Chalo Taluke - Gujarat Information Bureau

In Conversation with
October, 2011
Dharini Pancham' Da
ith four Guinness World Records in her kitty, Ahmadabad's Dharini Prabhakar Bhatt aka Swaradhika Dhari
Pancham'Da is the first woman in the world to have achieved the longest singing Marathon. She stunned the
Wworld with 101 hours of non-stop classical singing breaking her own previous records of 62 and 82 hours.
She also achieved the longest Santoor playing marathon for a record time of 26 hours and 26 mins. She currently teaches
music at the Pancham Music Academy in Ahmedabad where Madhurima Mallik met her for an exclusive tête-à-tête.
Congratulations! You have done long hours? Were you put on a vegetable juices, soups, tea and coffee. I
your state and your people extremely specific diet?
had swelling in my vocal chords during
proud. When did you decide to take It does not happen in a day. I sang the performance and the doctor asked
up Indian Classical Music?
for four hours at first, then six and then me to sing at a low pitch.
Thank you so much. I liked Indian gradually went up to 101 hours. You
classical music since childhood though need a lot of stamina. I do yoga on a Do you plan to do playback
music in any form appealed to me. I regular basis. Six months prior to the singing in the future?
used to sing for college events; but it performances, I had to do yoga every No. Never! Gandharvas used
was only eleven years back, in 2000, hour. I was put on a liquid diet during Margiya Sangeet for worship and sang
that I started training. I was immensely the performance. I was advised to have Desi Sangeet for the audience. Like,
inspired by my Guruji Shree Bhupendra Swami Haridas was totally devoted to
Pandit and came to the Academy for Margiya Sangeet and Tansen used to
learning Santoor. My grandfather sing Desi Sangeet for an audience. I
wanted me to record the Narmada have dedicated my life to Margiya
Ashtakam for him, and this is when Sangeet. I try and make classical music
Guruji advised me to take up singing non-boring for the audience, because
seriously. you do not get an audience for classical
music everywhere. For instance, in
You must have had to undergo
rigorous training. What does one
have to do in order to sustain for such
Vadnagar, two of my most famous
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