Pandit C. P. Rele will develop a new conceptual analysis of ragas based on movements (pravahas) and their interplay, challenging the orthodox system for classi­fyingragas in terms of scales. Pandit Rele believes that the form of any raga can be appreciated on the basis of four basic movements or pravahas, which are best expressed through the ragas Mand, Kalyan, Gaud and Bilawal. He proposes to examine each raga in terms of the influence of the four basic movements on its structure. It is the interplay of two or more movements in a raga that throws light on its distinct values and the thinking that has gone into its evolution.

This theory is expected to enhance the understanding and elucidation of ragas, and facilitate methodical improvisation, spontaneous innovation and the development of new compositions in different ragas. By making explicit the process of evolution and artistic value of individual ragas, it will encourage a revaluation of the distortions and anomalies that have crept into their formation and execution.

A lawyer by profession, Pandit Rele studied vocal music along with Kumar Gandharva under the guidance of the well-known musicologist Prof. B.R. Deodhar. Since his retirement from active law practice, he has devoted his energies to composing and training disciples in Mumbai. Critics and musicians have acclaimed his collection of 135 compositions, recently published under the title ‘Gunjan’, as a valuable contribution to Hindustani classical music.

Pandit Rele will produce a manuscript of some 300 pages in Marathi, which will be edited by his research associate Satyasheel Deshpande, a classical singer who leads Samvaad Foundation, an institution in Mumbai devoted to the research, documentation and archiving of vocal traditions of Hindustani classical music. The ensuing publication is expected to become a reference text for students, musicians and research scholars, and enhance learning and teaching of raga sangeet at music institutions and university departments.