ABSTRACT
A close associate of the vocalist and educational visionary Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, Gurudev became vice principal of Paluskar’s first public institution for instruction in music, the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, established in Lahore on 5 May 1901. Gurudev’s work offers people a window onto the musical past, and people would do well to investigate the clues it presents to a theory and practice that has since changed in many significant ways. Gurudev was no doubt inspired by the published works of his mentor, Paluskar, as both they and many other Maharashtrians embarked on an evangelical mission to spread Hindustani music to the Indian bourgeoisie and to set down the intricate properties of its oral traditions in written form. Pakhavaj and tabla drummers perform two main functions: they accompany singers, instrumentalists and dancers, and they also play solo drum music.
