A scientific rethink of a craft steeped in tradition, when unencumbered by hallowed strictures, can shatter long-held beliefs, shed valuable insight and provide illuminating perspective. Dr. Bhushan M. Jayarao of The Pennsylvania State University, a non-musician, has constructed a tuneful tanpura in State College PA, USA, with local materials and…
This is a detailed on-camera interview I did of Pandit Arijit Mahalanabis, Guru and Founder of the Society for Indian Music and Arts (SIMA), based in State College, Pennsylvania, USA. Before a live audience, Pandit Arijit expounds very candidly on all that is wrong about our classical arts, the state…
“I am a devotee of Carnatic music, but not a practitioner,” says Arijit Mahalanabis, Hindustani vocalist from the U.S., and founder of the Seattle Indian Music Academy (SIMA), one of the largest institutions teaching Indian music abroad. Arijit, who is in India after 21 years, takes an organic approach to…