Quotes

The bamboo flute of South India

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The flute has played a key role in India’s artistic life since antiquity. This is evident from writings on dance-drama, mythology, sculptures and paintings. Its playing technique must have been highly developed for a very long time. Different names are used for it, for instance kuzhal (pronounced like “kulal” or “kural”) in Tamil speaking regions; and bansuri in northern India. In poetry, song … Read more

Birdsong in Indian music: “A rich tapestry that intertwines music, poetry and nature”

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Read “How images of birds enliven Indian classical music” by Chitra Srikrishna (Scroll, 2 February 2025) along with images and YouTube contents:https://scroll.in/article/1077488/how-images-of-birds-enliven-indian-classical-music Bhakti poet Andal, Marathi mystic Dhyaneshwar and Tamil poet Subramania Bharati have all used birds as rich metaphorical devices. Both the Carnatic and Hindustani classical traditions are filled with the songs of birds. … Read more

There really is no such thing as a ‘learner’ raga

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Gouri Dange, The Hindu, 11 May 2019 | Read the full article here >> Every kind of music has a protocol for ‘beginners’ or ‘learners’. Students must practise paltay, alankaras, scales, études, tonalisation exercises, depending on the kind of music they pursue.  […] However, here’s the rub: for many learners, these ‘early’ ragas get translated … Read more

Audio | Numbers in Indian music and beyond (rasa): Zero & Nine– CBC Ideas

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The story of zero: How ‘nothing’ changed the world Before it could be used, it had to be invented. “This invention of the zero and the way we write our numerals today is what is now the basis of all modern technology,” Princeton mathematics professor Manjul Bhargava told IDEAS. “We often take it for granted. But … Read more