My reflection about the racing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

My reflection about the racing - Essay Example Unlike rallying where the drivers and their co-drivers are challenged to maintain a scheduled typical speed over a series of stages throughout a public road or forest, in a drag racing, one simply emerges the winner if they managed to cross the finishing line before the competitor. With a powerful V8 or a Dodge Viper, one can accelerate from a standing start to over 100MPH in merely a few seconds. Apparently, it is a sport for the strong hearted, and I sojourned on to participates in it during the Friday Fun Night organized by Crossroads Dragway. The Friday Fun Night, as well as the tour, were a memorable time. The instructors exemplified courteousness and professionalism, taking an inordinate amount of their time explaining to us what was required to make the occasion a success story. The guided tour was an eye-opener as we got the opportunity to learn and comprehend basic concepts in motorsports as well as the roles and importance of regulatory bodies such as NHRA (National Hot Rod Association). Participants hardly lost control and fatalities were circumvented, a fact that is ostensibly attributable to the standard training and guide we received from instructors prior to the event. Drag racing fans got the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed, serene environment full of fun. The Grassroots Motorsports staff was quite welcoming and handled guests with a lot of humility and hospitality. Basic facilities were easily accessible, and the joy of the fans was brilliantly perceptible on their faces. Before the race commenced, we were allowed to do a burnout which heated the driving tires and improved traction by laying down rubber where the track started. The races were automatically started using a system of Christmas tree which contains 6 lights for each lane; 1red, 1 blue, 1green, and 3 amber. They were all linked to light beams on the track. The lights allowed some competitors to proceed after pre-staging whereas those who were timed-out

Country with a Large Refugee - Afganistan Essay

Country with a Large Refugee - Afganistan - Essay Example Gibney (p.1). Moreover, political conflicts, destruction, and social unrest showered refugees nowhere but primarily in Pakistan and Iran. By doing this the Afghans not only brought mistrust on themselves but carried their war into other lands and created unrest there too. Since then, Pakistan, Iran nor Afghanistan has seen a silver lining in the cloud. This research will mainly focus on answering these five questions in detail, giving evidences and providing conclusions. As Afghanistan is limited by topographical and ethnic divisions, by the end of 19th century, the British and Russians acknowledged the importance of the weak country, acting as a buffer between them. This was the reason why the finalizing of its borders, in 1890’s raised the concerns of London and Moscow. So the Iron Amir of Afghanistan, Abdur Rahman Khan, had to seek help of British subsides. This pattern continued, with little variations, till 1978. Then America replaced Britain as leader of the West after W orld War II. The two giants of the age continued to interpolate Afghanistan, which was both profitable and at the same time, risky for it. None of them wanted a war in Central Asia, and so their agreements maintained Afghanistan’s territorial integrity. In order to do so, the Soviets and US paid for its internal security and economic development, as Afghanistan was unable to do so by itself. Hence, this scenario not only shows the disadvantage of Afghanistan acting as a buffer-state, but also the profit it was getting by doing so. Unfortunately, this scenario ended with the Marxist Coup of April 1978 as Afghanistan went from the buffer state to the Cold-War front line. Now only the Soviets had their interest left in the country, so it was only they who provided money and offered guarantees. The Soviets secretly encouraged and financed Afghan communists from before the formation of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) until the party unexpectedly came to power t hrough a military coup on 27 April 1978. USSR, without much evidence, fueled the fire by sending advisors for helping PDPA give control back to Nur Muhammad Taraki. When this help was resisted by the masses, Moscow retaliated by sending in military men who started commanding the Afghans forces unofficially. This is how it all started, what we know today as the Invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union. Their era however ended in the poor country when the Mujahidin, who had fought the Soviet Union took control of Kabul on 28 April 1992. The fighting between the

Marine Ship Yard Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marine Ship Yard - Research Paper Example It has negative impacts on many shipbuilding companies and counties around the world due to the biggest overcapacity of shipyards such as the far greater supply of fleet that it requires by the market (Mickeviciene). In order to meet the market and business success Western Marine Shipyard must consider that different countries have many nationalities that help the company to bring new ideas and ways to enhance the continuous strive to business success. Employees should be empowered in order to seek new opportunities, innovate and build an efficient working environment that is professional and positive for all. Western Marine Shipyard team members undergo intensive training to have a quality service and produce highly products and, the company considers it is a career, a great opportunity to work among the best personnel, receive the support needed to the make good decisions and deliver the best outcomes. This will carry out into the different branches around the world. In terms its benefits and financial impact, the recommendation will hit hard the shipyards. The primary challenge is in the industry is intermediate financing and this challenge having direct impact on the industrys production cos t, quality and growth. On the positive note the government should support its shipbuilding industry. The western Marine shipyard will be continually challenged with inconsistencies/contradiction - deal with the changes because the management is the integrating force within the organization’s activities. Whenever two or more individual works together in order to achieve a common goal, they have to communicate or coordinate their activities or programs. The employees also should be organized and maximize their resources in such way as to optimize the outcomes. The company will face with the challenge to manage both stability and change within organizations in the future. This has been evident in the story of

Litertature, Fiction Analysis Paper of Frank O'Connor's Guest of the Essay - 1

Litertature, Fiction Analysis Paper of Frank O'Connor's Guest of the Nation - Essay Example nsibility in â€Å"Guests of the Nation†, it is Stanley Renner’s belief that the protagonist Bonaparte is driven by an external destiny to carryout his actions. In a sense, he is not responsible for these actions because inadvertently these actions are not his own. I argue in opposition to this idea; I feel Bonaparte as well as the others a fully responsible in their decision to execute the British soldiers. To credit their actions to the sociology of the time, or a divine hidden power, is to make the killers out to be victims. Though this a very insightful irony, it does an injustice and devalues the British soldiers as characters. Renner’s argument is not without its valid points. He argues that the characters are driven by fate, and that the entire story itself is a critique of the relation between man’s own free will and cosmic intervention. He best supports this point with his interpretation of the character Bonaparte. When he and the other Irish soldiers are given orders to execute the British captives, who have been treated more like friendly guest, Renner points out that Bonaparte becomes indecisive and doubtful. To argue that Bonaparte is a character that relies on destiny to dictates his actions, Renner states, he merely drifts along as if helpless to defy the fates, ‘hoping that something would happen,’ that the Englishmen would ‘run for it’ or that ‘Noble would take over the responsibility from me,’ but doing nothing himself (25). Renner’s main argument revolves around Bonaparte’s willingness to adhere to divine dictation. It is Renn er’s view that if Bonaparte allows the forces driving his circumstances to drive him as well, and he practices no free will, then he is not responsible for his actions. Renner believes the feeling of jadedness Bonaparte endures is the result of his happy-go-lucky take on life. This is most likely in reference to the moment in the story right after Bonaparte has finished the execution, while

The CEO's Private Investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The CEO's Private Investigation - Essay Example Cheryl was coming into the company from their rival Boeing and she had heard some rumors while at Boeing about their being some shady dealings while the previous CEO, Jim Rawlings had been in office.   Based on the rumors, Cheryl began to ask her assistant if she knew of anything that has transpired before she came on board.   The assistant was hesitant at first but finally, let Cheryl know that she had suspicions about a file that Mr. Rawlings did not let her file for him.   She was surprised because he had not done this before and trusted her with all of his files except for this one. Cheryl felt as if this was enough to go on and she wanted to find out if there truly was something shady going on within the company. She went to her rival for the job first and asked him some questions but he did not admit nor deny anything. He indicated that it would be a lot of trouble to find out and maybe she should let it go. Cheryl was not satisfied with this response and went to speak wi th the general counsel of the company. The general counsel basically told her that if she did pursue it and there was nothing to pursue she would look bad. He also said that if she did not pursue it and something was wrong she would look bad. The only way she would look good was if she pursued the issue and there was actually something to find. But the way that she even thought something was going on was based on rumors. The issue here is whether or not Cheryl Todd should pursue the rumor that something might have been shady within the company. On the one hand, she is going on a rumor and not fact. She herself is not privy to any information that would suggest something is or was going on while Jim Rawlings was the CEO. Hank Bodine, her rival for the position, indicated that if she pursued this, she would come across as someone that would be trying to sabotage the company from within. Although this is not Cheryl’s intentions, she would have a hard time proving that she was no t trying to jeopardize the company or Jim Rawlings’ name if she launched an investigation and nothing came of it.

Hand hygiene Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Hand hygiene - Essay Example With this being a retrospective project, no questionnaires will be involved (no human involvement) but only collection/evaluation of pre and post data from the infection/risk and quality department within the sampled acute care center. Any or all actions that are meant to clean hands by any person may describe what hand hygiene refers to. It involves such practices as washing hands using water as well as soap or even the application of non-water antimicrobial rub on hands as are all meant to reduce if not eliminate all microorganisms on the hands (Corrigan, 2013; Medvick, 2008). ‘Hospital acquired infection’ (HAI) refers to the infection that a patient may be diagnosed with after admission of any form of medical attendance within the medical facilities and as such it implies that the infection was not present as the patient came into the facility for the health service(s) (Weinstock, 2007). It must therefore be acquired through health care delivery and hands hygiene has been pointed out as the greatest contributor to such outcomes (Cantrell, 2013). Health care facilities and providers have therefore a mandatory responsibility of ensuring that hand hygiene is promoted in order to curb the losses in lif e and costs associated with the resultant infections from poor hand hygiene within these medical facilities. This paper therefore focuses on the effects of poor hand hygiene by healthcare providers on HAI with special attention on compliance by health care providers and main factors that could explain the poor hygiene within health facilities amidst the extensive and serious campaigns on hand hygiene within these facilities (Cantrell, 2014). Although this topic has been addressed intensively over years, little studies have been directed towards implications of compliance of health care providers on observing hands hygiene. Many factors

Hindustani classical music Essay Example for Free

Hindustani classical music Essay The tradition was born out of a cultural synthesis of several musical traditions: the Vedic chant tradition, dating back to more than three thousand years ago,the ancient Persian tradition of Musiqi-e assil, and various folk traditions prevalent in the region. It is traditional for performers who have reached a distinguished level of achievement to be awarded titles of respect; Hindus are usually referred to as pandit and Muslims as ustad. An aspect of Hindustani music going back to Sufi times is the tradition of religious neutrality: Muslim ustads may sing compositions in praise of Hindu deities, and vice versa. Around the 12th century, Hindustani classical music diverged from what eventually came to be identified as Carnatic classical music. The central notion in both these systems is that of a melodic mode or raga, sung to a rhythmic cycle or tala. The tradition dates back to the ancient Samaveda, (sÄ ma meaning ritual chant), which deals with the norms for chanting of srutis or hymns such as the Rig Veda. These principles were refined in the musical treatises Natya Shastra, by Bharata (2nd–3rd century CE), and Dattilam (probably 3rd–4th century CE). In medieval times, the melodic systems were fused with ideas from Persian music, particularly through the influence of Sufi composers like Amir Khusro, and later in the Moghul courts. Noted composers such as Tansen flourished, along with religious groups like the Vaishnavites. After the 16th century, the singing styles diversified into different gharanas patronized in different princely courts. Around 1900, Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande consolidated the musical structures of Hindustani classical music, called ragas, into a number of thaats. Indian classical music has seven basic notes with five interspersed half-notes, resulting in a 12-note scale. Unlike the 12-note scale in Western music, the base frequency of the scale is not fixed, and intertonal gaps (temperament) may also vary; however, with the gradual replacement of the sarangi by the harmonium, an equal tempered scale is increasingly used. The performance is set to a melodic pattern called a raga characterized in part by specific ascent (aroha) and descent (avaroha) sequences, which may not be identical. Other characteristics include king (vadi) and queen (samavadi) notes and characteristic phrases (pakad). In addition each raga has its natural register (ambit) and portamento (meend) rules. Performances are usually marked by considerable improvisation within these norms. History Music was first formalized in India in connection with preserving the sruti texts, primarily the four vedas, which are seen as apaurasheya (meaning not created by man). Not only was the text important, but also the manner in which they had been enunciated by the immortals. Prosody and chanting were thus of great importance, and were enshrined in the two vedangas (bodies of knowledge) called shiksha (pronunciation, chants) and chhandas (prosody); these remained a key part of the brahmanic educational system till modern times. The formal aspects of the chant are delineated in the Samaveda, with certain aspects, e.g. the relation of chanting to meditation, elaborated in the Chandogya Upanishad (ca. 8th century BC). Priests involved in these ritual chants were called samans and a number of ancient musical instruments such as the conch (shankh), lute (veena), flute (bansuri), trumpets and horns were associated with this and later practices of ritual singing. Sanskritic tradition The Samaveda outlined the ritual chants for singing the verses of the Rigveda, particularly for offerings of Soma. It proposed a tonal structure consisting of seven notes, which were named, in descending order, krusht, pratham, dwitiya, tritiya, chaturth, mandra and atiswÄ r. These refer to the notes of a flute, which was the only fixed-frequency instrument. This is why the second note is called pratham (meaning first, i.e., produced when only the first hole is closed). Music is dealt with extensively in the Valmiki Ramayana. Narada is an accomplished musician, as is Ravana; Saraswati with her veena is the goddess of music. Gandharvas are presented as spirits who are musical masters, and the gandharva style looks to music primarily for pleasure, accompanied by the soma rasa. In the Vishnudharmottara Purana, the Naga king Ashvatara asks to know the svaras from Saraswati. The most important text on music in the ancient canon is Bharatas Natya Shastra, composed around the 3rd century CE. The Natya Shastra deals with the different modes of music, dance, and drama, and also the emotional responses (rasa) they are expected to evoke. The scale is described in terms of 22 micro-tones, which can be combined in clusters of four, three, or two to form an octave. While the term raga is articulated in the Natya Shastra (where its meaning is more literal, meaning colour or mood), it finds a clearer expression in what is called jati in the Dattilam, a text composed shortly after or around the same time as Natya Shastra. The Dattilam is focused on gandharva music and discusses scales (swara), defining a tonal framework called grama in terms of 22 micro-tonal intervals (sruti[3]) comprising one octave. It also discusses various arrangements of the notes (murchhana), the permutations and combinations of note-sequences (tanas), and alankara or elaboration. Dattilam categorizes melodic structure into 18 groups called jati, which are the fundamental melodic structures similar to the r aga. The names of the jatis reflect regional origins, for example andhri and oudichya. Music also finds mention in a number of texts from the Gupta period; Kalidasa mentions several kinds of veena (Parivadini, Vipanchi), as well as percussion instruments (mridang), the flute (vamshi) and conch (shankha). Music also finds mention in Buddhist and Jain texts from the earliest periods of the Christian era. Naradas Sangita Makarandha treatise, from about 1100 CE, is the earliest text where rules similar to those of current Hindustani classical music can be found. Narada actually names and classifies the system in its earlier form before the Persian influences introduced changes in the system. Jayadevas Gita Govinda from the 12th century was perhaps the earliest musical composition sung in the classical tradition called Ashtapadi music. In the 13th century, Sharngadeva composed the Sangita Ratnakara, which has names such as the turushka todi (Turkish todi), revealing an influx of ideas from Islamic culture. This text is the last to be mentioned by both the Carnatic and the Hindustani traditions and is often thought to date the divergence between the two. Medieval period: Persian influence The advent of Islamic rule under the Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughal Empire over northern India caused considerable cultural interchange. Increasingly, musicians received patronage in the courts of the new rulers, who in their turn, started taking increasing interest in local music forms. While the initial generations may have been rooted in cultural traditions outside India, they gradually adopted many aspects from their kingdoms which retained the traditional Hindu culture. This helped spur the fusion of Hindu and Muslim ideas to bring forth new forms of musical synthesis like qawwali and khyal. The most influential musician of the Delhi Sultanate period was Amir Khusrau (1253–1325), sometimes called the father of modern Hindustani classical music.[4] A composer in Persian, Turkish, Arabic, as well as Braj Bhasha, he is credited with systematizing many aspects of Hindustani music, and also introducing several ragas such as Yaman Kalyan, Zeelaf and Sarpada. He created the qawwali genre, which fuses Persian melody and beat on a dhrupad like structure. A number of instruments (such as the sitar and tabla) were also introduced in his time. Amir Khusrau is sometimes credited with the origins of the khyal form, but the record of his compositions do not appear to support this. The compositions by the court musician Sadarang in the court of Muhammad Shah bear a closer affinity to the modern khyal. They suggest that while khyal already existed in some form, Sadarang may have been the father of modern khyal. Much of the musical forms innovated by these pioneers merged with the Hindu tradition, composed in the popular language of the people (as opposed to Sanskrit) in the work of composers like Kabir or Nanak. This can be seen as part of a larger Bhakti tradition, (strongly related to the Vaishnavite movement) which remained influential across several centuries; notable figures include Jayadeva (11th century), Vidyapati (fl. 1375 CE), Chandidas ( 14th–15th century), and Meerabai (1555–1603 CE). As the Mughal Empire came into closer contact with Hindus, especially under Jalal ud-Din Akbar, music and dance also flourished. In particular, the musician Tansen introduced a number of innovations, including ragas and particular compositions. Legend has it that upon his rendition of a night-time raga in the morning, the entire city fell under a hush and clouds gathered in the sky, and that he could light fires by singing the raga Deepak, which is supposed to be composed of notes in high octaves. At the royal house of Gwalior, Raja Mansingh Tomar (1486–1516 CE) also participated in the shift from Sanskrit to the local idiom (Hindi) as the language for classical songs. He himself penned several volumes of compositions on religious and secular themes, and was also responsible for the major compilation, the Mankutuhal (Book of Curiosity), which outlined the major forms of music prevalent at the time. In particular, the musical form known as dhrupad saw considerable development in his court and remained a strong point of the Gwalior gharana for many centuries. After the dissolution of the Mughal empire, the patronage of music continued in smaller princely kingdoms like Lucknow, Patiala, and Banaras, giving rise to the diversity of styles that is today known as gharanas. Many musician families obtained large grants of land which made them self sufficient, at least for a few generations (e.g. the Sham Chaurasia gharana). Meanwhile the Bhakti and Sufi traditions continued to develop and interact with the different gharanas and groups. Modern era Until the late 19th century, Hindustani classical music was imparted on a one-on-one basis through the guru-shishya (mentor-protà ©gà ©) tradition. This system had many benefits, but also several drawbacks; in many cases, the shishya had to spend most of his time serving his guru with a hope that the guru might teach him a cheez (piece or nuance) or two. In addition, the system forced the music to be limited to a small subsection of the Indian community. To a large extent it was limited to the palaces and dance halls. It was shunned by the intellectuals, avoided by the educated middle class, and in general looked down upon as a frivolous practice.[5] Then a fortunate turn of events started the renaissance of Hindustani classical music. First, as the power of the maharajahs and nawabs declined in early 20th century, so did their patronage. With the expulsion of Wajid Ali Shah to Calcutta after 1857, the Lucknavi musical tradition came to influence the music of renaissance in Bengal, giving rise to the tradition of Ragpradhan gan around the turn of the century. Also, at the turn of the century, two great stars emerged on the horizon: Vishnu Digambar Paluskar and Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande. Independent of each other, they spread Hindustani classical music to the masses in general, and the Marathi middle class in particular. These two gentlemen brought classical music to the masses by organizing music conferences, starting schools, teaching music in class-rooms, and devising a standardized grading and testing system, and by standardizing the notation system.[6] Vishnu Digambar Paluskar emerged as a talented musician and organizer despite having been blinded at age 12. His books on music, as well as the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya music school that he opened in Lahore in 1901, helped foster a movement away from the closed gharana system. Paluskars contemporary (and occasional rival) Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande recognized the many rifts that had appeared in the structure of Indian classical music. He undertook extensive research visits to a large number of gharanas, Hindustani as well as Carnatic, collecting and comparing compositions. Between 1909 and 1932, he produced the monumental four-volume work Hindustani Sangeetha Padhathi,[7] which suggested a transcription for Indian music, and described the many tradi tions in this notation. Finally,mit consolidated the many musical forms of Hindustani classical music into a number of thaats (modes), subsequent to the Melakarta system that reorganized Carnatic tradition in the 17th century. The ragas as they exist today were consolidated in this landmark work, although there are some inconsistencies and ambiguities in Bhatkandes system. In modern times, the government-run All India Radio, Bangladesh Betar and Radio Pakistan helped to bring the artists to public attention, countering the loss of the patronage system. The first star was Gauhar Jan, whose career was born out of Fred Gaisbergs first recordings of Indian music in 1902. With the advance of films and other public media, musicians started to make their living through public performances. As India was exposed to Western music, some Western melodies started merging with classical forms, especially in popular music. A number of Gurukuls, such as that of Alauddin Khan at Maihar, flourished. In more modern times, corporate support has also been forthcoming, as at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy. Meanwhile, Hindustani classical music has become popular across the world through the influence of artists such as Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan. Principles of Hindustani music The rhythmic organization is based on rhythmic patterns called tala. The melodic foundations are called ragas. One possible classification of ragas is into melodic modes or parent scales, known as thaats, under which most ragas can be classified based on the notes they use. Thaats may consist of up to seven scale degrees, or swara. Hindustani musicians name these pitches using a system called Sargam, the equivalent of the Western movable do solfege: Sa (Shadaj) = Do Re (Rishab) = Re Ga (Gandhar) = Mi Ma (Madhyam) = Fa Pa (Pancham) = So Dha (Dhaivat) = La Ni (Nishad) = Ti Sa (Shadaj) = Do Both systems repeat at the octave. The difference between sargam and solfege is that re, ga, ma, dha, and ni can refer to either Natural (shuddha) or altered Flat (komal) or Sharp (tivra) versions of their respective scale degrees. As with movable do solfege, the notes are heard relative to an arbitrary tonic that varies from performance to performance, rather than to fixed frequencies, as on a xylophone. The fine intonational differences between different instances of the same swara are called srutis. The three primary registers of Indian classical music are mandra (lower), madhya (middle) and taar (upper). Since the octave location is not fixed, it is also possible to use provenances in mid-register (such as mandra-madhya or madhya-taar) for certain ragas. A typical rendition of Hindustani raga involves two stages: Alap: a rhythmically free improvisation on the rules for the raga in order to give life to the raga and flesh out its characteristics. The alap is followed by a long slow-tempo improvisation in vocal music, or by the jod and jhala in instrumental music. Bandish or Gat: a fixed, melodic composition set in a specific raga, performed with rhythmic accompaniment by a tabla or pakhavaj. There are different ways of systematizing the parts of a composition. For example: Sthaayi: The initial, rondo phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition. Antara: The first body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition. Sanchaari: The third body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition, seen more typically in dhrupad bandishes Aabhog: The fourth and concluding body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition, seen more typically in Dhrupad bandishes. There are three variations of bandish, regarding tempo: Vilambit bandish: A slow and steady melodic composition, usually in largo to adagio speeds. Madhyalaya bandish: A medium tempo melodic competition, usually set in andante to allegretto speeds. Drut bandish: A fast tempo melodic composition, usually set to allegretto speed or faster. Hindustani classical music is primarily vocal-centric, insofar as the musical forms were designed primarily for vocal performance, and many instruments were designed and evaluated as to how well they emulate the human voice. Types of compositions The major vocal forms or styles associated with Hindustani classical music are dhrupad, khyal, and tarana. Other forms include dhamar, trivat, chaiti, kajari, tappa, tap-khyal, ashtapadis, thumri, dadra, ghazal and bhajan; these are folk or semi-classical or light classical styles, as they often do not adhere to the rigorous rules of classical music. Dhrupad Main article: Dhrupad Dhrupad is an old style of singing, traditionally performed by male singers. It is performed with a tambura and a pakhawaj as instrumental accompaniments. The lyrics, some of which were written in Sanskrit centuries ago, are presently often sung in brajbhasha, a medieval form of North and East Indian languages that was spoken in Eastern India. The rudra veena, an ancient string instrument, is used in instrumental music in dhrupad. Dhrupad music is primarily devotional in theme and content. It contains recitals in praise of particular deities. Dhrupad compositions begin with a relatively long and acyclic alap, where the syllables of the following mantra is recited: Om Anant tam Taran Tarini Twam Hari Om Narayan, Anant Hari Om Narayan. The alap gradually unfolds into more rhythmic jod and jhala sections. These sections are followed by a rendition of bandish, with the pakhawaj as an accompaniment. The great Indian musician Tansen sang in the dhrupad style. A lighter form of dhrupad, called dhamar, is sung primarily during the festival of Holi. Dhrupad was the main form of northern Indian classical music until two centuries ago, when it gave way to the somewhat less austere khyal, a more free-form style of singing. Since losing its main patrons among the royalty in Indian princely states, dhrupad risked becoming extinct in the first half of the twentieth century. However, the efforts by a few proponents from the Dagar family have led to its revival and eventual popularization in India and in the West. Some of the best known vocalists who sing in the Dhrupad style are the members of the Dagar lineage, including the senior Dagar brothers, Nasir Moinuddin and Nasir Aminuddin Dagar; the junior Dagar brothers, Nasir Zahiruddin and Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar; and Wasifuddin, Fariduddin, and Sayeeduddin Dagar. Other leading exponents include the Gundecha Brothers, who have received training from some of the Dagars. Leading vocalists outside the Dagar lineage include the Mallik family of Darbhanga tradition of musicians; some of the leading exponents of this tradition were Ram Chatur Mallick, Siyaram Tiwari, and Vidur Mallick. A section of dhrupad singers of Delhi Gharana from Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s court migrated to Bettiah under the patronage of the Bettiah Raj, giving rise to the Bettiah Gharana.[8] Bishnupur Gharana, based in West Bengal, is a key school that has been propagating this style of singing since Mughal times. Khyal Main article: Khyal Khyal is a Hindustani form of vocal music, adopted from medieval Persian music and based on Dhrupad. Khyal, literally meaning thought or imagination in Hindustani, is unusual as it is based on improvising and expressing emotion. A Khyal is a two- to eight-line lyric set to a melody. The lyric is of an emotional account possibly from poetic observation.[clarification needed] Khyals are also popular for depicting the emotions between two lovers, situations of ethological significance in Hinduism and Islam, or other situations evoking intense feelings. Th importance of the Khyals content is for the singer to depict, through music in the set raga, the emotional significance of the Khyal. The singer improvises and finds inspiration within the raga to depict the Khyal. The origination of Khyal is controversial, although it is accepted that this style was based on Dhrupad and influenced by Persian music. Many argue that Amir Khusrau created the style in the late 16th century. This form was popularized by Mughal Emperor Mohammad Shah, through his court musicians. Some well-known composers of this period were Sadarang, Adarang, and Manrang. [edit]Tarana Main article: Tarana Another vocal form, taranas are medium- to fast-paced songs that are used to convey a mood of elation and are usually performed towards the end of a concert. They consist of a few lines of poetry with soft syllables or bols set to a tune. The singer uses these few lines as a basis for fast improvisation. The tillana of Carnatic music is based on the tarana, although the former is primarily associated with dance. Tappa Main article: Tappa Tappa is a form of Indian semi-classical vocal music whose specialty is its rolling pace based on fast, subtle, knotty construction. It originated from the folk songs of the camel riders of Punjab and was developed as a form of classical music by Mian Ghulam Nabi Shori or Shori Mian, a court singer for Asaf-Ud-Dowlah, the Nawab of Awadh. Nidhubabur Tappa, or tappas sung by Nidhu Babu were very popular in 18th and 19th-century Bengal. Among the living performers of this style are Laxmanrao Pandit, Shamma Khurana, Manvalkar, Girija Devi, Ishwarchandra Karkare, and Jayant Khot. Thumri Main article: Thumri Thumri is a semi-classical vocal form said to have begun in Uttar Pradesh with the court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, (r. 1847–1856). There are three types of thumri: poorab ang, Lucknavi and Punjabi thumri. The lyrics are typically in a proto-Hindi language called Brij Bhasha and are usually romantic. Some recent performers of this genre are Abdul Karim Khan, the brothers Barkat Ali Khan and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Begum Akhtar, Girija Devi, Beauty Sharma Barua, Nazakat-Salamat Ali Khan, Prabha Atre, Siddheshwari Devi, and Shobha Gurtu. Ghazal Main article: Ghazal Ghazal is an originally Persian form of poetry. In the Indian sub-continent, Ghazal became the most common form of poetry in the Urdu language and was popularized by classical poets like Mir Taqi Mir, Ghalib, Daagh, Zauq and Sauda amongst the North Indian literary elite. Vocal music set to this mode of poetry is popular with multiple variations across Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, Turkey, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Ghazal exists in multiple variations, including semi-classical, folk and pop forms. Instrumental music The Royal Musicians of Hindustan circa 1910: Ali Khan, Inayat Khan, Musheraff Khan and Maheboob Khan Although Hindustani music clearly is focused on the vocal performance, instrumental forms have existed since ancient times. In fact, in recent decades, especially outside South Asia, instrumental Hindustani music is more popular than vocal music, partly due to a somewhat different style and faster tempo, and partly because of a language barrier for the lyrics in vocal music. A number of musical instruments are associated with Hindustani classical music. The veena, a string instrument, was traditionally regarded as the most important, but few play it today and it has largely been superseded by its cousins the sitar and the sarod, both of which owe their origin to Persian influences. Other plucked or struck string instruments include the surbahar, sursringar, santoor, and various versions of the slide guitar. Among bowed instruments, the sarangi, esraj and violin are popular. The bansuri, shehnai and harmonium are important wind instruments. In the percussion ensemble, the tabla and the pakhavaj are the most popular. Various other instruments have also been used in varying degrees.