Living in Varanasi and learning the sitar

I loved living in Varanasi. The energy in that place is can be really intense at times, but it sure does grab hold of you. During my first month in Varanasi, I was staying at a guesthouse next to a temple and I would wake up to the sounds of bells ringing and people doing their morning prayers. I did not mind that at all. I would then go out and walk the crowded narrow streets of the Bengali Tola, trying to make my way through people, motorcycles, cows, dogs, monkeys and trash to get to one of my regular breakfast places. With a filled belly I would then be on my way to my daily lesson at the International Music Centre Ashram. After having my lesson I would head back to my room and struggle through another hour or so of practice to repeat what I had learned in class. As my body started to get more adapted to the instrument I gradually started to increase the amount of time put in to practicing. In the evening after my practice was done for the day, I would hang out with friends.

The first raag I was introduced to was raag Bhairav. Along side with raag Yaman(which was the secound raag I was introduced to), Bhairav is one of the most common raags for beginners to start learning. It is an early morning raag that is set to be played at around 5am. (Have a listen here).

Now I am sure some of you might be wondering what a "raag" is. Well, there doesn't seem to be any simple answer to that question. But I will try to explain it the best I can. In the north indian classical music there are no "songs" in the same way that we have "songs" in western music. Instead, there are raags. In north indian classical, they make use of ten diffrent scales known as "thaats". Raags are essentially derived from these thaats, and each thaat can have numerous diffrent raags belonging to it. Each raag has a certain fixed rules to it that determines how it is to be played. For example a certain raag might exclude some notes while ascending the scale, and allowing them when descending. There are also certain "catch phrases" that are essential to each raag.

Raags usually carry certain types of moods with them. For example, some raags when rendered properly may convey a romantic feeling. Others may inspire hope and some are claimed to even have certain healing properties such as curing headaches, relieving stress or even helping to deal with depression. Most raags will also be set to certain times. Some raags are seasonal, while others are to be played during certain times of the day.


Here is me after about a week or so of playing. There are quite a few mistakes here and there, but the point of this is to give you an idea of what you can expect to learn in a few days time.

Here are some non-music related pictures that I really like:

Hanging out at Bana Lassi, located close to the main ghat. To the left we have Jagan from Switzerland, he was staying in Varanasi during the same time period I was and was learning Kathak dance. He became a really good friend of mine. To the left we have Gilad from Israel trying to light a giant bidi.

I used to hang out quite alot at the resturant "Spicy Bites" during my first couple of months. This is a picture with me and Sanyay. Sanyay is an artist who specilaises in carving bamboo. He is as kind as he is skilled in his arts. If you are ever in the neighborhood I strongly suggest you take the time to have a chat with him!

Rooftop sunrise

That will be all for this post! I am planning to put together a complitation showing my learning curve up untill today, and I am currently writing a post about being dedicated to your instrument. So stay tuned for more ^^!