Opinion of Mr. N. P. SUBRAMANIA IYER, M. R. A. S., Journalist; Author of “Astrological Series” : Secretary, Sangeetha Vidya Mahajana Sangam, etc. Tanjore.

Having had the good fortune to follow closely, for years, the labors undertaken by Mr. Pandither for the solution of the problem of the number of Srutis in the Hindu musical scale, I am thoroughly convinced of the immense value of this book to the enrichment and advancement of Indian music. It is, I think, safe to assert that a knowledge of the Srutis is an important factor in the ground-work of musical training. It is the law of the Srutis that makes Music an art, and a knowledge of that law is so much capital, held in reserve, against the encroachments of inharmony, however cleverly concealed. We have too few among professional musicians to-day who have a taste to cultivate a knowledge of the scientific side of the art. That there are but 22 Srutis for the Octave is to them an inherited theory which lies somewhere at the back of their minds, but neither in vocal nor in instrumental music are they able to express the twenty two. Taking this theory as a text, Mr. Pandither examines each assertion with the fairness of one trained to critical methods and with the exactness of a scientist, and we have a full and luminous presentation of the theory of 24 Srutis for the Octave, as also of the minute Srutis, 48 and 96. I am aware that this theory, so lucidly maintained in the pages of this book, has proved disquieting to the so-called votaries of the 22. But to talk of 22 without being able to demonstrate it, in any manner, and, at the same time, to attack the conclusions of one who has handled the problem in a reverent and serious spirit is compatible neither with national pride nor with professional sincerity.

The book is replete with information that must add to the culture of the reader while the historical facts, the tables and the illustrations lead him from page to page with increasing fascination. The reader is brought into touch with the civilization of the ancient Tamils and the marvellous efficiency attained by them in the practice of Music. This is another merit about the book and herein we see that the system of 24 Srutis is no forcible creation or re-arrangement but rather an interpretation of the ancient Tamil works which allude to the theory of 7, 12, 24, 48 and 96 Srutis - a system which flourished in the blood of our ancestors thousands of years ago.

No examination of Mr. Pandither’s theory of 24 and the minute Srutis could have been more thorough than the one that was held at the All India Music Conference in Baroda, last year. There the exposition of the theory appealed to the reason of every one in the grand assemblage of musicians, while the practical demonstration thereof, by the accomplished daughters of Mr. Pandither, elicited unqualified praise. Similarly, the demonstration in the Palace, in the presence of their Highnesses the Gaekwar and the Maharani, in response to their special invitation, was a unique success. I had the happiness of being present on both, among many other, occasions. At the 7th Conference of the Sangita Vidya Mahajana Sangam, the theory and its practice, the mathematical calculations of Swarams and other details were minutely gone into by experts who were qualified to pronounce and opinion on the different aspects of the question. And, as will be seen from the following pages, they have borne unanimous testimony to the soundness of the theory and the conformity of the practice to the same. Scepticism and timid conservatism may feel dissatisfied and try to impair the value of the work, for some time, but the secrets of the science lay open to those who study it in a disinterested spirit, unhampered by prejudice. It is they who will try to follow in the footsteps of careful thinkers like Mr. Pandither who has spoken at length after years of painstaking and extensive research.

(Sd.) N. P. SUBRAMANIA IYER.