Counting 24 Bols Before Sam
During the practical examination, a candidate sets Teental at 60 bpm on the tabla and plays one complete avartan of the theka. He then announces '3/2 ki layakari' and performs a 24-bol pattern built from the theka bols. The examiner counts only 23 bols before the candidate lands on sam again. The candidate's pattern is six groups of four: dha dhin dhin dha, repeated six times. He argues that 24 bols are correct for 3/2 in Teental because 16 x 3/2 = 24. The examiner must decide whether the arithmetic is right but the execution wrong, whether the pattern itself is unsuitable for Teental, and what remedy to suggest within the remaining two minutes of the examination. The candidate is otherwise secure in the theka and can recite it without hesitation.
1. Is 24 bols the correct total for 3/2 layakari in Teental? Show the calculation and identify the likely source of the examiner's count of 23.
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Yes, 24 is the correct total. Teental has 16 matras; 3/2 layakari means three bols are placed in the time of two matras, so 16 x 3/2 = 24 bols per avartan. At 60 bpm, one matra lasts one second, so the cycle lasts 16 seconds and each layakari bol lasts 2/3 second. Six groups of four bols also give 24, so the candidate's arithmetic and grouping total are correct. A count of 23 usually points to one of three execution problems: the candidate began the pattern slightly after sam rather than on sam; one bol was dropped at a group boundary; or the examiner counted the final 'dha' as the next sam instead of as the 24th bol. The teacher should not mark the layakari wrong on arithmetic alone; the count must be checked against where the first and last strokes actually fell.
2. Evaluate the suitability of the repeated 'dha dhin dhin dha' group for Teental. What would you ask the candidate to change?
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The group is a valid bol sequence, but repeating only the first vibhag is formally weak. Teental is 4+4+4+4, with khali on matra 9, usually expressed by tin or ta. A pattern made only of dha, dhin, and na never touches the khali, so the tala's shape is lost even though the total count is correct. The grouping is also awkward for 3/2: each four-bol group spans 2 2/3 matras, so it does not align with the natural two-matra unit of the layakari. A better remedy is to build the pattern in eight units of two matras, with three bols per unit, and to use khali bols at the fifth unit, which begins on matra 9. The candidate should recite 'dha dhin dhin' per two matras, substitute 'ta tin tin' at the khali, and only then play it on the tabla. That keeps both the 3/2 calculation and the tala's identity intact.
3. State a two-minute remedy that is realistic in the examination hall.
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A realistic remedy is to simplify rather than abandon the layakari. Ask the candidate to clap the 16 matras in fours, then speak three bols per two matras, marking khali aloud at matra 9. Let him play only one avartan of the simplified pattern at 60 bpm, with the examiner counting in two-matra units. This takes under two minutes and tests whether he understands the relationship between layakari, vibhag, and khali. If he still cannot land on sam, award credit for the correct calculation and theka but note that the execution and khali awareness need work.