Our city – Udaipur is completely filled with beauty in and out. And this beauty is not reflected in just its history, culture and its places, but also in its people. There are some gem of the people belonging from Udaipur who, with their hard work and success, have not just made the city but the entire nation proud.
But sadly, with time we tend to forget the accomplishment of such people of the city. The series ‘People from Udaipur you should know about’ tends to glorify the journey of these famous and triumphant people from Udaipur who have become an epitome of success in their lives.
Brij Narayan
Brij Narayan is a renowned name in the field of Indian classical music. He is the eldest son and disciple of the world-acclaimed Sarangi maestro Pandit Ram Narayan. Born on 25 April 1952 in Udaipur, Brij Narayan was fascinated by the sound of Sarod right from his young age. He graduated from the University of Mumbai in 1972 after which he also worked on several movies while touring Africa, Europe, and America.
The powerful musicality and adaptability of his father to a range of ‘Gharanas’ (musical styles) gave the opportunity to Brij Narayan to develop his own original style. As a matter of fact, Narayan hailed from a family with musical expertise with his Uncle, Chatur Lal being a Tabla player and father being a sarangi player.
Over his long career, Shri Brij Narayan performed in many esteemed music festivals in India as well as abroad including the celebration of the Munich Olympics; and in the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He composed music for many films and has many recordings to his credit including a collaboration with Zakir Hussain. He has also been featured as an artist in a film by Dinkar Rao named as Magic in Fingers for Films Division of India, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. In 1978, he played in a movie ‘Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki’ and composed music for the movie Bengali Night by Nicholas Klotz starring Hugh Grant.
Awards and Recognition
Shri Brij Narayan has received many titles and awards for his contribution to Hindustani instrumental music which includes the President’s Gold Medal in All India Radio Music Competition (1967), the Dagar Gharana Award by the Mewar Foundation (1996), and the Marwar Sangeet Ratna Award (2012). He also received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Hindustani instrumental music – Sarod in the year 2015.
Currently, Narayan lives in Mumbai along with his family. His son Harsh Narayan plays sarangi since 1997. Narayan also works for Pt Ram Narayan Foundation in Mumbai which offers a scholarship to Sarangi students.
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