With the decline in princely patronage to Hindustani music by the second half of the nineteenth century, many musicians and courtesans from northern and central India migrated to colonial Bombay (now Mumbai) in a bid to capitalise on support that was available from the mercantile, industrial and intellectual elite in the city. The specific socio-political and economic circumstances that Bombay presented during these times radically transformed the theory and practice of this system of music. At our Online Talk #SargamSangam, tabla player, researcher and author Aneesh Pradhan will highlight the context in which these changes took place and will discuss some of the major trends that emerged as a result.

About the speaker

One of India’s leading tabla players, Aneesh Pradhan is a disciple of the illustrious tabla maestro Nikhil Ghosh. His study and research in the area of History, which he studied at the University of Mumbai has earned him a doctorate. He has been a keen researcher of trends in performance, music education and patronage that unfolded in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, a period that continues to fascinate him for its direct relation to and reason for the musical situation he finds himself in. He writes frequently on music for newspapers, journals and other publications in India and abroad and is also deeply involved in creating and developing educational material related to Indian music.