The Transmission of Hindustani Music in Gujarat through the Gurukul Dhrupad System and the University Institution

Authors

Abstract

This article is structured around an underlying double dichotomy that allows for the analysis of certain aspects observed in the contemporary transmission of Hindustani classical music in the state of Gujarat. On the one hand, it considers the two perhaps most paradigmatic genres of North India: dhrupad—older, although not frequently performed today and regarded as more sacred than others—and khayāl—currently predominant in concert halls and higher education institutions. On the other hand, it takes into account the traditional gurukul system of knowledge transmission, now in decline, and the modern, Western-inspired university model, which benefits from a considerable influx of students. The study is based on fieldwork conducted between 2023 and 2025 at Gujarat University, Baroda University, and various dhrupad gurukul spaces and contexts.

Keywords

Knowledge transmission, Gujerat, gurukul, university, dhrupad, khayal, Transformations of musical tradition

References

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Author Biographies

Juan Sanz Amor, Universidad de Valladolid

Juan Sanz Amor holds a degree in History and Musicology from the University of Valladolid, where he also completed a master's degree in Hispanic music research. Through an ICCR scholarship, he studied Hindustani music at Gujarat University (Ahmedabad, India). He has also worked as a cultural manager at the Spanish Embassy in Indonesia (Jakarta) and at Casa de la India (Valladolid).

Enrique Cámara de Landa, Universidad de Valladolid

Enrique Cámara de Landa is an honorary emeritus professor at the University of Valladolid. He has researched traditional music from Latin America, Spain, Portugal, India, and Morocco; Italian tango, revival, hybridization and improvisation, the history and methodology of ethnomusicology, transcription and analysis of traditional and popular music, migration, creativity, protagonists of tradition, audiovisual ethnomusicology, etc.

Published

2026-04-13

How to Cite

Sanz Amor, J., & Cámara de Landa, E. (2026). The Transmission of Hindustani Music in Gujarat through the Gurukul Dhrupad System and the University Institution. Indialogs, 13(1), 13–32. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/indialogs.367

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