Chhathi Ceremony

This ceremony is performed when the baby is six days old. This ceremony is primarily for women and is timed to take place late at night, say between ten o'clock and midnight. 

According to folklore, there was a belief that on the 6th day after the birth of the child,  Vidhaata (Goddess of destiny) would quietly enter the house around midnight to pen the destiny of the newborn. Traditionally the mother of the newborn lights a lamp (diya). This lamp along with a red pen and paper are placed on a wooden plank for Vidhaata to write the future of the newborn.

The mother, while holding the newborn in her arms, kneels before the lamp, which is supposed to symbolize Vidhaata.

Naamkaran (Naming Ceremony)

According to Hindu mythology, the naming ceremony for the newborn takes place on the twelfth day after his/ her birth and is predominantly a ladies' function. On the appointed day, female relatives and friends arrive to participate in this colorful ceremony.

At the auspicious time, the newborn is placed in the jhula (cradle) decorated with colorful flowers and ribbons. All the women gather around the jhula and sing the traditional naming ceremony songs rhyming with the newborn's name. Traditionally, the female participants used to bring rice grains and sugar alongwith toys to mark this auspicious event.

In certain Hindu communities the naming ceremony of the newborn takes place after three months. The baby can no longer be placed in a jhula by the time it is three months old. In these cases, a sturdy colorful (red or green) piece of cloth is used to hold the baby. This cloth is also filled with items of good omen - such as nagarvel paan (green chewing pan), supari (betel nuts), haldi (turmeric), dry cuts, moong and coins of one rupee and quarter rupee denominations. (In Hindu mythology one and quarter is a sign of good luck).

Traditionally, the aunts (the father's sisters) hold the four corners of the cloth in which the baby lies. The aunts then gently swing the cloth, imitating the movement of a cradle, while the female participants continue singing traditional songs. A typical song sung at a naming ceremony is:- 

Oly Jholy Pipal Paan
Fui e Padyu Baby Nu Naam.

Hindus often prefer to name their children based on Hindu raashis because it is considered auspicious and is supposed to bring good fortune to the child. Raashis are determined by planetary positions at the date and exact time of the child's birth.

SIGNIFICANCE OF GODH BHARNA

Godh bharna is a very significant event in the lives of Hindu married women. This function that is held for and by women is celebrated with great festivity. It is a ceremony that celebrates the first pregnancy of the bride of the house and is held in the seventh month of pregnancy. In Hindu mythology 'godh' means the lap of the woman and 'bharna' means to fill. Therefore, the mother and mother-in-law of the prospective mother fill her godh, represented by the palav of her sari with items symbolizing a good omen like a coconut marked with a red swastika, moong, supari (betel nut) and silver coins in one rupee and quarter rupee denominations. (According to Indian tradition, one and a quarter is considered to be a good omen).

On this day, the prospective mother is dressed in almost bridal finery. It is important that her mother present all the garments that she wears at the ceremony. The ceremony is strictly for women only. Consequently, there are only women invitees. All the women will be dressed in traditional finery and will sing traditional songs appropriate for the occasion.

The women who participate in the ceremony from the side of the mother of the expectant mother will bring five colourfully decorated metal thalis (round plates). Of these five thalis, three thalis will contain assorted Indian sweets. The fourth thali will contain a range of garments and jewellery. The fifth thali will be filled with a coconut marked with a red swastika, moong, a cloth piece (red, green or yellow) and a few coins of one rupee and quarter rupee denominations. 

The ceremony begins with the mother-to-be's entrance, dressed in traditional finery, through the front door of her in-law's house. The participating ladies sing traditional songs further enhancing the festive atmosphere. For each step the expectant mother takes as she enters the house, a piece of coloured silk is placed under her feet along with a little supari, a one rupee coin and a quarter rupee coin. These actions are continued till she reaches the place where the puja (worship) will be performed. An idol of Lord Ganesh or any other Hindu God is placed at this place of worship. Traditionally, the puja area is situated in the main hall of the house and always faces east. All the items placed under the expectant mother's feet during her walk from the front door to the puja area, i.e. the silk cloth, the supari and the coins, have to be handed over either to her sister or to her husband's sister in keeping with the dictates of tradition. 

Besides the idol of Lord Ganesh, the puja area also has a baajotth, a low four-legged wooden seat, traditionally used for such religious occasions. The mother-to-be is made to sit on the baajotth and a small red dot is put on her forehead for good luck. After this, both her mother and her mother-in-law fill her godh (the paalav of her saree) with gifts and jewellery. Her sister-in-law then offers her a cup of sweetened saffron milk before tying a yellow thread around the wrist of the right hand of the expectant mother. This wristband, known as a nada chhadi, is very significant as it is supposed to protect both the expectant mother and the unborn child from evil spirits. The elders bless the expectant mother and her unborn child accompanied by the sound of traditional festive tunes being sung by the women in the background.

Hindu House Warming Ceremony (Griha Pravesh)

Griha Pravesh is a ceremony performed on the occasion of one's first entry into a new house. Once the house is ready, the family moves in on an auspicious day that is determined by the astrological charts. Purity of panchang (almanac) and auspicious time (muhurat) must be considered during the griha pravesh. Three types of griha pravesh have been mentioned in our ancient scriptures: Apoorva: First entry to newly constructed house on a newly selected land is called apoorva (new) griha pravesh.
Sapoorva: Entry into an already existing house after travelling abroad or migration elsewhere is called sapoorva griha pravesh.
Dwandwah: Entry into a house to after reconstruction or renovation subsequent to damage due to fire, flood or earthquake, is termed as dwandwah (old) griha pravesh.
For apoorva griha pravesh, the exact auspicious time need to be adhered to. For sapoorva griha pravesh or dwandwah griha pravesh, the purity of the panchang should be given due consideration.
Auspicious Times or Muhurats
In a newly built house, the first entry is auspicious when the sun is in the uttarayan position; in old, renovated houses, when Guru (Jupiter) or Shukra (Venus) is setting (the tara or star does not matter in this case). Auspicious months for griha pravesh, that are based on the lunar calendar, and their outcome have been provided below:

MONTH	RESULTS
Auspicious
Magh (part January and part February)	Gain of wealth
Falgun (part February and part March)	Gain of children and wealth
Baishak (part April and part May)	Growth of wealth and prosperity
Jeshtha (part May and part June)	Gain of son and cattle
Fair
Kartik (part October and part November)	No significant effect
Margshirsh (part November and part December)
Inauspicious
Ashadh (part June and part July)	Could lead to losses, pains, troubles and fear of enemies
Bhadrapad (part August and part September)
Ashwin (part September and part October)
Paush (part December and part January)

Furthermore, the tithies (dates according to lunar calender) 4, 9, 14 and Amavas (no moon night) should be avoided. Griha pravesh should not be held on a Tuesday.
Ceremonies

Vastu pooja
Vastu pooja for vastu devata is performed outside the house before the actual entry into the house. A copper pot is filled with water, navadhanya (nine kinds of grains) and one rupee coin. A coconut is then placed on the top of the pot. Coconut is covered with the red cloth and tied with the red thread called moli. After this the priest performs the pooja, add the husband and wife take this copper pot in the house together and place it near the havan (ceremonial fire).
Vastu Shanti
Vastu shanti or Griha shanti, involves the havan. A havan is performed to prevent harmful influences of the planets, remove negative vibrations and create a peaceful environment. Once all the poojas are concluded, a feast is offered to the priest. He is also given some dakshina or fees for his services and good wishes.
These two poojas are essential. Other poojas like the Ganpathi pooja, the Satyanarayan pooja ot the Lakshmi pooja are optional, and can be performed if priest recommends them.
Do's and Don'ts of Griha pravesh
Griha pravesh is not complete until:

The doors of the house are fitted with shutters;

The roof is covered;

The Gods of vastu have been worshipped or offered sacrifices;

The priests have been offered feast.

House-warming ceremony should not be performed when the lady of the house is pregnant.
If the above-mentioned points are not considered when moving into a new house, they can bring trouble and miseries to the dwellers. Therefore, living in a house should be considered only after all rituals are complete as per the procedure given in the scriptures.
Once the griha pravesh ceremony has been completed, the family can then move into the house. The house should not be locked for a few days since that would be considered inauspicious.

Introduction to Classical Indian Music

Music is food for the soul. Indian classical music does just that to you. Every pull of the string and every swara will strike a chord in your heart.

When we speak of Indian music, we are primarily referring to "pure music" or "ragdaari music". Commonly known as Indian classical music, the term 'classical' is a misnomer as Indian raagdaari music dates back to 2000 B.C. - 1000 B.C. proving that it existed far before the renaissance or classic era.

Indian music based on the raag form encompasses both,

a) North Indian raga music - which is prevalent in almost all but the southern Indian states and

b) The music of southern origin - which is still restricted to and appreciated mainly by southern India. They are known as Hindustani shastriya sangeet (northern) and Karnatic sangeet (southern) respectively.

Samveda

Samveda, the ancient Indian scripture describes Indian pure music as 'nad yoga' (Nad- Sound). It is believed to be divine and sacred in nature, involving not only the performer but also elevating the listeners to a spiritual height. Nad or sound is of two varieties - the voice of one's conscious self or 'anahat nad' and that produced via friction or by striking an object i.e. 'aahat nad'. Aahat nad is useful for musical purposes if it manages to bring about a melodious sound.

The very basis of music is consonance (surilapan). Not all sounds are pleasing to the ears. Musical sound has four characteristics - pitch, quality, timbre and intensity. Here's how they are defined.

Pitch

Pitch is determined by the number of vibrations per second generated through the voice or instrument.

Timbre

Each voice or sound has its distinctive tone or colour which is based on the overtones present.

This brings us to another question, what are overtones? While listening to the notes we hear not one but several pitches along with the basic fundamental note. These are overtones. It gives a specific nature to a note which in turn helps to make a raga distinctive.

Intensity

Intensity can be described as 'volume' or strength of the sound.

Two notes can be judged by their mutual relation. Identifying one note from another is a matter of degree of frequencies of sound.

Raagdari music, as we know it, pleasantly creates an emotional networking of sounds which are melodious in nature. It is also a medium of expression of one's thoughts and feelings through tones and time which are the basic elements forming the framework of a composition. It is the result of regular measured vibrations, which appeal to the intellect and are soothing to the ear. Noise or cacophony produced by irregular vibrations has no place in music.

Pure Indian music is monophonic unlike the popular music or film music. Harmony, a western concept, is almost nil in pure Indian music except for the tanpura ( a four stringed instrument used for accompaniment) which can be said to add a harmonic element to the performance.

Raga music is an art form that has a specific structure. There are rules governing the formation of a raaga and there has to be an organised rhythmic part. Pure Indian music consists of melody and rhythm. Swara i.e. note or tone is the basis of melody. The nature of a raga can be depicted by the number of swaras that are present or missing, certain melodic characteristics imparted by their ascent and descent and the swaras that are emphasised upon. However, a raga is more than a mere assemblance of these features.

Without an organised analysis it is difficult to understand the spirit of individual 'ragas'. It is like a painting which can be illustrated as a purely technical and structured concept but at the same time possesses a deeper and philosophical meaning embedded within.

Indian Classical Music

Origins

 Indian classical  music is believed to have originated from the Vedas, the oldest of scriptures of Hinduism. It mainly evolved as an aid to self realisation and its original principles were expounded in the Samaveda, one of the four Vedas.

Difference between Indian and Western Classical Music

Over the years, Indian classical music has evolved into a complex musical system. It has some main points of difference from Western music. Western music is polyphonic, which means that it depends on the resonance of multiple musical notes occurring together. In contrast, Indian classical music is essentially monophonic. Here, a melody or sequence of individual notes is developed and improvised upon, against a repetitive rhythm.

Again, in Western classical music, a performer strictly abides by a written composition. In contrast, in Indian classical music it is common to have the performer improvise on the composition he is rendering, similar to the way a jazz musician does in the West.

Types

Many of us often confuse Indian classical music with Hindustani classical music. In fact, Indian classical music can be divided into two distinct streams, Hindustani and Carnatic.

Hindustani

Hindustani classical music mainly evolved in North India around the 13th and 14th centuries A.D. It owed its development to the religious music, as well as popular and folk music, of the time. A very important aspect that differentiates it from Carnatic music is the deep Persian influence imparted by the Mughals to it.

Carnatic

Carnatic music, also known as Karnataka sangitam, developed in South India around the 15^th and 16^th centuries. It drew on existing popular forms of music and probably also retained the influence of ancient Tamil music. This can be seen in its use of the 'Pann', a melodic mode, which was earlier used in Tamil music.

Structure

As mentioned earlier, Indian classical music is mainly melodic rather than harmonic. It consists of a basic melodic line sung or played against complex pattern of rhythm. The melody is usually based on a raga, while the rhythm is called tala.

Raga

A raga is a series of five or more musical notes. Ragas (Sanskrit for colour or passion), are supposed to evoke various moods in the listener. In Hindustani music in particular, certain ragas are specific to different seasons or times of the day. The monsoon ragas, belonging to the Malhar group, are mainly performed during the rains, while morning ragas, such as Bibhas and Bhairavi, or night ragas, such as Kedar, Malkauns, or Naika Kanhra, are performed at specific times of the day.

The Hindustani and Carnatic systems usually have different ragas. There are some ragas which are similar but use different names in both systems. Others have similar names, but differ in the actual form. Also, Hindustani music classifies ragas into ten thaats or parent ragas, as organised by Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande in the early 1900s. The Carnatic system, on the other hand, depends on an older classification having 72 parent ragas. The melodic composition is sung or played, against a musical drone provided by the tanpura, a string instrument. The strings of the tanpura are played in a regular pattern based on the base or tonic note of the raga to provide a rich harmonic drone to the performance.

Tala

Tala or taal is literally a 'clap'. It roughly corresponds to the 'metre' in western music, but is different from it. The tala is the rhythm provided by the percussionist in the form of a cyclic pattern. Most talas can be played at various speeds. While some talas are very commonly employed, others are rarely used.

Compositions

While the raga forms the basic melodic structure, the Hindustani or Carnatic music performer renders a composition based on the raga he is performing. The common forms of composition in Hindustani classical music are dhrupad, khayal, and thumri. Some of the other forms include dhamar, tarana, trivat, chaiti, kajari, and tappa.

Common forms of compositions used in Carnatic music include geetham, swarajati, varnam, taana varnam, pada varnam, padajati varnam, keerthana, kriti, padam, javali, thillana, and virutham.

Gharanas

Students and performers of Hindustani classical music belong to different gharanas or schools. Gharanas have their origins in different traditional musical styles. A gharana is usually begun by an exceptional musician whose students incorporate and popularise his innovative approach to interpretation or performance. Gwalior, Agra, Kirana, and Jaipur are some of the famous gharanas of Hindustani classical music.

Performances

Both, Hindustani and Carnatic music, include either vocal or instrumental performances. Instruments commonly used in Hindustani music include the sitar, sarod, bansuri, sarangi, violin, and shehnai. Instruments typically used in Carnatic music include the veena, gottuvadyam, or violin. Often, the main singer or player may be accompanied by a harmonium, sarangi, or violin. The most commonly used percussion instrument in Hindustani music is the tabla, though sometimes another type of drum called the pakhavaj is used. Mridangam, ghatam, kanjira, and morsing are the percussion instruments used in Carnatic music.

Dance forms in India

Folk music and tradition is the rich heritage of modern India. Despite the advent of technology, open communication and developments in all fields, the area of fine arts still gives a proud picture of our India. Dance is a part of celebration and is the intrinsic part of Indian glory. There are folk dances which are distinct and distinguished as per the geography. This also calls for a lot of make up talents and attire which only enhances the beauty of the dance and song.

Indian dance forms have traveled internationally and there are many academies of Indian dance forms abroad. The participation is a great impetus to the tradition of India and a boon for the NRI’s who love associating themselves with Indian culture. Bharatnatyam is the most renowned form of dance from the South. Kept alive by sincere efforts of traditional gurus and the allegiance of many students, this is a dance form which is almost a religion to many who revere it.

The Bharatnatyam Dance

The Bharatanatyam dance is usually done with bent knees in a forward position and has the opportunity of display the Nav Ras or the emotions. The make up style and attire is very typical and hence allows a lot of expression. 

Kuchupidi Dance

 Kuchupidi is a characteristic dance form again from the south. 

Kathakali Dance

Kathakali and has a lot to do like enacting a play and the use of mask, gear and get up. There are many schools that impart training and seeking this form of dance knowledge is a journey by itself.

Ghoomar Dance

The ghoomar dance of Rajashtan is a lot about rotation and typical palm movements. The ghungrus and the ghungat impart more style to this type of dance. The Lavani of Maharasthra is now being revoked by sincere people and the type of dance is now again getting traditional in its concept without being polluted by other influences.

Garba Dance

The garba dance which was a form of raas by the gopis and Krishna is now being followed in all parts of India. There is enough commercialization in the 9 day festival in metros and the participation is done on a wide scale.

Manipuri Dance

Oddissi Dance

The Manipuri and Oddissi dance is very ethnic in its concept. There are a number of folk dances which still happen in the villages where the authentic lifestyle of rural India is displayed. Dance is the main form of artistic entertainment along with folk songs and other influences that is brought in by cinema. Acknowledging the subtle distinguishing points, the essence of Indian dance form is pure and unique.
Page author: Kamakshi Gupte.