Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Nickname	Bachhu
Profession	Classical singer
Famous for	Being the 20th generation and descendant of Miyan Tansen's mentor, Swami Haridas Dagar (1480-1573).
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 168 cm in meters- 1.68 m in feet & inches- 5’ 6”
Eye Colour	Dark Brown
Hair Colour	Salt & Pepper (Semi-Bald; sometimes dyes his hair black)
Career
Honours	2010: Honoured with Padma Shri
Personal Life
Date of Birth	15 April 1968 (Monday)
Age (as of 2023)	55 Years
Birthplace	Nizamuddin, Delhi
Zodiac sign	Taurus
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Delhi
Hobbies	Writing poems, Doing calligraphy
Controversies	• Eviction Notice from Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Since he was a toddler, Wasif has resided in house no. 379 in the KP Thakkar block of Asiad Village, Delhi. However, in 2022, he was given notice to leave the government-allocated home by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. After spending 34 years in the "House of Dhrupad," the family was forced to leave. The same order was also sent to twenty-seven other Indian classical musicians and dancers, including Guru V Jayarama Rao of Kuchipudi and Bharati Shivaji of Mohiniyattam. Later, a few of them petitioned in the the court requesting to show compassion for their "unfortunate situations," including their old age and financial predicament. [1]Scroll The Delhi High Court, however, disaproved their pleas. During a media interaction, Wasif addressed this situation and said, "We'll sit and see what we can do (after the Delhi HC verdict). It is clearly not easy to afford a house in Delhi for a person like me...But I don't really understand why these 10-15 houses are bothering them (the government) so much? What is their larger agenda behind it? We, the artists, on our part have always stood for the government, the national cause and represented India as cultural ambassadors in international platforms." • Filing a copyright claim Wasifuddin Dagar asserted in 2023 that the A. R. Rahman song "Veera Veera" from the film Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023) was imitated and sang in the same tandava style as his father and uncle sang their Shiva Stuti. According to reports, Mani Ratnam's production company, Ponniyin Selvan: I & II's producers, and Madras Talkies lawyers wrote out a letter stating that the song was not in any manner a copy of the Dagar Brothers' composition. They labelled Wasifuddin's claim of copyright as "misconceiving," and implied that he was doing this to get attention and make money. In their defence, the production company said that the song is a traditional composition that Narayana Panditacharyain wrote in the 13th century. In an interview, Wasifuddin claimed that A. R. Rahman had spoken to him, on behalf of the film's production team, on call and had promised to get in touch with him. He went on to say, "I wish Madras Talkies and Mr Rahman had taken the family’s permission. I would have never said no. But doing it like this, for massive commercial gains, is very problematic. The composition has just been lifted and sung in the same tandava style…. The only difference is the arrangement of the piece.” According to the letter from Madras Talkies' attorneys, the Dhrupad genre was originally invented by Swami Haridas, and nobody could claim exclusive ownership of a "style of singing." Later, Wasif's student and Navayana founder S. Anand discussed this in an interview, saying that while A. R. Rahman had given Dagarvani credit, the lawyers had objected that the Shiv Stuti was used by Narayana Panditacharya and was actually a Sanskrit chant while the bandish by Junior Dagar Brothers was in the Western Hindi language. [2]The Indian Express
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	Year, 2020
Family
Wife/Spouse	Zainab
Family Tree
Parents	Father- Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar (1934-1989; Dhrupad singer) Mother- Begum Mehmooda Dagar (deceased in 2014)
Siblings	Brother- None Sister- 4 • Neelu • Meenu • Guddu • Raju
Other Relatives	Grandfather- Nasiruddin Khan (deceased in 1936; vocalist) Paternal uncles (Father's brothers)- 3 • Nasir Moinuddin Khan Dagar (1919-1966) • Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar (1923-2000) • Ustad Nasir Zahiruddin Dagar (1932-1994)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar

• Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar is a veteran Indian classical singer, who is the son of popular Dhrupad singer Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar.

• He is the President of the Dagar Society of India.

• Faiyaz’s music training began early at home when he was just five years old. He grew up under the mentorship of award-winning artists and relatives including his father, uncles including Ustad N. Zahiruddin Dagar, who groomed him from 1989 to 1994, Ustad N. Aminuddin Dagar, and Ustad N. Mohiuddin Dagar, and his grandfather’s younger brother Ustad Rahimuddin Khan Dagar. In an interview, he said that his uncles, Ustad R. Fahimuddin Dagar, Ustad Z. Fariduddin Dagar, and Ustad H. Sayeeduddin Dagar, taught him a lot about singing.
  

  Wasifuddin Dagar holding a Sitar during childhood

• Born and brought up in Delhi, Faiyaz likes calling himself a Delhi guy. Since childhood, he has been writing poems about Delhi;
  

  Kai sadiyon ki basti hai
  Kai sadiyon se basti hai
  Baste baste basti hai
  Dilli dil mein basti hai

  The city of histories here
  Many histories live here
  It lives among the living here
  In the heart of hearts here

• Nasir Moinuddin Dagar and Nasir Aminuddin Dagar, Wasif’s uncles, performed together and were referred to as the Senior/Elder Dagar Brothers. His father, Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar, and uncle, Nasir Zahiruddin, collaborated to create the Junior/Younger Dagar Brothers, a very popular duet. In the years following Indian independence, Wasif’s other uncles (descended from his great-great-grandfather) received awards for maintaining the Dhrupad legacy.
  

  A picture of Senior Dagar Brothers

  

  A picture of Junior Dagar Brothers

• After his father passed away in 1989, Wasifuddin Dagar performed for the first time on stage on 25 February 1989 and that too with his uncle Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar.
  

  Wasifuddin Dagar performing with his uncle Zahiruddin Dagar

• Dagar released his first recording in India, Switzerland, and Japan in 1992. Later, he recorded for several renowned record labels in many countries including Switzerland, Japan, and the United States of America.

• Dagar has been performing Dhrupad in various countries since 2000, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary, and several North American countries.

• Raga Bihag, a Hindustani classical raga, was his first solo live performance in 2000.

• In 2001, he performed at the World Festival of Sacred Music, which was founded by the Dalai Lama. Ustad has also performed at a number of high-level occasions, including the United Nations Peace Summit and UNESCO in France. Other than this, he has given his performances at the Smithsonian Institution, Yale University, the University of Washington, Stanford University, and the University of California.

• Wasif Dagar was invited to perform at Le Festival de Fès des Musiques Sacrées du Monde 2015 (The Fez Festival of Sacred Music of the World 2015), Delhi Classical Music Festival 2021, and Dilli Durbar 2019, Dhrupad Singing Seminar in Amelia, Italy, and concert in Assisi, Italy in 2018.
  

  Wasifuddin Dagar performing at Le Festival de Fès des Musiques Sacrées du Monde 2015

• He organises and participates in the Dhrupad festivals founded by his father and uncle in Delhi and Jaipur. He also conducted and performed in many Dhrupad singing workshops.
  

  Wasifuddin Dagar’s workshop notice

• Wasif has also appeared on television and radio, notably AurovilleRadio.
  

  Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar performing at Auroville, Puducherry

• Wasif juggles a demanding concert schedule with teaching a number of students and upholding family customs.
  

  A picture of Wasifuddin Dagar while mentoring students

• Using sound and volume applications, Wasif has developed subtle changes and improvisations in the musical theme that he has been taught by his uncles-cum-gurus throughout the years.

• Filmmaker Renuka George was inspired by the Dagars and it inspired her to film a French television documentary entirely based on them. She titled the film Dagarvani. This 1992 documentary focused on Wasif and his uncle Zahir’s concerts and music.

• The majority of Wasifuddin’s performances have been talked about in important media outlets such as The Washington Post and The New York Times.

• He likes maintaining a journal.
  

  The first page of the diary maintained by F. Wasifuddin Dagar

• Wasif spends his spare time practising calligraphy.
  

  Wasifuddin Dagar while doing calligraphy