In this course, we will study the classical and light-classical forms of North Indian music. Along with an explication of the melodic and rhythmic systems, instruments, and performance genres, we will critically engage with some socio-cultural aspects of this tradition, focusing on the themes such as embodiment and subjectivity-formation in training, transmission, and performance. Our discussions will also cover issues of gender, caste, class, and religion. Through listening, reading, discussion, writing, and analysis, we will gain technical knowledge as well as an understanding of this music in its historical, socio-cultural, and political dimensions.

This course promotes indigenous epistemologies of music theory and analysis, and aims to be inclusive of ideas, viewpoints, and learning modes. You are invited to enrich the course with diverse inputs based on your background and lived experience. The collaborative mode of learning in this course invites you also to engage with each other with interest and empathy.