1947-1950s
Lata Mangeshkar; Getty Images
As India gained independence, the original patrons of classical music, the kings and maharajas abolished their princely states, leaving the musicians to fend for themselves. The musicians realized that they would have to create their own ecosystem, from gharana to cultivating students and creating new public spaces for performances. For many, the government became the new mentor through employment with All India Radio (AIR). The Radio Sangeet Sammelan, which began in 1952, was a pioneering program that helped musicians reach audiences across India. Lata Mangeshkar began playback singing for the film Aapki Seva Mein in 1947, and continued to entertain audiences until her death in 2022.
1950s 60s
Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar traveled abroad to showcase Indian music and culture. The popularity of the sitar by Ravi Shankar prompted many foreign musicians to come to India and collaborate. Other classical musicians who started traveling abroad were Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Ustad Alla Rakha and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. Due to his versatility, many classical musicians, such as Pandit Ram Narayan and Ustad Rais Khan, began playing and singing for films – something that had never been heard before. Indian musicians being recorded on LPs, especially by The Gramophone Company of India, gave a great boost to classical music. The growth of music troupes in Mumbai- Dadar Matunga Sangeet Mandal, Vile Parle Sangeet Mandal, played a big role in providing a platform to musicians.
1970s
Young musicians emerged in this era. Corporates started entering the world of classical music by sponsoring events. The Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) established the Academy of Music Research in Kolkata, while Tata started the National Center for the Performing Arts and supported musicians. Another pioneering step was the launch of the Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music among Youth (SPIC-MACAY) by Dr. Kiran Seth in 1977. This nationwide movement helped school and college students understand the complex world of classical music through lecture-demonstration. Concerts This outreach to youth has been the biggest classical music influence.
1980s
Sonu Nigam; AFP
Gulshan Kumar launched the T-Series label, which released covers of popular film songs sung by Sonu Nigam and Anuradha Paudwal, and bhajans in economical cassette form. It also started the trend of remixes which later became a genre.
1990s
Alisha Masonry
As the number of young singers grew and there were not enough options to showcase their talent in films, a new genre emerged – Indipop. Independent musicians joined hands with many western orchestras to produce solo albums with young singers. Several indiepop stars emerged, notably Daler Mehndi, Shankar Mahadevan, Alisha Masony, Shubha Mudgal and Shujaat Hussain Khan. He also released videos on music channels. Apart from AIR, new FM radio channels also came into existence and popularized the music.
2000s
Manganiyar; Getty Images
With the new millennium, classical musicians began to repackage music to suit the audience through collaborations, fusion concerts, Sufi music, etc. The duration of concerts was reduced from three hours to one hour. The accompanying musicians, especially tabla players, were now being given due recognition in concerts. The technology enabled musicians to go for pickup microphones to amplify the sound and recreate instruments, such as Neeladri Kumar’s zitar, Kamala Shankar’s Shankar Veena, electronic tabla, etc. Folk music changed, Manganiyar being an example.
2010-2020s
Musicians faced socio-economic challenges as the Internet provided easy access to classical music. Music companies began to shut down and musicians struggled to release albums. Challenged by technological advances, he took to social media and began releasing singles on music streaming services such as Spotify and Gaana. More recently, musicians have also taken on the role of organizers of concerts, creating their own ecosystem to survive.