Zia Mohiuddin Dagar

Born: 14 March 1929

Died: 28 September 1990

• He popularly known as Z. M. Dagar, was a North Indian (Hindustani) classical musician, one of the 19th generation of Dagar family dhrupad musicians.
• He was largely responsible for the revival of the rudra vina as a solo concert instrument.
• He was known particularly for his slow development of ragas, typically performed only with tanpura accompaniment (he rarely played with pakhawaj), and for his meticulous attention to microtonal inflections.
• He was very active in the West, associating himself with the American Society for Eastern Arts in Berkeley, California and with Wesleyan University, Rotterdam Music Conservatory, and the University of Washington, Seattle, where he was a visiting professor.
• In 1990, Ustadji was awarded the Kalidas Samman, one of India’s most prestigious awards, by the Madhya Pradesh government. He also received the Sangeet Natak Academi Award, the Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Academi award, and the Maharana Kumbha award, to name a few.
• He envisioned a place where he would sit with his disciple and impart training in the ‘Guru Shishya Parampara ‘ a method in which a few selected students study under one roof whilst staying with the guru.

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