To Men and Music Nationalism in the Making of an Indian Classical Tradition [Hardcover]

A provocative account of the development of modern national culture in India using classical music as a case study. Janaki Bakhle demonstrates how the emergence of an Indian cultural tradition reflected colonial and exclusionary practices, particularly the exclusion of Muslims by the Brahmanic elite, which occurred despite the fact that Muslims were the major practiti oners of the Indian music that was installed as a Hindu national tradition. This book lays bare how a nation's imaginings--from politics to culture--reflect rather than transform societal divisions.


Introduction
1. The Prince and the Musician
2. Music Enters the Public Sphere: Colonial Writing, Marathi Theater, Music Appreciation Societies
3. Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande: The Contradictions of Music's Modernity
4. The Certainty of Music's Modernity: Pandit Vishnu Paluskar (1872-1931)
5. Music in Public and National Conversation: Conferences, Institutions, and Agendas, 1916-1928
6. The Musician and Gharana Modern: Abdul Karim Khan and Hirabai Badodekar
Conclusion: A Critical History of Music: Beyond Nostalgia and Celebration
Bibliography
Index

Using classical music as a case study, the author offers a provocative account of how the emergence of an Indian cultural tradition reflected exclusionary colonial practices. --Bookshelf

Janaki Bakhleis Assistant Professor History at Columbia University.