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CSSP organises a lecture by Dr. Amitabha Bhattacharyya

CSSP organises a lecture by Dr. Amitabha Bhattacharyya

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CSSP organises a lecture by Dr. Amitabha Bhattacharyya
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Centre for Studies in Science Policy 
Jawaharlal Nehru University

 

CSSP Lecture Series

 

Invites you to a Lecture on

 

 "Unsung Indian Musical Drums and the Science Behind Them"

 

by


Dr. Amitabha Bhattacharyya
(Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Sikkim University)

 


Venue: Room No. 225, 2nd Floor, CSSP, SSS-1 Building, JNU
Date: Monday, 30th October 2023 | Time: 3:30 pm

 


Abstract: The Indian sub-continent has a kind of traditional drums which are very special. Usual drums, like the western drums, and Indian drums Dhak, Dhol, Dholak, etc. produce sound which is not pleasant to the ear. The reason is that a simple vibrating stretched membrane produces sound of frequencies not related to harmonics. These instruments of indefinite pitch can be used only to provide a rhythm. On the other hand, there are special drums, which were classified by CV Raman as Musical Drums, Mridangam, Pakhawaj, Tabla, Khol, Pung, Naal, Dhimay, Sri Lankan Dholki and some more. The membrane of these drums is weighted at a certain point which makes it produce a sound with frequencies related to each other in ratios of small numbers, making the sound pleasant to the ear, just like string instruments. These are instruments of definite pitch. Classical music in India is incomplete without at least one such instrument. I will explain the differences between the classes of drums from the scientific point of view, along with the story of the construction and possible development of these drums.

 

All are welcome to attend the Lecture.

A warm welcome to the modified and updated website of the Centre for East Asian Studies. The East Asian region has been at the forefront of several path-breaking changes since 1970s beginning with the redefining the development architecture with its State-led development model besides emerging as a major region in the global politics and a key hub of the sophisticated technologies. The Centre is one of the thirteen Centres of the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi that provides a holistic understanding of the region.

Initially, established as a Centre for Chinese and Japanese Studies, it subsequently grew to include Korean Studies as well. At present there are eight faculty members in the Centre. Several distinguished faculty who have now retired include the late Prof. Gargi Dutt, Prof. P.A.N. Murthy, Prof. G.P. Deshpande, Dr. Nranarayan Das, Prof. R.R. Krishnan and Prof. K.V. Kesavan. Besides, Dr. Madhu Bhalla served at the Centre in Chinese Studies Programme during 1994-2006. In addition, Ms. Kamlesh Jain and Dr. M. M. Kunju served the Centre as the Documentation Officers in Chinese and Japanese Studies respectively.

The academic curriculum covers both modern and contemporary facets of East Asia as each scholar specializes in an area of his/her interest in the region. The integrated course involves two semesters of classes at the M. Phil programme and a dissertation for the M. Phil and a thesis for Ph. D programme respectively. The central objective is to impart an interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding of history, foreign policy, government and politics, society and culture and political economy of the respective areas. Students can explore new and emerging themes such as East Asian regionalism, the evolving East Asian Community, the rise of China, resurgence of Japan and the prospects for reunification of the Korean peninsula. Additionally, the Centre lays great emphasis on the building of language skills. The background of scholars includes mostly from the social science disciplines; History, Political Science, Economics, Sociology, International Relations and language.

Several students of the centre have been recipients of prestigious research fellowships awarded by Japan Foundation, Mombusho (Ministry of Education, Government of Japan), Saburo Okita Memorial Fellowship, Nippon Foundation, Korea Foundation, Nehru Memorial Fellowship, and Fellowship from the Chinese and Taiwanese Governments. Besides, students from Japan receive fellowship from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.