Music
India is a land of a billion people who speak more than 30 languages and 2000 dialects, with a cultural diversity that is probably unmatched anywhere else in the world. In this context, it goes, without saying, that an overview of Indian music is no mean task.
However, the music of India - a sea of a million swaras, ragas and talas - can broadly be divided into the main sections of: Indian classical music comprising Hindustani and Carnatic, semi-classical (Thumri, Dadra, Tappa etc), folk music which may also be called regional music, widely accepted genres like Sufi music, the music of the Bhakti Movement and the Rabindra Sangeet, film music, Indi-pop and fusion music.
Margi music and Desi music
From ancient times till recently, Indian music was broadly classified into Margi sangeetha and Desi sangeetha. Margi music literally means ‘music of the path’. It refers to music regulated Read more...
Indian classical music
Classical music in India is considered to be a divine art. The Guru-sishya relationship in teaching, the humbling of the ego before the art and the constant practice required by the student makes its Read more...
Some of the luminaries
Purandara Dasa (1484 - 1564) is known as ‘the grandfather of Carnatic music’. A great performer and musicologist, it was Purandara Dasa who transformed Carnatic music from merely devotion Read more...
The trinity of Carnatic music
Tyagaraja
Kakarla Tyagabrahmam (1767 - 1847), who came to be known as Tyagaraja, was the only one of the trio whose roots are in Andhra Pradesh.
Tyagaraja is most famous for his Pancharatna krit Read more...
The Bhakti tradition
The Bhakti movement was a grassroots spiritual movement, particularly in Hinduism, that brought empowerment to the masses. It upheld a path to salvation through a personal relationship of love, devoti Read more...
Folk music
Most of India lives in her villages. The folk music of India - the music of the ordinary folk - is their music; the music of these multitudes who sing to celebrate, to grieve, to hope, to dance with Read more...
Indi-pop
Indi-pop refers to Indian pop music. It was in the 1990s, when Alisha Chinai brought out her hugely successful ‘Made in India’ album that was given wide publicity on MTV that Indi-pop came Read more...