At the heart of Indian classical music lies the magnificent raga – a melody that embodies its own unique mood, personality, and journey. You don’t need to be a music scholar to feel its magic; listeners instinctively connect with the emotions a raga awakens. For trained musicians, years of dedicated practice (sadhana) are devoted to subtly revealing a raga, layer by exquisite layer, adhering to the timeless tradition of alapana paddhati. From its opening notes to its grand finale, a raga truly represents both a profound challenge and a glorious artistic victory.
This is precisely why the eagerly anticipated annual Raga Identification competition, a collaborative effort by the Music Academy, TAG Corporation, and Ramu Endowments, is so vital. It provides Carnatic music lovers a fantastic chance to sharpen their understanding and appreciation of ragas.
The 2025 edition of Raga Identification competition is to be held on October 12. It attracts not just a lay rasika but also older people.
The competition was the brainchild of R.T. Chari, founder of TAG Corporation, born from his personal journey to understand ragas on a deeper level. What started as an educational exercise for schoolchildren quickly blossomed into a beloved challenge for music enthusiasts of all generations. With support from various musicians, Chari pioneered a unique format: distilling the very soul of a raga into just two lines of lyrical text (sahitya), cleverly weaving the raga’s name directly into the composition. This echoes the brilliance of legendary composer Muthuswami Dikshitar, who similarly embedded raga names in his works to ensure their accurate rendition for centuries to come.
Following Chari’s vision, esteemed senior musicians recorded special songs featuring embedded raga names. These invaluable CDs were then distributed widely among music lovers and students, providing them with a practical tool to sharpen their raga identification skills.
N. Murali, the respected President of The Music Academy, has been a staunch supporter of this initiative since its inception. The inaugural competition took place at the Academy in 2016, and the enthusiastic participation from rasikas has been remarkable ever since. Held annually every October (with only a brief pause during the two pandemic years), the 2025 edition is scheduled for October 12, commencing at 9:30 a.m.
How the Challenge Unfolds
Curious about the competition format? Participants will listen to various audio clips drawn from the extensive Music Academy Tag digital archives. Their task is to identify the raga played in each clip and accurately record its name on a provided sheet. To ensure complete fairness, correct answers are announced afterwards, allowing participants to verify their responses on a duplicate sheet. The individual who correctly identifies the most ragas will be awarded a cash prize. While many ragas might sound familiar, pinpointing the exact name under time pressure is an experience that’s both demanding and thrilling!
This exciting competition is open to everyone! However, to maintain a fair playing field, professional performing musicians, advanced music students, and past first-prize winners are kindly requested to refrain from participating.
As the convenor, I’m incredibly grateful for Prof. R.S. Jayalakshmi’s invaluable guidance and unwavering support, which have been instrumental in upholding the high standards of this competition. We’re also delighted that musician Preeti Sethuraman has joined our team and has been actively involved in organizing the event since last year.
This event is much more than just a competition and prize distribution. It’s a unique platform where esteemed musicians are invited to delve into the subtle intricacies of various ragas and engage directly with the participants. This year, we are thrilled to host Sriranjani Santhanagopalan, who will deliver a special presentation titled ‘Ranjayati iti ragah: a look at the melodic frame-work of Carnatic music.’
As the great composer Tyagaraja beautifully sang, ‘Raga ratna malikache’ – a garland woven from the precious gems of ragas. Through this competition, we continue to rediscover and celebrate these invaluable melodic jewels.
For complete details about the competition, please visit The Music Academy’s official website. Should you have any further questions, feel free to reach out via email at rajagopalk@tagcorporation.net or by calling 98843 20292.