By turns essay, memoir and cultural study, Finding the Raga is Amit Chaudhuri’s singular account of his discovery of, and enduring passion for, North Indian music: an ancient, evolving tradition whose principles and practices will alter the reader’s notion of what music might – and can – be.
The following playlist includes a selection of Amit Chaudhuri’s own songs from different decades and in different styles, as well as recordings from his mother and his former teacher, Govind Prasad Jaipurwale.
Finding the Raga playlist
Click here to watch the full Finding the Raga playlist.
Full list of songs
1. Bijoya Chaudhuri – Tagore song (‘Se Je Moner Manush’), 1967
2. Amit Chaudhuri – ‘Shame’, 1981
3. Amit Chaudhuri – ‘The Trouble With Being Lonely’, 1981
4. Pandit Govind Prasad Jaipurwale – Tappa in Raga Mishra Sorhat, 1983
5. Pandit Laxman Prasad Jaipurwale – Hori in Raga Kafi-Barwa
6. Amit Chaudhuri – Raga Suha Malhar, 1994
7. Amit Chaudhuri – Tappanuma Thumri in Raga Desh, 1993
8. Amit Chaudhuri – Khayal and Tarana, Raga Jog Bahar, 1994
9. Amit Chaudhuri – ‘Summertime’, 2007
10. Amit Chaudhuri – ‘Good Vibrations’, 2010
11. Amit Chaudhuri – ‘Saraswati’, 2010
12. Amit Chaudhuri – ‘Famous Blue Raincoat Suite’, 2010
‘Supple, intricate and uncompromising, full of delicate observation and insight, Amit Chaudhuri’s Finding the Raga immerses us in the rigorous beauty and cosmology of Indian classical music. It is also a loving memoir about relationships and places, dedication and vocation.’
Geoff Dyer
A revelatory and very personal exploration of Indian classical music from ‘one of his generation’s best writers’ (Guardian).