Genre research project 39/1359: South Asian Music

This category expresses close musical connections between India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The case of Afghanistan has to be handled carefully because the Hindustani classical music of Afghanistan is clearly in the same musical category, but this music was a result of Indian hegemony that displaced native Afghani musical forms more closely related to Persian music.

This category reflects the shared cultural histories of these countries, not the arbitrary political divisions. For musical purposes, the political concept of "India" should be avoided because of the diversity of cultures within this political entity. The category captures both the distinctions and close relationship between Hindustani, Carnatic, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Sri Lankan cultures.