Indian Music, like Hinduism, is comparable to an ocean. Its origins are lost in the mists of antiquity, and over the centuries, it has evolved, modifying itself to suit the times, assimilating new ideas from alien concepts, and yet managing to retain its own unique personality. The result of this long process of evolution is a rich and sophisticated form of music, and to understand it in all its facets could well be the work of a life-time.
Many people, all over the world, are evincing a keen interest in Indian Music and hence the crying need for good books to make an understanding of its complexities easier. Indian Music, by B. Chaitanya Deva (now on the staff of the Sangeet Natak Akademi) is one such noteworthy attempt.