Manohar Publishers and Distributors: 11/16/12

16 November, 2012

Tashrih-ul-Moosiqu: Persian Translation of Tansen’s Original Work ‘Budh Prakash’

By- Najma Perveen Ahmad (Editor, Translator, Commentator)

Several Persian and Urdu manuscripts of the medieval period are very precious and provide valuable information and insights into various aspects of Indian musicology. Most of them contain translations and references to ancient Sanskrit texts which could not be preserved and are not available now for various reasons.

One such rare manuscript is Tashrih-ul-Moosiqui, written by Hakeem Mohammad Arzani during the seventeenth century. It is the Persian translation of Tansen’s work Budh Prakash. Like Man Kautuhal, of which only Persian translation Raag Darpan is available, probably Budh Prakash may also be available only in this form.

The present work is an English translation of Tashrih-ul-Moosiqui that consists of eight chapters containing description of Origin of Music, Types of Samaah, Attributes of Musicians, Svara, Classification and Time Theory of Ragas, Tala and Musical Instruments. The most significant and comprehensive part of the manuscript is the seventh chapter which is about Mishra Ragas where the author has used the word Miloni for a combination of ragas, in place of the well-known terms like Chhayalag, Sankeerna and Mishra Ragas, used by the other authors of the period. It elaborates the classification system of the wide range of well-known ragas mentioned in Budh Prakash that has some different nuances as compared to the description given in Persian works of later medieval period.

It is hoped that this work will bring to light the work of the great musician Tansen. In addition to the translation of the manuscript, the author has provided brief commentary and critique wherever required.

Najma Perveen Ahmad, former Dean and Head of the Department of Music, University of Delhi, is a teacher, scholar and vocalist in Hindustani Classical Music belonging to Delhi Gharana. At present she is Emeritus Fellow of UGC at the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, University of Delhi

ISBN 978-81-7304-943-9 2012 192p. Rs.795/Pounds 50

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Symbols of Trade: Roman and Pseudo-Roman Objects Found in India

By- S. Suresh

Roman objects such as coins, ceramics, metal and glass artefacts have been discovered in different parts of the Indian subcontinent. These objects were brought to this land by ancient traders, sailors and travellers. Often, ancient Indians produced coins and other objects closely resembling these foreign objects. Many of these objects have either been lost or destroyed. Those that have survived are scattered in various museums and private collections in South Asia and Europe.

This study provides the first-ever systematic, comprehensive and integrated collation of all these objects. Combining theoretical insights with empirical data, it investigates the reasons for the uneven distribution pattern and complex chronology of the varied types of objects in the different regions of the subcontinent. It also includes an insightful analysis of the peculiar features such as slash marks and countermarks seen on some of the Roman coins found in India. The Epilogue sets these objects in the wider context of the early commerce between China, South-East Asia, Sri Lanka, India, Africa and Rome.

Written in an attractive narrative style, this volume will be of immense volume not only to serious scholars but also to all those interested in ancient Roman and Indian archaeology, numismatics and economic history.

S. Suresh is currently an ICHR Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Sudharsanam Centre for Arts and Culture, Pudukkottai (Tamil Nadu). He has been a Consultant at the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and the TVS Educational Society, Chennai. He was earlier Research Fellow at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi, Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the French Institute of Pondicherry (India) and Visiting Professor at Sorborne IV University, Paris (France).

ISBN 978-81-7304-552-3 2004 206p. Rs.525/Pounds 40