[4]Z. M. Dagar was known particularly for his slow development of ragas, typically performed only with tanpura accompaniment (he rarely played with pakhawaj), and for his meticulous attention to microtonal inflections.
He was very active in the West, associating himself with the American Society for Eastern Arts in Berkeley, California (Zia Mohiuddin Dagar offered 12 weeks of classes during the spring of 1977).
[1][3] His younger brother, Ustad Zia Fariddudin Dagar, was a vocalist and teacher, and his son, Mohi Baha'ud-din, is a veena player.
He envisioned a place where he would sit with his disciple and impart training in the 'Guru Shishya Parampara'; a method in which a few selected students study under one roof whilst staying with the guru.
Ustad sahib put at least twenty years of his time and effort to give shape to this idea on his own and thus, the Gurukul came into being in 1982 at Palaspa - a village near Panvel - Mumbai.