Along the Path of Music

Contents: Preface. 1. Why did I keep on writing? 2. Sureshbabu through the notes of Yaman. 3. Hirabai Badodekar: 'Akeli mat jaiyyo Raadhe Jamunaa ke Teer. . .".  4. Amir Khan: "Guru bin Gyaan Na Paave. . .". 5. Bade Ghulam Ali Khan: "Kaa karun Sajani. . .". 6. Bhimsen Joshi: "So Hi Paramapada Paavegaa. . .". 7. Indian Classical Music and Maharashtra. 8. The changing relationships in Indian Music. 9. My encounter with North America. 10. My music: my thinking. 11. My music compositions. 12. Indian Music: inner bliss and creation. 13. Music and law. 14. The place of music in education. 15. A note on the formulation of a national cultural policy for Indian Classical Music. 16. Far from the realm of music. 17. What has remained to be done? 18. The song of my life. Appendix: interview. Glossary. Index.

"The dearth of written material of quality and authenticity on contemporary music performance, musicians and related issues needs to be considered seriously in the context of preservation, propagation and promotion of Indian Classical Music.

The reading material available today on Indian music is mainly by theoreticians and not practising musicians. In general one observes lack of objectivity and scientific approach in the work by Indians and the absence of cultural perspective in the work by non-Indians. A professional Indian woman performer is still a rarity in this field.

'Along the Path of Music' is not a biographical work. It is a journey in and out of a noted musician Dr. Prabha Atrre who cannot dissociate herself from music even in her personal life. A first hand account of her musical journey, observations, experiences, reactions, in her own words makes reading of this book interesting and engaging. The objective, scientific approach and cultural perspective bring this book credibility." (jacket)