Welcome to the Ragmala website. This site is dedicated to the memory of my father Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish (1914-2006)
We are the broadcasting arm of the Batish Institute of Indian Music and Fine Arts. We are based in Santa Cruz, California, USA. Our goals in starting this site are simple. We will try and use this resource to broadcast our live concerts, video lessons, informal discussions on Indian music, perhaps some lessons on voice, sitar, tabla etc. that will be taught by Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish and his son Shri Ashwin Batish. We hope you will visit regularly and share in this experience.
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This is a re broadcast of an interview performance by S.D. Batish and Ashwin Batish in a 1999 show titled "Global Village" originally broadcast on KUSP with host Mr. Adrian Cavlan. It is now being presented here under Ragmala.com.
Interview Music Content:
1. Raga Malkauns sung by S.D. Batish, harmonium S.D. Batish, Tabla Ashwin Batish
2. Bhangra Example sung by S.D. Batish, harmonium S.D. Batish, Tabla Ashwin Batish
3. Dhun in Sitarkhani tal. Ashwin Batish Sitar and S.D. Batish tabla
Morning Meditation by Ashwin Batish
Tabla - Pandit S.D. Batish Track Listings:
1. Raga Pahadi - Alaap
2. Raga Pahadi - Gat composition in Deepchandi Tal
3. Raga Vibhas - Alaap and Gat composition in Ektal
4. Raga Todi - Alaap and Gat composition in Tintal
Video Performance Raga Manavati by S.D. Batish
The Batish family's prime directive in life if to further the music and fine arts of India. That's what we do best. The patriarch of our family Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish and the founder of the institute has been a great personality on the Indian music scene since 1930. Sadly we lost this great musical genius recently. On July 29, 2006 he passed away leaving a great sense of loss and void in our hearts and soul. He was a true visionary. In the past 20 years, he dedicated himself to the creation of over 20 books on teaching Indian music and over 5000 compositions in North and South Indian ragas all designed to bring Indian music to a global audience. Our mission now is to take these gems and to produce them to the best of our abilities and release them to the World. Here is where we will be presenting excerpts and clips of this work in progress and we hope you will subscribe and perhaps help us in this production.
This video is dedicated to the memory of this musical saint. He was born Shiv Dayal Batish and was known in the Indian film and music industry as S.D. Batish But it was his guruji Shri Chandan Ram Charan that gave him the pseudonym "Rasik" You will find this name in most of the lyrics penned by him.
We present you today with a song from his CD "S.D. Batish, The 72 Carnatic Melakartas vol.1." It is a composition he wrote while researching the ragas of the South Indian music system. The 1st 12 Melakartas (Parent modes) are presented on the CD. This raga is called Manavati and is number 5 in the Carnatic system of 72 parent modes. The composition style is distinctly North Indian. He is accompanied on this video by his son Shri Ashwin Batish of Sitar Power fame.
S. D. Batish has been a stalwart on the Indian music scene since 1936. His songs have been broadcast from All India Radio nationwide. His old movies are regularly shown on Indian TV. He was a true master of the various vocal and instrumental styles of North Indian music, including Bhajans, Geet, Thumri, Ghazals, Film Sangeet, etc. Some of his outstanding films are Betab, Bahu Beti, Toofan, Harjeet, Tipu Sultan, Ham Bhi Kuch Kam Nahin, and Amar Keertan. His songs have been sung by such top artists as Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Talat Mahmood, Mohamad Rafi, Sudha Malhotra, Manna Dey, and Geeta Dutt. Some of his all time hit songs are, Pagadi Sambhal Jatta, Khamosh Nigahen, and Aakhen Kehe Gayi Dil Ki Baat.
In 1970 Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish moved to California, USA to teach music at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He loved this area and decided to make it his home. He wrote some of his greatest works here. Books to teach North Indian music, compositions on over 2200 Carnatic ragas and over 700 North Indian ragas, Instructional videos to teach the harmonium, vichitra veena, dilruba are just a few of the releases. He and his son Shri Ashwin Batish, also formed the Batish Institute of Indian music and Fine Arts - an educational Institute to teach Panditji's music and to further the cause of Indian music and culture in the Monterey Bay area.
We hope you'll enjoy this song and show your support for this fine artist and our institute by buying the full CD either via Amazon.com or downloading it digitally via iTunes, Rhapsody, etc. Enjoy!
Video Performance Sitar Mania by Ashwin Batish
Sitar fusion with rock, jazz, pop, funk, country by Ashwin Batish. Indian Vocals by S.D. Batish and Meena Batish featuring classical North Indian and Carnatic ragas, geet thumri, ghazals, kritis, bhajan, and instrumental recitals featuring sitar, tabla, santoor, dholak, harmonium, violin etc. The Batish Institute was founded by Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish and his son Ashwin Batish for the purpose of teaching Indian music and arts. It is located in Santa Cruz, California, USA and has frequent classes on Indian music taught personally by Shri Ashwin Batish, Please visit our web pages and those of our founders at your convenience.
Our music is available through CDBaby (www.cdbaby.com), through Amazon.com and digitally via iTUnes, Rhapsody, Sony Connect etc.
Sitar Mania is the title track of Ashwin Batish's raga rock fusion Sitar Power album #2. As with the other Sitar Power songs, this one is highly energetic and will make you want to dance! You can visit Ashwin's web site at www.sitarpower.com and review a huge collection of old articles, pics etc
Ashwin Batish is an extraordinary sitarist and tabla player. He received training in the North Indian classical tradition from his father S.D. Batish and later created his own unique fusion of Indian classical sitar with pop, rock, jazz, calypso, funk... an example of a few hybrids he excels at. He is famous for such songs as the Bombay Boogie, Raga Rock, Raga Jazz, Casbah Shuffle and Sitar Mania.
Ashwin is also very well know for being an educator. His series of instructional videos for the sitar, tabla, dilruba, dholak, vichitra veena, harmonium that he has produced with his father Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish have become a very sought after commodity by the Indian music student. Ashwin often gives private and group Indian music lessons at his Santa Cruz, California USA facility and is often called upon by various music festivals and universities to perform his sitar and be a guest lecturer for weekend workshops and seminars on Indian music and ethnopop, raga rock sitar fusion.
Ashwin Batish's pioneering effort in worldbeat music called "Sitar Power" has earned him some critical reviews and great respect in the music community. The sitar is ageless in Ashwin's hands. It is souped up for amplification and effects! We hope you get to catch one of Ashwin's electric performances. His music is as dynamic as his stage presence. When called upon, Ashwin will assemble a seven piece band of handpicked musicians that compliment his every musical nuance.
We hope you'll enjoy this song and show your support for this fine artist and our institute by buying the full CD either via Amazon.com or downloading it digitally via iTunes, Rhapsody, etc. Enjoy!
Video Performance Santoor Recital by Keshav Batish
Keshav is 9 years old and recently did a short recital for his 4th grade class at his school in California. He is the grandson of the legendary Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish and is presently studying Indian music from his father Pandit Ashwin Kumar Batish at the Batish Institute of Indian Music and Fine Arts in Santa Cruz California USA. He enoys Indian music and along with the santoor he is practicing hard on the dilruba, sitar, dholak and congas.
The Batish Institute is presently offering classes in North Indian music singing, Sitar, Tabla, Santoor, Harmonium, Dilruba
and a special worksop to teach application of Indian music on Western Instruments. If you are interested in joining please call our
toll free line at 1-800-RAG-MALA and speak directly with Shri Ashwin Batish.
Presently all the classes are for adults but special children classes are being organized.
Welcome to the Ragmala website. This site is dedicated to the memory of my father 
