About
Pelva Naik is one of India's finest young Dhrupad vocalists and one of the very few women who perform in this ancient style. A disciple of the Dagar tradition, she pairs a growing performance career with a deep commitment to teaching, holding that the truth of the artist matters far more than gender.
Born in 1986 in Ahmedabad into a family of artists, Pelva Naik studied kathak, khayal, miniature painting and literature as a child before finding an instant bond with Dhrupad at seventeen, when Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar gave a workshop at her school. She became his disciple and also trained with rudra veena maestro Ustad Bahauddin Dagar, studying at the Panvel Dhrupad Gurukul. She debuted at the Darbar Festival in 2015 and returned in 2017 at Darbar's Ravenna Festival in Italy, and has taught and designed Dhrupad workshops since 2009.
The artistry
Trained in the Dagar-vani style, Pelva Naik sings Dhrupad with refined alap, gentle meend and strict adherence to the purity of the raga swaroop, reaching for the finest shruti and unfolding the ancient pada with meditative depth. As one of few women in the form, she has become a quietly powerful presence in contemporary Dhrupad.
[Atlas Perspective] Pelva Naik is among the most distinctive young Dhrupad vocalists in India and a rare woman in the form. For festivals and heritage programmes, she is a compelling, differentiated choice.
Pelva Naik is helping sustain and diversify the Dhrupad tradition, both by mastering one of the oldest and most demanding forms of Hindustani music and by widening the space for women within it, as a performer and dedicated teacher.