The Classical Khayal and Marathi Popular Music: Unpacking Music Genres and Categories in Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Abstract:Hindustani khayal music is a prominent vocal classical genre in northern India. Scholarship on khayal, which focuses on its construction as national and classical, has often rendered its social experiences in ways that suggest homogeneity across regions and quasi-autonomy from popular music. Elaborating on a contemporary instance—a television show that features Marathi popular songs—this article unpacks the relationship of khayal with popular music in the state of Maharashtra. In the process, the article reflects on the meanings that khayal has accrued in a regional context as well as on the nature of music categories and genres and their calibration.