Presents an account of the development of modern national culture in India using classical music as a case study. This book demonstrates how the emergence of an "Indian" cultural tradition reflected colonial and exclusionary practices. It shows how a nation's imaginings - from politics to culture - reflect rather than transform societal divisions.

A provocative account of the development of modern national culture in India using classical music as a case study. Janaki Bakhle demonstrates how the emergence of an "Indian" cultural tradition reflected colonial and exclusionary practices, particularly the exclusion of Muslims by the Brahmanic elite, which occurred despite the fact that Muslims were the major practiti oners of the Indian music that was installed as a "Hindu" national tradition. This book lays bare how a nation's imaginings--from politics to culture--reflect rather than transform societal divisions.

Using classical music as a case study, the author offers a provocative account of how the emergence of an Indian" cultural tradition reflected exclusionary colonial practices.