Rishikesh, In Your Own Room.

Yes, and it is less of a compromise than most people assume. This music has always been transmitted by ear rather than from notation — the teacher plays a phrase, you repeat it, the teacher corrects one thing. Video carries that exchange faithfully.

Rhythm subjects are the most demanding, because tabla depends on precise timing and every connection adds a little delay. We work around it by playing in turn rather than strictly together at speed, and by building tempo gradually. Voice, raga studies, kirtan and naad yoga lose almost nothing online.

Zoom, Google Meet or WhatsApp video — whichever proves most reliable on your connection. We send the link before each class. Nothing needs to be purchased, and no account is required on your side beyond the free version of whichever app we settle on.

Lessons are scheduled around your local time rather than ours. The school runs six slots a day in Indian Standard Time and we work backwards from whichever hour suits your day, then keep that slot fixed for the whole course.

In practice, students in Europe and the Americas take an afternoon or evening IST slot, and students in East Asia and Australia take a morning one. India does not observe daylight saving, so if your country does, the local time shifts by an hour in your summer — we confirm the change with you in writing rather than letting you find out by missing a class.

For tabla, bansuri and harmonium, yes — you play on your own instrument at home. For voice training, kirtan, mantra chanting and naad yoga you need nothing at all.

Please ask before you buy. Bansuri in particular is sold in many pitches and beginners routinely buy one that is too long for their hands, then conclude they have no aptitude. A short message saves that. We will tell you what to look for and roughly what it should cost in your country, and we have no financial interest in what you choose.

Yes. Online classes are taught by Amresh Kumar from the school at Laxman Jhula — the same method, the same written practice plans, the same one-to-one format. There are no assistants and no pre-recorded material.

Tell us in advance and the session is moved rather than lost. If a connection drops during a class we reconnect; if it cannot be recovered, the remaining time is added to your next session. We do not charge anyone for a lesson the technology prevented.

One to two hours a day if you can manage it, but consistency matters far more than duration. Twenty focused minutes every day will take you further than three hours once a week — the hands and the ear both learn by repetition spread over time.

Every class ends with a written plan stating exactly what to practise and how slowly, so you never have to guess what the hour should contain.

Complete beginners, yes — most subjects assume no experience whatsoever. Raga studies is the exception, as it expects you to already play or sing at an intermediate level.

Children are welcome from about eight years old, though online lessons with young children work best when a parent sits in for the first few classes to help with the device and the practice routine.

English or Hindi. Musical terms are taught in their original Sanskrit or Hindi form — sur, laya, taal, bol, alap — because those words carry meaning that translation loses, but they are always explained plainly in English first.