The TLDR: Three prominent maestros of Hindustani classical music—Ramakant, Umakant, and Akhilesh Gundecha—have been accused of gross instances of sexual assault and harassment. The allegations point to the deep-rooted misogyny and inequality embedded in the guru-shishya relationship.

Wait, who are the Gundechas?

Ramakant Gundecha and his brother Umakant founded a famous gurukul in Bhopal called Dhrupad Sansthan—dedicated to the teaching and preservation of the Dhrupad tradition. Akhilesh is their lesser known cousin. The duo—referred to together as the Gundecha Brothers—soared in popularity in the 1990s, and are revered as virtuosos in their field. They were awarded the Padma Shri in 2012 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2017. 

Point to note: Ramakant died of a heart attack in November 2019—before any of the allegations surfaced.

What are they accused of?

First let’s lay out a timeline of how the alleged abuse came to light:

In September: A Facebook post on a group called ‘Dhrupad  family Europe’ pointed the finger at Dhrupad Sansthan, singling out Ramakant and Akhilesh—and laying out a pattern of continual abuse:

“Akhilesh and Ramakant weren't afraid of attempting to touch private parts or even to kiss us during one-on-one classes. They would threaten us saying ‘they always get what they want and won’t accept ‘No’ as an answer’... Ramakant and Akhilesh have been telling many students to sleep with them if we ever wanted to have a career in music, and if we didn’t do it ‘we would be in trouble at the Gurukul’.

 

We can carry on and on with flirt, sexual allusions, explicit threats and gestures, actual sexual intercourse… The list is very long. Do you know how traumatic it is to be psychologically and sexually abused by your Guru or even to be a witness of his power games and abuses on our fellow students?”

A few days later: The Dhrupad Sansthan launched an inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct against Akhilesh Gundecha—who stepped down from all activities associated with the gurukul. But the students were deeply unhappy with the internal committee—alleging that the membership was rigged to favour the Gundechas. A new committee was selected in response to the pushback.

In March: The committee submitted its recommendations—which have not been made public. But according to Firstpost, it broadly emphasised setting up “a transparent, accountable and gender-sensitive system of governance”—and recommended shutting down the sansthan for six months for “self reflection.” It also asked that Umakant and Akhilesh step away from teaching for 12 months—and then be allowed to resume their duties under supervision. No action has been taken on the committee’s report as of now.

The BBC investigation: The allegations, however, received fresh fuel yesterday when BBC News published a damning investigation into fresh instances of sexual abuse at the Dhrupad Sansthan, most of them committed by the now deceased Ramakant Gundecha—including one instance of rape. We won’t quote the graphic descriptions, but you can read the story here.

Is this the first big scandal in classical music?

No, there have been rumours and allegations of sexual abuse in Carnatic music circles since 2018, when the #MeToo movement kicked off in India. Singer Chinmayi Sripaada named some of the most prominent names in the business on Twitter. Other women shared their personal accounts of abuse, and news stories called out the misogyny of Carnatic musicians and Bharatanatyam gurus. 

All the attention resulted in 231 members of the Carnatic music community issuing an open letter calling for institutional accountability and reform: 

“Many such instances in the past have been brushed under the carpet, subsequently creating a culture of silent complicity. There continues to be a deafening silence that needs to be broken.”

Point to note: Sex abuse is rampant in classical music circles around the world. The Atlantic talked to four dozen young musicians who shared horror stories from some of the most prominent music conservatories in the United States.

So this is a problem with classical music?

Well, women are sexually abused in all sorts of contexts, but classical music is structured to create ideal conditions for the exploitation of women:

The pressure to excel: As The Atlantic notes, classical music is brutally competitive. Getting into a renowned school or attracting the patronage of a renowned guru is highly prized—and very difficult. Talented children are trained like race horses from a very young age to excel at any price. Anything that derails their career is seen as catastrophic. So when they encounter a predatory teacher, girls are already at a severe disadvantage:

“This is the problem when there is a less powerful female who’s trying to make it big in her field. There’s an older teacher who happens to be male, happens to have behavioral issues… It’s very difficult for us to monitor anyone’s behavior, let alone your particular mentor, and then to even have to decide about jeopardizing any of that by bringing up something that might be uncomfortable.”

The guru-shishya relationship: In the Indian tradition, the guru is essentially god. And to learn is to submit, unconditionally. For instance, here’s how the Dhrupad Sansthan students expressed their relationship with their teachers:

“All of us have felt that it is the best place to learn and we have surrendered ourselves in the hands of the Gundecha brothers, because it is the proper behavior of a shishya: to have faith in your Guru, he who gives us the example in society, he who guides us in our learning process, he who becomes our mentor like a father.”

More specifically, this slave-like subservience—"to surrender tan-man-dhan to our gurus”—is romanticised, as Malini Nair notes:

“The sexual assault and bullying in the gurukuls in the name of the ‘guru-shikshya’ relationship is driven by the same unequal power dynamics as in academia. Only, here it is wrapped in mystical references to parampara, naad-anhad, atma-paramatma. Indian classical arts traditions place the guru on a near mythical pedestal, beyond question and reproof.”

It is no accident that the Gundecha brothers set up the Sansthan “in the traditional guru-shishya parampara where the student remains under the constant care of the teacher.”

The superstar status: The deification of the guru becomes absolute if he is also viewed as a ‘god’ in the musical pantheon: “For those entrenched in the classical-music world, much of the industry is structured around top talent—people who have reached ‘god status’... that can easily be wielded without consequences.”

The entrenched misogyny: The guru-shishya relationship becomes even more unequal if you add to it gender inequality and expectations. As one vocalist explains:

"The guru (teacher) expects complete submission, complete subservience from the student… If it's a male student the surrender is less. If it's a female student, the surrender is more. I think this makes female students very vulnerable."

Those expectations can also shape a woman’s future in classical music. Take the instance of Annapurna Devi—daughter of Ustad Allaudin Khan. Her father first refused to teach her music, fearing it will damage her marital prospects. Then when he consented, he “expected Annapurna to pursue music not out of greed but out of genuine love for it.” In other words, she was not allowed to even aspire to be a commercially successful star. Annapurna Devi would later vow to never perform in public in an unsuccessful bid to save her marriage to her very-much-a-star husband, Ravi Shankar.

The bottomline: Despite the din of allegations, very little has changed in the world of classical music. The gods of Carnatic music continue to perform in the leading sabhas. And there is no sign that any of them—including the Gundechas—will ever be punished for their crimes. As Krishna acknowledges, fear and apathy have won the day:

“Most of the top-ranking musicians have not shown any interest in taking up this cause after initially signing petitions and putting up Facebook posts… even the few who wanted to speak up finally decided to back off out of fear that they will be singled out and their professional chances will be affected.”

Reading list

• The BBC News investigation into the Gundecha Brothers is excellent. 
• The Guardian and Malini Nair in Times of India look at the misogyny embedded in classical music traditions. 
• You can also read TM Krishna’s op-ed on the need to change the guru-shishya relationship.
• Firstpost has an excellent look at how patriarchy shaped Annapurna Devi’s career. Scroll also looks at the role of caste. 
• Hindu Business Line looks back at why the #MeToo movement had such little impact on Carnatic music. 
• Feminism in India takes aim at media reporting of these allegations—and how it deflected attention away from the survivors.
• The Atlantic offers a must-read on the sexual abuse and harassment in America’s leading music conservatories.