Taals having two 'Khali' signs:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:
The correct group of *Taals* possessing two *Khali* (empty beat) signs is *Sooltal* and *Choutal*. In the Hindustani system of *Taal*, the *Khali* marks the beginning of an unaccented section or *Vibhag* and is indicated by a wave of the hand, which contrasts with the *Tali* (clap) that marks the accented beats. *Choutal* is a 12-beat *Taal* with 6 *Vibhags* (2-2-2-2-2-2), and its *Khali* falls on the 3rd and 7th beats, thus having two *Khali* signs. Similarly, *Sooltal* is a 10-beat *Taal* with 5 *Vibhags* (2-2-2-2-2 structure is common, or 2-4-2-2 for a variant), and its *Khali* typically falls on the 5th and 9th beats (Tali-Tali-Khali-Tali-Khali structure for 10 beats), giving it precisely two *Khali* signs. These *Taals* are prominent in older forms of music like *Dhrupad* and share the specific rhythmic characteristic of having two *Khali* indications in their structure.

The incorrect option is 2:
The pairing of *Ektal* and *Dhamar* is incorrect. While *Ektal* is a 12-beat *Taal* (6 *Vibhags* of 2 beats each) that correctly features two *Khali* signs on the 3rd and 7th beats, *Dhamar* is a 14-beat *Taal* (4 *Vibhags* of 5-2-3-4 beats). The structure of *Dhamar* has *Tali* on the 1st, 6th, and 11th beats, and only a single *Khali* on the 8th beat. Since *Dhamar* does not have two *Khali* signs, this entire group fails to meet the criteria established in the question.

The incorrect option is 3:
This option pairs *Teevra* and *Sooltal*. Although *Sooltal*, as discussed, correctly features two *Khali* signs, the inclusion of *Teevra Taal* makes the group incorrect. *Teevra Taal* is a short, 7-beat *Taal* composed of three *Vibhags* (3-2-2). The correct structure for *Teevra* places *Tali* on the 1st, 4th, and 6th beats, leaving a *Khali* only on the 5th beat. Therefore, *Teevra* only has one *Khali* sign, which disqualifies this pair as a whole.

The incorrect option is 4:
The pairing of *Tilwada* and *Deepchandi* is also incorrect. *Tilwada* is a 16-beat *Taal* (equivalent to *Teen Taal* but with different *bols*), whose structure (4-4-4-4) has *Tali* on the 1st, 5th, and 13th beats, and only one *Khali* on the 9th beat. Similarly, *Deepchandi* is a 14-beat *Taal* (3-4-3-4 structure) that is marked by *Tali* on the 1st, 4th, and 11th beats, and only one *Khali* on the 8th beat. Since both *Taals* in this option contain only one *Khali* sign, they do not belong to the category of *Taals* with two *Khali* signs.