The Indian Flag

The Indian flag was designed as a symbol of freedom. The late Prime Minister Nehru called it a flag not only of freedom for ourselves, but a symbol of freedom to all people.  The flag has three colors. The colors are  deep saffron on the top, white in the middle and  green at the bottom. The ratio of the widtth to the length of the flag is two is to three. 

The Indian flag was designed by a freedom fighter called Pingali Venkayya

What do the stripes and wheel represent?

India's National Anthem

Rabindranath Tagore, one of India's well loved poets wrote India's National Anthem. It was adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthem of lndia on 24 January 1950. 

It was first sung on the 27th of  December 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress. The complete song consists of five verses.

 Translation of the Indian National Anthem

VANDE MATARAM

The song Vande Mataram, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. It has an equal status with Jana-gana-mana. The first political occasion when it was sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.  The song first appeared in his book ''Anandamatha'', published in 1882 amid fears of a ban by the British Raj, though the song itself was actually written six years prior in 1876.

 

 "Vande Mataram" was the national cry for freedom from British oppression during the freedom movement. Large rallies, fermenting initially in West Bengal, in the major metropolis of Calcutta, would work themselves up into a patriotic fever by shouting the slogan "Vande Mataram," or "Hail to the Mother(land)!". The British, fearful of the potential danger of an incited Indian populace, at one point banned the utterance of the motto in public forums and jailed many freedom fighters for disobeying the proscripttion. To this day, "Vande Mataram" is seen as a national mantra describing the love of patriots for the country of India. 

While Vande Mataram was treated as the national anthem of India for long, ultimately Jana Gana Mana, was chosen as the national anthem of independent India. The choice was slightly controversial, since the Vande Mataram was the one song that truly depicted the pre-independence national fervour. The song was rejected on the grounds that Muslims felt offended by its depiction of the nation as "Ma Durga", a Hindu goddess; thus equating the nation with the Hindu conception of shakti, divine feminine dynamic force; and by its origin as part of ''Anandamatha'', a novel they felt had an anti-Muslim message. 

Dr Rajendra Prasad, who was presiding the Constituent Assembly on January 24 1950, made the following statement which was also adopted as the final decision on the issue: 

''The composition consisting of words and music known as Jana Gana Mana is the National Anthem of India, subject to such alterations as the Government may authorize as occasion arises, and the song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honored equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it. I hope this will satisfy members.''

The following is the text of its first stanza

Vande Mataram!
Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja sh*talam,
Shasyashyamalam, Mataram!
Shubhrajyothsna pulakitayaminim,
Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim,
Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim,
Sukhadam varadam, Mataram!

The English translation of the stanza rendered by Sri Aurobindo in prose 1 is :

I bow to thee, Mother,
richly-watered, richly-fruited,
cool with the winds of the south,
dark with the crops of the harvests,
The Mother!
Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight,
her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom,
sweet of laughter, sweet of speech,
The Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss.

Indian National Flower - LOTUS

The Lotus or the Water Lily is an aquatic plant with broad floating green leaves and bright fragrant flowers that grow only in shallow waters. Based on the color of its flower, it is divided into two types, the red lotus flower and the white lotus flower.  The beautiful flowers float and have many petals overlapping in a symmetrical pattern. Lotuses, prized for their serene beauty, are delightful to behold as their blossoms open on the surface of a pond. 

 

Mythology and Symbolism of the Lotus Flower 

In India the sacred lotus is legendary and much folklore and religious mythology is woven around it. Rich in meaning and metaphor, the Lotus symbolises divinity, fertility, wealth, knowledge and not to forget enlightenment. 

It is associated with the goddess of wealth Maha Lakshmi, who brings prosperity, purity, chastity and generosity. She is the embodyment beauty, grace and charm. She sits on a fully blossomed lotus flower, symbolizing purity, beauty and everything that is good.

Understanding the subtle importance of the Lotus 

Lending to its uniqueness, the flower grows in murky waters and rises on a long stalk above the surface to bloom glorious. Untouched by the impurity, lotus symbolizes the purity of heart and mind. It also symbolizes the the last and final lotus - Charan Kamal or lotus feet of the Almighty. Since the seeds have been found to last for thousands of years and still perfect for re-germination, it is a symbol of strong vital force that could withstand extremely adverse conditions. The lotus flower thus represents long life, health, honor and good luck. Especially in Buddhism, where this flower is valued very highly. It was this depth of thought that made the founding fathers of modern India enshrine the lotus in the Constitution as the National Flower.

Other uses of the Lotus Flower

The seed, the leaf and the stem are edible and also can be used as a medicine. 

National Animal 

Tiger

The Tiger is India's National Animal. It is a royal looking animal known for its magnificence, grace, power and its agility. This large Asiatic carnivorous feline quadruped,Panthera Tigris is maneless, of tawny yellow color with blackish transverse stripes and a white belly .

There are very few tigers left in the world today. World tiger census figures stand at 5000 to 7000, out of which the Indian subspecies including Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Myanmar claim 3000 to 4500. The Indian figures hover between 2500 to 3750. (Source : Free Press Journal)

A decade ago the tiger population in India had dwindled to a few hundreds. The Government of India, under its"Project Tiger" program which was launched in April 1973, started a massive effort to preserve the tiger population. Today, thanks to Project Tiger, India's population of tigers is in a comfortable position. The project is now come under scrutiny. Many conservationists are of the opinion that unless the Project Tiger is critically reviewed and analysed at this juncture to make it more 'tiger friendly'. 

The Indian National Emblem

The male Peacock or scientifically known as Pavo cristatus (Linnaeus) is the the national bird of India.

 

It is a colorful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The male of the species is more colorful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male, and lacks the train. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preening its feathers, is a gorgeous sight.

The peacock is widely found in the Indian sub-continent from the south and east of the Indus river, Jammu and Kashmir, east Assam, south Mizoram and the whole of the Indian peninsula. Peacocks are related to pheasants. Found wild in India (and also domesticated in villages) they live in jungle lands near water. 

They were once bred for food but now hunting of peacocks is banned in India. The Peacock enjoys protection from the people as it is never molested for religious and sentimental reasons. It is fully protected under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

The Indian National Emblem

The State emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. In the original, there are four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law -"Dharma Chakra".

In the State emblem, adopted by the Government of India on 26 January 1950,only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the center of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on left and the outlines of other wheels on extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. The words Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning ‘Truth Alone Triumphs’, are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari scriptt.

 

The emblem forms a part of the official letterhead of the Government of India, and appears on all Indian currency as well, as shown below.

It appears prominently on the diplomatic and national Passport of the Republic of India.

 

Indian Money

What is the Indian currency called?
The Indian currency is called the Indian Rupee (INR) and the coins are called paise. One Rupee consists of 100 paise. The word Rupee came from the Sanskrit word "raupya" which means silver coin. 

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the body that is in charge of India's numismatics and currency production and is India's National Bank.     

All pictures and info on Indian currency courtesy RBI. Please visit their website for more detailed info.

Coins in India are available in denominations of 10 paise, 20 paise, 25 paise, 50 paise, one rupee, two rupees and five rupees. Coins up to 50 paise are called 'small coins' and coins of Rupee one and above are called 'Rupee Coins'.

Indian Coins : Paise 

10 paise25 Paise50 Paise

1 Rupee coin2 Rupee coin5 Rupee coin

Indian bank notes :Rupees

The present denominations of bank notes in India are issued in the denomination of Rs.10, Rs.20, Rs.50, Rs.100 and Rs.500. These notes are called bank notes as they are issued by the Reserve Bank of India (Reserve Bank). The printing of the 1, 2 & 5 denominations has been discontinued as these denominations have been coinised. However, such notes issued earlier are still in circulation.

One Rupee

Two Rupees

5 Rupees

10 Rupees

20 Rupees

50 Rupees

100 Rupees

500 Rupees

1000 Rupees

The Reserve Bank can also issue notes in the denominations of one thousand rupees, five thousand rupees and ten thousand rupees, or any other denomination that the Central Government may specify. There cannot, though, be notes in denominations higher than ten thousand rupees in terms of the current provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. Coins can be issued up to the denomination of Rs.1000.

The Reserve Bank manages currency in India, by deciding on the various denominations, designing of bank notes, including the security features. The Reserve Bank also estimates the quantity of notes that are likely to be needed.  Notes fit for circulation are reissued and the others (soiled and mutilated) are destroyed so as to maintain the quality of notes in circulation. The Reserve Bank derives its role in currency management on the basis of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.

Indian Languages

The Aryans are believed to have developed the Sanskrit language and made significant contributions to India's religion. Sanskrit is the basis and the unifying factor of the vast majority of Indian languages. 

India has fifteen national languages recognized by the Indian constitution and these are spoken in over 1600 dialects. Many Indians understand several languages and can speak many too. 

It is sad that the generation born here in the US have difficulty learning the languages because many of the parents speak English at home to communicate with their kids. Learning languages is like learning  culture and traditions.....it has to be practiced. In this fast life of dot coms and super speedy life styles try to take a few minutes of the day to converse with your kids in your mother tongue. Even if it is to say "Hi, How was your day?" Today there are many Indian language newspapers on the net. Here is a site where you can down load the Indian language scriptt.

India has a wide variety of local languages and in many cases the State boundaries have been drawn on linguistic lines. Besides Hindi and English, the other popular languages are

Some Indian languages have evolved from the Indo-European group of languages. This set is known as the Indic group of languages. The other set of languages are Dravidian and are native to South India, though a distinct influence of Sanskrit and Hindi is evident in these languages. Most of the Indian languages have their own scriptt and are spoken in the respective states along with English.

Hindi is spoken as a mother tongue by about 40.22 percent of the population, mainly in the area known as the Hindi belt comprising Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It is the official language of the Indian Union, of the four states mentioned above, and of two other states namely, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Assamese is the state language of Assam and is spoken by nearly 60 percent of the State's population. The origin of this language dates back to the 13th century.

Bengali is spoken by nearly 200 million people in the world- in West Bengal and in Bangladesh. It developed as a language in the 13th century and is the official state language of the eastern state of West Bengal.

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Gujarati is the state language of Gujarat and is spoken by 70 percent of the State's population. It is Indic in origin and branched out from the Indo-European group of languages.

Kannada is the State language of Karnataka and is spoken by 65 percent of the state's population.

Kashmiri is a language written in both Persio-Arabic and Devnagri scriptt and is spoken by 55 percent of the population of Jammu and Kashmir.

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Konkani, principally based on classical Sanskrit, belongs to the southwestern branch of Indo-Aryan languages. It is spoken in the Konkan region covering Goa and parts of the coastal regions of Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra.

Malayalam is a Dravidian language, spoken by the people of Kerala. It is an ancient language and is thousands of years old.

Marathi is an Indian language dating back to the 13th century. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra.

Oriya, the state language of Orissa is spoken by nearly 87 percent of its population.

Punjabi is an Indic language and is spoken in the state of Punjab. Although based on the Devnagri scriptt, it is written in a 16th century scriptt called Gurumukhi, created by the Sikh Guru, Angad.

Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages of the world and also the language of classical India. All the classical literature and the Indian epics have been written in this language. Here is an online Sanskrit dictionary https://www.alkhemy.com/sanskrit/dict/

Sindhi is spoken by a great number of people in the North-west frontier of the Indian sub-continent comprising parts of India and Pakistan. In Pakistan, the language is written in the Perso-Arabic scriptt, while in India it uses the Devnagri scriptt.

Tamil, an ancient Dravidian language is at least 2000 years old. It is the state language of Tamil Nadu and is spoken by at least 65 million people.

Telugu is also a south Indian language and is the spoken by the people of Andhra Pradesh.

Urdu is the state language of Jammu and Kashmir and it evolved with Hindi in the capital of India, Delhi. Urdu is the language adopted by the majority of the Muslims in India. Urdu is written in the Persio-Arabic scriptt and contains many words from the Persian language. Wonderful poetry is read and written in this language.

INDIAN FESTIVALS 

India is a land of many festivals ! 

All Indian festivals have religious, social and seasonalelements to them. Celebrations are done with religious sanctity, making traditional food and celebration of the season. 

The preparation of Indian traditional sweets or desserts and festival recipes, women, men and children adorning traditional dresses, dancing  with unwavering enthusiasm are the characteristics of festivities held on those festival days. Bright colors, brightly lit religious places, twinkling illuminated houses are all part of the celebration of various festivals in India.

Each festival has its own religious or symbolic meaning.  There are cultural and traditional performances and music and sometimes parades and processions of the deities. 

Indian festivals are a good way to get-together for social functions. To create an awareness of the heritage and culture that has been handed down to us for generations. These get togethers can enhance our mental and spiritual dimension that, if left in the dark, make us only poorer and less worthy of our heritage. 

So make it a point to get a few of your friends together to celebrate and remember the age old traditions of the past. 

It is difficult to transport the same enthusiasm and feeling for the festival when it occurs in India as the number of people recognizing it and celebrating it is far less and spread out.  We have outlined some of the major festivals and celebrations held in India. We hope that this can be a starting point to understanding the vast culture and heritage of India. 

 Indian Music

Types of Indian Music

Classical Indian music is mainly divided into two branches, North and South. The South Indian music is called Carnatic, in reference of the Southern State of Karnataka, and the northern branch, Hindustani, in reference of the Hindi speaking region going to North-West Frontier and to Poorab, the East.

Hindustani : North Indian music is popularly known as Hindustani music. Hindustani Music has never been really unified, many styles and genres have been developed and encouraged by a family system called Gharana or Family.  The names of the gharanas are almost always derived from a geographical location.   The word "Gharana"literally means "house" and it implies the house of the teacher. Each Gharana has preserved its own tradition of music and the musical compositions. Each Gharana has got a particular discipline, system and style. The gharanaswere entrusted with the duty of maintaining a certain standard of musicianship. 

Carnatic : South Indian Music is called Carnatic music. This "temple music", whether vocal or instrumental, is always directed to a Hindu god. Being also the music of religious dance, it has needed rhythms both light and complex. Carnatic music is nearly totally unified and the different schools are based on the same ragas (about 300 different ragas), same solo instruments, mainly the veena, flute, violin and same rhythm instrument, the mridangam and the ghatam.
Carnatic music is more an achievement of individual styles rather than a music from schools, such as can be found in the North.

Folk: Folk music, on the other hand, has different forms depending on the region it belongs to. With flexibility in its expression, it is not bound by laws or any set pattern. Folk music has its peculiar expressions and emotions and has established a tradition of its own.

The Indian Musical Scale

The 7 notes or "Swar" of the scale are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni. 

Nishad = Ni. 

The scale sounds similar to "Do Re Me Fa So La Te". In western classical Piano one octave consists of 12 notes, whereas in Indian classical music the same consists of 22 notes or shrutis. "Swar" is generally defined as a note whereas a shruti is the microtonal intervals between two swaras.

The two most important elements of Indian Classical Music are "Raag" and Taal". 

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Raag

Raag is the basis of classical music. The Hindi/Urdu word "raag" is derived from the Sanskrit "raaga" which means "color, or passion" Therefore raag may be thought of as an acoustic method of coloring the mind of the listener with an emotion with a "combination of a set of notes".  It is the melody. Raagas are made of different combinations of sapta swara or seven notes.  

Tradition ascribes certain raags to be sung/played at particular times of the day, seasons, or holidays; this is called "Samay" or time. A number of raagas express certain moods or emotions, and some are believed to personify gods, ascetics, or devotees. The object of a raaga is to express a certain emotional mood and sentiment.

Regardless of whether the raaga performance is vocal or instrumental, a drone (a sustained tone of fixed pitch) is invariably heard in the background. Improvisation is an essential feature of Indian music, depending upon the imagination and the creativity of an artist; a great artist can communicate and instill in his listener the mood of the Raaga.

There are a limited number of raagas in Hindustani music; as the use of a "KING" note and a "QUEEN" note restricts to a great extent, the creation of new raagas. The raaga forms the backbone of Indian music, and the laws laid down for the raagas have to be carefully observed to preserve and safeguard their integrity. The following points are required in the construction of a Raaga --

1. Thaats or sequence of notes,

2. Jaatis or classification

3. "King" and "Queen" relation of the notes, i.e. Vadi and Samvadi

4. The Ascent and Descent of the raag, i.e. Aroha and Avaroha

5. Important cluster of notes

6. Pitch

7. Speed.

All the raagas are divided into two groups -- Poorva Raagas and Uttar Raagas. The Poorva Raagas are sung between 12 noon and 12 midnight. The Uttar Raagas are sung between 12 midnight and 12 noon.

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The Elements of a Raag

"Alap" is the first movement of the Raaga. It is a slow, serene movement acting as an invocation and it gradually develops the Raaga.

"Jor" begins with the added element of rhythm which (combining with the weaving of innumerable melodic patterns) gradually grains in tempo and brings the raaga to the final movement.

"Jhala" is the final movement and climax. It is played with a very fast action of the plectrum which is worn on the right index finger.

"Gat"is the fixed composition. A gat can be in any Taala and can be spread over from 2 to 16 of its rhythmic cycles in any tempo, slow, medium or fast.

A Gat (for a fixed composition), whether vocal or instrumentaal, has generally two sections. The first part is called "pallavi" - South Indian term - or "asthayi" - North Indian term - which opens the composition and is generally confined to the lower and middle octaves. The following part of the composition is called the "anupallavi" (or antara) which usually extends from the middle to upper octaves. In South Indian music further melodic sections called "charana" follows the "anupallavi."

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Taal

The other basic element of Indian music is the Taal.  It is a rhythmic cycle containing a fixed number of beats. 'Taala' is the second important factor in Indian music. These are rhythmic cycles ranging from 3 to 108 beats. Taalas give the rhythmic foundation of the melodic structure and are performed on drums. The sequence of beats serves as a framework on which the drummer plays rhythmic patterns associated with a particular taala. The taala is divided into subsections, which can be equal or unequal in length. As a rule, the first beat of a section receives an accent. The most important accent occurs on the very first beat of the taala cycle; at this point the soloist sings or plays an important tone of the raaga, and the drummer accents this with an appropriate drum stroke. 
        

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The Importance of a "Guru" in learning Indian Music

" Guru - Shishya Tradition"  

"Guru" - the teacher, the preceptor, the seer and guide. The word Guru is made up of two syllables "gu" and "ru". Etymologically, "gu" stands for darkness and "ru" stands for one who dispels the darkness. 

Shishiya is the student.

In the Indian musical tradition, the transmission of music from is primarily "oral" in the sense that the teaching takes place in a scenario of the Guru singing (or playing an instrument) and the sisya or student learning by listening. 

Typically, even in the recent past, the sisya would leave his parents' home and stay with, serve and learn from his chosen Guru, in the pursuit of musical knowledge. In this kind of learning, the student sisya is almost always in a continuous state of learning - while listening to his Guru practice or while he teaches other sisyas, while accompanying him on the tambura during a concert and while listening to the Guru taalk about and discuss musical nuances (theoretical and performative) with various other people. This methodology of teaching, which is unique to this country, is what is called sampradaya and has been coming down the ages being handed over from teacher to student in an unbroken tradition. The method is predominantly one of assimilation by listening, conditioning, repetition, practice, intuition and contemplation. Finally after all the teaching it was up to the student to "discover" the raag for himself. 

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Terms used in Indian Music 

• Achal - Fixed
• Arohi - Ascending movement a. k. a. Arohana; Aroh
• Avirbhav - To make visible the original raga form
• Abhoga - Closing movement in a composition
• Alaap - Unmetered Raga introduction and expansion; prelude
• Andolan - Undulating vibrato
• Alankar - Ornaments, exercises
• Antara - 2nd Movement in a composition with the melodic progression generally in the uttarang region of the octave and above
• Antya - Ending on
• Anuvadi - Assonant note
• Asthai - 1st movement in a composition with the melodic progression generally in the poorvang region of the octave and below
• Asthan - Region; area: as in Mandar Asthan-lower octave region
• Audava - Five notes; pentatonic
• Avarohi - Descending movement a. k. a. Avarohana; Avaroh
• Bol /s - Sound sylabel /s. as in Tabla Bols
• Chakra - S. I. Melakarta raga classification. There are 12 Chakras of six ragas each, giving the 72 Melas. See Mela Chart.
• Chalan - A systematic raga expansion
• Chautalaa - 14 Beatr Cycle
• Dadra Tal - Six beat cycle
• Deepchandi Tal - Fourteen beat cycle
• Dhamar Tal - Fourteen beat cycle
• Dhaivata - Sixth musical note (Dha)
• Drut - Fast
• Ek Tal - Twelve beat cycle
• Gandhar - Third musical note (Ga)
• Grama - Ancient music scales- Shadaja, Madhyama, and Gandhar Gramas
• Jati - Tonal classification
• Jhaptal - Ten beat cycle
• Jhumra Tal - Fourteen beat cycle
• Kan - Grace, as in grace note
• Keharwa Tal - Eight beat cycle
• Komal - Flat
• Kriti - Classical composition (used in S. I. music system)
• Lakshan - Introduction, definitive principles, or rules
• Laya - Tempo
• Madhya Saptak - Middle octave region; middle pitch register
• Madhya Laya - Medium Tempo
• Madhyama - Fourth musical note (Ma)
• Mandar - Lower octave region; low pitch register
• Manjari - Collection, bouquet
• Meend - Slide or glissando
• Mela - S. I. Parent mode; 72 in all; See Mela chart
• Mishra - Mixed
• Nada - Sound in general; but applies more to musical sound or else it is considered noise. Nada is of two types: Ahata (struck) and Unahata (un-struck)
• Nada Brahma - This universe is sound
• Nyasa - Closing note; cadence
• Nishadha - Seventh musical note (Ni)
• Pakar - Characteristic musical catch phrase of a raga
• Panchama - Fifth Musical note (Pa)
• Poorvang - Lower tetrachord-Sa Re Ga Ma / modified to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa
• Prati - Sharp (a. k. a. Tivar)
• Raga - Modal scale
• Rasa - Emotional state. In music there are nine: Shringaar (sensual), Raudra (anger), Hasya (happy), Vibhatsaya (disgust), Veera(heroic), Karuna (sympathy), Bhayanak (fear), Adabhuta (wonder), and Shanta (peace)
• Rishabha - Second musical note (Re)
• Rupak Tal - Seven beat cycle
• Sanchari - Third movement in a composition encompassing all the regions of the octave; Sanchari means wandering
• Sampooran - Seven note; heptatonic
• Samvadi - Subsonant, the second most important note in a raga
• Sandhi Prakash - Sunrise or sunset time periods
• Saptak - Octave (Sapt means seven. Indian music does not count repeated notes as a part of the same octave. But saptak and octave basically imply the same meaning)
• Sargam - Indian solfegio; derived from the first four notes Sa, Re, Ga, Ma
• Shadaja - First musical note (Sa). A. k. a. Kharaja
• Shastra - Treatise
• Shaudava - Six note; hexatonic
• Shruti - Musical microtone; pitch; intonation
• Shudha - A pure or a natural note
• Swara - Musical note
• Swaroop - Image
• Tal - Rhythm cycle
• Tan - An improvised vocal or instrumental musical phrase
• Tar - Upper octave region; upper pitch register
• Thaat - Parent scale, parent mode; Thaat means to tie down as in frets
• Thumri - Vocal or instrumental song style
• Tintal - Sixteen beat cycle
• Tirobhav - Deviating or camouflaging from the original. Concealment
• Tivar - Sharp
• Uttarang - Upper tetrachord-Pa Dha Ni Sa / modified to Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa
• Vadi - Sonant. The most important note in a raga
• Vakra - Zigzag, indirect, or crooked
• Varana - Embellishment, note group
• Varjit - Omitted, deleted or avoided note
• Vikrit - Modified
• Vilambit - Slow
• Vivadi - Dissonant note

Indian Musical Instruments

ESRAJ

Esraj is played with a bow and has many strings. It is one of the major instruments of North India.

SITAR

Sitar is the most popular stringed instrument of India and has been in use for about 700 years. It is fashioned from a seasoned gourd and teakwood and has twenty mentaal frets with six or seven playing strings and nineteen sympathetic strings below. It is played with a plectrum worn on the finger. Sitar has a long and complex heritage; its origin goes back to the ancient Veena. In the 13th century, Amir Khusru, in order to make the instrument more flexible, reversed the order of the strings and made the frets moveable. 

Ravi Shankar, the great musician-artist brought changes and a new perspective.

SAROD

Sarod is another popular stringed instrument. The body is carved from a single piece of well-seasoned teakwood and the belly covered with goat skin. There are four main strings, six rhythm and drone strings and fifteen sympathetic strings, all made of metaal. These are played by striking with a plectrum made of a coconut shell. The Sarod has no frets. Sarod as been found in carvings of the 1st century in Champa temple and also in paintings in the Ajanta caves. It also has a similarity with the Rabab of Afghanistan and Kashmir. The instrument was modified by Amir Khusru in the 13th century. A definite change was made by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan in shape of the instrument for improving the tonal quality.

SARANGI

The name derives from Sau Rangi meaning 100 colors. Sarangi is played with a bow and has four main strings and as many as forty resonant strings. It is generally used to accompany singers but can also be a solo instrument.

TANPURA

Tanpura is a four or five stringed instrument which gives the essential drone background to all Indian music.

SANTOOR

Santoor is a North Indian instrument originating from Kashmir. It has more than a hundred strings which run across a hollow rectangular box and the strings are struck by a pair of slim carved walnut mallets.

VICITRA VEENA

Vichitra Veena is a comparatively recent addition to the Veena family. It is a fretless stringed instrument with four main strings, three drone and rhythm strings and eleven to thirteen resonating strings. The strings are plucked by a plectrum on the index or middle finger of the right hand.

VIOLIN

Violin was introduced to India about 300 years ago and is a very important string instrument in the South of India. It is played in a sitting position and is held between the right foot and the left shoulder.

TABLA

Tabla is the overall term for two drums, which are played as accompaniment to North Indian music and dance. The musician uses the base of the palm as well as the fingers to produce great variations in sounds. The right hand drum is tuned to the tonic dominant or sub-dominant and the left-hand drum acts as the base.

PAKHAWAJ

Pakhawaj is a long bodied wooden drum with both ends covered in skin and is the most traditional drum of North India. Played horizontally with the fingers and palms of both hands, the right hand surface is tuned to the pitch required and the left hand surface provides the base.

MRIDANGAM

Mridangam is similar in appearance to the Pakhawaj but the ends have a different texture. It is the most used drum in South Indian music.

DHOLAK

Dholak is a side drum, cylindrical in shape, bored out of solid wood. Its pitch is variable and is an essential accompaniment for folk music of North India.

JAL TARANG

Jal Tarang is essentially a water-xylophone. It is made up of a series of china bowls of varying sizes and they are filled with varying levels of water. These are then played with two light sticks.

PUNG

Pung is a long bodied drum with both ends covered in skin and plays an important role in Manipuri dancing when it is played by men and women, either in a sitting position or standing position.

FLUTE

Flute is found in every part of India, carved from bamboo it is made in every possible size. It is usually played in a vertical position.

SHEHNAI

Shehnai is a double reeded wind instrument with a widening tube towards the lower end. There are eight or nine holes, the upper seven for playing, the lower ones for tuning. The Shehnai is considered auspicious and is played on all festive occasions in India.

Indian Dance 

One of the ways in which people express happiness, any where in the world is through celebration with song and dances.

Indian dance was first created by Lord Shiva.

Bharatanatyam, Chakiarkoothu Kathak, Kathakali, Krishnanattam, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniattam, Odissi, Ottanthullal and Yakshagana .....What are these?

These are the names of some of the popular dance styles in India. Besides these there are many folk dances like the "Dandia" "Garba" and "Ras" from Gujarat, "Lavani" from Maharashtra, "Bhangra" from Punjab, "Chhou" and "Gambhira", folk dances of West Bengal, "Mando" a  folk dance from Goa, "Rouff"is a folk dance of Kashmir  and many more. 

 All forms of Indian dance essentially involve the graceful movement of hands and feet according to a particular rhythm, known as taal when music is played. Facial expressions, known as bhavam are more pronounced in the case of the traditional forms of dance.   

 One of the forms of Shiva is Nattaraj who creates and destroys through his cosmic dance. Later, his art of dancing was passed on to the human world by the yogis, Narad and Bharat Muni. They wrote the ancient books known as the Rig Vedas. Natya Sastra means the scicnce of dance. In these books the authors write about the science behind dance and drama. 

All dance forms are structured around the nine "rasas" or emotions

1. sringara (love)

2. roudra (heroic)

3. hasya (humorous)

4. bhibasta (disaster)

5. bhayanak (fear)

6. viram (courage)

7. karuna (compassion)

8. adbhuta (wonder)

9. shanta (peace). 

 

Indian dance is divided into Nritta and Natya 

Nritya is pure dance. The rhythmic elements of the hand and feet along with the expressions of the face 

Natya is the dramatic element which tells the story.  Most Indian dances take their themes from India's rich mythology and folk legends. Thus, Indian dance is both a form of worship and an expression of man's most profound emotions.

The Sangeet Natak Academi

On May 31 1952 the government of India set up the Sangeet Natak Akademi or The National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama. It is the national level academy for performing arts Prestigious awards and fellowship are awarded by the academy. The functions of the academy include efforts to preserve and promote the vast cultural heritage of India expressed in the forms of music, dance and drama.

• Website of the academy 

• List of Award Winners since 1952

The Sangeet Natak Akademi currently confers classical status on eight Indian dance forms

• Bharatanatyam - Tamil Classical Dance

• Odissi - Orissa Classical dance

• Kuchipudi - Telugu Classical dance

• Manipuri - Manipur Classical Dance

• Mohiniaattam - Kerala Classical Dance

• Sattriya - Asamese Classical Dance

• Kathakali - Malayalam Classical Dance

There are several Indian dance studios in the US. Individual dance maestros also conduct dance classes. The two most popular dances are Bharat Natyam and Kathak. Many parents go out of their way to involve their kids in the classes so that they can enjoy and learn the Indian culture through dance. 

Classical Indian Dance in Bollywood Movies

Most Indian Bollywood actresses learn Bharatnatyam, Katkak and more. Legends in Indian cinema have performed many classical moves on celluloid. Dance in early Bollywood films, was primarily modeled on classical Indian dance styles and particularly those of historic northern Indian courtesans (tawaif), or folk dances. Modern films often blend this earlier style with Western dance styles. Watch and bollywood movie and you will see forms of classical dance blended beautifully and rhythmically with modern dance steps. 

"Item number" is a dance performed in a Bollywood movie by an "item girl" most ly not the main female lead,  often completely unrelated to the main cast and plot of the film. She performs a catchy song and dance number in the film. Helen became the most famous of them all as an "item girl" In older films, the "item number" was  performed by a courtesan (tawaif) dancing for a rich client or as part of a cabaret show. In modern Bollywood films, item numbers may be inserted as discotheque sequences, dancing at celebrations, or as stage shows.

Here are a couple of the popular dances explained briefly.

Bharat Natyam 

This dance originated in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. Traditionally the Bharat Natyam is performed by women. It is mostly performed by a solo artist. Bharata Natyam has been handed down through the centuries by dance teachers (or gurus) callednattuwanars and the temple dancers, called devadasis.

The complete performance of this dance involves six stages. They are Alarippu (invocation), Jathi Swaram (note combinations), Shabdam (notes and lyrics), Varnam (a combination of pure dance and abhinaya), lighter items like Padams and Javalis (all erotic) and finally the thillana (again pure dance).

Kathak 

Kathak originated in the State of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. It was originally performed by communities of people called Kathakaras or story tellers. Kathak is also known as Braj Raas. Both men and women perform this dance. Music composition is based on lyrics such as Thumri, Dadra, Ghazal and Kavitas.

The dance contains the following comments: Thata, the opening sequence, Amad, Paran, and finally the Tarana. A notable feature of Kathak is the intricate footwork and the highlight of the dance is the Tahai, a spinning movement in one spot at great speed.

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