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        This is the high noon of music industry in India. Music is on everywhere. In TV. In radio. In mobiles. In cars. In watches. In pens. In everything. And it is diverse. From rock to ragas, the beats and lilt don't stop. But between the classical strains and the massy rhythms, there is a world which is different in culture and sensibilities.

        While every kind of music is unique, there is something that is special about Indian classical musical. While other forms of tunes are for the ears, Indian classical music, steeped in bhakthi and piety, is for the soul.

        It is not a coincidence, since our music started with the recitation of the shlokas by the Vedic sages. We know for sure that the entire Sama Veda was transmitted through melody. The sages recognised the musical quality of natural sounds, and also understood that the path to the portals of Gods can be paved with swaras.

        From the Holy Trinity of Carnatic music to Annamacharya to Swathi Thirunal to Purandara Dasa to Meera Bai to Surdas to Papanasam Sivam to Subramani Bharathia — all chose music to be a vehicle for philosophical uplift. If their ditties reverberate through the length and breadth of the land, span centuries, and live in the heart of millions, it only shows that Nadopasana (worship through music) is as powerful a mode of attaining God as Gyan Marg.

        But why do we find beat nudging out the meditative quality of Indian music? The onset can be traced to the days when invaders destroyed much of the art that was an expression of our religion. And when Indian music moved from the temple to the court, its spiritual quality had to give way to its sensual beauty. This is now more pronounced since music - like dance - is for entertainment alone.

        But Indian music, with its focus on a higher calling, can uplift any moment. That is its quintessence. We should not allow this idea to let slip. For this to happen we have to rekindle the spirituality within us. For, it is only through the voice of the singer that the depth of feeling reaches out to the listener and provides him a glimpse of the all-pervading Almighty. Music is after all the language of the divine.