shri Madhup Mudgal’s ‘Kabir Bhajans‘ is a riveting experience. Mudgal, known for his khayal and bhajan renditions, is a disciple of Kumar Gandharva. He is also the conductor of the Gandharva Choir, and principal of Delhi’s Gandharva Mahavidyalaya.

On 23rd February 2020, Mudgal held audiences at the Jashn-e-Hind Festival ( held at Indira Gandhi Centre for Arts , Janpath New Delhi). spellbound with not only classics but also new compositions.

His new compositions have a haunting, unforgettable quality. Resulting from an, obsessive journey. The music for the Kabir verses resonates at different levels. Some of the beautiful, creative compositions we heard in Jashn-e-Hind were ‘Paani Mein Meen Piyaasi’ , Lal Ladli, Aave Na Jaave and others

In the rendering of Kabir Bani, Pandit ji’s most abiding influence has been of his mentor and guru Kumar Gandharva, but the notes we heard on the stage of Jashn-e-Hind were quintessentially Pt Madhup Mudgal’s creation of Kabir’s inexorable poetic vision. The music flowing out almost as divine benediction; effortlessly, organically.