A paran is a composed drum piece for the North Indian pakhavaj or tabla drums, and it is also choreographed for kathak dance. Paran refers specifically to a type of pakhavaj composition whose structure and compositional attributes are greatly varied. When applied to tabla or kathak, the term refers to a piece that is either directly borrowed from, or meant to imitate, the pakhavaj. Notwithstanding, it is notoriously difficult to define a paran precisely, especially those varieties found in tabla and kathak dance. Moreover, there are many, often contradictory opinions as to what these pieces are, largely because they display attributes that overlap with other types of composition. In this dissertation I discuss previous scholarly attempts to define the paran genre, various performers’ opinions on the subject, the technical execution of these pieces on the tabla, and the social trends that have contributed to the development of parans as they are performed on tabla or in kathak dance. I also analyse several compositions that I learned on the tabla in order to gain some sense of the structural, aesthetic, and compositional attributes of these pieces.

A paran is a composed drum piece for the North Indian pakhavaj or tabla drums, and it is also choreographed for kathak dance. Paran refers specifically to a type of pakhavaj composition whose structure and compositional attributes are greatly varied. When applied to tabla or kathak, the term refers to a piece that is either directly borrowed from, or meant to imitate, the pakhavaj. Notwithstanding, it is notoriously difficult to define a paran precisely, especially those varieties found in tabla and kathak dance. Moreover, there are many, often contradictory opinions as to what these pieces are, largely because they display attributes that overlap with other types of composition. In this dissertation I discuss previous scholarly attempts to define the paran genre, various performers’ opinions on the subject, the technical execution of these pieces on the tabla, and the social trends that have contributed to the development of parans as they are performed on tabla or in kathak dance. I also analyse several compositions that I learned on the tabla in order to gain some sense of the structural, aesthetic, and compositional attributes of these pieces.