That is exactly the question I had in mind. When the phrase is displaced, do you hear the tala as still present, or as only recoverable at the return?
I ask because the distinction changes everything for me.
I would add only that not every warm shrikhand is a failure. Some dishes are meant to be judged at the table, not on the tray, and the distinction matters.
I remember hearing a dhrupad recital where the drummer seemed to arrive early, yet the structure held perfectly.
It changed the way I listened after that.
I have had the same experience with shrikhand, especially in summer. If it is strained well and served cold, it feels almost architectural; if not, it becomes merely yogurt with opinions.
I do not quite agree, because counting is still a useful scaffold for many listeners. The problem is not the count itself but imagining that the count is the music. Once you hear the return as a structural event, the numbers become a tool rather than the point.
I suspect that is also part of the charm for some people. It is easier to say “energy” than “I feel calmer after stretching,” and much more marketable.
