Kirit Dave was born in 1953 in India and for more than 30 years has been teaching about music, especially Indian classical music and the Prabhat Samgiita songs. He studies Indian classical music since his childhood and has published a number of articles on the subject.
His interest for Indian classical music manifested intensely already when he was 3 years old, even without family stimulation or any education. At the age of 7 he started representing his school in interstate music school competitions. He continued his studies of Indian classical music theory and composition during his high school years in India.
In 1975, while already residing in the U.S. in 1975, Kirit began studying voice and sitar under the guidance of the AACM (Ali Akbar College of Music) in California. After three years of study, he decided to focus more on vocal music. However, most of his studies and research on music were made independently. He studied the styles of the various schools of Indian classical music and reached a deep understanding of their variations. These music schools, called gharanas, have developed over centuries and have rich melodic and rhythmic compositions as well as intricate variations on their compositions.
Kirit did technical studies on the most prominent ragas, specifically on their structure and interpretative development in compositions. He also studied the modern and ancient styles of Indian classical music, such as Dhrupad , Khayal, Thumari, Ghazal and also others called “light” (light classical). The style of vocal music which he chose is that of the Patiala school (Patiala Gharana), represented by the great master Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (1901-1967). Among modern singers, Ajoy Chakravarti is the one which best illustrates this school. A lighter form of representation of the same gharana is found in the voice of Ghulam Ali, in his Ghazal style. Sitar is Kirit’s favorite instrument; and Shahid Parvez, of the Imdadkhani gharana, is his sitarist of choice.
Kirit studied the Prabhat Samgiita compositions in Calcutta over 8 years, from 1982 to 1990. Since then he has been studying and teaching the poetry, language, message and music of this monumental set of 5018 songs, many of which are based on the structures of Indian classical structure. In particular, Kirit has been the advisor and main teacher of the Prabhat Samgiita For All movement – which started in 2010 in Brazil and is oriented to publicizing and educating about the Prabhat Samgiita songs. In this movement, the activities conducted by Kirit include: yearly tours through different regions of Brazil (and also in Argentina, in 2011) with workshops, talks, concerts, recitals and intensive trainings (see PAST EVENTS); and ONLINE CLASSES and courses with weekly sessions. Some of his students in Brazil already are organizing and conducting activities in different cities for some years.
Kirit has also been teaching the science of meditation and oriental philosophy for more than 30 years.
He has over 40 years of experience in initiating, organizing, developing, implementing and managing self-reliant community service projects. He also mentors aspiring philanthropists on how to organize community service projects. He provides individual spiritual guidance, as well as regular classes on how to develop and manage lifelong spiritual pursuits. Kirit is chairman of the board of Voice of a Child, an international non-profit non-governmental organization, coordinating and working on different social service programs throughout the world.
Jiivanii had her first contact with Indian music through Prabhat Samgiita, the school of devotional songs composed by Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar. Since 2013 she has been deepening her study of this music tradition under the guidance of Kirit Dave, which visits Brazil regularly to share his knowledge. Currently she is a voice and harmonium instructor in the Prabhat Samgiita For All movement, offering courses and workshops in different cities.
Mahesh has been participating in the Prabhat Samgiita For All movement since 2010, working and learning particularly with Kirit Dave, instructor and advisor of the movement. Since 2013 Mahesh is coordinating the movement, which includes weekly online classes, yearly tours with Kirit through different parts of Brazil and local activities such as workshops, miniretreats and presentations. Mahesh has also been working as instructor, teaching about the musical side and about yoga philosophy, and has conducted workshops, miniretreats and presentations in SC, RJ, SP and MG states of Brazil.
Parabhakti started to sing and play guitar in 2006 with traditional songs of the Argentinean culture. In 2007 she started learning the spiritual music and, looking for ways to study and go deeper, she travelled for 2 years throughout Brazil staying at temples and communities, studying Vaishnava chants and songs of the Hindu tradition. In 2009, with the Gandharvas project, she started to conduct workshops of mantras, concerts and recitals. From 2011 to 2013 she studied opera singing and in 2014 had her first contact with Kirit Dave, where she could deepen her knowledge of Indian classical music through singing and harmonium playing of the songs of P. R. Sarkar (Prabhat Samgiita). Currently Parabhakti conducts Prabhat Samgiita workshops and meetings in Porto Alegre and South Brazil.
Jyotiprakash did his first musical studies at the age of 13, learn to play guitar and electric guitar. Over the years he participated in various projects in different musical styles.
In 2007, becoming interested in meditation, yoga and the Indian musical style, he looked for ways to study and go deeper into the path of meditation and mantras. So he travelled for 2 years throughout Brazil staying at temples and communities, studying Vaishnava chants and songs of the Hindu tradition.
Since 2009, in the Gandharvas project, Jyotiprakash conducts workshops on mantras, concerts and recitals.
In 2014 he had his first contact with Kirit Dave, where he could really deepen his knowledge of universe of Indian classical music, through singing and harmonium playing of the songs of P. R. Sarkar (Prabhat Samgiita). Since then he conducts Prabhat Samgiita workshops and meetings in Porto Alegre and South Brazil.
Ashesh started his musical studies at the age of 14, taking part in different groups with various styles. In 2010 he came in contact with the tradition of Indian music and started to study Prabhat Samgiita, vocal music and sitar. Ashesh promotes and organizes different activities related to the learning of Indian music in Brazil. Since 2013 he studies tabla and is currently a student of Abdull Sultan, of the Punjab gharana. He accompanied Kirit Dave in concerts and workshops in 2015 and in the 2016 Prabhat Samgiita Tour in Brazil. Ashesh is responsible for tabla teaching in the Prabhat Samgiita For All movement.