One man of Destiny to whom the highest credit goes for rescuing Indian Classical music from decadence, decline and extinction is Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande. At a great personal sacrifice and suffering, and inspired by only one aim, Bhatkhande throughout his life undertook the herculean task of reviving Indian Classical music.In the last few decades of the nineteenth century Bhatkhande found that the Indian Classical music, although it had a glorious history, had reached the bottom of degeneration and was looked down upon as unworthy, superfluous and vulgar, a subject fit for loafers and vagabonds. Bharkhande radically altered the scene and put music once again on its high pedestal. Shobhana Nayar has attempted in this book an objective evaluation of Bhatkhande's work in reviving Indian classical music. Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande was a unique personality endowed with scholarship, creativity, poetic sensibilities, capacity for patient and hard work and devotion for the Indian musical tradition and above all humility. Bhatkhande began his work with collection of hundreds of compositions from different gharanas, analysed them and formulated the theory of Indian music underlying these compositions. He also formulated an easy and expressive notation system for Hindustani music and introduced a new method of collective education in music and wrote textbooks and gave music the form and shape of an academic subject. Pandit Bhatkhande's contribution to Indian music is so great that anyone interested in Indian Classical music must read this book. About the Author Late Dr. (Mrs) Sabana Nayar had her early education in North Bengal (now in Bangladesh): she did English honours from Calcutta University (1942); Sangeet Visharad from Marris College, Lucknow (1947); M.A. (Vocal Music) from Punjab University (1971): and PhD. (Music) from the University of Delhi (1984). Dr. Nayarhad a long music career as a performer. musicologist and teacher. She bad her training from such eminent Ustads as Mushtaq Hussein Khan (Rampur Gharana) and Sarfaraz Hussein Khan (son of Ustad Nissar Hussein Khan of Saltaswan Gbarana) and Siddheshwari Devi (Thumri). She was also guided by Ustad Alauddin Khan of Maihar and Kumatitirendra Kishore Roychowdliury of Ciauripur. The author used to regularly broadcast from the All India Radio for nearly 30 years during her lifetime and aftertcaching in a number of institutions, she es,ntually joined the All India Radio as a music producer. A principal investigator in a major project for studying the changes in Hindustani Classical music under the UGC Scheme for assisting research in Social Sciences and Humanities. she also showed interest in the allied arts: painting, dancing etc. She received much acclaim for her two exhibitions 'Art from Scrap' in the late seventies Byrn art critics as well as the general public. The late Dr. Nayar wrote. widely on musicians and music and was proficient in both Bengali and English writings. Her book on Bhatkhande received much accolades....