Recorded on location in Mulshi, Maharashtra, India, in 2015.

Musician:
- Pelva Naik (vocal)

Raag Maru

Set against the sunset over Lake Mulshi in Maharashtra, Pelva Naik sings Raag Maru which is considered as a Raāgputra of Malkauns but opinions differ among scholars. It's not sung much being too similar to Yaman and also Maru Behag being more popular. The notes go- Sa Ga ma (sharp) pa ni sa. Sa ni dha pa ma (sharp) ga re sa. It is the 'Re' on the return and the way it evidently falls from 'Ga' to re- stressing on the re with a certain weight and the timing of it that is considered significant in portraying the swaroop of this raag.

Born into a Mumbai family of dancers, writers, and filmmakers, she studied a wide variety of creative forms as a child, including kathak, khayal, miniature painting, and literature in Hindi, Gujarati, and English. At age 17 she found an instant bond with dhrupad when Zia Fariduddin Dagar gave a workshop at her school (“it matched my element…like a rediscovery”).

She soon became his disciple, as well as receiving instruction from veena maestro Bahauddin Dagar, and after school went to study full-time at the Panvel Dhrupad Gurukul. Today she continues to build a highly impressive performance resume as well as nurturing a passion for teaching. She is keen to remind listeners that gender has always been more of a barrier to worldly success than to mastery of the music itself: “I still haven’t figured out [why] people say that dhrupad is a masculine art form, or where that idea comes from...It’s just that on the public platform, men had more exposure...Ustad’s grandmother was a veena player. She used to practice veena at home, and teach the children.”