Originating in the Vedic period, when great emphasis was placed on musical notation and sound in reciting the Vedas, especially the musical Sama Veda, Indian classical music has evolved over the centuries, to attain the grandeur, depth and expanse of an ocean. Ragas — the basic unit of classical music — are truly oceanic in nature — however deep you go into a raga, there is still scope to dive deeper — an exploration that elevates the soul and suffuses it with deep joy.

Different forms of raga-sangeet like dhrupad, dhamar, khayal, tappa, thumri, and ghazal, budded and blossomed in different periods of history and in different regions of the country, in sync with changing human needs. Also, old film music, mainly Hindi film music, was firmly moored in ragas. Great music composers like Naushad, S D Burman, Anil Biswas, C Ramachandra, Jaidev, Roshan, and Kalyanji-Anandji, who were cognisant of Indian ragas and taals, used this knowledge judiciously to compose melodious songs, which continue to resonate in public consciousness to date and raise spirits. Gems like Chandan sa badan, Khilte hain gul yahan, Pyaar kiya to darn kiya, Laga chunri mein daag, Hamein tumse pyaar kitna, Prabhu tero naam. Thus, everyone from a serious music student/artiste to the common man can enjoy this music in at least one of its different forms, and benefit from the association.

For the benefits of classical music, which was originally conceived by our ancient rishis as a way to access the supreme godhead or the universal self, are many and profound. Raga-sangeet prepares you for life, as it reflects its nature. A raga offers you a definite musical framework (built with musical phrases) within which you are free to create infinite melodic patterns. Thus, this music both disciplines you and allows your creativity to flourish.

To lay listeners, classical music offers peace. It calms the agitation of the senses and induces deep contemplation and clarity about oneself. 

“Indian classical music is in every way a medicine for the mind and herb for the heart”