Bhajans simply gel with the lead singers, instrumentalists, followers one and all like no other form of devotional music. Simple words, simple variations create a much stronger positive effect on everyone, sometimes even a intricately handcrafted neraval in a carnatic concert may not have such effect on the listeners. Bhajan Sampradaya has been around for […]

Over the weekend I was at a an all night Shivarathri bhajan session, sitting next to me was this elderly gentleman probably in his 80s named Parthasarathi. He sang a beautiful bhajan in Bageshri Mahadeva Shiva Shambho Shankara I struck a conversation with him on a few other bhajans I had heard him sing earlier […]

Charukesi is the 2nd raagam in the 5th chakra Bana. The mnemonic name is Bana-Sri. The mnemonic phrase is sa ri gu ma pa dha ni[1]. Its structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows – S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R2 S It is a […]

Music is divine. It unifies people of all languages, cultures and nationalities. It has the power to uplift our spirits no matter what our life situation is. Music has always enhanced my various emotions: love, devotion, celebration and so on…..I can not imagine life without music!

I find Kapi ragam to be very intoxicating and melodious. It brings a very nice feeling everytime I listen to this ragam. Although there are various songs in Kapi, recently, I loved listening to Ilayaraja’s version when he played one of the songs in Kapi during a concert in Italy. Ilayaraja’s Kapi flavor is just […]

Raagsters are all around the world, here is a heat map of raagabox listeners from around the world, 108 countries sharing the joy! Source: Google Analytics

When one listens to any great musical composition – be it Ilayaraja’s or any classical old krithis – he/she derives immense joy and happiness. Although most of them were composed several decades ago or even few centuries ago, it still gives a great feeling when we listen to those musical gems. But feeling so happy […]

Music in its purest form unites and binds us all since music knows no barriers and is universal. The vibrant & inspirational AUM chanted in the early hours of the morning is an example of this pure music. The scriptures tell us that such pure music is also a means to attain the emancipation of […]

To me music is a means to relax. It entertains and stimulates, allows my thoughts to wander. It is something that can make an otherwise boring commute really tolerable. If it is during a vacation, it sets the mood for me and lets me get lost in a book or lets me unwind. It would […]