What are the similarities and differences between Sweden and India when it comes to musical traditions and working as a music teacher in India? Gunnel Holmgren, a teacher in the music education program at Ingesund School of Music, has visited India twice, including Karlstad University's Indian Study Center in Varanasi and Study Point in Dharamsala. There, she met Bilambita Banisudha, Head of the Department of Music at Sikkim University in Gangtok, who is visiting Ingesund School of Music during September.
Bilambita Banisudha is an experienced academic and musician specializing in Hindustani classical and semi-classical music from India. She holds a PhD in Hindustani vocal music from Banaras Hindu University. Her academic background also includes a master’s degree from Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata and a bachelor’s degree with honors from Vishva-Bharati in Shantiniketan, a central Indian university founded in 1921 by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
“I visited Banaras Hindu University and Vasanta College in 2015 and 2017 and participated in conferences and webinars on Swedish folk music, major and minor scales, and how to create chords. In India, they play using scales rather than chords. I demonstrated how we harmonize melodies in our way of playing and writing music.”
During her visits to India, Gunnel Holmgren observed how lessons are structured, and the differences in tradition and culture were immediately apparent.
“The classrooms are very different from ours. The teacher sits cross-legged on a podium, and the students sit on the floor – a traditional master/apprentice learning relationship. The students are very respectful – they touch the teacher’s foot and greet with folded hands to show reverence. This is very different for me as a Swedish teacher. I also held a workshop in harmony singing at Vasanta College. The students found it exciting since it was their first time experiencing it.”
The way music is played and sung in India also differs from Western music, which is based on tonality, major and minor scales, recognizable rhythm, and strict harmonic rules. Instead, Indian music uses various scales to build songs, and performances typically feature only indigenous Indian music.
“I asked if they study Western music, and the answer was that it takes about 25 years to learn the Indian music tradition, so there isn’t really room for it. Raga, the Indian scale system, is introduced in early school years. Higher education programs last 3–4 years, and then you continue learning through practice and performance. You learn to sing a song based on a specific scale that is only meant to be sung in the morning, another for the evening, and so on.”
Gunnel also visited primary schools where there is interest in Western music. However, the Indian music tradition is mainly passed on in the same way it used to be in Sweden. One example is that all schoolchildren learned to sing “Vi går över daggstänkta berg.”
“At first, it seems strange that other music traditions aren’t reflected, but after two visits, I no longer find it odd. India is a vast country, and although surprisingly many children speak English, they are unlikely to ever leave their homeland. Another example of our vastly different cultures is when I, together with a preschool teacher student, visited a small village school outside Varanasi where they had a couple of hours of teaching each day. I remember how grateful the students were—they knew that even a short daily education was their chance for a better life. I also visited a primary school in Varanasi where I led a singing exercise and asked the students to stand up. After a while, the regular teacher asked me to have them sit down again, as that’s what they’re used to. On another occasion, I was offered tea, and we teachers sat and drank while the students watched. For them, this was completely normal. They asked many questions about what school is like in Sweden and believed it was dark for half the year and light the other half—which we Swedes can almost agree with!”
This is Bilambita Banisudha’s first time traveling outside India. What can you learn from each other?
“I’m trying to arrange various opportunities for her to observe how we work, including in the folk music ensemble. She will also teach Indian singing and instrumental music. It’s a bit tricky since it’s hard to incorporate Western instruments into this form, as they don’t have the same timbres as typical Indian instruments like the sitar and tabla. It will be exciting to encounter a completely different culture, both for me as a teacher and for my students.”
Gunnel has a substantial collection of photos and video clips from her trips to India, which she plans to show her students during Bilambita’s visit.
“It’s important for future teachers to gain this perspective. They develop a deeper understanding of both Indian and Swedish culture. Another major difference is that we don’t incorporate religion into Swedish schools. But in various parts of India, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity can be reflected in education. India is a fascinating country – everything is so peaceful, even being in rush hour traffic is an experience. You simply can’t be in a hurry there.”
“Even the pedagogy and teaching methods differ greatly from those in Sweden. Students show such reverence for their teachers because they understand that knowledge is the key to a better life. Many of our students who struggle in school are just as disadvantaged as Indian children and youth who don’t get to attend school. We need to highlight this more in Swedish education – knowledge is valuable and crucial for your future.”
You may visit Bilambita again in the spring. So you’re exchanging experiences and professional insights?
“Experiencing a culture like India’s isn’t just about comparing schools—it’s also about sound, scent, and the warmth that Indian people show.”
Anyone curious about Indian music has the chance to attend a lunchtime concert on September 26 at 12:15 in the small concert hall. Bilambita will perform vocals accompanied by a tabla player (Indian drums) in collaboration with the folk music ensemble at Ingesund School of Music.
Bilambita will also visit Karlstad campus to meet Pawel Odyniec from the Department of Religious Studies, where she will give a workshop on Hinduism and the Indian scale system Raga.
