How Indian classical music got divided into Hindustani and Carnatic

Subhashini Parthasarathy, Pantula Rama and M.A. Sundareswaran
| Photo Credit: K. Pichumani

Day 5 of the Academic Sessions at The Music Academy featured an interesting panel discussion with Pantula Rama, Subhashini Parthasarathy, and vidwan M.A. Sundareswaran. The session opened with Pantula Rama exploring the evolution of Indian classical music and the eventual division into Carnatic and Hindustani traditions. She highlighted that, originally, there was no clear demarcation — only music of the gods and music of the people. The distinction became even more evident when the Sangeeta Ratnakara got published. 

Over time, the musical traditions solidified, particularly with Venkatamakhi’s Melakarta scheme. Meanwhile, in Hindustani music, dhrupad was the dominant style until the emergence of Khaal, which drew from Persian influences and  prioritised improvisation and creativity. This shift relegated dhrupad to the background, though Rama noted its resurgence through the efforts of warrior-musicians.

Subhashini expanded on the intersection of northern and southern traditions, referencing N. Ramanathan’s studies. She discussed Desiya ragas, which were adapted from North India and evolved into rakthi ragas such as  Sahana, Saveri and Darbar. The term Desiya implies that the raga has its origins in other geographic regions, especially, the North. Ramanathan’s research also highlighted differences in oscillatory techniques, with Carnatic music carrying a lot of swaras in an oscillation of one note. Unlike Hindustani music, Carnatic music boasts a vast repertoire of compositions. Parthasarathy cited the Persian influence on ragas such as Huseni and Navroj, which evolved due to their melodic character. She also illustrated how Behag, initially featuring only shuddha madhyamam, now incorporates both shuddha and prati madhyamam. Rama added that Jaijaiwanti in Hindustani music was adapted by Muthuswami Dikshitar into Carnatic as Dwijavanti. She elaborated on compositions such as ‘Chetashri Balakrishnam’, which retains a tight Carnatic phrasing, and ‘Akhilandeshwari’ (there doubts about its authenticity as a Muthuswami Dikshitar composition), incorporates Hindustani-inspired glides.

Vidwan Sundareswaran shared insights into his family’s musical legacy, noting practices such as  playing Desh without kaishiki nishadam and learning Pahadi by playing Mohanam in the madhyamam scale. He played a Kashmiri boat song composed by his father vidwan M.A. Sundaram, showcasing the influence of Hindustani music on his lineage. Subhashini noted the impact of camel riders’ singing javalis, attributing their rapid, bouncing rhythm to the riders’ movements. She observed that the kakali nishadam existed in Khamas, though absent in Trinity compositions. In Paraj, the Hindustani raag incorporates prati madhyamam, unlike in Paras, the Karnatik variant, except in Smara Sundaranguni, which includes both prati and shuddha madhyamam. She argued that the version with prati madhyamam is sung more, maybe, because it is pleasing to the ear.

Rama emphasised the need for thoughtful adaptation of Hindustani elements into Carnatic music. She cited Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Shri Guru Guha’ in Shuddha Saveri, which carries a Hindustani flavor, contrasting with his other Devakriya compositions. She stressed that the beauty of a musical system lies in its nativity. Vidwan Sundareswaran reinforced the importance of pathantara (adherence to tradition) to preserve the integrity of compositions.

 In his closing remarks, Sangita Kalanidhi designee T.M. Krishna questioned the origins of terms such as ‘Hindustani’ and ‘North’. He noted the absence of kampita gamakam in early texts such as  Sampradaya Pradarshini, despite its prominence in almost every raga. Krishna pointed out the audience’s paradoxical reactions — applauding the emphasis on nativity in music but enjoying Rama’s demonstration of Behag, a Desiya raga. He argued that this reflects how listeners are conditioned and suggested that while Carnatic music can draw inspiration from Hindustani traditions, its distinctiveness must remain intact. He also pointed out an interesting fact that Carnatic  music has not reduced Hindustani ragas to mere scales but has preserved their essence through phrase-based adaptations.