Sway to the tunes

Indian sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar (left) and his daughter Anoushka at a live performance in Mumbai.

It is true that Bollywood tunes are among the top 10 factors that have put India on the world map and made it familiar to the global population. But besides the catchy tunes of the movies, there is much more to the Indian music industry.

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Right from its roots in classical music, to its latest version of fusion, diversification, and so on, Indian music has magical powers that transcend boundaries and languages.

The Indian classical music is broadly classified into two categories: Carnatic music, found predominantly in the peninsular regions; and Hindustani music, found in the northern, eastern and central regions. The basic concept of this music includes shruti (microtones), swara (notes), alankar (ornamentations), raga (melodies improvised from basic grammars), and tala (rhythmic patterns used in percussion).

The Hindustani music tradition, on the other hand, is diverged from Carnatic music around the 13th and 14th centuries AD. The practice of singing based on notes was popular even from the Vedic times where the hymns in Sama Veda, an ancient religious text, were sung and not chanted.

Developing a strong and diverse tradition over several centuries, Indian music's roots are established in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In contrast to Carnatic music, the other main classical music tradition originating from the South, Hindustani music, was not only influenced by ancient Hindu musical traditions, historical Vedic philosophy and native Indian sounds but also enriched by the Persian performance practices of the Mughals. Classical genres are dhrupad, dhamar, khyal, tarana and sadra, and there are also several semi-classical forms.

Purandara Dasa is considered the father of Carnatic music, while Tyagaraja, Shyama Shastry and Muthuswami Dikshitar are considered the trinity of Carnatic music.

Noted artists of Carnatic Music include Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar (the father of the current concert format), Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Alathur Brothers, MS Subbulakshmi, Lalgudi Jayaraman and more recently Balamuralikrishna, TN Seshagopalan, KJ Yesudas, N Ramani, Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, Sanjay Subrahmanyan, Balaji Shankar, TM Krishna, Bombay Jayashri, Aruna Sairam and Mysore Manjunath.

Every December, the city of Chennai in India has its six week Music Season, which has been described as the world's largest cultural event. Carnatic music has served as the foundation for most music in South India, including folk music, festival music and has also extended its influence to film music in the past 100–150 years or so.

Over the years, influences from around the world have traversed through the musical routes and developed something called the light classical music. Light classical or semi-classical music include genres such as: Thumri, Dadra, ghazal, Chaiti, Kajri and Tappa and Qawwali, each popular in its own right and commanding a fan base.

Regional influences

Besides the broad categorisation, music in India has developed through regional influences as well. The sweetness of Bengal can be enjoyed through Rabindra Sangeet, where songs have distinctive characteristics of Bengal. Rabindra Sangeet, also known as Tagore songs, comprise of songs written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore.

Rabindra Sangeet used Indian classical music and traditional folk music as sources. Tagore wrote over 2,200 songs, whose form is primarily influenced by Hindustani classical, sub-classicals, Carnatic, western, bauls, bhatiyali and different folk songs of the country.

Bihu: Moving a bit to the east, Assamese music is strongly influenced by the pristine beauty of mother nature. Bihu, a festival of New Year of Assam falling on mid April, employs traditional drums and wind instruments to create lively sounds and moves. Bihu songs are energetic and with beats welcome the festive spring. This form uses Assamese drums, Pepa (usually made from buffalo horn), and gogona.

Dandiya: Dandiya or Raas is a form of Gujarati cultural dance that is performed with sticks. The present musical style is derived from the traditional musical accompaniment to the folk dance. It is practiced mainly in Gujarat, the western part of the country.

Uttarakhandi Music: Uttarakhandi folk music has its root in the lap of nature. The pure and blessed music has the feel and the touch of nature and subjects related to it. The folk music is related to the various festivals, religious traditions, folk stories and simple life of the people of Uttarakhand. The songs are a true reflection of the cultural heritage and the way people live their lives in the Himalayas. Musical instruments used in Uttarakhand music include the dhol, damoun, turri, ransingha, dholki, daur, thali, bhankora and masakbhaja. Tabla and harmonium are also used, but to a lesser extent. The main languages are Kumaoni and Garhwali.

Lavani: Lavani comes from the word Lavanya which means love. This is one of the most popular forms of dance and music that is practiced all over Maharashtra. It has in fact become a necessary part of the Maharashtrian folk dance performances. Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, particularly performed to the enchanting beats of 'dholaki', a drum-like instrument. This is sung in a quick tempo. The verve, the enthusiasm, the rhythm and above all the very beat of India finds an expressive declaration amidst the folk music of India. Lavani originated in the arid region of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Rajasthan: Rajasthan has a very diverse cultural collection of musician castes, including langas, sapera, bhopa, jogi and manganiyar. Rajasthan Diary quotes it as a soulful, full-throated music with harmonious diversity. The melodies of Rajasthan come from a variety of instruments. The stringed variety include the sarangi, rawanhattha, kamayacha, morsing and ektara.

Popular music

Film music

The biggest form of Indian popular music is filmi, or songs from Indian films, making up 72 per cent of the music sales in India. The film industry of India supported music by according reverence to classical music while utilising the western orchestration to support Indian melodies.

suneeti@khaleejtimes.com