
This is the first episode of a two-part series on Neuroscience and Hindustani Music.
It explores a research program on understanding the emotions that Hindustani music can evoke in people. This research is guided by Dr. Nandini Singh Chatterjee, a scientist at the National Brain Research Centre at Manesar, India, where she heads the Language, Literacy and Music Laboratory.
This episode explores the first study that was published in 2015, based on the responses of Indian participants to a set of Hindustani music samples.
The music used in this podcast is a part of the samples used in the research study, played by sarod artist Pandit. Mukesh Sharma. Hymavathy Balasubramanian kindly provided access to the music files.
Here is the website where you can listen to the music samples and contribute your responses to the ongoing research program.
Dr. Nandini Singh Chatterjee is on our database of Indian women neuroscientists, NeuroFem India.
Apart from her, the other scientists who were interviewed for this episode are:
Dr. Avantika Mathur, the lead author of the 2015 study, and currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the Centre for Brain, Biology and Behavior at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA.
Dr. Megha Sharda most recently completed a postdoctoral research stint at the University of Montreal, Canada.
Dr. Bhismadev Chakrabarti is Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of Reading, United Kingdom.