Ustad Mehmood Dhaulpuri (1954-2011)

Harmonium maestro Ustad Mehmood Dhaulpuri died after a prolonged illness in New Delhi in the early hours of May 25, 2011. He is survived by three daughters and two sons. He was 58.

Born on March 23, 1954 in the Dhaulpur District of Rajasthan, Mehmood Dhaulpuri was one of the country's acclaimed harmonium players. He received his early training from his grandfather, Ustad Buddha Khan and was finally groomed by Ustad Nasir Ahmed Khan of the Delhi gharana. Gradually, he developed a style of his own and soon became a front ranking harmonium player who accompanied legendary vocalists like Parween Sultana, the late Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, Girija Devi and many other luminaries of Indian classical music. Dhaulpuri became the first harmonium artiste to be awarded the prestigious Padma Shri by the Government of India.

Accompaniment, according to the late maestro, meant not only following the vocalist, but doing so with a certain intellect through which the accompanist must show his own spark of genius. Apart from his deep commitment and dedication to the world of Hindustani Classical Music and the harmonium, Dhaulpuri resolutely upheld the composite secular cultural fabric of the nation. Born a Muslim, he spent many years living in temple precincts in Delhi, and was a long time supporter of SAHMAT raising his voice against communal forces through the power and strength of his music.