Alankars - The Riyaz Manual, compiled  by singer Ranjani Gehani, is a book filled with musical knowledge. It is a compilation of 2541 alankar/paltas/ swar patterns. A reference book, the ultimate handbook for riyaz/practice for singers and instrumentalists. All possible combinations of 1 to 5 swaras have been compiled into Paltas and presented in this book.

Verus Ferreira spoke to Nasik based Ranjani on how she compiled this one of a kind book. Excerpts from a telephonic conversation.

So Ranjani tell us something about your book.

Alankars - The Riyaz Manual, is a music knowledge book. I have compiled 2541 alankar/paltas/ swar patterns. It is a reference book, the ultimate handbook for riyaz/practice for singers and instrumentalists. All possible combinations of 1 to 5 swaras have been compiled into Paltas and presented in my book.

What inspired you to write the book?

The book is the culmination of 7 years of  dedication and hardwork, which started when I was on the hunt for a reference book on Alankars. Having not found anything that covered all Paltas, I decided to pen one myself.

Did you take the help of anyone in compiling the book?

I have approached the paltas/Alankars in a mathematical fashion and sought out my son, Jugal Gehani's help to understand permutations.

Who designed the cover for you?

The owner of the printing press, Salil Datar and myself went through some pictures online and selected this and purchased it.

How would you go about promoting the book to musicians?

I had made a 11 pages brochure for my book to be shared on WhatsApp. In the beginning I went to Mumbai and Pune, the music centres and went around music classes to show my book. Though this book was first published in 2016, I did not get much response from music teachers. Then I put up my book for sale on Amazon. Slowly by word of mouth my book started getting recognition. I got very good reviews from buyers who used my book for practice. It did so well that all my books got sold out last year. I came out with a second edition this year in July as there was a great demand for my book.

Was there any particular artist or music you had in mind when you compiled this book?

No,not particularly. I'm still a student who had learnt classical music in my young days and at present learn light music like old Hindi/Marathi film songs, ghazals, bhavgeet. My guru, Mrs. Ragini Kamtikar suggested that I practise Alankars to train my voice. As I did not get any reference or guide book, I started writing down about 150 combinations for me to practise. I realised that if I went about this in a systematic way, I could write thousands of combinations using different number of notes which could help others like me who need such a reference book. This led me to doing this and it took me 7 years to complete writing, typing, editing.

Who according to you will benefit from the book?

Whether you are a beginner in the world of music or a seasoned musician who needs to continue honing your art, this book is very useful. Practising these alankars will help a student to gain a good knowledge of the swaras, will also help in Raag Vistar, Taan, train the vocal cords and improve tonal quality. In the case of instruments it improves the fluency in playing them. You can also visit my Facebook page for more information.

How has the book been received?

The book has been enthusiastically welcomed by renowned musicians who have praised it. Anup Jalota, Penaz Masani, Roopkumar Rathod have spoken well of my book. Their comments are in the pages of the book. 

What kind of artist inspire you in classical music?

I'm not very knowledgeable about the different genres of music and artists. I listen to mostly old numbers which I find very melodious, whether classical or light. I listen to any music which calls out to my soul.

What do you think about the present classical music scene in India?

The kids are born with great talents nowadays. They're exposed to modern gadgets, they have access to a huge variety of music and they're very ambitious. They have bigger opportunities and platforms to showcase their talents. They're more interested in performing than honing their skills. Classical music is the basis/foundation for all types/genres of music.

Do you have a collection of CDs of classical music artists, can you name the ones you really like?

I love listening to  Pandit Jasrajji, Prabha Atreji, Sanjeev Abhyankarji, Rashid Khanji, Bhimsen Joshiji, Rahul Deshpandeji, Hariprasad Chaurasiaji, among many others. I love Zakir Husain's Tabla solos. I have a collection of CDs of these artists as well as Symphonies of Bach, Beethoven which I purchased during my trip to Austria. I love listening to Kabir dohas. Among the youngsters I'm a big fan of Abby.V from Toronto, Canada who is an awesome singer of all genres, classical as well as light.

You also love painting. What topics do you like to paint on?

I purchase diyas/ clay lamps and paint and decorate them. Designer diyas. I love painting scenes from nature.

Interviewed by Verus Ferreira