All craftsmen in Miraj are musicians – the wonderfully resonant Tanpura (Tambura)

A view of the shop where tanpuras are made. Photo by Lakshmi Sreeram – courtesy The Hindu Miraj is famous for tanpuras made by its craftsmen, who honed their skills by first becoming trained musicians.How did it ever strike someone to stick a piece of wood on a dried pumpkin, build this bridge and that …

Oral transmission vs. notation in Carnatic music: Pondering the “original pathantaram-s of kriti-s” 

One of the debated topics in Carnatic music is the deviation by musicians from the so-called ‘original’ pathantaram of kriti-s. This article is not an attempt to provide a conclusive answer to end the debate but a constructive provocation and an invitation for opening up the topic for a wider debate. […] While in matters …