The Music Academy’s Raga Identification competition is back

A raga is the psyche of Indian classical music. It carries a mood, a personality, and a travel of its own. One doesn’t request to beryllium a student to admit it; rasikas instinctively respond to the emotion a raga evokes. For the musician, however, years of sadhana hole them to unfold a raga slowly, furniture by layer, pursuing the time-honoured alapana paddhati. From the archetypal operation to the last crescendo, a raga becomes some the trial and the triumph of artistry.

In this context, the yearly raga recognition contention jointly organised by the Music Academy, TAG Corporation and Ramu Endowments, holds immense significance. It offers an accidental to Carnatic euphony rasikas to amended their cognition of ragas.

Conceived by R.T. Chari, laminitis of TAG Corporation, it grew retired of his ain quest to recognize ragas much deeply. What began arsenic a learning instrumentality for schoolhouse children soon expanded into a situation embraced by rasikas of each ages. With the assistance of musicians, Chari devised a format— capturing the essence of a raga successful conscionable 2 lines of sahitya with its sanction woven into the text. In fact, Muthuswami Dikshitar embedded raga names successful his compositions truthful that adjacent aft centuries performers would proceed to sing them successful the aforesaid raga.

At the behest of Chari, immoderate elder musicians recorded songs with raga names woven into them. These CDs were distributed among music-lovers and learners to assistance them hone their accomplishment of raga identification.

N. Murali, president of The Music Academy, has supported the inaugural from the beginning. The archetypal contention was held successful 2016 astatine the Academy, and since past the effect from rasikas has been highly encouraging. Except for the 2 pandemic years, it has been conducted annually successful October. The 2025 variation volition instrumentality spot connected October 12 astatine 9.30 a.m.

Competition process

How does the contention work? Several audio clippings from the Music Academy Tag integer archives are played and the contestants are asked to place the raga sanction and constitute it down against the fig provided connected a expanse of paper. Finally, the close answers are announced, and the subordinate corrects them successful the duplicate sheet, ensuring determination is transparency successful the correction. The idiosyncratic with maximum close entires wins a currency prize. While galore ragas whitethorn look familiar, getting the close raga sanction wrong the constricted timeframe is some challenging and exciting.

The contention is unfastened to each individuals. However, performing musicians, students of euphony successful their Advanced level and those who person won the archetypal prize successful the erstwhile editions of this lawsuit are not eligible to participate.

In my relation arsenic the convenor of the competition, I person greatly valued Prof. R.S. Jayalakshmi’s guidance and support, which person been invaluable successful maintaining the modular of the competition. Since past year, instrumentalist Preeti Sethuraman is besides actively progressive successful organising the event.

The lawsuit goes beyond the contention and announcement of the winners. Musicians are invited to explicate the nuances of antithetic ragas and to interact with the participants. This year, Sriranjani Santhanagopalan volition present, ‘Ranjayati iti ragah: a look astatine the melodic frame-work of Carnatic music.’

Tyagaraja sings, ‘Raga ratna malikache’ refering to a garland made of gems called ragas, these gems are rediscovered done this competition.

Details astir the contention are disposable connected the Music Academy website. For further queries, nonstop an email to rajagopalk@tagcorporation.net oregon telephone 98843 20292.