Tonight BBC Four is devoting itself to India, with this three-part documentary mixing travelogue with music.
The composer Soumik Datta takes us across the country, starting in home city of Kolkata, to examine India’s rich musical history, demonstrating that it is more than just the sitar that comes from this land. Datta himself plays the sarod, a traditional 19-stringed instrument.
Along his journey, Datta looks at the ancient music of the temples, and how the role of conquest and empire shaped the music across the land.
Rhythms of India is on BBC Four at 21.00.
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