"Music knows no boundaries" so says a popular proverb and perhaps no country symbolizes this fact better than India does. India is not only the land where people of different faiths and religions live in harmony but it is also the land where diverse musical notes and strings produce riveting symphony.
Musical heritage tour of India is a unique kind of experience that takes one beyond the obvious. Musical heritage of India touches the inner core of a tourists' heart and takes them to a higher plane. There are so many aspects of the musical heritage of India that one needs a lifetime to understand the nitty-gritty of Indian music. But it takes just a few notes of the Sitar or Santoor to sway one. India has a musical heritage that believes in touching the soul. Come on the musical heritage tour of India and get swayed by the soothing power of the rich musical heritage that India is endowed with.
Indians seem to have an uncanny knack for music and one could find music for every occasion in India. Be it a child birth, wedding, or death, music is an important part of the Indian way of life. So much so, the musicians here have different ragas for different times of the day. One could even listen to raga Megh Malhar especially sung to please the Rain Gods and raga Deepak to light the lamps. There is an interesting tale associated with these ragas, it is said that during the reign of Akbar, his famous court musician Tansen was believed to have lit lamps by singing the raga Deepak and brought the rain showers by singing raga Megh Malhar.
The kind of music one gets to listen to in India varies from classical, semi-classical, folk and film music. There are two main forms of music prevalent in India, North Indian Hindustani music and South Indian Carnatic music. Hindustani Film music is perhaps what most people like in India but there are certain pockets of the country where folk or traditional music holds sway. Every year a number of music festivals take place in different corners of India. Most of the times, the venues for these festivals are some important heritage monument, such as the Taj Mahal, Konark Temple, Humayun Tomb etc. These festivals not only provide an opportunity to listen to some of the most respected names in Indian music but also offer a chance to see these performances in the backdrop of some beautiful monuments.
Some of the music festivals that take place every year include Sangeet Natak Akademi's festival, New Delhi, Tansen Festival, Gwalior (December), Sur-Sringar Festival, Bombay (November), Tyagaraja Festival, Tiruvayyaru, near Tanjavur (January) and Shanmukhananda Music, Dance and Drama Festival, Bombay (December). Coincide your tour to India with some of these festivals and enjoy the musical heritage of India with Heritage in India.
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