Correcting a Written Jhaptal Tukda: Khali and Vibhag Marks
A written-paper question gives a ten-matra tukda in Jhaptal (vibhags 2+3+2+3; sam on 1, tali on 3 and 8, khali on 6). The bols, one per matra, are: dha, dha, tete, dha, tirakita, dha, dha, tete, dha, dha. A candidate has notated it with vibhag lines after matras 2, 4 and 7, has written 'tin' on matra 6, and has put matra numbers only at the start of each line, with no sam, tali or khali symbols at all. The examiner's comment is 'intention correct, notation unsound'. You are asked to rewrite the passage in proper Bhatkhande-style notation and, separately, to show where a two-matra tihai phrase repeated three times would have to begin if it had to end on sam.
1. Identify every notation error in the candidate's work and state the rule each one breaks.
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There are three faults. First, the vibhag lines after matras 2, 4 and 7 produce a 2+2+3+3 division; Jhaptal is 2+3+2+3, so the lines must fall after matras 2, 5 and 7. Second, 'tin' on matra 6 confuses the tala's khali with the composition's fixed bols: khali belongs to the theka, and a composed tukda keeps the bol the composer gave, here 'dha'. The khali is shown by the symbol 0 above matra 6, not by altering the stroke. Third, the absence of ×, 2, 0 and 3 symbols removes the structural information the notation exists to convey; sam must carry ×, the talis 2 and 3, and the khali 0, with matra numbers visible.
2. Write out the corrected ten-matra notation.
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Corrected notation, one avartan (Jhaptal, 10 matras):
| Vibhag | Matras | Bols |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (×, sam) | 1-2 | dha dha |
| 2 (tali 2) | 3-5 | tete dha tirakita |
| 3 (0, khali) | 6-7 | dha dha |
| 4 (tali 3) | 8-10 | tete dha dha |
The × sits above matra 1, 2 above matra 3, 0 above matra 6 and 3 above matra 8. The 0 is retained even though the stroke on matra 6 is 'dha', because the symbol records where the tala is khali, not which bol is played.
3. Where would a two-matra phrase repeated three times have to begin in order to end on sam, and what practical caution follows?
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Three repetitions of 2 matras = 6 matras, so the first repetition must begin 5 matras before sam. In a 10-matra cycle that is matra 6: the phrases fall as 6-7, 8-9, 10-1, ending on sam. The caution is that matra 6 is the khali matra, so the tihai opens on a khali position. The player must not compensate by accenting it as if it were a tali; the first stroke should be light, with the weight placed on matra 8, so the tihai's shape is clear without contradicting the tala's khali.