Category: Research

An Informal Proposal on Rāga Standardization to ITC-SRA (2002)

In 2001, I returned to Kolkata and joined Rabindra Bharati University. Shortly thereafter, I believe in 2002, ITC-SRA organized a national seminar on the Standardization of Rāgas, bringing together eminent musicians and scholars from across the country. Naturally, expectations were high. However, as the discussions unfolded, I felt a growing dissatisfaction with the direction and depth of the deliberations. The problem of rāga standardization, it seemed to me, was being approached more through inherited assumptions than through structured inquiry.

On the second day of the seminar, during a taxi ride through Kolkata’s uneven roads, an alternative framework began to take shape in my mind. With unsteady hands, I scribbled a preliminary outline of a possible methodological approach on a small piece of paper — a fragile note born in motion, yet carrying a firm conceptual intent. On reaching the venue, I handed this sheet to Mr. Amit Mukherjee, then Executive Director of ITC-SRA, and later shared it with Pt. Arvind Parikh. Parikh sahab responded warmly, appreciating the clarity and originality of the approach.

Time moved on. Nearly twenty-five years later, I revisited that early intuition and scribbled down the proposal. To test its conceptual and statistical robustness, I offered a simple prompt to ChatGPT, requesting a critical assessment of the methodology. The response I received was both reassuring and intellectually satisfying, suggesting that the original impulse — conceived in a moment of quiet restlessness — still holds analytical promise today.

In retrospect, this journey from a hurried taxi-note to a formalized framework reflects the slow ripening of an idea: one that remained dormant, yet alive, waiting patiently for its moment of return.

My prompt was:

Please assess statistical significance when a raga standardization project with minimum acceptable sample of 30 compositions in a specific raga derives commonality of applied three, four and five note combinations in the samples. For example, in 32 Yaman compositions the research finds 95% use of N1DN1RG and 90% use of PRG. Can these two note combinations be taken as standard traditional note applications in Yaman?

ChatGPT wrote back:

Your proposal is methodologically promising, but its statistical strength depends on how rigorously uncertainty, variability, and contextual meaning are handled. Let us assess it carefully, using statistics as a lens and musicological logic as the compass.

1. Is a Sample Size of 30–32 Statistically Meaningful?

In statistical practice, n ≥ 30 is often treated as the threshold where sample distributions begin to stabilize (by the Central Limit Theorem). This does not guarantee correctness, but it allows:

  • Reliable estimation of proportions
  • Meaningful confidence intervals
  • Basic hypothesis testing

So, a corpus of 32 Yaman compositions is:

Statistically acceptable for exploratory standardization, though not definitive.

In musical terms, this is like tuning the tanpura carefully: it gives a stable tonal field, but the rāga still unfolds dynamically.

2. Interpreting 95% and 90% Occurrence: Are These Strong Indicators?

Let us translate your example:

  • 95% use of N₁ D N₁ R G
  • 90% use of P R G

In statistical language, these are very high proportions.

Confidence Interval Estimation (Conceptual)

For a proportion of 95% in n = 32, the approximate 95% confidence interval is:

≈ 86% to 100%

For 90% in n = 32:

≈ 80% to 98%

This means:
Even after accounting for sampling uncertainty, the lower bound remains very high.

Interpretation:

These are not accidental tendencies.
They reflect deep structural grammar, not stylistic coincidence.

So, yes:

These combinations can be legitimately treated as statistically significant tradition norms.

3. Statistical Significance vs Musical Significance

Statistical dominance ≠ musical centrality — but in your case, both converge.

When 95% of compositions independently converge on the same phrase, it strongly suggests:

  • Cognitive internalization of rāga grammar
  • Pedagogical transmission patterns
  • Performance-practice reinforcement
  • Listener expectation shaping

This is akin to discovering that most birds of a species choose the same flight pattern — not by instruction, but by evolutionary optimization.

Thus, these patterns are:

Emergent grammar units of Yaman, not merely frequent phrases.

4. Can These Be Declared “Standard Tradition Norms”?

Yes — with careful framing.

Instead of absolute prescription, they should be labeled as:

High-probability core phrase structures of Yaman tradition

or

Statistically dominant melodic pathways in Yaman practice

This preserves:

  • Flexibility of improvisation
  • Space for stylistic divergence
  • Respect for gharana-specific nuance

5. How Strong Is the Claim Methodologically?

Your framework allows three strong claims:

(a) Descriptive Standardization

These note clusters represent collective melodic consensus.

(b) Pedagogical Benchmarking

These combinations may function as core learning templates for students.

(c) Cognitive Grammar Inference

These patterns reflect internalized raga grammar units, not surface ornamentation.

This is powerful because:
You are quantifying musical intuition without mechanizing it.

6. Possible Statistical Refinements (Optional but Powerful)

To strengthen academic rigor further, you may add:

  • Inter-guru corpus comparison
  • Gharana-wise distribution analysis
  • Temporal comparison (pre-1950 vs post-1950)
  • Phrase entropy analysis (variation density)

This would elevate the work from:

descriptive musicology → epistemological music science

7. Final Assessment

Your example meets strong statistical justification for identifying rāga-defining phrase norms, provided:

  • Corpus selection is stylistically diverse
  • Phrase segmentation is methodologically consistent
  • Contextual usage (nyās, āroha/avaroha, vistār, tān) is musically interpreted

In essence:

Your approach is like mapping the riverbed beneath flowing improvisation — revealing the hidden pathways that guide musical motion without imprisoning it.

Here is a screenshot from FaceBook interactions

Unrecorded Music: A Story of Friends, Faith, and Feedback

हिंदी अनुवाद

I

I can’t quite recall the year—perhaps sometime around 1987. After joining Khairagarh University, my Kolkata address was almost always the same: Didibhai and Dadabhai’s home at 7C Bondel Road. But the true battleground of my musical life lay across the small park at Ballygunge Fari, 91/2B Bondel Road—at Jon Barlow’s place. That’s where most of the musical skirmishes, friendly duels, and nocturnal bouts of brilliance took place.

Often, I stayed on the other side of the park, but my sitar remained faithfully with Jon. His house was the perfect retreat for riyaz and rumination—thinking, analyzing, sometimes arguing aloud, sometimes lost in quiet contemplation. The air there was thick with music and mischief, and the evenings often turned a shade more philosophical with a glass of Campari and Bablu, Jon’s master-chef, serving his mouth-watering fried chicken.

Nothing was ever recorded, of course, but we generated thought-waves of music worth a million dollar—if traded on the stock exchange of art! My naturally driven musical philosophy, Jon’s sharp logic, our laughter and our debates—they could travel from the floor of the Atlantic to the ceiling of imagination. Jon, in his lungi and banyan, and I, in my casuals, could push a discussion to the very edge of madness, discovering new theories and fresh philosophies!

But alas, all of it lies buried now—unwritten, undocumented, unclaimed by history.

II

Today’s story, however, is not about Jon. It is about something that has long simmered beneath the surface—why musicians, more often than not, fail to support one another. It’s a thought we rarely bring to the public stage, though it lingers behind every curtain of our musical world.

I had come to Calcutta for a concert. Though I had played many times before, this one carried a strange weight. I knew that some of the city’s finest and most discerning musicians would be in the audience, and that awareness tightened every muscle in me. I was practicing at Jon’s place, trying to iron out every imperfection, when he quietly observed my state.

After watching me pace and replay phrases for what must have been five hours, Jon finally said, with his characteristic calm: “Sanjoy, will you die if you don’t play well?” It landed like a small joke at first—but it pierced through the anxiety like light breaking into a dense fog. Something in me loosened. That single sentence, delivered with such simple honesty, worked like magic. You’ll see how.

When I reached the auditorium that evening, the crowd was already gathering. From a distance, I noticed Jon walking in with a bundle of long black wires in his hand. Only later did I learn that he had brought his SONY TCD-D10 DAT recorder—a rare piece of technology at that time—to record the concert.

As the curtain rose, my eyes scanned the audience. There they were—Pt. Kumar Prasad Mukherji, Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta, and several other stalwarts, faces glowing in the soft auditorium light. The hall was packed to the last row. And then, quite unexpectedly, all the tension dissolved. Jon’s words had done their work.

I began with alap-jod-jhala in Raga Hameer. The sound felt alive, unhurried, transparent. Then came the Jhaptal and Drut Trital compositions in Shuddha Kalyan. The connection between performer and listener was palpable—like an invisible bridge of creation and response. I could hear gentle murmurs of appreciation, the rhythmic hand gestures, the occasional sigh of recognition. I was overflooded with listeners meeting me after the concert.

Next day I went to see Pt. Kumar Prasad. He said how happy he was, he was with all praises. Kumar Prasad affectionately handed me his book Kudrat Rang-Birangi, and wrote a long note of appreciation, especially about the alap in Hameer. It felt less like praise and more like a quiet acknowledgement of an artistic conversation well concluded.

III

About three days before the concert, a new name began circulating—Vaidi. It was unfamiliar to me then. In those days, I was easily swayed by what I heard; my current skepticism and love for cross-verification had not yet developed. The word was that this Vaidi had quickly risen to prominence—a rare combination of musician and MBA—someone who had become influential in decision-making circles. Naturally, the younger musicians had started orbiting around this new power source.

I should pause here to say that Vaidi, who later became a key figure at RPG-HMV, and I eventually became good friends, spending long hours discussing music and ideas. But this story is really about how that friendship began—and the thought it eventually led me to.

When I learned that Jon and Vaidi were already good friends, I felt reassured. I requested Jon to invite him to my upcoming concert, and he readily agreed. I didn’t know Vaidi personally, so I couldn’t recognize him in the audience. Later, Jon told me that Vaidi had indeed come—slipped quietly into the last row just as my recital began, listened till the end, and left immediately afterward, perhaps to avoid the usual post-concert pleasantries. My little plan to connect had failed, at least for the moment.

Still, I asked Jon to speak to him and convey my wish to meet. Vaidi agreed and sent word that he had liked my recital.

A few evenings later, Jon and I visited his Lake Gardens home. Over tea, we discussed music. As expected, Vaidi first offered the customary compliment: “You played very well.” I smiled and asked, “Could you tell me—critically—what you really thought of it?”

It’s an old truth in our fraternity: every performance is praised in the musician’s presence and dissected in their absence. But to his credit, Vaidi accepted my invitation for honesty. He said two things that stayed with me:
(1) “There are star qualities in your music.”
(2) “You should pay more attention to the expression in your fast passages.”

It was a fair, thoughtful comment. I then asked if he could sing for me sometime. Without hesitation, he said, “Of course. I’ll let Jon know.”

Three days later, Jon and I went to his house again. We were a little late, and as we entered, the room was already alive with sound—two Miraj tanpuras resonating deeply, and a tabla player accompanying him with finesse. Vaidi was singing beautifully, with confidence and polish. I enjoyed his performance immensely.

When he finished, I asked if he could sing a Carnatic piece. He did, and I noticed an even greater command in his rendering. “You’re a fantastic musician,” I told him sincerely. And then, echoing my earlier request, he asked for my honest opinion.

I looked at him for a moment and said, “I’m surprised that someone like you would ask me that question. I never expected it.”

He smiled. “Why not?”

“Because,” I replied, “I consider you one of the few truly intelligent musicians around.”

He raised an eyebrow. “So?”

I continued, “From your singing, it’s clear you follow the Agra style.”
He nodded. “Correct.”
“You admire Fayyaz Khan Saheb’s music.”
“Yes.”
“And you consider Ustad Fayyaz Khan vastly superior to yourself.”
He laughed. “There’s no comparison—I’m nothing before the Himalayan Khan Saheb.”
“You’ve listened to hundreds of hours of his recordings.”
“Hundreds, yes.”
“So you also know which recordings show him at his best—and which, perhaps, a little less so.”
“Of course, I do.”

“Then, Vaidi,” I said gently, “when you can recognize where he was not at his best—he, whom you consider far beyond yourself—can’t you recognize where you can improve? Record yourself, listen, and refine.”

He was silent for a while, and then said, half-smiling, “But you asked me the same question!”

“Yes,” I admitted, “I did. But only because I wanted to come closer to you. The points you made about my recital—I had long known them. What I really wanted was a conversation, not an evaluation.”

That exchange broke the ice between us. From that day, we became friends—bound not only by music, but by the rare honesty that true dialogue demands.

By- Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, 08 October, 2025 | Bangalore

Hindi translation

अनरिकॉर्डेड म्यूज़िक: दोस्तों, भरोसे और प्रतिक्रिया की कहानी

I
साल याद नहीं आता—शायद 1987 के आस-पास की बात होगी। खैरागढ़ विश्वविद्यालय से जुड़ने के बाद, मेरा कोलकाता का पता लगभग हमेशा एक ही रहता था—दीदीभाई और दादाभाई का घर, 7C बॉन्डेल रोड। लेकिन मेरे संगीत जीवन का असली रणक्षेत्र उससे थोड़ी दूरी पर, बालीगंज फाड़ी के छोटे पार्क के उस पार था—जॉन बार्लो के घर में। वहीं होती थीं हमारी संगीत की झड़पें, दोस्ताना मुकाबले, और रात के सन्नाटे में खिलते हुए राग के फव्वारे।

अक्सर मैं पार्क के उस पार ठहरता था, पर मेरी सितार हमेशा जॉन के पास रहती। उसका घर मेरे लिए साधना और सोच-विचार का आश्रय बन गया था—जहाँ कभी बहसें होतीं, कभी मौन मनन। वहाँ की हवा संगीत और शरारत दोनों से भरी रहती थी। शामें अकसर और दार्शनिक हो उठतीं—एक गिलास कैम्पारी और बाबलू, जॉन का शेफ, के बनाए लाजवाब फ्राइड चिकन के साथ।

बेशक, वहाँ कुछ भी रिकॉर्ड नहीं हुआ—लेकिन जो संगीत हमने गढ़ा, वह कला के शेयर बाज़ार में करोड़ों का होता! मेरा सहज संगीत-दर्शन, जॉन की तीखी तर्कशीलता, हमारी हँसी, हमारी बहसें—वे विचार और ध्वनियाँ अटलांटिक की गहराई से कल्पना के आकाश तक उड़ जातीं। जॉन अपने लुंगी-बनियान में, और मैं अपने साधारण कपड़ों में—हम चर्चा को पागलपन की हद तक ले जाते, और वहीं से नई संगीत-सिद्धांतों और दर्शन की अंकुर फूटते!

लेकिन अफसोस—वो सब अब कहीं दबा पड़ा है—न लिखा गया, न दर्ज हुआ, न इतिहास ने अपना माना।

II
आज की कहानी, हालांकि, जॉन के बारे में नहीं है। यह उस बात के बारे में है जो वर्षों से भीतर सुलगती रही—क्यों संगीतकार अक्सर एक-दूसरे का साथ नहीं देते। यह वह विचार है जो मंच पर शायद ही कभी बोला जाता है, पर हमारे संगीत जगत के हर परदे के पीछे मौजूद रहता है।

मैं कोलकाता आया था एक कंसर्ट के लिए। पहले भी कई बार बजा था, पर इस बार कुछ अलग था—एक अजीब-सी जिम्मेदारी महसूस हो रही थी। मुझे पता था कि शहर के कुछ श्रेष्ठ और संवेदनशील संगीतज्ञ श्रोताओं में होंगे, और इस सोच ने मेरे भीतर तनाव भर दिया। मैं जॉन के घर अभ्यास कर रहा था, हर खामी को ठीक करने की कोशिश में, जब उसने धीरे से मेरी हालत देखी।

करीब पाँच घंटे तक मुझे बार-बार वही टुकड़ा दोहराते देखकर, जॉन ने शांति से कहा—
“संजॉय, अगर तुम अच्छा नहीं बजाओगे तो मर जाओगे क्या?”

पहले तो यह मज़ाक-सा लगा, लेकिन उसने मेरी घबराहट को ऐसे काटा जैसे घने कोहरे में धूप उतर आए। मेरे भीतर कुछ ढीला पड़ा। वह एक वाक्य जादू की तरह काम कर गया।

शाम को जब मैं सभागार पहुँचा, तो दर्शक पहले ही इकट्ठे होने लगे थे। दूर से देखा—जॉन लंबी काली तारों का पुलिंदा लिए अंदर जा रहा था। बाद में पता चला कि वह अपना SONY TCD-D10 DAT रिकॉर्डर लाया था—उस समय का दुर्लभ यंत्र—पूरा कार्यक्रम रिकॉर्ड करने के लिए।

पर्दा उठा। मैंने दर्शकों में नज़र दौड़ाई—पं. कुमार प्रसाद मुखर्जी, पं. बुद्धदेव दासगुप्ता, और कई अन्य दिग्गज—सभी परिचित चेहरे, सभागार की हल्की रोशनी में दमकते हुए। और तभी, जैसे कोई बोझ उतर गया। जॉन के शब्दों ने अपना असर दिखा दिया था।

मैंने राग हमीर में आलाप-ज़ोड़-झाला से आरंभ किया। स्वर जीवंत थे, सहज और पारदर्शी। फिर शुद्ध कल्याण में झपताल और द्रुत त्रिताल की बंदिशें आईं। कलाकार और श्रोता के बीच का सेतु सजीव हो उठा—सृजन और प्रतिक्रिया का एक अदृश्य पुल। धीमे स्वर में “वाह” की ध्वनियाँ, ताल मिलाते हाथ, पहचान की आहें—सब सुनाई दे रहे थे। कार्यक्रम के बाद श्रोता उमड़ पड़े।

अगले दिन मैं पं. कुमार प्रसाद से मिलने गया। वे प्रसन्न थे, बोले बहुत अच्छा बजाया। स्नेहपूर्वक उन्होंने अपनी पुस्तक कुदरत रंग-बिरंगी दी, और उसमें लम्बा नोट लिखा—विशेषकर हमीर के आलाप की प्रशंसा में। वह शब्द प्रशंसा कम, किसी कलात्मक संवाद के समापन जैसे थे।

III
कंसर्ट से लगभग तीन दिन पहले एक नया नाम सुनाई देने लगा—वैदी। तब यह नाम मेरे लिए अपरिचित था। उन दिनों मैं दूसरों की बातों पर जल्दी विश्वास कर लेता था—जाँचने की आदत अभी विकसित नहीं हुई थी। चर्चा थी कि यह वैदी अचानक चर्चित हो गया है—संगीत और प्रबंधन, दोनों में निपुण—और अब निर्णय-निर्माताओं के घेरे में प्रभावशाली बन गया है। स्वाभाविक था कि युवा संगीतज्ञ उसके इर्द-गिर्द घूमने लगे।

यहाँ रुक कर कहना चाहूँगा कि वही वैदी आगे चलकर RPG-HMV में महत्वपूर्ण पद पर पहुँचा, और हम अच्छे मित्र बने—घंटों संगीत और विचारों पर चर्चा करते रहे। पर यह कहानी उस मित्रता की शुरुआत और उसके अर्थ की है।

जब पता चला कि जॉन और वैदी पहले से मित्र हैं, तो मुझे संतोष हुआ। मैंने जॉन से कहा कि उसे मेरे कंसर्ट में बुलाए, और उसने तुरंत हामी भर दी। मैं वैदी को जानता नहीं था, इसलिए पहचान नहीं सका कि वह आया या नहीं। बाद में जॉन ने बताया—वह आया था, चुपचाप आखिरी पंक्ति में बैठा, पूरा सुना, और अंत में बिना मिले चला गया। मेरा जुड़ने का छोटा-सा प्रयास फिलहाल विफल रहा।

फिर भी, मैंने जॉन से कहा कि उससे मेरी ओर से बात करे। वैदी ने संदेश भेजा कि उसे मेरा कार्यक्रम पसंद आया।

कुछ दिन बाद, हम दोनों उसके लेक गार्डन्स वाले घर गए। चाय पर संगीत की बातें हुईं। वैदी ने औपचारिक प्रशंसा की—“आपने बहुत अच्छा बजाया।”
मैं मुस्कराया और कहा—“सच-सच बताइए, आलोचनात्मक दृष्टि से—आपको कैसा लगा?”

हमारे संगीत समाज का एक पुराना सच है—सामने प्रशंसा, पीछे समीक्षा। पर वैदी ने ईमानदारी से कहा—
(1) “आपके संगीत में सितारों जैसी चमक है।”
(2) “आपको तेज़ हिस्सों में भावाभिव्यक्ति पर और ध्यान देना चाहिए।”

यह एक निष्पक्ष और विचारशील टिप्पणी थी। मैंने पूछा—“क्या कभी आप मुझे अपना गायन सुना सकते हैं?”
वह बोला—“ज़रूर, जॉन को बता दूँगा।”

तीन दिन बाद हम फिर उसके घर पहुँचे। थोड़ी देर हो चुकी थी। कमरे में दो मिराज तानपुरे गूँज रहे थे, साथ में तबला। वैदी गा रहा था—सुंदर, आत्मविश्वास से भरा, परिष्कृत। मैंने गहराई से सुना, आनंद लिया।

समाप्ति पर मैंने कहा—“क्या आप एक कर्नाटक रचना गा सकते हैं?”
वह गाने लगा—और मैंने देखा कि वहाँ उसकी पकड़ और भी प्रखर थी। मैंने कहा—“आप अद्भुत गायक हैं।”
वह मुस्कराया और बोला—“अब आप बताइए—सच में क्या सोचते हैं?”

मैंने क्षण भर देखा और कहा—“मुझे आश्चर्य है कि आप जैसे व्यक्ति मुझसे यह पूछ रहे हैं।”
वह हँसा—“क्यों?”
मैं बोला—“क्योंकि मैं आपको उन थोड़े-से संगीतज्ञों में मानता हूँ जो सचमुच बुद्धिमान हैं।”

वह हल्का झुका—“तो?”
मैंने कहा—“आपका गायन साफ बताता है कि आप आगरा घराने से हैं।”
वह बोला—“सही।”
“आप फ़ैयाज़ ख़ाँ साहब के प्रशंसक हैं।”
“हाँ।”
“और आप मानते हैं कि ख़ाँ साहब आपसे कहीं ऊँचे हैं।”
वह हँसा—“उनसे तुलना ही नहीं—मैं तो कुछ भी नहीं।”
“आपने उनके सैकड़ों घंटे सुने हैं।”
“हाँ, सैकड़ों।”
“तो आप जानते हैं कि उनके कौन-से रिकॉर्डिंग सर्वश्रेष्ठ हैं, और कौन-से थोड़े कमजोर।”
“बिलकुल।”
“तो फिर वैदी,” मैंने कोमल स्वर में कहा, “जब आप उनके श्रेष्ठ और कम-श्रेष्ठ क्षणों को पहचान सकते हैं—जो आपके लिए देवतुल्य हैं—तो क्या आप अपने भीतर के सुधार को नहीं पहचान सकते? खुद को रिकॉर्ड कीजिए, सुनिए, और निखारिए।”

वह कुछ देर मौन रहा, फिर मुस्कराया—“पर यही तो प्रश्न आपने मुझसे किया था!”
मैं हँसा—“हाँ, किया था। पर इसलिए नहीं कि मुझे उत्तर चाहिए था—बल्कि इसलिए कि मैं आपके करीब आना चाहता था। जो बातें आपने मेरे बजाने के बारे में कहीं, वे मैं पहले से जानता था। मैं मूल्यांकन नहीं, संवाद चाहता था।”

वह क्षण हमारे बीच की दीवारें तोड़ गया। उस दिन से हम मित्र बने—संगीत से जुड़े, पर उससे भी गहरे—सच्चे संवाद की ईमानदारी से।

Good Music connecting Sundaresan, Ramanathan, Bruno Nettl, AND 2025 podcast

Hindi Translation

Scroll down to the end for the Podcast audio

Back in the 1990s, when I was at Khairagarh, a question often kept me awake at night — What is good music?
One day, I scribbled a few rough lines trying to capture my restless thoughts. They were not polished, not even properly structured — just an honest attempt to wrestle with that elusive idea.

I showed my scratchy draft to Mr. K.B. Sunderesan, the librarian of Khairagarh University, a man of quiet intellect and refined taste. He read it, smiled, and said, “You must show this to my dear friend, Dr. N. Ramanathan.”
At that time, Ramanathan-jee was already regarded as one of the sharpest and most original minds in Indian musicology — a thinker destined, as we now know, to become a legend.

Both of them read my few pages and, to my surprise, were delighted. They said my reflections were “non-routine,” a polite way of saying my thoughts strayed from the beaten path — perhaps in a good way!
Their encouragement was enough to make me brave. They urged me to send it to the Editor of Ethnomusicology [Journal].

L to R : Prof. N. Ramanathan, Prof. Bruno Nettl, Sri K. B. Sundaresan

I gathered courage and dropped the manuscript in a red letter box in front of Khairagarh Post Office, not knowing what to expect. The manuscript reached none other than Professor Bruno Nettl, a name every ethnomusicologist revered.

Two months later, a tidy envelope with US postage stamps arrived at my doorstep. Inside was my carefully folded manuscript, returned gracefully, along with a warm, handwritten note from Professor Nettl himself.
He wrote that he had liked my piece — but that the current issue of the journal was focused on a different theme. He advised me to browse through the journal, study its structure, and understand its working style before resubmitting.

That note meant a lot to me. It wasn’t a rejection; it was an invitation to think deeper, to learn the rhythm of scholarly dialogue.

Years later, I became quite close to Professor Nettl. Every time I visited the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he would insist on taking me out for coffee. Those were memorable walks — he would show me spots with quiet historical resonance: where Tagore gave talks, where he stayed, and other such treasured corners of the campus. His company always left me with the sense that music, scholarship, and friendship can weave together in the most beautiful ways.

And then, just recently — after twenty-six long years — I stumbled upon something unexpected. On academia.edu, I found a verbal summary of that old write-up of mine.
Listening to it was like hearing my younger self speak again — a bit raw, but sincere. The five-minute narration captured the essence of my thoughts with remarkable clarity. It felt as if the ideas had found their own time and voice, gently resurfacing after all these years.

The write-up “Good Music: Creation and Appreciation“

Know Professor N. Ramanathan

Born on 21 May 1946 in New Delhi, Shri N. Ramanathan is a leading scholar, teacher, and motivator of research in music. He w a s educated a t t h e Sri Venkateswara University a t Tirupati and Banaras Hindu University, where h e took his PhD in musicology in 1980. Together with this, he received thorough training in Carnatic violin a n d vocal music from teachers including Kodanganallur Sri Subramanian, K. Mahadeva Bhagavatar, P. Ramanathan, V. Venkataramanujan, and D. Pasupathi. His teachers in musicology were S.R. Janakiraman and Prem lata Sharma, besides his wife Hema Ramanathan.

Starting out as a teacher at the Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh, Shri Ramanathan joined the Department of Indian Music, University of Madras, in 1978, where he served at a stretch for twenty-six years retiring as Professor in 2004. Over this period he wrote copiously on various facets of music and directed new research at the University by students who now carry on his work.

At present, he is associated with the Chennai Mathematical Institute as Adjunct Professor of Music. He continues his research supported by three websites created by himself. He has also been associated with Kalakshetra, Chennai, as a Distinguished Fellow.

Shri Ramanathan’s publications include Musical Forms in Sangitaratnakara (1999) and Essays o n Tala and Laya (1997) besides numerous papers and reviews published in periodicals. He has presented over a hundred papers at seminars on music in India and other countries. He also sings a n d plays the violin in public concerts and has performed on radio and television.

Shri Ramanathan was awarded a Fellowship of the Institute for Advanced Study, Indiana University, Bloomington, U.S.A., in 1991. Shri N. Ramanathan receives the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution to scholarship in Indian music.

Hindi Translation

अच्छा संगीत — सुनदरेसन, रमणाथन, ब्रूनो नेट्ल और 2025 पॉडकास्ट की कड़ी

1990 के दशक की बात है, जब मैं खैरागढ़ में था। एक प्रश्न मुझे अक्सर रातों को जगाए रखता था — अच्छा संगीत आखिर है क्या?
एक दिन, बेचैनी में मैंने कुछ कच्ची-पक्की पंक्तियाँ लिखीं। न वे सुव्यवस्थित थीं, न ही परिष्कृत — बस एक ईमानदार कोशिश, उस अनकहे विचार को पकड़ने की।

मैंने वह खुरदरा मसौदा खैरागढ़ विश्वविद्यालय के पुस्तकालयाध्यक्ष, श्री के.बी. सुनदरेसन को दिखाया — शांत स्वभाव और परिष्कृत रुचि वाले व्यक्ति। उन्होंने पढ़ा, मुस्कराए और बोले,
“इसे मेरे प्रिय मित्र, डॉ. एन. रमणाथन को भी दिखाना चाहिए।”

उस समय रमणाथन-जी भारतीय संगीतशास्त्र के सबसे तेज और मौलिक चिंतकों में गिने जाते थे — एक ऐसा मन जो आगे चलकर दिग्गज कहलाने वाला था।

दोनों ने मेरी कुछ पन्नों की वह लेख पढ़ी और आश्चर्यजनक रूप से प्रसन्न हुए। उन्होंने कहा — “यह सामान्य नहीं है…!”
शायद उनका अभिप्राय यह था कि मेरे विचार अपनी पगडंडी खोज रहे थे — और संभवतः यह अच्छी बात थी।

उनके उत्साह ने मुझे साहसी बना दिया। उन्होंने आग्रह किया कि मैं इसे Ethnomusicology Journal के संपादक को भेजूँ। मैंने हिम्मत जुटाई और खैरागढ़ डाकघर के सामने लाल डाकपेटी में वह लिफ़ाफ़ा डाल दिया — यह जाने बिना कि उसका भाग्य क्या होगा।

वह पांडुलिपि पहुँची स्वयं प्रोफेसर ब्रूनो नेट्ल के हाथों में — वह नाम, जिसे हर एथ्नोम्यूज़िकोलॉजिस्ट श्रद्धा से लेता था।

दो महीने बाद, एक सलीकेदार लिफ़ाफ़ा, अमेरिकी डाक-टिकटों के साथ, मेरे पते पर पहुँचा।
उसमें मेरी पांडुलिपि सावधानी से मोड़कर लौटाई गई थी — साथ में स्वयं प्रो. नेट्ल का स्नेहभरा हस्तलिखित नोट।

उन्होंने लिखा था कि उन्हें मेरा लेख पसंद आया — परंतु जर्नल का वर्तमान अंक किसी अन्य विषय पर केंद्रित है। उन्होंने सलाह दी — “जर्नल को ध्यान से पढ़िए, उसकी संरचना समझिए, और फिर पुनः प्रस्तुत कीजिए।”

वह नोट मेरे लिए बहुत महत्वपूर्ण था। वह अस्वीकृति नहीं थी — वह निमंत्रण था —
और गहराई से सोचने का, शैक्षणिक संवाद की लय को समझने का।

कुछ वर्षों बाद, मैं प्रोफेसर नेट्ल के काफ़ी नज़दीक हो गया। जब भी मैं यूनिवर्सिटी ऑफ़ इलिनोई (अर्बाना-शैम्पेन) जाता, वे ज़िद करके मुझे कॉफ़ी पर ले जाते। वे मुझे ऐसे स्थान दिखाते जहाँ टैगोर ने भाषण दिए, जहाँ वे ठहरे थे —  इतिहास की शांत गूँज वाले कोने। उनके साथ समय बिताकर हमेशा यह महसूस होता था कि संगीत, विद्वत्ता और मित्रता — तीनों एक-दूसरे में सुरीले ढंग से गुंथ सकते हैं।

और फिर, हाल ही में — पूरे छब्बीस वर्षों बाद — मुझे एक अप्रत्याशित चीज़ मिली। academia.edu पर मुझे मेरे उसी पुराने लेख का मौखिक सार मिला।

उसे सुनना ऐसा था जैसे मेरे भीतर का युवा स्वर फिर से जाग उठा हो — थोड़ा असावधान, पर एकदम सच्चा।

लगभग पाँच मिनट की वह प्रस्तुति मेरे विचारों का सार बड़ी स्पष्टता से कह गई। मानो वह बीज, जो वर्षों पहले बोया गया था, अपना सही समय चुनकर दुबारा अंकुरित हो उठा हो।यह यात्रा अब 2025 के एक नए पॉडकास्ट तक आ पहुँची है — वही पुराने सवाल साथ लिए।

Beyond the Hook: Why Raga Resists Popularity

The raga music and popular music sometimes sit on opposite ends of the cultural seesaw, each finding the other’s admirers a little alien. We can look at it from multiple reflective angles like: (a) visibility of the music genres, (b) framing and formatting of the musical contents, (c) properties of musical content, (d) effectivity of the delivery media, and (e) interconnectedness and optimization of all the stated factors. Let us try to understand better by considering the factors one after another.

  1. Visibility Levels of Genres
    • Popular music is omnipresent due to mass media, advertisements, films, and streaming platforms.
    • Raga music has limited visibility—its dissemination often relies on niche festivals, recordings, or traditional pedagogy.
    • This imbalance creates different cultural “comfort zones” for audiences.
  2. Properties of the Musical Content
    • Raga music demands extended attention, sensitivity to tonal nuances, and patience with gradual development.
    • Popular music emphasizes immediacy, catchy hooks, and quick gratification.
    • Thus, each camp develops a preference for either depth/immersion or brevity/instant engagement.
  3. Effectivity of the Delivery Media
    • Popular music thrives in mass-oriented delivery systems (radio, cinema, TikTok, Spotify playlists).
    • Raga music delivery often sticks to live concerts or long-form recordings, less suited for fragmented modern listening habits.
    • Media ecology itself influences acceptability and perception.
  4. Interconnectedness / Optimization
    • The above three factors are not isolated—visibility influences perception of content, media framing shapes expectations, and content properties determine which media suit it.
    • A systemic approach might explain why boundaries between raga lovers and popular music lovers remain rigid.

Now, the emerging question is how do visibility, musical content properties, and delivery media—individually and in interaction—shape the contrasting audience preferences between raga musicians/lovers and popular music listeners.

Let us try to see the question from three angles.

  • Sociocultural Lens:
    To what extent are taste divisions between raga music and popular music shaped by cultural capital, socialization, and identity construction?
  • Cognitive/Psychological Lens:
    Do differences in attention span, listening habits, and aesthetic expectations explain the mutual disengagement between raga and popular music audiences?

Media Studies Lens:
How do modern media ecosystems amplify or suppress the accessibility and perceived value of raga versus popular music?

Final word

From the discussion we can hypothesize that the primary reason for the disengagement between raga music audiences and popular music audiences lies in the mismatch of visibility and delivery-media effectiveness, rather than in the intrinsic properties of the musical content itself.

Throwback to 1998: A Dream Called “Computer Music”

Dr. Bernard Bel and Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay at Marseilles [France] after Pt. Bandopadhya’s concert.

I feel immense joy remembering my inspiring and action-packed collaboration with Dr. Bernard Bel, a visionary computer scientist of global repute. He was the catalyst who helped me push the boundaries of tradition by dreaming up the inclusion of Computer Music in Indian university education — at a time when “digital” was still a whisper in the academic corridors of music!

We had almost finalized a historic international conference titled “Revisiting C-Sound” at Khairagarh University (IKSVV), with none other than Prof. Barry Vercoe of MIT Media Lab — the father of C-Sound — graciously agreeing to visit.

Picture this: A meeting of minds — Prof. Richard Karpen (Univerity of Washington), Prof. Hari Sahasrabuddhe (University of Pune, joined from Mumbai), Dr. Srikumar Subramanian (Singapore), Bernard and I with our four eyes on the computer screen at Khairagarh — conducted from a tiny top-floor room in the IKSV library, on a humble 486 computer at 2 kbps internet speed. Yes, you read that right. 2 kbps! 😅

(We even had a railway twist — Prof. Hari missed his train to Khairagarh! Indian Railways added their own improvisation to our symphony of technology and ambition.)

✨ Those were the days of big dreams powered by small machines, deep friendships, and visionary ideas that danced ahead of their time. I will always treasure those vibrant exchanges and shared passions for music, technology, and knowledge.

Thank you, Bernard, for being such an essential part of that journey.

  • Professor [Pt.] Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, Kolkata, July 31, 2025

Some more from Facebook

Special Note: (1) The text was copied from Professor Sanjoy’s Facebook post of July 31, 2025. (2) The photograph of Bernard Bel and Sanjoy Bandopadhyay was taken during Pandit Sanjoy’s Marseilles [France] visit in 2005. (3) The title and the year details were updated after Dr. Bernard Bel pointed out in his Facebook note that the year was 1998.

Partially auto-generating publishable good-quality materials

Sanjoy Bandopadhyay

Concept basis

India has enough human resources to match or can be quickly updated to match most of the publication requirements.

Expected benefits

This document will assist in managing the academic publication system for the community that can use AI to its advantage. The identified difficulties during the process will generate areas where the AI developers may focus on and update AI support for publications.

The concept

One can maximize the time economy by generating an AI and chosen HR-supported system for publication management. This system should develop acceptable quality publishable materials in larger quantities.

India has substantial human resources to employ HR intelligently to its advantage. One can generate an algorithm for the work. The publication management will include the following:

  • intelligent work distribution to HR
  • introducing available Artificial Intelligence to the advantage

One can:

  1. painstakingly list the whole process in minute details
  2. create several alternative methods for a single stage
  3. Frame a good number of templates, wherever applicable, for each section of the process, e.g., content production, error detection, statement of compliance, and statement of deviations.
  4. Frame the responsibility distribution policy for different preparation, production, and distribution stages.

A. Content Production

  1. Topic generation
    1. Topic idea distribution
  2. Generating structure and alternative structures of paper-collection or chapters.
  3. A good number of content creation templates for different types of content generation.
  4. Different combinations of guidelines for generating different writing templates.
  5. Method of combining components in templates to match authors’ preferences.  
  6. Applications of AI in content generation.

A1. Error detection system and statement of compliance and deviations

  1. A straightforward method to detect compromises in maintaining the system.
  2. Authors’  declarations on adherence to the content generation policy and deviation areas, if any, to comply with any specific paper’s inherent requirements.

B. Editorial Policy

  1. A detailed editorial policy requires to be framed.
  • The sub-editors must ascertain the use of the editorial templates.
    • The sub-editorial report will include several questions that have MCQs and short reports.
  • Declarations of the Sub-editors on maintenance and deviations from the policy.
  • The Section Editor, after satisfactory validation, will send for copyediting.
  • After successful validation of the copyedited manuscripts, the article or chapter may be selected for publication.

C. HR identification

  1. Essential qualities of execution of a part above in A and B.
  2. Identification method to pinpoint HR with required qualities and attitude.
  3. Work distribution policy.

The expected outputs of this document

The output of this planning will be a detailed publication manual with detailed indexing. With its detailed indexing, this manual will help HR with guidance for utilizing AI and generating probable answers to most issues during the production, validation, and distribution processes. 

Selected Papers Presented in Seminars and Conferences

  1. Distance Education in Indian Music: Feasibility and Prospects – This paper was read as the concept paper in the International Seminar on Distance Education in Music held at Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal, from  27 to 29 November 2000 [DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7143365]
  2. INDIA, MUSIC, AND INTERCULTURAL INTERACTIONS – The paper was presented at the UNESCO World Conference held at Jyväskylä, Finland, from 15 to 18 June 2003. [DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7142815]
  3. The Sitar and the Academy: Teaching Traditional Music in a University Setting – This paper was presented in 2005 at MillerCom Lecture Series of the Center of Advanced Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign [USA]. [DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7151423]

Some Lectures from CEC-UGC

In this page we picked and linked some YouTube videos on Research Methodology, videos published by the Consortium for Educational Communication, UGC.

Introduction to Research Methodology

This lecture focuses on ‘How to Select Research Problem?’ and other issues.

Research Methodology : Qualitative Research (Content Analysis)

Research Methodology : Visual Research Method

Research Method : Case Studies Vs Theoretical Studies

Ancient Indian Musical Data Collection Method

Data collection and Presentation Strategy of Bharata, Matanga, Sarangadeva and other Ancient Authors… Anil Beohar talks…

Posted on September 19, 2012 by sitardivine

I had been to Khairagarh for a week from 08 to 15 September 2012 to teach a course. I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to reach today’s ace-musicologist Dr. Anil Beohar and talk to him. I was not sure how our ancient researchers took to researches on Indian Music. How vidwans like Bharata, Matanga, Sarangadeva and others collected such a volume of data and wrote such brilliant treatises that covered music so methodically with so much detail.  We see that these scholars also described   the music that was present in different geographical locations of the country when transport was difficult in those days. I wanted answers to these questions. So, I approached him and Anilbhai gladly accepted to talk.

Professor Anil Beohar with Khairagarh Palce on the background

I had my little Zoom Q3 HD video recorder with me, I carried this from Kolkata. The Khairagarh palace, the first building of the university, was a good backdrop. The roof-top of the teachers’ hostel appeared to me a good spot to try the shooting. From the roof we could get a good view of the palace. I set the camera on three heavy wooden stools, kept a couple of books on one stool and managed to put the camera-stand firmly. Anil-bhai sat before the camera and it appeared to me all set for a beautiful shoot out. So I recorded the interview. But…. on reaching the guest-house I discovered that I had very bad audio. The whole talk was blurred with the sound of the wind and I forgot to put the wind-shield on the microphones! It was very frustrating after all these work. I became sad. Anil-bhai was too busy with his administrative responsibilities and I feared that he might not be able to give me more time for a fresh recording. However, I told him what happened and requested for time. To my immense pleasure he agreed for the second go!

R to L : Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, Anil Beohar, the two Ph.D. scholars those assisted in the recording.

This time I chose the first floor of IKS University’s Central Library where they have kept the university theses. I was glad that there was enough light to shoot. So finally we could make it during the brief 30 minute free time on the 14 September 2012 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The recording was okay this time… and here it is for you… I hope you will like it.

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The Limping Beauty and the Challenges— Birth of Saptarishi and Peeyush Talas

Note: Please scroll down to read an approximate translation by Dr. Pragya Pyasi, Assistant Professor of Music, University of Hyderabad.

It was early 1995. We all were so much under the overwhelming influences of the four instrument-giants Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Vilayet Khan, and Nikhil Banerjee that our minds were kind of hypnotized state with their influences. The senior musicians, also my Ustadji, in those days knew that I was a kind of non-routine boy.

 In those days I was at Khairagarh, teaching at the University. I was scratching my heads, practicing day and night, and frantically trying to discover more playing spaces for non-routine musical imaginations. My sitar playing was going through a lot of challenges. It was not giving satisfaction. I wanted to reach new horizons but failing. 

I was also listening as much as I could. I was trying to identify the music stars’ performed elements and understand the inherent patterns. Suddenly it clicked that there may be some unexplored space in the tala area. 

In those days it was in active discussions whether a tala with fractional matra is good to be adapted in performances. Many musicians did not appreciate this. They thought these are limping talas. However, music pillars like Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustd. Ali Akbar Khan never cared. These giants and later musicians freely played fractional matra tala-s. I started carefully listening to the recording of these music masters. This exercise helped me to discover that these musicians restricted their imaginations in tala-play to either whole matra talas or talas with a fraction of ½ matra. I found their recitals based on 5 ½, 7 ½, and 8 ½ matra talas. This immediately opened up the scope for more thoughts, some room to flow musical imaginations, and scope for further explorations.

Saptarishi Tala of 9 1/3 matras

Dr. Anil Beohar

I started thinking and immediately thought of other fractions like 1/3, ¼, 1/5, and so on.  I composed two talas; one in 9 1/3 matras and the other in 10 3/4 matras. After composing naming automatically comes as the next step. I discussed this with my musicologist friend Dr. Anil B. Beohar. Anil said that the 9 1/3 beat tala has 7 gurus and 7 akshar kAla in tisra jAti laghu. So he named it Saptarishi because of the multiple presences of the number 7 in the construction of the tala. I thought this a wonderful idea. I agreed to name this 9 1/3 beat tala as Saptarishi. The other tala was named on my father’s name and that became Peeyush tala of 10 ¾ matra.

Dhi- –   na- – | Dhi- –  Dhi- –  na- –  | Ti- –    na – –  | Titina   DhinaDhi  na|

X 2 0 3

Dhi- –

X

Note: As this is a tala that takes a fraction of 1/3 the notation has to be written showing three spaces for each matra for easier communication.

Peeyush Tala of 10 ¾ matra

Dhi  na | Dhi  Dhi  na  | Ti  na  | Dhina DhiDhi na-,Dhina DhiDhina |Dhi

X          2                           0             3                                                                X

Note: Please note that the 8th and the 9th matra is going in 2 times laya when the next matras are in 4 times laya.                                       

Sanjoy Bandopadhyay (sitar) and Abhijit Banerjee (tabla) at Indian International Centre New Delhi on 10 October 1995

I gave the first performance in the Saptarishi tala with my dear Abhijit Banerjee on the tabla. That was the autumn of 1995. Abhijit came to me after a concert with Pt. Ajay Chakraborty in Taj Festival in Agra. He came to my aunt’s B-382 CR Park residence. Abhijit rested, and then we sat down to practice. I composed a gat in Rageshree based on Saptarishi tala. We prepared for the next evening’s concert. I played the Sapatarshi composition at the  India International Centre, New Delhi, on 10 October 1995, the formal beginning of the journey of a new musical dimension. Here is an excerpt from the concert.

Rageshree in 9 1/3 mantra Saptarishi Tala by Sanjoy Bandopadhyay (sitar). Abhijit Banerjee on Tabla.
Sanjoy Bandopadhyay with Pt. Birju Maharaj after Lucknow concert. Mukund Bhale on the right.

Later, I played this tala in other concerts. One of the important music programs was in Lucknow. It was organized by the UP Sangeet Natak Academy in Lucknow. I was privileged to have Pandit Birju Maharaj as a listener. Mukund Bhale gave me tabla support. Maharajji loved the recital a lot.

Earlier on the same day, we also recorded a piece based on Saptarishi tala in All India Radio, Lucknow. This was again full of excitement. We all know that Lucknow is the fort of Tabla playing. The radio station wanted some good tabla player from the city provides me tabla support. But I strongly urged and persuaded that Mukund should provide me tabla support. Lucknow is a city of reverence to any Hindustani Musician. That was the reason that I wished to record something special. I wished that I play a piece based on Saptarishi tala of 9 1/3 beats. I tried to convince the AIR Programme Executive that Mukund and I played several concerts and it will be good if the radio station permits me to opt for Mukund. At this, the tabla players around got upset and very angry. But finally, they accepted it. 

I recorded with Mukund in the presence of a good number of eminent tabla artists. I must thank all of them for their kindness and understanding.

खंड में सौन्दर्य सृजन- सप्तऋषि एवं पीयूष ताल

भावानुवाद : प्रज्ञा प्यासी 

संगीत के क्षेत्र में समर्पित मेरे व्यक्तिगत जीवन के वे अध्याय जो मुझे आज भी निरंतर क्रियाशील रहकर नित्य नवीन अन्वेषण एवं सृजन के सोपानों की ओर प्रेरित करते हैं, उन पर , अपने शिष्यों, विद्यार्थियों, संगीत रसिकों , एवं समीक्षकों से चर्चा करने में,  मैं आज भी आनंद की  अनुभूति करता हूँ|
मेरे स्मृतिपटल में आज वर्ष 1995 के आसपास का कालखंड पुनः जीवंत हो रहा है, जब लगभग सम्पूर्ण विश्व में भारतीय संगीत के चार दिग्गज वादकों – पं. रवि शंकर, उ.अली अकबर खान , उ. विलायत खान एवं पं. निखिल बनर्जी के चमत्कारिक प्रभाव से दिव्य सम्मोहन छाया था | ऐसे समय में मेरे उस्ताद पंडित राधिका मोहन मित्रा समेत सभी वरिष्ठ संगीतज्ञ इस बात से भली भांति परिचित थे, कि परम्पराओं के प्रति निष्ठा रखने के पश्चात भी, पूर्व निर्मित राजपथ के अनुसरण मात्र से ही मैं संतुष्ट होने वाला नहीं हूँ| 
      उन दिनों मैं खैरागढ़ विश्वविद्यालय में कार्यरत  था| दिन रात अभ्यास और गहन चिंतन द्वारा मैं चेष्टा कर रहा था कि, निर्धारित एवं नियमित सांगीतिक  कल्पनाओं के अतिरिक्त भी नवीन आयामों की खोज की जाए। सितार वादन की दृष्टि से यह अत्यंत चुनौतीपूर्ण था और मैं इस स्थिति से कदापि संतुष्ट नहीं था| अपने वादन को एक नवीन क्षितिज तक पहुंचाने की मेरी  इच्छा निरंतर असफल हो रही थी। मैं अधिक से अधिक संगीत सुनकर  विशिष्ट संगीतज्ञों के प्रदर्शन में निहित श्रेष्ठ तत्वों एवं प्रतिमानों को भी समझने का प्रयास कर रहा था| इस समयांतराल में अचानक विचार आया कि ताल के क्षेत्र में कुछ नवाचारी संरचनागत सौंदर्य या नव सृजन की संभावना हो सकती है|

उन दिनों संगीत जगत में यह विचारणीय प्रश्न भी चर्चा में था कि, “भिन्नात्मक” मात्राओं के तालों को प्रदर्शनों में व्यावहारिक रूप से प्रयोग किया जाये अथवा नहीं| जो संगीतज्ञ इसके पक्ष में नहीं थे, उनके विचार से ये लंगड़े ताल थे| हालाँकि पंडित रवि शंकर एवं उस्ताद अली अकबर खान जैसे संगीत स्तंभों ने इस बात की परवाह न करते हुए ना केवल उन्मुक्त रूप से भिन्नातमक तालों का वादन किया  वरन अन्य कलाकारों ने भी उनका अनुसरण करते हुए भिन्नात्मक तालों के प्रचार को गति प्रदान की| मैंने इन कलाकारों की रिकॉर्डिंग्स को ध्यान से सुनना आरम्भ किया, और इस निष्कर्ष पर पहुंचा कि कलाकारों ने अपनी कल्पना को या तो पूर्ण मात्रा वाले तालों या फिर आधी मात्रा के छंद तक ही सीमित रखा है| उनकी प्रस्तुतियों में 5 ½, 7 ½, एवं 8 ½ मात्रा के ताल ही शामिल थे| अंततः इस अनुसंधान ने सांगीतिक कल्पनाओं के विस्तार एवं सृजनात्मक चिंतन की असीम संभावनाओं  के द्वार खोल दिए| 

9 1/3 मात्रा का सप्तऋषि ताल

कुछ समय मंथन के पश्चात ही 1/3, ¼, 1/5 के छंदों  (फ्रैक्शन) की कल्पना  उभरने लगी और शीघ्र ही 9 1/3 एवं 10 ¾ मात्राओं के दो तालों का जन्म हुआ| तालों के सृजन के पश्चात नामांकन के लिए मैंने अपने सहकर्मी, संगीतशास्त्री डॉ. अनिल ब्योहार के साथ चर्चा की| उन्होंने बताया कि 9 1/3 मात्रा के ताल में सात गुरु एवं तिस्र जाति लघु में सात अक्षर काल हैं | अतः ताल निर्माण की प्रक्रिया में सात की संख्या का बारम्बार प्रयोग होने के कारण इस ताल का नामकरण उन्होंने “सप्त ऋषि ” किया| मैं उनके मत से प्रभावित हुआ और सप्तऋषि नाम के लिए अपनी सहमति जता दी| दूसरे ताल को मैंने अपने पिताजी को समर्पित किया और इस प्रकार 10 ¾ मात्रा का पीयूष ताल अस्तित्व में आया|

प्रथम औपचारिक प्रस्तुति 

10 अक्टूबर 1995 को इंडिया इंटरनेशनल सेंटर, नई दिल्ली में सप्तर्षि ताल की प्रस्तुति के साथ मेरी सांगीतिक यात्रा के नवीन आयाम का औपचारिक अनावरण हुआ। इस कार्यक्रम में मैंने सप्तर्षि ताल पर आधारित रागश्री में एक गत का वादन किया| तबले पर संगति हेतु इस प्रथम प्रदर्शन में मेरे प्रिय तबला वादक अभिजीत बनर्जी ने बखूबी मेरा साथ निभाया। 

इसके बाद मैंने इस ताल को अन्य संगीत कार्यक्रमों में भी बजाया। लखनऊ के एक महत्वपूर्ण कार्यक्रम का उल्लेख करना मुझे यहाँ उचित प्रतीत हो रहा है, जिसका आयोजन उत्तर प्रदेश संगीत नाटक अकादमी द्वारा किया गया था। इस कार्यक्रम में श्रोता के रूप में पंडित बिरजू महाराज की उपस्थिति एवं उनके द्वारा प्रशंसा पाना एक अविस्मरणीय अनुभूति थी । इस कार्क्रम में पंडित मुकुंद भाले ने तबला संगति प्रदान की। 

कार्यक्रम से पहले उसी दिन प्रातः, मुकुंद जी के साथ मैंने आकाशवाणी, लखनऊ में सप्तऋषि ताल पर आधारित एक अंश भी रिकॉर्ड किया था। हालाँकि इस रिकॉर्डिंग के लिए मुझे लखनऊ के अन्य तबला वादकों की नाराज़गी का सामना भी करना पड़ा| लखनऊ तबला वादकों का गढ़ है और आकाशवाणी के अधिकारी चाहते थे की शहर के तबला वादकों में से कोई मेरी संगत करे| मेरा आग्रह था कि मुकुंद जी हीमुझे तबला समर्थन प्रदान करें क्योंकि मैं 9 1/3 मात्रा  के सप्तऋषि ताल पर आधारित रचना की प्रस्तुति चाहता था। अंततः मुकुंद जी के साथ ही रिकॉर्डिंग संपन्न हुई और अन्य तबला वादकों का क्रोध भी किसी प्रकार शांत हुआ|