Muthuswami Dikshitar possibly embedded raga names in his compositions so that if his compositions are rendered even after centuries, they would continue to be sung in the same raga.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives
A raga is the soul of Indian classical music. It carries a mood, a personality, and a journey of its own. One doesn’t need to be a scholar to appreciate it; rasikas instinctively respond to the emotion a raga evokes. For the musician, however, years of sadhana prepare them to unfold a raga slowly, layer by layer, following the time-honoured alapana paddhati. From the first phrase to the final crescendo, a raga becomes both the test and the triumph of artistry.
In this context, the annual raga identification competition jointly organised by the Music Academy, TAG Corporation and Ramu Endowments, holds immense significance. It offers an opportunity to Carnatic music rasikas to improve their knowledge 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.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Conceived by R.T. Chari, founder of TAG Corporation, it grew out of his own quest to understand ragas more deeply. What began as a learning tool for school children soon expanded into a challenge embraced by rasikas of all ages. With the help of musicians, Chari devised a format— capturing the essence of a raga in just two lines of sahitya with its name woven into the text. In fact, Muthuswami Dikshitar embedded raga names in his compositions so that even after centuries performers would continue to sing them in the same raga.
At the behest of Chari, some senior musicians recorded songs with raga names woven into them. These CDs were distributed among music-lovers and learners to help them hone their skill of raga identification.
N. Murali, president of The Music Academy, has supported the initiative from the beginning. The first competition was held in 2016 at the Academy, and since then the response from rasikas has been extremely encouraging. Except for the two pandemic years, it has been conducted annually in October. The 2025 edition will take place on October 12 at 9.30 a.m.
Competition process
How does the competition work? Several audio clippings from the Music Academy Tag digital archives are played and the contestants are asked to identify the raga name and write it down against the number provided on a sheet of paper. Finally, the correct answers are announced, and the participant corrects them in the duplicate sheet, ensuring there is transparency in the correction. The person with maximum correct entires wins a cash prize. While many ragas may seem familiar, getting the right raga name within the limited timeframe is both challenging and exciting.
The competition is open to all individuals. However, performing musicians, students of music in their Advanced level and those who have won the first prize in the previous editions of this event are not eligible to participate.
In my role as the convenor of the competition, I have greatly valued Prof. R.S. Jayalakshmi’s guidance and support, which have been invaluable in maintaining the standard of the competition. Since last year, musician Preeti Sethuraman is also actively involved in organising the event.
The event goes beyond the contest and announcement of the winners. Musicians are invited to explain the nuances of different ragas and to interact with the participants. This year, Sriranjani Santhanagopalan will present, ‘Ranjayati iti ragah: a look at 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 through this competition.
Details about the competition are available on the Music Academy website. For further queries, send an email to rajagopalk@tagcorporation.net or call 98843 20292.
Published – September 30, 2025 01:48 pm IST
