Abstract

One of the significant contributions to Hindustani classical music is attributed to Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande. In his voluminous series of publications, he organized various ragas into ten distinct groups known as "Thaat." However, the underlying principle or rationale behind such a classification remains unspecified in his works. Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (VNB) proposed ten primary Thaat, prompting questions about why only ten were selected and not more. If the classification were solely based on permutations and combinations of musical notes, the number of Thaat would likely exceed ten. This article aims to elucidate the potential logic behind such classification, which appears to be absent from Bhatkhande's texts. It is observed that all ten Thaat proposed by Bhatkhande adhere to a common rule that each musical note in every "Thaat" has a Samvaadi. This observation suggests the possibility of two additional Thaat, namely Kokila Pancham and Seemendra Madhyam, yet these are notably absent from Bhatkhande's works for reasons unknown. Further, we highlight ambiguities in Pt. VNB’s classification and the evolving landscape of Raga classification.