9th April 2005 was a day of notable events in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
It was the Ugadi New Year Day celebration for the millions of Telugus in and outside the country. It also witnessed the birth of a new form of ‘therapy to the 454 agitated and challenged minds of Lebenshilfe, an organization at Visakhapatnam striving for the welfare of the mentally challenged. It was also the day, which started a scientific approach to the celebrated Indian ragas, otherwise known for their legendary role in solving human miseries and misfortunes.
A workshop on Raga Therapy based on a scientific footing to independently gauge the efficiency of Indian ragas on the mentally challenged and document the experience for the use of the scientific community everywhere in the globe was commenced in the modest but charming coastal town of Vizag nestled at the midway between Chennai and Kolkata.
Therapeutic significance of Indian ragas
Indian ragas are well- Known for their positive impact on the troubled minds. In recent years scientific and experimental literatures have come up indicating their positive contributions to the welfare of the individuals – and in turn, to that of the society. (Bagchi 2003, Sairam 2004 a, b and c)
The three-day workshop, that was attended by psychologists, sociologists, musicians and the volunteers for the special children was the follow-up of these nascent concepts on the need for revival of the ancient concepts of nada and raga towards the welfare of one and all, was focused exclusively on the mental health of the mentally retarded.
Day one was concentrated heavily on the basics of music therapy. The prayer consisted of a short song or free recitation by every participant, according to his religious or spiritual upbringing. The unity of religious sentiments was realized by everyone who participated in this prayer session. This was followed by an introduction to the concept and practices with the involvement of one’s awareness. The participants were also exposed to the subtleties in sound and silence that make or mar our sensory experience. The jargons such as sound, noise, music and nada were explained with demonstrations. The sound emanation in nature, particularly in the Five Elements that constitute our body as well as the universe (fire, water, earth, space and wind) were demonstrated with appropriate musical pieces drawn from both the West and the East, the folk, film as well as classical renderings of songs. Analysing, appreciating and internalizing music was explained with practical demonstrations, An attempt was also made to classify the ragas into two categories: the beta (which includes fresh air and alertness) and alpha (which relaxes and benumbs the tormented minds) with the raga experts and musicians with high musical experience present during the seminar. In consultation with psychologists and behaviour therapists the following ragas were identified for the present experimental needs.
| Beta Ragas Identified and Tested | Alpha Ragas Identified and Tested |
| Asawari (Found helpful in ‘confidence Building’) | Madhyamavati (Found ‘highly’ Anaesthetic’) |
| Fars (Found to raise curiosity in indifferent children) | Aandolika (Found ‘relaxing’) |
| Brindavani (Found to ‘activate’) | Yadukula Khamboji (Found ‘sedative’) |
| Kapi | Nilambari (found sleep inducing) |
| Hindolam (Found ‘attractive’ as otherwise in different and in attentive MR children reacted positively) | Kurinji |
| Kuntalavarali | Behag (Found ‘antidepressant’) |
| Kadanakuthoohalam | Asaw |
| Saranga | Bhairavi (Found “anti-violent” and hence recommended in appropriate tempo for the violent prone among the mentally retarded) |
| Charukesi | Amritavarshini (Found suitable for the ‘emotionally supressed’ or ‘trauma struck’ |
| Arabhi (Found useful in anger management of MR children) |
Day two was devoted to analysis of a musical piece, irrespective of their origin – Western or Indian, tribal or classical, religious or sensory. It was concluded that it is the selection of appropriate rhythms and resonance that determine the genre of music. Like blood is similar in all human beings, rhythms and resonance had otherwise no distinction and are universal. The ancient concept of sruti darshana and proposed innovation based on them (proto-raga therapy and rainbow raga therapy at Lebenshilfe were also thrown open for a brainstorming discussion by experts of various fields assembled among the audience.
The discussions also included the discussion on the levels of sound consciousness, para, pashyanti, madhyama and vikhari, which are almost identical to the modern neurological understanding of delta theta, alpha and beta brain wave patterns. A nuero-scientist, Dr. Manjula gave a slide presentation on the structure and functions of the human brain, as understood by the scientists today.
The day three was devoted selecting two appropriate ragas (Fars and Kadanakuddohalam) and devising a musical structure with three tempos (trikala rendering) – starting with slow tempo for 2 minutes silence, then medium tempo for 2 minutes, to be again followed by 2 minutes silence. The behavioral reaction of the mentally challenged for these raga pieces was recorded by a team of experts among the participants. It is noteworthy that the entire music was designed, devised and presented by the participants themselves!
Findings and conclusion
There was a consensus among the participants in the feedback session on the methodology adopted and efficacies of ragas, chosen.
All the participants unanimously agreed that the Indian system of ragas promises to motivate and bring In greater productivity among the mentally retarded. Their behavioral problems can also be easily corrected by a careful selection of panel of experts, drawn from various disciplines, as done in the current study.
The volunteers who participated in the workshop expressed their confidence to face even the severely retarded, whom they were reluctant to approach earlier for counselling etc. They said they themselves developed confidence after exposure to those beta ragas and now they feel totally fit as professional therapists.
It is unanimously felt that raga therapy needs to be extended not only for the mentally challenged but also those who are normal among us (e.g. therapists themselves) facing challenging times ahead.
Importance of inclusion of appropriate ragas in offices and work-places, public meeting points by replacing the prevalent noise in all these places will go a long way in improving the quality of life and people in this country, which is home for the very idea of ‘raga’.
This article was published in My Doctor, June 2005 – Pages 31 to 33
Similar Article was published in Bhavans Journal July 15, 2015 – Pages 71 to 75.
Edited by Geeta Shreedar, Mar 18, 2021