In 2021, Hindustani classical vocalist Iman Das received a call from Padmashri-awardee author Utpal Banerjee who has persuaded several famous artistes to write books. “Dr Banerjee asked me if I could write a book on the possibility of Hindustani classical and Carnatic music coming together,” recalls Das. The unusual idea fascinated him. What if the two genres, which had once been a single stream and then got separated around eight centuries ago, do merge again? Bengaluru-based Das had performed jugalbandis in Chennai with famous Carnatic violinist-duo Lalitha and Nandini Muthuswamy, authors of several books and research papers. “I felt that they would be ideal co-authors.” he says.
Thus began the music project with a book titled One Nation, One Music: Ek Bharat, Ek Sangeet (Shubhi Publications, New Delhi, an initiative of Utpal-Sampa Kala Kendra). The other element of the project is an accompanying audio record of live concerts by these three widely-acclaimed musicians. The book is slated for a multi-city release in April and May alongside concerts and raga demonstrations.
The project has piqued the interest of music lovers across India as it brings together the best of artists as authors. Das, a well-known exponent of Patiala Gharana, is contributing the sections on Hindustani classical music. Dr Lalitha and Nandini Muthuswamy aka Violin Sisters are pitching in with their expertise in the Carnatic tradition.
The scions of an illustrious lineage of musicians—they are nieces of violinist virtuosos L Vaidyanathan, Dr L Subramaniam and L Shankar—have performed to rave reviews in India and abroad. The last chapter, however, will be co-written by the three of them.
“We are not only performers but also academicians, music-book authors, and scholars with research papers featured nationally and internationally. So this is like a special artistic challenge that we immediately accepted,” says Lalitha. And Nandini throws light on their writing process: “While researching, we gained insights out of the questions we posed and we further explored it.”
Das, who has given hundreds of critically appreciated concerts in India and abroad, and also teaches at his own academy, says, “I have based it on my research into Hindustani classical music for the last 15 years.” He has delved into ragas or melodies which form the core of his theory. He has attempted to show the similarities and possibilities of reconciliation between the two genres through different chapters such as ‘Raga—Music For Eternity’ and ‘Raga—Mystique, Mythology and Meditation’.
The book will also delve into the science behind the sargams, looking at all the notes that give rise to a melody. They have also briefly compared and contrasted Indian classical music traditions with Western music elements. This will include both the classical genre as well as the output of currently popular musicians and songwriters of the West. The tradition of jazz will also be part of this exploration.
“I am creating a new raga which will have both elements of Hindustani and Carnatic, new bandishes and new taals to be presented practically and jointly with my Carnatic counterparts, along with the book launch,” says Das. Each book will come with a flash drive with a bar code in it for scanning with the renditions and demonstrations of the connections between Indian and Western music as well as between Hindustani and Carnatic traditions. A musical piece that will last for generations.
Hindustani Vs Carnatic
✥ Both are based on the sapthaswaras or the seven notes
✥ Hindustani emphasises on ragas while Carnatic on compositions.
✥ Hindustani has two main traditions, khayal and dhrupad, while Carnatic features varnams, krithis, thillanas, padams, javalis, etc.
✥ Both are big on creativity or manodharma like aalaap or aalapana, the names given to raga exposition in Hindustani and Carnatic music respectively.