Bindu Vistar

The subject of Bindu-Vistar as applied to music requires not only a musical but more of a philosophical approach.  As a performing musician, one has to translate the performing techniques through the medium of a relatively difficult and abstract thought process. It is no doubt useful to dwell upon the process and the result of the techniques utilised by a performing musician in relation to the techniques he follows in projecting his musical thoughts through the medium of an instrument or vocal music and how unconsciously he follows a principle – a technique – a device of Bindu-Vistar.

It is with this background that we shall consider various aspects, dimeneions or projections of music and try to assess what the musician is unconsciously executing, simultaneously being monitored by his conscious mind.  Whilst there are three major facets in any musical performance viz “svara” (melody ), “laya” (rhythm) and “sahitya” (literary content), for this paper we shall mainly concentrate on melody aspect, treat the taal aspect incidentally and not cover sahitya aspect at all.

EVOLUTIONARY “VISTAR” (musical forms)

It is believed that the musical thoughts and expressions in India were initiated during the Vedic period in the form of Vedic chants or hymns.  Through evolutionary processes such musical “chand-s” through the expressions were further refined into Buddhist and Hindu periods. Later, we witness the evolution or the Drupad form of music with strong and vibrant undercurrents of spiritualism with meditative and introspective qualities.  After 1000 A.D. and with the onslaught of Muslim invasions and subsequent settlements during the Mughal periods, various middle-eastern influences gradually introduced increasingly material and worldly aspects of expressions, both in the execution and in the literary content of the compositions. Still later, with the advent of 18th Century, these influences crystallized into a new form called ‘khayal”.  Not only this form had more decorative embellishments as compared to the more dignified and serene form of Drupad, but the literary content of the composition were directed more to the patrons of arts rather than to the praise of God.  During the British period, we witness musicians and other artistes spread out to different corners of the country where patrons of arte like Raja, Nawabs and Jamindar-s were located, for want of central patronage at Delhi.  After Independence, the masses at large patronise the arts with sprinklings of support from Government.

No doubt, the media, i.e. All India Radio and television have certainly played an important role in the dissemination and support of Indian music.  This is the evolutionary process through which the Indian music has passed, from the Vedic period to the contemporary scene.  It is a Vistar of a kind.  Starting from a Bindu, our music has undergone a development or a Vistar in one sense of the term. Hence, this is one facet of Bindu-Vistar as applied to music.

“VISTAR” of the Scale:

Let us next consider the musical scale as it is in vogue, all over the world. It is believed that the scale was invented ln India and was adopted by the Greeks, from whom in turn, it was adopted by the Europeans.  But then, during the Vedic period, only 3 or 4 notes were used to sing the chants.  With the passage of time, great musicologists developed a scale of 7 notes called the Bharata’s scale on the basis of highly scientific and intuitive thought processes. Abhinavagupta describes in great details, how the scale was established on the basis of a process ‘chatus-sarana”. Later on we learn how 22 sruti-s were invented positioned between Sa to upper Sa. From amongst these 22 sruti-s, 12 svara-s were established i.e., 7 Shuddha Svara-s  and 4 Komal Svara-s and 1 Tivra Svara, making a total of 12.  All these Svara-s and Sruti-s are juxtaposed in a most scientific and researched manner having de finite relationship with the base svara Sa (tonic). In other words, if Sa is considered to be the base, then each Sruti and Svara could be easily described as the Vistar evolved and developed with Sa as the base.  This is another form of Bindu-Vistar as applied to the musical scale.

“VISTAR” in Raga Presentation (alap, gat and tan)

From the scale, the next natural step to consider is the “raga”.  What is a raga? A common definition is “Ranjayati iti Raga” i.e. raga pleases the mind.  However, this is too vague for acceptance.  In my opinion a raga is the product of five definite ingredients.  Firstly, the principle of selection.  Out of the twelve notes (seven + five), a minimum of five are selected to form the basis of the raga scale.  Secondly – the principle of combination.  After the selection of notes, these are combined as per set rules of the raga.  Every combination and sequence of notes have a meaning of their own.  To illustrate SAW has a definite meaning and if we combine the alphabets differently – in a different sequence like WAS, it has a different meaning altogether.  The third ingredient is the principle of emphasis on notes.  In a given musical phrase, emphasis on different notes convey different meaning.  Again to illustrate let us take the phrase, “I am talking to you”.  The following three sentences with an emphasis on underlined words convey different meaning.

I am talking to you

I am talking to you

& I am talking to you

In fact, this principle results into the establishment of melodic centres like vadi, samvadi and anuvadi. The fourth element is the emotional content or the “rasa” in each raga.  Out of nine or

ten basic rasas, I believe in music, we use mainly five rasas viz. Shringar, Shanta, Hasya, Karuna and Vira.  The fifth ingredient the principle of universal acceptability (individual character) of the raga. Unless the raga is adopted over a period of time by the music community at large, it cannot

be called a “raga”.  At best it can be called a “good combination”.

Now let us apply the above definition of the raga with five principles of selection, combination, emphasis, rasa content and universal acceptability, to the actual presentation of the raga through the medium of 1) alap 2) gat and 3) tan

1. ALAP

(a)        Starting from the base of the raga scale viz. Sa or the tonic, the musician builde up the alap through small musical phrases.  Gradually, he increases the canvas of his unfoldment to include a larger number of notes within such phrase, treating them with the discipline of the raga form. In other words, he is proceeding with the alap on the principle of ‘badhat’.  Starting from a Bindu, through the process of badhat or Vistar, he builds up the entire raga structure on a step by step basis. This is one form of the principle of Bindu Vistar as applied to alap on the basis of gradual expansion of musical phrases.

(b)        Another principle of badhat presupposes movements of musical phrases in different octaves.

The musician proceeds from the Bindu or Sa to an elaborate treatment of the raga notes in the lower octave and later in the middle octave and still later in the upper octave.  This, therefore is the Vistar from a Bindu, with reference to the mandra, madhya and tar saptak treated on a stage by stage basis.

(c)        Another dimension of the application of the principle of Bindu-Vistar through the alap form is related to the principle of laya.  As we have seen, the alap form based on badhat as applied to musical phrases and different octaves, consumes itself when all the octave are completely treated. Once all the three octaves are treated and the musician returns to the starting point or the Bindu or the Sa, he starts all over again but with an increased tempo – in fact, introducing an element of progressive rhythm to the easy flow of notes. Once he has completed in this stage the treatment in all the scales, he increases the tempo further and so on.  In this case therefore principle of Bindu-Vistar applies itself in the form of different speeds or the tempo or laya.

2. GAT

The gat or the bandish of a raga has a highly scientific and researched structure.  The first line of the composition starts within the melodic centers while the second line covers the lower octave – returning to the melodic centre.  The third line or the antara proceeds to the upper octave and the fourth – usually the last line, returns to the starting point thereby completing the circle.  This is Vistar of a type, starting from a Bindu or a base, treating the lower octave, then the upper octave and returning to the starting point, is clearly a form of Bindu-Vistar.

3. TAN-s

Tan-s are faster quicker movement of musical notes. There are many types or ‘prakar of tan-s like alankar tan, choot tan-s, amad tan-s, sapat tan-s etc.  For illustration we will take only one or two types.

(a)        One form of tan-s proceeds from a phrase comprising or two or three notes and gradually expanding the phrases.  NRS NRGRS NRGMDPMGRS, etc. This is a form of Vistar as applied to the composition of tan-s.

(b)        The principle of Merkhand is also used in structuring the tan-s.  Three notes like SRG can be combined in six different ways.

Here, it would be noticed that the first tan starts from Sa and ends at GA while the last tan starts from Ga and returns to the base GRS.  The same principle could be applied to longer tan-s using more notes.

The same principle of Bindu Vistar which we have applied to musical notes can be applied to rhythms or tal as well.  Just as we have seven + five = twelve notes in a musical scale, we have seven main bol-s (according to some ten or fourteen) as basic bol-s, which are used to structure various rhythms or tals such as trital, ektal, jhaptal, etc. , and their elaboration.

In conclusion, one can philosophically consider the principle of Bindu-Vistar as applied to all dimensions of human activity – including music. As someone said, “human life is subjected to a cyclic motion”, and as illustrated above, we realise that the principle of Bindu-Vistar equally applies to the historic evolution of musical forms, establishment of the scale, the presentation of the raga form through alap, bandish and tan – all starting from a Bindu, developing a form of Vistar and returning in a cyclic manner to the starting point – the Bindu.