There are numerous obligations as a student of Indian music. Some of which are social and others are financial As a student you will naturally be expected to pay for the classes. The financial arrangements with the teacher involve two things. There is an initial offering, known as guru dakshana and then there are the usual fees. The costs are generally higher in the big cites and lower in the smaller towns.
Costs are also higher for well known artists and lower for lesser known ones.
Often times, the teacher is reluctant to come right out and tell you how much it will cost for fear of appearing mercenary. In such circumstances your intermediary should be able to help There is a basic musico-political and social structure in which you will be placed. In the North, this structure is known as gharana . When you are studying you are expected to look upon members of your gharana , especially the other co-students. There are obvious advantages and disadvantages of this relationship.