This article was first published in Economic and Political Weekly, Vol XLI No.21, May 27-June 2, 2006  Lakshmi Subramanian’s article (EPW, April 8-14, 2006) on the role of the accompanist in the larger aesthetic of Indian music presented a fresh look at the issue, particularly so, after the now media-sensationlised and much-hyped ‘Shanmukhananda Hall’ episode.  Ironically, it took an episode of involving celebrity musicians to bring media attention to the role of the accompanist, and yet, the discussion that

This is an unpublished response to an article that appeared in the Times of India in March 2006 The Times of India, Mumbai, on April 3, 2006, carried a thought-provoking article by Bella Jaisinghani bringing into sharp focus the issue of work-related injuries that musicians could suffer from. However, Jaisinghani’s article published on March 26, 2006 appeared to lack the balanced approach that her writing otherwise displays. This article contained a description of the supposed misdemeanor of Indian musicians traveling