Looks like English is really becoming an Indian language
Language Log 2025-08-09
Like cricket has become an Indian game….
The singer's name is Sudhir Khalokar. He's for real. You can find a lot about him on the internet.
The performance is classical: perfect beginning, middle, and end.
The raga is Malkauns:
Malkauns, known also as rag Malkosh is a raga in Indian classical music. It is one of the oldest ragas of Indian classical music. The equivalent raga in Carnatic music is called Hindolam, not to be confused with the Hindustani Hindol.
According to Indian classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj, Malkauns is a raga that is "sung during small hours of the morning, just after midnight." He further adds that the raga has a soothing and intoxicating effect.
Read some of the hundreds of comments. You will receive a profound education.
More generally:
Note this comment by Charles Minus:
I would contend that all the emotional content attached to certain chords and intervals is cultural and learned. Listen to the various ragas in classical Indian music and see if you can tell what mood or time of day they are supposed to represent. I can't, but someone raised in that culture has no problem making the connections.
I just heard an Ethiopian instrumental tune, and it has been whirling in my brain for the last hour as I try to comprehend it.
Selected readings
- "Musical discourse" (7/17/15) — don't miss the comments
- "Jazz Dispute" (11/13/14)
[Thanks to Krishnapriyan]