Raga Quotes & Sayings

In its totality, a raga is a combination of musical heritage, technical elements, emotional charge, cognitive understanding and aural identity. — T.M. Krishna

Her friends' lips were red, their teeth white, and their tongues and gums were pink. Pink, too, were the tips of their breasts. Their eyes were aquamarine blue, cherry-black, hazel and maroon. — Italo Calvino

The world by day is like European music; a flowing concourse of vast harmony, composed of concord and discord and many disconnected fragments. And the night world is our Indian music; one pure, deep and tender raga. — Rabindranath Tagore

1. the Hindole Raga is heard only at dawn in the spring, to evoke the mood of universal love; 2. Deepaka Raga is played during the evening in summer, to arouse compassion; 3. Megha Raga is a melody for midday in the rainy season, to summon courage; 4. Bhairava Raga is played in the mornings of August, September, October, to achieve tranquillity; 5. Sri Raga is reserved for autumn twilights, to attain pure love; 6. Malkounsa Raga is heard at midnights in winter, for valor. — Paramahansa Yogananda

In Indian music, it is not possible to build anything other than the raga basis. We can run away from its fetters, but not from its main outline. — Rabindranath Tagore

I've only cried at one book, but I'm too embarrassed to tell you which. It wasn't terribly intellectual. I will admit, though, to crying when I've read books aloud to my elementary class. We read a biography of Gandhi once, and it was very difficult to read the part where Gandhi was killed, because they were waiting for a happy ending. — Rebecca Makkai

Indian food is like classical music raga- it takes time to build up to a crescendo. — Shobhaa De

I've learnt new scales through playing different types of music, like Indian raga scales, gipsy scales and harmonically-based jazz scales. — Nigel Kennedy

One single raga can be performed for two hours, three hours. — Ravi Shankar

The best of all lost arts is honesty — Mark Twain

If the past was what we were meant to see ... Then behind, not in front, our eyes would be. — R.v.m.

Battles for truth are fought all alone but in the end it's a victory for many. — Amit Abraham

If Canada is to survive, it can only survive in mutual respect and in love for one another. — Pierre Trudeau

When Indian musicians play a raga it's very restrictive. But, in a way these restraints are essential to liberate yourself through them, if that makes sense. I'm very much of this school of rhythm, it's the direction I'm drawn in when I'm writing and improvising. — John McLaughlin