Ram Chandra Chadhyo Hai Trikut Par | Pt. Premkumar Mallick | Dhrupad Vocal

Pandit Premkumar Mallick, a 12th-generation vocalist of the Darbhanga Gharana, performs the Dhrupad bandish Ram Chandra Chadhyo Hai Trikut Par at the Purvi Festival 2023 in Motihari, Bihar. The performance runs at nine minutes — longer than a typical festival slot — and gives the composition room to unfold at Dhrupad's characteristic pace.

Ram Chandra Chadhyo Hai Trikut Par is a classical bandish from the Ramayana narrative, depicting Rama's ascent of the Trikuta mountain. In the Dhrupad tradition, the text carries the musical argument: the sthayee establishes the central image, and the antara extends it. Mallick works each syllable with precision, holding phrases long enough for the vowels to carry before moving forward. The result is a performance that treats the bandish as structure, not ornament.