The present work covers 454 gata-s on 164 raga-s. The core of this compilation comes from late Pandit Lal Mani Misra, Dr. K. C. Gangrade, his late guru-s, Ustad Rustam Khan, Pt Dinkar Rao Patwardhan and Pt Shankar Rao Telang, whose traditional gata-s of the Gwalior gharana and Amirkhan-s are truly outstanding. Other gata-s proceed from my doctorate compositions, famous transcribed vocal bandisa-s and from various instrumentalists.
They have all been written down in Bhatkhandeji's music notation system - svaralipi. For non Hindi-speaking readers, it will be quite easy and fast to learn the mere twelve symbols needed to fully understand the themes (7 notes and 5 metric terms). This will also allow the reader to browse through main Hindi literature on raga.
The most challenging task will be to decode the skeletal form of the themes to bring them to life - to make them sing on the instrument. Although, in an Indian context, a "good" theme incorporates all the raga lakshana-s - characteristic, reader will have to recall in memory the rules of the raga it belongs, getting deeper and deeper into its form and spirit. Then only, its notes and movements will progressively come to life, making of the raga a living melodic being.