Hindustani classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet. The term shastriya sangeet literally means classical music, and is also used to refer to Indian classical music in general. It is played on instruments like the veena, sitar and sarod. It diverged in the 12th century CE from Carnatic music, the classical tradition of Southern India. While Carnatic music largely uses compositions written in Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindustani music largely uses compositions written in Hindi, Urdu, Braj, Avadhi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Rajasthani, Marathi and Punjabi.
In Hindustani music, a gharānā is a system of social organisation in the Indian subcontinent, linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and more importantly by adherence to a particular musical style.
Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande was an Indian musicologist who wrote the first modern treatise on Hindustani classical music, an art which had been propagated for centuries mostly through oral traditions. During those earlier times, the art had undergone several changes, rendering the raga grammar documented in scant old outdated texts.
Ramanlal C. Mehta was an Indian musician and musicologist. In 2009, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour.
Dr. Raja Rai Rajeshwar Bali Bahadur was Taluqdar ruler of Rampur-Dariyabad and an intellectual reformer of British India.
Shruti Sadolikar Katkar is an Indian classical singer of the khyal style in the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. She is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Hindustani vocal music for 2011.
Leela Desai, aka Lila Desai, was an Indian actress in the 1930s and 1940s. She was the daughter of Umedram Lalbhai Desai and his second wife Satyabala Devi, a musician of the early 1900s.
Sumati Mutatkar was an Indian classical music vocalist and musicologist from the Agra gharana of Hindustani classical music, and a Professor of Department of Music in University of Delhi.
Malini Awasthi is an Indian singer, more commonly referred to as Folk Queen of India. Having been trained classically, she is equally adept in various forms of Hindustani music like vintage Dadra Thumri Kajri Chaiti etc. Her colossal knowledge of music finds a reflection in her renditions of Ghazals and Sufiyaana Kalaams too. A Ganda-baandh disciple of Padma Vibhushan Vidushi Girija Devi, she is a connoisseur of 'Chaumukhi gayan' of Benares Gharana. She commands equally over multiple dialects like Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Bundeli, and Braj.
Ustad Sakhawat Hussain Khan or Sakhawat Hussain (1877–1955) was a virtuoso Indian sarod player, a contemporary of Hafiz Ali Khan and one of the major exponents of the instrument in the 20th century.
Kalpana Patowary is an Indian playback and Folk Singer from Assam. She recorded her first album 'Xuror Ene Jonak' in Assamese language when she was merely 16 years old.She has recorded songs and folk music in several Indian languages, with Bhojpuri music being the major genre.
Malani Bulathsinhala was a Sri Lankan singer. She began her musical career at age 10 with the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.
Shanti Hiranand was an Indian vocalist, classical musician and writer, known for her proficiency as a ghazal singer. She was the author of the book Begum Akhtar: The Story of My Ammi, a biographical work on Begum Akhtar, a renowned Ghazal singer.
Shashthrapathi Anil Mihiripenna was a Sri Lankan classical musician, who played the Bansuri, Esraj and Indian bamboo flute. He played in the North Indian tradition and was the first Sri Lankan to obtain degrees in both flute and esraj. Running his Sharadha Kala Niketanaya, he endeavoured to teach, develop and popularise Indian classical music in Sri Lanka for the last forty years.
Mohanrao Shankarrao Kallianpurkar was a Kathak dancer and teacher from Karnataka, considered to be one of the greatest scholars and teacher of Kathak dance form. He belongs to Jaipur school of Kathak.
Puru Dadheech is a Kathak dancer. He is a choreographer and educator of Indian classical dance, and is known for his pioneering work in the field of Kathak. At the oldest Kathak department which was formed in 1956 at Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya Public University located in Khairagarh, Puru Dadheech instated the first Kathak syllabus in 1961. He is the holder of the first Doctorate in Kathak Classical Dance and emphasizes the relevance of Shastras in the Kathak repertoire. He was awarded Padma Shri, the 4th highest civilian award of India He is currently serving as the Director of the world's first dedicated Kathak research Centre at the Sri Sri University, Cuttack called Sri Sri Centre for Advanced Research in Kathak.
Thotagamage Shelton Perera, was a Sri Lankan musician and a singer. Beginning his career as a tabla player, Perera became one of the most influential singers in Sri Lankan classical music industry. He is also a prolific percussionist as well as a film composer.
Kamla Srivastava was an Indian folk music singer. She retired as assistant professor in Musicology-cum-practical of Bhatkhande Music Institute, deemed university of Lucknow. She came from a family of artists and poets.
Dr. Ranatunga Arachchige Dayarathna Ranatunga, popularly as Dayarathna Ranatunga, is a Sri Lankan singer and music director. One of the most honored singers of Sri Lanka, Dayarathna is considered as an icon in Ragadhari music in Sri Lanka.
Veronika Dassanayaka also spelt Veronika Dassanayake is a Sri Lankan dancer, choreographer, artist and lecturer. She has also served as a major of Sri Lanka Army and also served as the leader of Sri Lanka Army dancing troupe.
