Transition of hindustani music tradition in the context of commercialized spirituality: fieldwork in rishikesh, india

Summary Transition of Hindustani Music Tradition in the Context of Commercialized Spirituality: Fieldwork in Rishikesh, India Key words: culture, tradition, music, ethnography, anthropology, hindustani, spiritual tourism, guru, sadhana, bansuri The object of this work is the transition of Hindustani music tradition (Hindustani) in the commercialized environment of Rishikesh, India. The goal is to analyze the transmission process of guru-śiṣya (teacher-pupil) in its context moved to Rishikesh, find the turning points of the tradition and outcomes of the changing situation by the means of praticipant observation in Rishikesh. Transformation of this process was analyzed by using the theoretical background developed in the works by D. Neuman, N. Singh, D. Raja, H. Schippers and A. Norman. It was done by 1) describing the main qualities of Hindustani tradition and explaining its socio-cultural context; 2) describing environment of Rishikesh, its socio-cultural context and aims of spiritual tourist; 3) describe the typology of the students that guru encounters in Rishikesh, distinguished types of learning and analyze the proces of music transmission nowadays; 4) recognize the different sorts of thinking and their clashes between the guru and the tourist; 5) analyze the relationship of guru-śiṣya in the past and nowadays; 6) analyze the processes of changing and continuation of Hindustani tradition. The main conclusions of the work includes that guru-śiṣya transmission is still continuing throught its core figure guru, but the means of transmission are changing along with the changing environment, adjusting to the international tastes of different students. The work might be useful for the ones interested in Hindustani music tradition, its development and adjustment to changing environment; also for the one analyzing the differences between the traditional thinking of Indian and foreigner