Aminuddin Dagar

Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar (b 20 October 1923 at Indore, India - d 28 December 2000 Kolkata, India) was an Indian dhrupad singer in the dagar-vani style, the second-eldest among four Dhrupad singing brothers.

He is also remembered as the younger brother in the legendary jugalbandi or duo of Senior Dagar Brothers. He and his elder brother Ustad Nasir Moinuddin Dagar revived the dhrupad tradition that had fallen off after the death of their father Ustad Nasiruddin Khan Dagar. Ustad Nasiruddin Khan had an early premonition of his death and spent ten years imparting his musical knowledge to his two elder sons. After Ustad Nasiruddin Khan's demise the brothers trained under Ustad Riyazuddin Khan and Ustad Ziauddin Khan Dagar

Senior Dagar Brothers
Young Aminuddin gave his first performance at the age of 11. In the 1940s Moinuddin and Aminuddin had a meteoric rise as the Senior Dagar Brothers—two of the brightest stars in the Dhrupad firmament. Within themselves they not only transformed the art of Dhrupad singing but also breathed new life to the form of duet or jugalbandi singing. Previously jugalbandi in classical music had degenerated into a competition between the two singers. Moinuddin and Aminuddin brought back the concept of a harmonious synchronization between the two. In a typical performance, Aminuddin's voice draws the audience into a deep meditative mood by gradually descending the notes of the lower octaves and Moinuddin dazzles listeners with his alankars, ornamentations in the upper octave. After having established Dhrupad in India, they were invited to perform abroad. They visited Russia and Japan. Their music was so charming that Alain Danielou, the renowned musicologist and adviser to UNESCO's International Music Council, invited them to tour Europe and perform under the UNESCO banner in Berlin, Venice, and Paris. In 1964 Europeans listened enthralled to their singing and newspaper after newspaper declared the glory of Dhrupad and the Senior Dagar Brothers. A review of their performance in Le Monde dated 17 November 1964 perhaps best expresses the mood of the western audience: "we will remain under the deep impression of an art of such greatness and intensity that...we feel touched and moved to the deepest of our being." Ustad Nasir Moinuddin Dagar died soon after this concert, in 1966. Aminuddin, who regarded his brother as his greatest guru and a father substitute, was devastated but continued as a solo performer.

Dhrupad Sangeet Ashram
The next phase of Aminuddin's life unfolded in Kolkata where he came in January 1966 as the founder principal of Birla Academy Swar Sangam. In 1975 he founded his own Dhrupad institute and named after his elder brother Ustad Nasir Moinuddin Dagar Dhrupad Sangeet Ashram. He planned it as an Ashram where disciples will stay close to their guru and learn the subtle nuances of Dhrupad through the age old guru sishya parampara. It is now the oldest surviving institute solely dedicated to the preservation and propagation of dagar-vani Dhrupad. It is here that Aminuddin trained some of the best dhrupad singers of the next generation including Alaka Nandy, Ashoka Dhar (famous as the Nandy Sisters), Sujata Moitra, Anu Burman and Dr. Samiran Chatterjee. Ustad Aminuddin Dagar sahib also trained legendary Rabindra Sangeet exponent Maya Sen.

Presently the Ashram (Ustad Nasir Moinuddin Dagar Dhrupad Sangeet Ashram) is being organised by renowned artist and disciple of senior Dagar bandhu Aloka Nandy.

Awards
Ustad Nasir Aminuddin dagar had been honoured with numerous awards and accolades. Below is a list of some important awards that he received:

Padma Bhushan award (one of the highest civilian honours in India) in 1986
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (the most prestigious award in India the field of performing arts) in 1985 
Swami Haridas Award in 1979
D.Litt. from Rabindra Bharati University in 1991
Producer emeritus of All India Radio and Doordarshan (the Indian national television network) from 1986–89
See also
Younger Dagar Brothers