The vocal music form 'Tappa' is originally associated with which region?

Tappa is a form of Hindustani semi-classical vocal music. It is believed to have originated in the folk songs of the camel riders (camel drivers) of Punjab and the north-western regions. These songs were sung in Punjabi or a mixture of Punjabi and Pashto and had a quick, bouncing rhythm.

Tappa was refined into a classical style by Ghulam Nabi Shori, known as Shori Miyan, in the late 18th century. He served at the court of Asaf-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Awadh, in Lucknow. Under him, Tappa became a polished and demanding form of music.

Main features of Tappa:

• It has very fast, intricate and rolling passages of notes called "zamzama", which demand great vocal agility.
• The compositions are short, usually with only a sthayi and an antara.
• The lyrics are mostly love songs, often expressing the feelings of a lover.
• It is usually sung in ragas such as Kafi, Khamaj, Bhairavi, Pilu and Jhinjhoti, and in tala such as Punjabi theka or sitarkhani.

Today, Tappa is sung mainly by singers of the Gwalior and Banaras (Varanasi) traditions. Famous exponents include Malini Rajurkar, Girija Devi and Lakshman Krishnarao Pandit. Bengal developed its own "Bangla Tappa", made popular by Ramnidhi Gupta (Nidhu Babu).

Other semi-classical forms include Thumri (Lucknow and Banaras), Dadra, Kajri, Chaiti and Hori.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Bengal developed Bangla Tappa later, but the form came from Punjab.
• ✗Kerala is known for Sopana Sangeetham.
• ✗Assam is known for Borgeet.