Padhant in

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...

or Indian classical dance refers to the recitation of rhythmic syllables, known as bol, during a performance. The term is derived from the

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

word ''padhna'', meaning "to read, study or recite". ''Padhant'' is closely associated with the percussion instrument

tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...

and the classical dance

Kathak Kathak ( hi, कथक; ur, کتھک) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance from of Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern Ind ...

, and the recitation of rhythmic patterns before playing them is considered an art in itself. The dancer in Kathak would pause at intervals to recite the rhythms before executing them through dance. The recitation is often accompanied by hand gestures. The recited syllables are also used in storytelling, creating an atmosphere or inducing a mood in the audience; for example, in a performance of Kalidasa's '' Meghaduta'' (''Cloud Messenger''), the sounds ''ghe-ghe-thi-ta'' can signify a rumble of clouds or, its expanded version, the arrival of clouds. In

Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an ...

, a similar concept is called konnakol.

References

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External links

A documentary on the art of Padhant
Indian classical music Hindustani music terminology