Gwalior, Birthplace of Tansen, Crowned UNESCO\'s \'Creative City of Music

Bhopal: Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, the birthplace of the famed Indian classical singer Tansen, has been declared as the ‘Creative City of Music’ by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Gwalior is the second city in the country which made into the list of 55 ‘Creative Cities’ declared by UNESCO on Tuesday.

Union culture and tourism minister G Kishan Reddy revealed this on Wednesday.

Kozhikode in Kerala is the second city in India to figure in UNESCO's list of 55 ‘Creative Cities’ as ‘Creative City of Literature’.

Gwalior has received the global recognition for the city’s rich music legacy of ‘Gwalior gharana’ (lineage) music, considered the premier and oldest gharana music in the sphere of ‘Khyal’ singing (raga) of north Indian classical music.

All the music gharanas of the country have their origins in the Gwalior gharana. Hence, the Gwalior gharana is considered the most ancient and ‘Gongotri’ (meaning origin) of Khyal raga.

Gwalior gharana music has thrived under the patronage of the erstwhile royal families of Gwalior such as Raja Mansingh and Scindias.

In June this year, Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia wrote a letter to Mr Reddy seeking his support for designation of Gwalior as the ‘Creative City of Music’ in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).

“The City of Gwalior is known for legends in the sector of music like Sangeet Samrat Tansen and Baiju Bawra. It is also considered to be the birthplace of Gwalior Gharana, the eponymously named oldest Hindustani Musical Gharana. The city is a popular destination for learning Indian classical music from eminent musicians in the traditional Guru-Shishya parampara which also provides for the livelihood of the musicians”, the letter said.

While Tansen was born in Behat, around 45 km from the city of Gwalior, Baiju Bawra was born in Uttar Pradesh.

Tansen was one of the ‘Navratnas’ (nine jewels) in the court of Akbar.

Baiju Bawra had shifted to Gwalior to work as mentor of music for students in Gwalior and was patronised by Raja Mansingh.

The global recognition for Gwalior came at a time when Madhya Pradesh is going to assembly polls on November 17 this year.

The ruling BJP is planning to showcase the recognition to woo the voters of Gwalior-Chambal region, comprising 34 assembly seats, in the ensuing polls, sources said.