What is Fill In The Blanks?

Fill In The Blanks is a series of postings on the rec.music.indian.misc newsgroup. The series is intended as a supplement to the iTrans Song Book or ISB. The Fill In The Blanks series derives its rationale from the fact that some of the songs in the ISB sites are incomplete. The series aims to supply stanzas that have been left out in the versions of the lyrics available at the Consolidated ISB.

Why are stanzas missing from the ISB?

There are many reasons. One is that commonly available audio releases of songs are frequently clipped. A 45 RPM release of songs from a movie, for example, may leave out a stanza that is available on the LP. Or the released recording of a song from a 1950s movie may leave out a stanza included in the movie, due to the three-minute maximum limit on 78 RPM records. Or a song may have both a solo and a duet version, with the ISB having the lyrics of one version but not the other. So some of the lesser-known stanzas of a song haven't found their way into the ISB.

What songs are candidates for inclusion in the FITB series?

To qualify for the series, a song must:

(a) already be in the Consolidated ISB, and
(b) have either some lines or a tandem version NOT included in the lyrics as given on that site.

What about songs that are not already in the Consolidated ISB or the other ISB sites? I have some lyrics I'd like to post.

Nita Awatramani conducts a series on RMIM called GEETanjali. Songs new to the ISB can be posted as part of this series. Contributions to GEETanjali are archived on the series web site. Check the site for additional information.

What is the typical format of an FITB posting?

The best way to get an idea of the structure an FITB contribution is to look at previously posted articles. Typically, the posting supplies both the ISB version and the missing stanzas, and mentions the source for the missing stanzas. Such peripherals as a discussion of the song, the other songs on the soundtrack, the other work by the artistes involved, etc. also find their way into the postings sometimes. This absence of a rigidly defined focus on just the song in question helps meet the goal of fostering discussion on the newsgroup.

Who conducts the FITB series?

Fill In The Blanks was initiated by Surajit A. Bose, who is still the series coordinator.

Who supplies the missing stanzas for FITB?

The series is a voluntary effort. Anybody who knows a song that qualifies for the series is free to contribute. All contributions are welcome. Many of the articles in the series have been written by the series coordinator. Several other nettors too have contributed articles to the series. Among them are U. V. Ravindra, Vandana Vidwans, Satish Kalra, Vijay Kumar, Hemlata N. Khemani, Ashok M. Dhareshwar, Balaji A. S. Murthy, Malini Kanth, and Nita Awatramani.

How do I send in a contribution to the series?

E-mail your contribution to the series coordinator. You will be profusely thanked and your contribution will soon be posted in the series. How long it takes is a bit erratic, but the series coordinator's currently stated goal is to post a received contribution within a month.

Where can I see the articles that have been posted in the series earlier?

The articles in the series are archived here. You can view the index alphabetically or by serial number. Future contributions will continue to be archived at this web site.

What articles are scheduled to be posted in future installments of the series?

Some contributions to FITB are pending and will be posted soon. A list of these songs can be found here. All these songs meet the two criteria specified above.

Last Modified May 23, 2001