ℹ️ About app
The intro animation plays just once, on your first visit, and then takes you to the home page by itself. Missed it or closed it early? You can watch it again here any time.
Ilakku Music is a musical knowledge, learning, creation, and sharing platform built with one simple thought — we can learn more when we learn together.
The idea behind Ilakku Music came from a simple personal experience. While learning music, I found myself writing down ragas, swarams, arohanam, avarohanam, and related songs on pieces of paper. I would try to practise them on the keyboard, but after some time I would forget what I had learned. Sometimes, I would even lose the paper. I started thinking that there should be a better way.
- What if we could keep this information in one place?
- What if we could search it easily?
- What if others could add what they know?
- What if someone could correct something that is wrong?
- What if learners, musicians, teachers, composers, and music lovers could all use the same platform?
That thought became Ilakku Music. It is not intended to be a platform where one person claims to know everything. It is intended to grow through constant learning, contribution, review, correction, creation, and sharing.
🔍 Search music easily
Finding information about a raga or song should be simple. Ilakku Music provides a multi-column searchone search box where you can search and combine different types of information.
You can search by Raga name, Arohanam, Avarohanam, Janya / Janaka, Audava, Shadava, Sampurna, Parent raga, Parent raga number, Song name, Composer, Movie, Artist / Singer, and Author / Lyricist — and combine filters to narrow down your search.
Songs can be categorized into Cine, Classical, Semi-Classical, and other categories to make discovery easier. And you don't always have to type — you can scroll, select, and click through options, so searching becomes easier, especially on mobile and TV.
🤝 Contribute to music
Ilakku Music is not only for searching and listening. You can contribute too. If you know a song, raga, musical fact, or something interesting that could help another learner, you can share it.
Users can contribute Songs, Ragas, Quizzes, Blogs, Musical information, and their own knowledge and observations.
The idea is simple: if you know something, share it. Someone else may learn from it. And if you find something that is incorrect, you can help bring it to the attention of the community so that it can be reviewed and improved.
🎹 Compose yourself
One of the most fun parts of Ilakku Music is Compose Yourself. This is where you can experiment and create your own music.
You can use a visual keyboard and combine different musical elements such as sounds, notes, beats, chords, voice, multiple sounds, and mixing.
You can experiment, create your own composition, and share it with your friends. You don't have to be a professional composer. Just play, experiment, create, and have fun.
❓ Take a quiz
You can take quizzes with or without signing up and test your musical knowledge. You can learn while playing and see how much you know.
If you have a school, music class, institution, or group, you can also create your own quizzes and use them for your students or members. This makes the quiz feature useful not only for individual learners but also for teaching and learning environments.
🏆 Leaderboard
The Leaderboard brings a little fun and healthy competition into the platform. It can show users who are actively contributing to Ilakku Music. The more you contribute, the more you can participate and compete with others.
But the real purpose is bigger than competition: your contribution can help the entire community grow.
❤️ Favourite songs
Found a song you really like? You can mark it as a Favourite and build your own collection. You can create your own album of favourite songs and share it with your friends. If your friend likes your collection, they can save it as their own album too.
So your favourite songs don't have to remain only on your device or in your memory. Create your collection. Share it. Let others discover your music.
🔔 Notifications & notification history
For signed-up users, Ilakku Music provides notifications about important updates. You may receive notifications when a new song is added, a new raga is added, a new blog is published, a new quiz is created, a new user joins, a new contribution is made, or an important administrator update is available.
The bell shows your latest 15 notifications. Notification History keeps all your notifications, so you can go back and see every earlier notification and update.
📖 Blogs
The Blog section is another place where people can share their knowledge. You can read existing blogs about ragas, songs, music, musical experiences, learning, and interesting musical discoveries.
After signing up, you can also write and publish your own blogs. You may know something that another learner has been looking for. Write it down and share it.
🆘 Help
Ilakku Music is designed to be easy to use, but every feature may not be immediately obvious to everyone. That is why comprehensive help will be available throughout the platform.
Help can include step-by-step instructions, video help, inline help, and feature-specific explanations. The idea is to help users understand not only what a feature does, but also how to use it.
📱 Available across platforms
Ilakku Music is being designed to work across different devices and environments. The platform is intended for Web, Mobile, an Android application, and TV.
The goal is to make the same musical knowledge and experience accessible wherever you are.
🌟 More than just a music platform
Ilakku Music brings together many different things in one place: Music Knowledge, Search, Learning, Contribution, Quizzes, Blogs, Composition, Favourite Songs, Sharing and Community.
A learner can search for a raga. A musician can contribute information. A teacher can create a quiz. A student can test their knowledge. A music lover can create a favourite album. A blogger can share their knowledge. A composer can create and share music. An expert can review and improve information. And everyone can learn from everyone else.
💡 The idea behind Ilakku Music
I don't want Ilakku Music to be just another application where people come, search for something, and leave. I want it to become a place where people participate.
Someone may come looking for a raga. Another person may add information about that raga. Someone else may discover an error and point it out. An expert may review it. A student may learn from it. A teacher may use it to create a quiz. A musician may use the knowledge to practise. And another person may create a new composition inspired by what they learned.
That is how I imagine Ilakku Music growing.
🔗 Sharing Help and its videos
- Share beside Help at the top of this page gives you a link to the whole Help page.
- Every Help video has a Share button just left of the sound button. Its link opens this Help page right at that video and starts it — the video plays only here, so it cannot be downloaded or opened on its own.
- A video from an admin guide (Song, Raga, Quiz or Blog admin) plays only for that admin. Anyone else who opens its link sees a popup on the Help page: Contribute takes them to the request to become that admin (it goes for approval as usual), and the close (×) button leaves them on the Help page.
- Every section heading has a Share icon too. Its link opens that section, and the preview talks about that topic. Admin guide sections and their videos open only for that admin — anyone else sees a popup that asks them to sign up (if they have not) and Contribute to request that admin access. If they have already asked for that admin access, the popup says the request is already submitted and waiting for approval; the close (×) button leaves them on the Help page.
- Share beside About the founder gives a link to that section. Only this link shows the founder's photo when it is sent; every other Help link shows the Ilakku Music logo and words about the app (or about that admin guide).
- Menu → Share (just below Help) copies the Ilakku Music link straight away and shows it in the share card, ready to send.
Learn. Contribute. Review. Correct. Create. Share.
We may not know everything today. The information may not be perfect today. But through constant learning and everyone's participation, it can become better tomorrow. Ilakku Music is built with that hope — that together, we can preserve musical knowledge, make it easier to discover, learn from one another, and create something new.
🕘 Version history
Every new feature in Ilakku Music gets a version number here. The current version is open at the top; earlier versions are listed below it — click one to open it.
Version 1.41 November 2026Current
- Blogs now have categories: Song lyrics, Raga blogs and Song blogs. Blog admins can also add audio to a blog.
Earlier versions
Version 1.31 November 2026
- Blog admins can now see their blog in Tamil and Hindi, and preview how it looks.
Version 1.21 November 2026
- Blog admins can now write a new blog with text, pictures and videos.
Version 1.11 November 2026
- Quiz Admin now has one search box that finds a quiz by anything in it.
Version 1.01 November 2026
- New intro animation. You can watch it again here in About app.
- Help video updated.
- Version history added.
🔒 Privacy policy
Effective from 4 October 2026
Ilakku Music (ilakkumusic.com) is owned by Ilakku.xyz. This Privacy Policy explains what information Ilakku Music collects when you use the website and app, why it is collected, and the choices you have. By using Ilakku Music, you agree to this policy.
1. Information you give us
- Account details — your email address, a password (stored only in encrypted form; when you first set it, and every time you reset it, it is mailed to you with its version number, with a copy to the Ilakku Music super admin), your display name, and the profile picture you choose from the default pictures provided. A verification code is sent to your email when you sign up.
- Your contributions — the songs, ragas, quizzes, blogs, compositions and pictures you add, and the changes you suggest.
- Your activity in the app — your favourite songs and albums, your quiz answers and scores, and the school or group name you enter for a quiz.
- Messages — anything you send us by email.
2. Information collected automatically
When you use Ilakku Music, with or without signing up, we record:
- the screen size of your device;
- the pages you open, the buttons you use, the songs you view and what you search for;
- the date and time of each visit and how long it lasts.
This tells us which features are used and what people could not find, so that we can improve the app.
3. Microphone
Hum to Search and the voice features in Compose Yourself use your microphone only after you allow it in your browser.
- Your humming is analysed on your own device. The sound recording is not sent to our server.
- When you confirm which song or raga you hummed, the melody pattern of that hum (not the recording) is saved, along with your email if you are signed in, so that matching improves for everyone.
- Spoken swarams are recognised by the speech recognition built into your browser, which may process your voice through the browser provider’s own service.
You can switch off microphone access at any time in your browser or device settings.
4. Cookies and storage on your device
Ilakku Music uses a session cookie to keep you signed in and to count one visit as one visit. It also stores a few items in your browser — your language, your sign-in details (email, display name, picture and permissions) and whether you have seen the introduction — so the app opens the way you left it.
Clearing your browser data removes these. You will then need to sign in again.
5. How we use your information
- to create and run your account and keep it secure;
- to show your contributions, favourites, quiz results and leaderboard position;
- to review, approve and correct contributions;
- to send you account emails (verification, password reset), notifications about new songs, ragas, blogs and quizzes, and reminder emails;
- to understand how the app is used and to improve it;
- to prevent misuse.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not show third-party advertisements.
6. What other people can see
Your display name and profile picture appear next to what you contribute — on songs, ragas, blogs, quizzes, shared albums, compositions, badges and the Leaderboard. Anything you share by link can be opened by whoever has the link.
Your email address and password are not shown to other users. Administrators can see your email address and activity in order to review contributions and manage the app.
7. Services from other companies
Some parts of Ilakku Music are provided by other companies, which receive limited technical information (such as your IP address and browser type) when those parts load:
- Google Analytics — visitor statistics;
- Microsoft Clarity — how pages are used (clicks, scrolling and anonymous session recordings), so we can find and fix problems; what you type into forms is hidden;
- Google Fonts and public code libraries — fonts and scripts;
- YouTube — song and help videos, which play from YouTube;
- Google Text-to-Speech — reading out names and text;
- our hosting and email providers — running the website and delivering email.
Some content, such as blog articles and raga descriptions, may be translated or prepared with automated tools; your personal information is not sent for this. Each of these companies handles information under its own privacy policy.
8. Donations
Donations are made by QR code or bank transfer through your own bank or payment app. Ilakku Music does not collect or store your card, UPI PIN or bank login details. If you ask for bank details, they are sent to your registered email address.
9. How long we keep information
- Account information is kept for as long as you have an account. When you ask us to delete your account, we remove your account details within 30 days.
- Approved contributions — songs, ragas, quizzes and blogs — may stay in the music database after an account is deleted, because other learners rely on them. On request, your name is removed from them.
- Visit and usage records are kept for as long as they are useful for statistics, and are used only to see totals and trends. When you ask us to delete your account, the records linked to your email are deleted with it.
- Your unsubscribe choice is kept, so that we do not email you again.
We may keep information longer only where the law requires it.
10. Your choices
- Change your display name and profile picture from your profile.
- Stop all emails from Unsubscribe in this Help page. After that, no mails are sent from Ilakku Music and no notifications show in the app, except the mails you ask for yourself, such as a sign-in code or a password reset. You can subscribe again from the same place any day. The Unsubscribe link in a reminder email stops the reminder emails alone.
- See, correct or delete your account and personal information by writing to us at the address below. We will reply within a reasonable time.
11. Children
Ilakku Music is a learning platform, and students may use it to search, listen, learn and take quizzes. Signing up needs only an email address. The app does not ask for a date of birth, phone number, home address or any other personal detail, and there is no place in it for a child to post such details. A profile picture can only be chosen from the default pictures provided; a photo cannot be uploaded from a computer or camera.
We still suggest that children use the app with the guidance of a parent, guardian or teacher. If you believe a child has signed up without such guidance, write to us and we will remove the account.
12. Security
We take reasonable steps to protect your information, including encrypted passwords and secure (HTTPS) connections. No website can promise complete security, so please use a strong password and keep it private.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the app grows. The date at the top shows the latest version. Continuing to use Ilakku Music after a change means you accept the updated policy.
14. Contact
For any question about this policy or your information, write to ilakkumusic@gmail.com.
📜 Terms and conditions
Effective from 4 October 2026
Ilakku Music (ilakkumusic.com) is owned by Ilakku.xyz. These Terms and Conditions apply to everyone who uses Ilakku Music, on the web, on mobile, in the Android app or on TV. By using Ilakku Music, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the app.
1. What Ilakku Music is
Ilakku Music is a free platform to search, learn, contribute, create and share musical knowledge — ragas, songs, quizzes, blogs and compositions. Much of the information is contributed by the community and reviewed by administrators.
2. Your account
- You can use many features without signing up. Contributing, saving favourites and some other features need an account.
- Give a correct email address and keep your password private. You are responsible for what is done through your account.
- One person should not create multiple accounts to gain leaderboard position or to get around a restriction.
- Tell us at once if you think someone else has used your account.
3. What you contribute
- Contribute only what you know to be correct to the best of your knowledge, and only what you have the right to share.
- You keep ownership of what you create. By contributing it, you give Ilakku Music permission, free of charge, to store, display, translate, edit, share and promote it as part of the platform, with your display name shown as the contributor.
- Every contribution may be reviewed. Administrators may approve, correct, merge, reject or remove a contribution, and may ask you for changes.
- Others may point out errors in what you contribute, and it may be corrected. That is how the platform improves.
4. Songs, videos and other people’s work
Song entries on Ilakku Music link to videos and audio hosted on other websites such as YouTube. Ilakku Music does not host those recordings. The songs, lyrics, recordings and videos belong to their respective owners, and the other website’s own terms apply when you play them.
Do not add a link or upload anything that infringes someone’s copyright. If you own a work and believe it is used here wrongly, write to ilakkumusic@gmail.com with the details and we will review and remove it where appropriate.
5. What you must not do
- post anything unlawful, abusive, hateful, obscene or misleading;
- knowingly add wrong information, spam or advertisements;
- pretend to be another person;
- copy the database in bulk, or use automated tools to collect it, without our written permission;
- try to break, overload or get unauthorised access to the app, its accounts or its data;
- use the app in any way that harms other users or the platform.
6. Accuracy of information
Ilakku Music is built on constant learning. Information about ragas, swarams, songs, composers and artists is contributed by people and may contain mistakes or be incomplete. It is provided for learning and reference, as it is, without any guarantee. Please verify with your teacher or a trusted source where it matters, and help us correct anything that is wrong.
7. Quizzes, leaderboard and badges
Quiz scores, leaderboard positions and badges are for learning and encouragement. They carry no monetary value. We may correct or reset them where there is an error or misuse. Quizzes created by schools, teachers or groups are the responsibility of those who create them.
8. Compose yourself and sharing
Compositions, albums and other items you create and share can be opened by anyone who has the link. Share only what you are comfortable making visible to others.
9. Donations and refunds
Ilakku Music is free for everyone, and we want it to stay that way. Behind it there is real, daily effort — cloud servers that keep the app running day and night, and updates almost every day: new songs and ragas reviewed, mistakes corrected, and new features built.
Donations are entirely voluntary. Every donation, small or big, goes into this work. A donation is a gift of support and is not a payment for any product, service or feature.
Because donations are used straight away to keep the platform running, they are generally not refundable. If you paid by mistake — a wrong amount, or the same donation twice — write to ilakkumusic@gmail.com within 7 days with the payment details, and we will return it to the account it came from. Thank you for helping keep the music alive.
10. Ownership of the platform
The Ilakku Music name, logo, design, software and the way the information is organised belong to Ilakku.xyz, the owner of Ilakku Music. You may use the app and share links to it for personal and educational purposes. You may not copy, resell or republish the platform or a substantial part of its content without written permission.
11. Suspension and closing of accounts
We may restrict or close an account, or remove content, if these terms are broken or if it is needed to protect the platform or its users. You may stop using Ilakku Music at any time and may ask us to close your account.
12. Availability and liability
We try to keep Ilakku Music available and working on every device, but we do not promise that it will always be available, free of errors or unchanged. Features may be added, changed or removed. To the extent the law allows, Ilakku Music is not liable for any loss arising from the use of the app, from reliance on its content, or from websites it links to.
13. Privacy
How we handle your information is explained in the Privacy Policy, which is part of these terms.
14. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms as the app grows. The date at the top shows the latest version. Continuing to use Ilakku Music after a change means you accept the updated terms.
15. Governing law and disputes
Ilakku Music is run from India, and these terms are governed by the laws of India.
If you have a concern or a complaint, please write to us first at ilakkumusic@gmail.com. Most matters can be settled by simply talking, and we will do our best to resolve yours quickly and fairly.
If a matter still cannot be settled that way, it will be decided by the courts in India that have jurisdiction over it.
16. Contact
For any question about these terms, write to ilakkumusic@gmail.com.
🔍 Search & filters
The main music app is a table of every Carnatic raga with its songs. Almost everything you see in it can be clicked to search by it, and every search can be combined with the others.
- On web the table has four columns, each with its own search box at the top: 1 Raga name, 2 Arohanam / Avarohanam, 3 Type & origin and 4 Songs. Searches in different columns work together — for example a Janya raga with S R1 G2 that has Ilaiyaraaja songs.
- On a phone there is one search box for everything (name, swarams, type, songs, people). Each raga is a card: tap the card to open it and see its swarams, type and songs.
- Four columns, raga first. Every song is always shown under its raga, so it is easy to cross check a song and find its raga — and everything is a single click.
- Raga first. Every song is always shown under its raga, so it is easy to cross check a song and find its raga — and everything is a single tap.
- Every column heading has a small ⓘ — tap it for that column’s own quick help.
- In every search box, names that start with the letters you typed come first, then the ones that only contain them — each group A to Z. The ✕ in the box clears it.
🎼Column 1 — Raga name
Find a raga by its name, open it on the keyboard, read about it, and keep your favourites.
On web
- Type a raga name in the Raga name box. The search forgives spelling — Bhairavi / Byravi, Kalyani / Kalyaani — and works in English, தமிழ் and हिन्दी. Pick a name from the list that drops down to show just that raga.
- Click any raga name in the table and it goes straight into the search, showing only that raga. You can edit the name in the search box any time.
- 🎹 Keyboard icon — opens the raga in Explore: play its Arohanam and Avarohanam on the keyboard and watch each swaram light up, see ragas of the same scale, its parent and its children.
- ⓘ Info icon next to the name — opens the raga’s own blog page: how it is built, its mood, phrases to practise and songs to listen to.
- ♡ Heart — adds the raga to your favourite ragas (sign in first). For your first five favourites a note tells you where to find them; after that a green bar confirms it. Tap the filled heart to remove it.
- Bookmark-heart image next to the Raga name heading — shows only your favourite ragas; the image fills while it is on. Tap it again to see every raga.
- + beside a parent raga (when you list Janaka or Melakarta ragas) — opens or closes its family of child ragas.
- 🎤 in the Raga name box — speak a raga name, or hum it (see Hum a raga below).
On a phone
- Type the raga name in the one search box; the list under it marks which suggestions are ragas.
- The 🎹 keyboard, ⓘ info and ♡ heart sit on each raga card, next to its name. The bookmark-heart image sits above the search box.
- Tap the 🎤 in the search box and choose Hum a raga.
🎵Column 2 — Arohanam / Avarohanam (swarams)
Search ragas by the swarams they use — going up (Arohanam) and coming down (Avarohanam) separately — and hear them.
On web
- Type swarams in the Swaram box, with or without spaces: S R1 G2 or sr1g2. Only real Carnatic swarams are accepted. M finds both M1 and M2.
- Octaves: .N2 (dot before) is the lower octave, N2 the middle, S^ (caret after) the upper.
- Click a raga’s Arohanam — it is copied into the search with an ARO badge, and you see every raga that goes up the same way. Click its Avarohanam — it goes into its own bar with an AVA badge. Arohanam and Avarohanam are searched separately, and can be used together.
- Same swarams, different parents — ragas with the same swarams can come from different parent ragas; a swaram search shows them all together in one click.
- Edit after clicking — change any swaram in the bar to widen or narrow the search. Editing by hand takes the ARO / AVA badge off; the ✕ empties the bar.
- ▶ Play buttons — green plays the Arohanam, red the Avarohanam, on a harmonium voice; each swaram lights up as it sounds.
On a phone
- Type swarams in the one search box — it recognises them as swarams. Letters that are also part of a name (for example nn in Nellai NN Swami) are searched as a name first, with suggestions. To search them as swarams, add the swaram number, e.g. D2 N3.
- Open a raga card and tap its Arohanam or Avarohanam line to search by it; tap ▶ to hear it.
🏷️Column 3 — Type & origin
Every raga shows what kind of raga it is and where it comes from. Click any of these to list all ragas of that kind.
On web
- Shape tag (Audava, Shadava, Sampurna, Audava Sampurna …) — lists every raga with the same number of swarams going up and coming down (see the table below). Click Audava and only the five-note ragas are shown.
- Vakra — lists the ragas whose scale zig-zags instead of going straight up or down.
- Janya — lists all child ragas. Janaka — lists the 72 Melakarta (parent) ragas in alphabetical order.
- Parent raga name (blue) — gathers that parent and all its child ragas in column 1, with its number.
- Melakarta — lines up all 72 parent ragas in column 1 in number order, 1 to 72, each with its child ragas.
- # number — adds that Melakarta number to the search. Click more numbers to see several families together; click a number again to take it out.
- Typing in the Type box: Janaka lists the 72 parents A to Z, a number like 22 shows that parent and every child, and a letter like k keeps every family starting with K (Kanakangi, Kharaharapriya …).
On a phone
- Open a raga card and tap any tag on it — shape, Vakra, Janya / Janaka, the parent, Melakarta or the # number. It becomes a chip at the top and the list shows all ragas of that kind.
| Tag | Swarams going up | Swarams coming down |
|---|---|---|
| Audava | 5 | 5 |
| Shadava | 6 | 6 |
| Sampurna | 7 | 7 |
| Audava Shadava | 5 | 6 |
| Shadava Audava | 6 | 5 |
| Audava Sampurna | 5 | 7 |
| Sampurna Audava | 7 | 5 |
| Shadava Sampurna | 6 | 7 |
| Sampurna Shadava | 7 | 6 |
🎶Column 4 — Songs
Find songs by name, movie, composer, artist or author, see which raga they are in, play them, save and share them.
On web
- Type a song name, movie, composer, artist or author. The suggestion list shows the kind of each name; pick one and it becomes a chip. Several chips narrow each other — composer Ilaiyaraaja + artist SPB shows only songs that are both. One song, composer, movie and author at a time (a new one replaces the old), and up to two artists so a duet can be found. ✕ on a chip removes it.
- Cine Classical Semi-C — show only cinema, classical or semi-classical songs. They work with every other search.
- Songs (N) on a raga — opens the list of songs in that raga.
- Open a song (+ or its name) to see its composer, artists, movie and author. Click any of them to search by it — for example click the composer to see all their songs.
- ♡ Heart — saves the song to your favourites (and, if you like, into one of your folders).
- Under every song card hang two small tabs, shown even when the song is closed: the left one shows an eye icon and how many times the song has been viewed; the right one shows the Share icon and how many times it has been shared — the Share icon gives you a link to that one song to send to anyone.
- YouTube button — plays the song right there in the card (a closed card opens as well, so its details show while it plays). While it plays, the button turns into a red ✕; press it to stop the video. If the song’s link is an Instagram post or reel, it plays inside the card in the same way — just the video; tap ▶ on it to start. Closing the card stops the video too.
- The song card looks the same everywhere — in the main app, on the Songs page, in Fav songs and in a contributor’s song list on the Leaderboard — on the web and on a phone.
- 🎤 in the Songs box — speak a song name, or hum it (see below).
On a phone
- Type in the one search box; chips appear above it. Cine Classical Semi-C sit under the box.
- Open a raga card to see its songs; tap a song to open it, then tap the composer, an artist, the movie or the author to search by them.
- The heart and YouTube button sit on each song. Under each song card are two tabs, even when it is closed: the eye icon with the views on the left, the share icon and the number of shares on the right. While a video plays, the YouTube button is a red ✕ — tap it to stop. A song linked to an Instagram post or reel plays inside the card the same way — just the video; tap ▶ on it to start. Closing the card stops the video too.
🎙Hum a song
Don’t know the name, only the tune? Hum it.
On web
- Tap the 🎤 in the Songs box (on a phone, the 🎤 in the search box and then Hum a song). The Hum to Search page opens with two tabs: 🎙 Voice and 🎵 Hum.
- 🎵 Hum — tap Tap to start humming and hum 5 to 10 seconds of the tune, best the opening line (pallavi). It listens only to real humming — talking or background noise is not searched — and shows “Humming detected” while it hears you.
- Top matches — the songs that match best, each marked melody match or raga match, with a ▶ YouTube link to check it. Go to that song opens it in the main app.
- ✓ This is my song — choose the song that matches closest. Each time a song is chosen, Ilakku Music learns and identifies that song more accurately next time, for everyone.
- Not in this list — choose the song from the full list if it is on the site, or add it (Song Admins).
- No confident match? Hum a longer, steadier part of the pallavi and search again.
- A newly approved song can be found by humming straight away.
- 🎙 Voice — say the song name in Tamil or English instead of humming.
🎼Hum a raga
Hum a phrase and find which raga it is in.
On web
- Tap the 🎤 in the Raga name box (on a phone, the 🎤 in the search box and then Hum a raga). The page opens with two tabs: 🎙 Voice and 🎵 Hum — it finds ragas only, never songs.
- 🎙 Voice — tap the mic and say the raga name in Tamil or English (Speak a Raga to Search). The closest ragas are listed, each marked name match or closest match; → Go to that raga opens it in the main table and 📖 About opens its blog page.
- 🎵 Hum — the Hum a Raga page, as below.
- First hum your Sa and hold it for a second, then hum the raga’s phrases for 10–15 seconds. Starting and ending on Sa helps it work out your Sa, which is how ragas with the same notes (Mohanam and Hindolam, for example) are told apart.
- Ilakku Music checks which notes you hummed, which notes you used going up and coming down (arohanam / avarohanam), the swaras you dwelt on, and the best-known phrases of each raga from its phrase library.
- Playing a raga (from Explore, a keyboard or a veena)? Play its arohanam and then its avarohanam — you have 4 seconds between them. When every note is heard in order, the raga is named exactly and marked exact scale. Ragas whose arohanam and avarohanam are the same notes (for example Hanumatodi and Sindhu Bhairavi on Ilakku Music) are listed together.
- Closest ragas — up to five ragas with a match %, marked exact scale when its whole arohanam or avarohanam was heard, phrase match when you sang one of the raga’s signature phrases, otherwise swara match. 📖 About opens the raga’s blog page.
- ✓ This is my raga — confirms the right one; your hum then teaches that raga to Ilakku Music for everyone. → Go to that raga opens it in the main table.
- 📋 Choose raga from list — not in the results? Pick it from all ragas (spelling mistakes are fine) and your hum is learned for it.
- No clear raga? Hum your Sa first, then a few phrases a little slower, and search again.
- Each raga’s blog page shows the same phrases under Recognise <raga> by Ear.
🗣️ Voice search
Tap the 🎤 and say a raga or song name — what you say is typed into the search for you.
On a phone, tap the 🎤 in the search box and choose 🎙 Speak a song or raga. Say the name in Tamil or English — the results show both 🎵 Songs and 🎼 Ragas that match. Tap ✓ This is my song on the right song, or → Go to that raga to open the raga; 📖 About opens the raga’s blog page.
📨 No results found? Ask for it
If a raga or song search finds nothing, press Submit No Results Found. Correct the spelling of the raga name (or song name) and, if you know it, add the origin name (or movie name). Our raga and song admins are told at once; one of them picks it up and adds it. Signed in, you get an email with the link as soon as it is added — or an email if it is already on the site or the spelling was not clear. Not signed in? Sign up from the card that opens and your request follows you into your account. A search for an author, artist, composer or movie shows no button — please check the spelling once again.
Came from Google, Bing or an AI answer (ChatGPT, Gemini and others) with a raga or song that is not here yet? The name is typed into the search for you and, if nothing matches, the Submit No Results Found card opens with it already filled in — check the spelling and press Send Request. A link to a raga or song page that does not exist takes you to the same search.
🧭 Explore ragas
Tap any raga to open the Explore view. Here you can hear the scale on a virtual keyboard, understand how the raga is built, and discover related ragas — all in one place.
Ragas in the same scale
See every other raga that shares the same set of swarams (the same scale). Ragas with identical Arohanam/Avarohanam notes are grouped together so you can compare them side by side.
Audava, Shadava & Sampoorna
Learn the structure of each raga by note count — Audava (5 notes), Shadava (6 notes), and Sampoorna (7 notes). The Explore view shows the classification for both ascent and descent.
Parent & child ragas
Every Janya (child) raga is linked to its Janaka / Melakarta (parent) raga. Jump from a child raga to its parent, and browse all the children derived from a given Melakarta.
Hear the scale
Play the Arohanam and Avarohanam on a built-in harmonium voice. Each swaram lights up on the virtual keyboard in sync with the sound, so you can both see and hear the raga.
Shruti box & kattai (pitch)
Press the ⏻ power button (on a phone, the on/off switch) to start the tambura drone. Tap the kattai button next to it to choose your pitch (on a phone the kattai list opens as cards — scroll and tap one) — 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7 Kattai (and 1 Kattai+, the higher C). Each row shows the Western note, the drone chord (Sa – Pa – higher Sa) with its Carnatic swaras, and the voice type it usually suits. Tap a row to hear Sa – Pa – higher Sa on the harmonium at that pitch — the S, P and Ṡ light up in the row as they sound. The list stays open so you can try one kattai after another and pick the one that suits your voice; close it with the ✕. With the Shruti box on, the drone plays at the kattai you chose, whether the list is open or closed. The keyboard also moves to the chosen kattai.
| Western note / scale | Traditional kattai name | Carnatic swara (for Sa = C) | The 3-note drone chord (Sa – Pa – higher Sa) | Typical voice type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 Kattai | Sa (Shadjama) | C – G – C S – P – Ṡ | Male |
| C# | 1.5 Kattai | Ri (Rishabha) | C# – G# – C# R1 – D1 – Ṙ1 | Male |
| D | 2 Kattai | Ri (Rishabha) | D – A – D R2/G1 – D2/N1 – Ṙ2/Ġ1 | Male / Low Female |
| D# | 2.5 Kattai | Ga (Gandhara) | D# – A# – D# R3/G2 – D3/N2 – Ṙ3/Ġ2 | Male / Low Female |
| E | 3 Kattai | Ga (Gandhara) | E – B – E G3 – N3 – Ġ3 | General / Mixed |
| F | 4 Kattai | Ma (Madhyama) | F – C – F M1 – Ṡ – Ṁ1 | Female |
| F# | 4.5 Kattai | Ma (Madhyama) | F# – C# – F# M2 – Ṙ1 – Ṁ2 | Female |
| G | 5 Kattai | Pa (Panchama) | G – D – G P – Ṙ2/Ġ1 – Ṗ | Female |
| G# | 5.5 Kattai | Dha (Dhaivata) | G# – D# – G# D1 – Ṙ3/Ġ2 – Ḋ1 | Female |
| A | 6 Kattai | Dha (Dhaivata) | A – E – A D2/N1 – Ġ3 – Ḋ2/Ṅ1 | Female |
| A# | 6.5 Kattai | Ni (Nishada) | A# – F – A# D3/N2 – Ṁ1 – Ḋ3/Ṅ2 | High Female |
| B | 7 Kattai | Ni (Nishada) | B – F# – B N3 – Ṁ2 – Ṅ3 | High Female / Low Male |
The Carnatic swaras in the drone chord column are read with Sa = C, using the 12-tone map below. A dot above a swara (Ṡ, Ṙ1 …) means the higher octave.
12-tone scale mapping (for Sa = C)
| Western note | Carnatic swarasthana notation & full name |
|---|---|
| C | S (Shadjama) / Sa [Base Drone Note] |
| C# | R1 (Shuddha Rishabham) |
| D | R2 (Chatusruthi Rishabham) / G1 (Shuddha Gandharam) |
| D# | R3 (Shatsruthi Rishabham) / G2 (Sadharana Gandharam) |
| E | G3 (Antara Gandharam) |
| F | M1 (Shuddha Madhyamam) |
| F# | M2 (Prati Madhyamam) |
| G | P (Panchamam) / Pa [Middle Drone Note] |
| G# | D1 (Shuddha Dhaivatham) |
| A | D2 (Chatusruthi Dhaivatham) / N1 (Shuddha Nishadham) |
| A# | D3 (Shatshruthi Dhaivatham) / N2 (Kaisiki Nishadham) |
| B | N3 (Kaakali Nishadham) |
| C (High) | Ṡ (Higher Octave Shadjama) / Sa [Top Drone Note] |
💡 Also new: a Virtual Keyboard to play swarams freely, and a Gamaka view to understand ornamentations. Find them from the main app navigation.
⚖️ Compare ragas
Put up to three ragas side by side to see — and hear — exactly where they differ. It works the same on a computer and on a phone.
1. Open Compare Ragas
In the raga list, tap the number in front of a raga's name — or, in a raga's blog article, use Compare with another raga or a Compare button under Similar Ragas (for example 65 or 29-3). The Compare Ragas popup opens with that raga already chosen as the Base raga. The ✕ at the top closes it.
2. Choose the ragas
- Tap Choose a raga and type in the search box — names that start with your letters come first. The ✕ inside the box clears it.
- Tap the green + to add one more row. Up to 3 ragas can be compared at a time; after that the + turns grey.
- A raga already in the list cannot be chosen again — it shows as Already chosen.
- The base raga can be changed from its own dropdown but not removed. Every other row has a delete button.
- Compare turns on as soon as two ragas are chosen, and turns off again if only one is left.
3. Read the comparison
- The raga names are at the top; the base raga is first.
- Arohanam and Avarohanam are laid out side by side like an equation: = when two are the same, ≠ when they differ.
- Every swara that differs is marked in pink, both in the swara text and on the keyboard.
- What is different names each change (for example M1 ≠ M2, No Ni, 5 notes vs 7 notes) and explains it — the full swara name and how many semitones higher or lower it is.
- When both scales match, the page says so — then the signature phrases show how the ragas still sound different.
4. Listen and share
- Press ▶ on any Arohanam, Avarohanam or Signature phrase: each note sounds and lights up on that raga's keyboard and in its swara text at the same time.
- A Signature phrase plays with the same harmonium sound as the Arohanam and Avarohanam on Explore, one swara after another. Press its button again to pause, and once more to carry on from the same place.
- Only one thing plays at a time — starting another stops the first. Press an Arohanam or Avarohanam button again to stop it.
- Play all on a raga's Signature phrases card plays all its phrases in one go; press it again to pause.
- Ragas whose signature phrases are not in our library yet show a note saying so.
- The Share icon at the top copies a link that opens this same comparison.
- The ✕ at the top takes you back to the page you opened the comparison from — the raga list, a blog article or any other page. A comparison opened from a shared link closes to the home page.
🎹 Compose yourself
Open Menu → Compose Yourself to write your own piece. The page you land on is the public gallery — play any composition released on the site, or search it by album name or author. Press Create Yours to start your own (you will be asked to sign in first).
Name & album photo
Page one asks for a title (up to 15 characters, and unique across the site — the line under the box tells you at once whether the name is available or already taken) and an album photo picked from the shared icon gallery. If you already picked your profile picture (at sign-up, in Edit Profile or in Contribute), it is used as the album photo and you are not asked again. If you have not picked one yet, the album photo you choose for a new composition also becomes your profile picture when you press Start Composing. If your profile picture is an older photo from your own device, you must pick an album photo from the gallery before you can start — that photo also becomes your profile picture. The photo stays required even if you press Remove, and changing it there changes your profile picture too — a note below Start Composing reminds you of this, and after Remove a red line under the empty photo box asks you to pick another. Then press Start Composing — it reads Continue Composition once the piece has something in it.
The notes lane
Tap the notes box and play the on-screen swaram keyboard. What you play is written as swarams and drawn on the Notes lane. A Space starts a new bar, and each bar can be picked up, moved along the lane or deleted on its own.
Voice — record and add to the timeline
Tap the ADD VOICE lane where you want the recording to start, and the Hum or Sing recorder comes up from the bottom. Press the red microphone button, sing or hum, and press it again to stop. Hear it plays the take back and Record again replaces it. Add to timeline puts the recording on the Voice lane as an audio clip, starting at the second you tapped. Drag it along the lane, crop it, or stack more takes, each with its own switch and volume.
Chord & rhythm layers
Tap any lane where you want to start — or the + at the start of its name to add at the playhead. On ADD RHYTHM choose the Instrument (Mridangam / Drums / Tabla) and the Rhythm type — a Carnatic talam such as Adi Talam (8/4), Rupaka Talam (6/4), Misra Chapu (7/8), Khanda Chapu (5/8) or Sankeerna Chapu (9/8), or 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8. One bar is shown as boxes, one per beat (4/4 has four). Tap a box, then tap sounds to put them in it — several sounds in one box share that beat — and the × on a box empties it. Apply only here changes just that bar; Apply over all puts the same boxes in every bar, from where you tapped to the end of the notes, and the rhythm keeps growing when you play more notes later. Tap a rhythm on the lane to change it (◀ ▶ move between its bars); its × removes all of it. With no box picked, a sound drops on its own at the point tapped. ADD CHORD works the same way on the rhythm's bars: pick the Sound (Piano / Keyboard / Violin / Flute), tap a box and tap chords — C plays C major in that sound — several in one box, or leave a box empty for silence. Single chord drops one chord at any second instead. On the timeline itself every rhythm and chord track shows as groups of boxes, one group per bar (4/4 is a group of 4, then another 4), each box showing what is in it. The × on a box empties that box, the × on a group empties that bar, and Remove on the first group takes the whole track off. Tap a group to open its boxes and press Apply over all to copy them — empty boxes too — to every bar. The mridangam strokes (Tha, Ki, Ta, Thom, Nam, Dhi, Di, Mi, Ka) ring at the Sa of your piece, like a real mridangam. The + on a box adds another layer of empty boxes under the track (up to four layers, all heard together). While the piece plays, the box being played lights up box after box. In the boxes, press ▶ Play and tap sounds in time — each one goes into the box being played; then Apply over all repeats that bar everywhere for a loop, or leave it as it is for that bar only.
Speed & playback
Eight fixed speed steps (-2X to 5X, with 0X as normal). Play the swarams alone, the rhythm alone or the chords alone — each lights the bar being played — or press Play All Together for every switched-on layer at once. While it plays, a lane's switch or volume acts at once, and anything you add, move or remove is heard straight away. Beside the speed steps, ⏮ goes back to the start, the clock shows where you are out of the whole piece, and − / + zoom the lanes. Space plays or pauses, Enter plays from the start and Esc closes a panel. On the swaram keyboard every key plays its own swaram wherever you touch it; slide your finger up or down while holding a key to bend the note. Keys whose pitch has two names show both — R2/G1, R3/G2, D2/N1, D3/N2.
Save & share
Save Composition stores the piece and becomes Update Composition afterwards; Cancel Changes undoes what you have not saved. Everything is saved as you hear it — the notes, chords, rhythm and voice recordings, each lane's on/off switch and its volume. A lane switched off is not heard by anyone who plays your piece, and a lane you turned down stays that quiet for them too. A brand new composition is also posted to the Ilakku Music social accounts, and from then on a Share link opens the gallery with your piece listed.
💡 Tip: Edit and the ⋮ menu appear only on your own releases. A shared link lands on the gallery with that composition already filtered in — clearing the search box brings the whole list back.
📖 Blog
Open Menu → Blog for a full written article on every raga in the database — how it is built, how it feels, what to practise and what to listen to. The blog is public: no sign-in, and every article has its own link you can share.
Find a raga
The blog index lists every raga with a search box. The search is typo and transliteration tolerant (Bhairavi / Byravi) and ranks prefix matches first, so typing K lists the K ragas first. Tamil and Hindi spellings are searchable too.
What an article holds
Signature phrases play with the same harmonium sound as the Arohanam and Avarohanam on Explore, each swara lighting up as it sounds; press the button again to pause and once more to carry on. Every article follows the same shape: Core Architecture, Structure (how the raga is built and where it comes from), Musical Mood and Character, Essential Phrases for Practice, Signature Swarams (its characteristic phrases written out in swaras, each with a play / pause button and its own keyboard that lights up with the phrase, laid out in the same card as the Compare page with a Play all button in its header that plays every phrase in one go, and the keyboard staying in view while you scroll the phrases; the ascent, descent, hallmark and gamaka notes sit beside the card, and how it moves in the ascent and descent), Recognise <raga> by Ear (its signature phrases, each with a play / pause button and a keyboard that lights up with them, the swaras it dwells on, what makes it unique, ragas it can be confused with, famous compositions and film songs, with a Hum a raga button), Similar Ragas (see below), and Essential Compositions to Listen & Learn.
Hear the scale
The Arohanam and Avarohanam each carry a play button, using the same harmonium voice as the main app — or tap anywhere on either card to play it. Below them is a keyboard like the one on the Explore page: the raga’s swaras are marked on the keys, each key lights up as it sounds, and tapping a key plays that note — so you can hear and see the raga while you read about it.
Carnatic, Hindustani and Western
Above the Arohanam and Avarohanam are three tabs. Carnatic shows the raga's name and family. Hindustani shows its Hindustani counterpart (for example Mohanam → Bhoop) and adds the Hindustani note under every swara and key — a small letter is komal, M is tivra Ma. Western shows the matching Western scale when there is one (for example Mechakalyani → Lydian mode) and adds the note name with Sa as C — C, C#, D … The Carnatic swaras (S R1 G3 …) always stay as the main label. When no counterpart is known the tab says so and is greyed out — it cannot be opened. The source of each name is linked.
Similar ragas and Compare
Similar Ragas lists the ragas that share this raga's scale or differ from it by one or two swaras, each with what is different (for example "G2 instead of G3, both ways"). Tap a name to read its article, or Compare to open the two ragas side by side on the Compare ragas page. Compare with another raga opens the Compare Ragas popup with this raga already chosen, so you can pick any other raga.
Three languages, instantly
A floating English / தமிழ் / हिन्दी bar sits at the bottom of the blog and changes the page the moment it is tapped — no reload. A section not yet translated falls back to English and says so instead of showing a blank panel. Your choice follows you around the rest of the site.
Is this raga your name?
For the raga names that are genuinely used as given names, the article carries an “Is <Raga> Your Name?” section — spelling variants (Hemant / Hemanth, Revati / Revathi) included, so your own spelling finds the raga.
Links back into the app
Each article links to that raga’s Explore view and its songs, and closing those pages returns you to the article you came from. A raga with no approved songs yet shows a Be the first to contribute panel instead. The Share button passes the article on.
💡 Tip: Every raga has a real page from day one. Signature Swarams now covers nearly 100 of the best-known ragas with their popular phrases, and Structure about 30; both appear only where there is real content, and more are added over time. Where no one has written the copy yet, the article is built from the raga data and the songs database, so you never land on an empty page.
🤝 Contribute
Ilakku Music grows with its community. Open Menu → Contribute to add songs, ragas, quizzes or raga blogs — or to support the app with a donation. Each part below matches a part of the video above, and is outlined while the video talks about it.
🎵 Contribute songs
How song contribution works
Have a missing classic or modern Cine song? Navigate to Menu → Contribute → Contribute Songs and follow the 3-step wizard to request Song Admin access.
Raga confidence rating
Rate your confidence (1–10) in categorizing songs by Carnatic ragas.
Display name
Enter your name (max 20 characters) — it appears on contributions and the leaderboard.
Profile picture
Choose a profile picture from the default pictures provided. A photo cannot be uploaded from your computer or camera. If you already picked your picture (for example at sign-up), this step is skipped and the request is sent straight away.
Once submitted, the Super Admin will review your request. You'll receive a notification once approved and get access to the Song Admin panel.
One request per admin role: your web and phone share the same sign-in, so a request sent from one is the same request on the other. While it waits for approval a second one is not taken, and if you already have that admin role you are told so.
🎼 Contribute ragam
Extend the raga database
Navigate to Menu → Contribute → Contribute Ragam to request Raga Admin access. Describe your knowledge of swarams and ragas in the text field.
✅ What you can contribute: New Janaka (Melakarta) or Janya ragas with accurate Arohanam and Avarohanam swara patterns. Once approved, your ragas become searchable and browsable in the main app for all users.
❓ Contribute quiz
Make quizzes for your students
Go to Menu → Contribute → Create Quiz to request Quiz Admin access. Rate how confident you are in making a quiz on songs and Carnatic ragas, then send the request.
Get approved
The Super Admin reviews your request. Once it is approved, Quiz Admin appears in your menu.
Build your quiz
Create a quiz for your school, class or students — your own questions and answers, under your name or your school.
Share it
Send the quiz link to your students. How to take a quiz is under Quiz; building one step by step is in the Quiz admin guide, shown to Quiz admins.
✍️ Contribute blog
Write raga blog articles
Navigate to Menu → Contribute → Write Raga Blogs to request Blog Admin access. Once the Super Admin approves it, Blog Admin appears in your menu.
Pick a raga
Blog Admin opens on a list of ragas with the same fuzzy search as the rest of the site. The pencil icon opens the editor for that raga.
Edit real copy, not a blank box
Every field is pre-filled with the text that is live right now. The editor is rich text — bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, font and size, headings, lists, links, and an HTML source toggle — and it renders exactly what the public page shows, so it is the preview.
One article per language
An English / தமிழ் / हिन्दी selector loads that language’s own article, and every save applies only to it — writing the Tamil article can never overwrite the English one. The list shows which languages a raga has been written in.
Send it for approval
A Blog Admin’s save is stored as waiting for approval and goes to the Super Admin, who publishes it — the queue names the language, since the same raga can be waiting in all three.
✍️ What is yours to write: the mood and character, the practice phrases, the compositions to listen and learn, plus the article title, tags and hero image. The raga and song facts — arohanam, avarohanam and the composition count — are read-only here: they belong to Raga Admin and Song Admin and refresh on the blog by themselves.
📨 Request and approval
Send your request
The Super Admin reviews it. You get a notification once it is approved, and your admin page then appears in the menu.
Every contribution counts
What you add, edit and answer is counted on the Leaderboard.
Not signed up yet?
Tapping any contribute card asks you to sign up first. After signing in you come straight back to send your request.
Already an admin, or already asked?
If you already hold that admin role, the card tells you so and points to your admin page. If your request is still waiting, it shows that the request is received and waiting for approval.
💰 Donate & support
To maintain servers, provide high-quality audio synthesizers, and reward top contributors, Ilakku Music accepts voluntary donations.
QR code payment
Navigate to Menu → Contribute → Donate and scan the QR code to donate directly.
Bank transfer
Click "Email Bank Details" and banking information will be sent to your registered email.
Contributor rewards
Verified moderators and heavy contributors scaling our Swara and Raga databases may occasionally qualify for special administrative incentives.
❓ Quiz
Create & take quizzes
Quizzes are designed for ear-training and raga identification practice. Navigate to Menu → Contribute → Create Quiz to request Quiz Admin access linked to your academy.
Build your own quiz
Create your own quiz from scratch — write your own questions on raga identification, swara structures, and auditory combinations, set the answers, and publish it under your own name or academy.
Share with your students
Share your quiz directly with your students on your own. They take it, and you can see and share their scores — making it easy to track each learner's progress.
🏆 Scores & sharing: Every quiz attempt is scored automatically. Students can share their scores, and top scorers climb the Quiz tab on the Leaderboard.
❤️ Fav songs & ragas
Save the songs and ragas you love. Favourites are personal — sign up / sign in to use them. They work the same on web and mobile.
Favourite songs
♡ Adding a favourite
Tap the heart on any song card — next to the YouTube icon — in the main app or on the songs page. It fills red and the song is saved. A small box then lets you put it into one of your folders, or just keep it under All.
📄 The fav songs page
Open Menu → Fav songs. Each card expands like on the main page, shows Raga, Composer, Artists, Movie and Author, and plays its YouTube video (or Instagram post / reel) inline. Every card has a serial number, a tick box, the heart and the YouTube button (a red ✕ while it plays — press it to stop). Under each card are two tabs, even when it is closed: the eye icon with the views on the left, the share icon and the number of shares on the right — the same song card as the main app.
📁 Folders
The tabs at the top are All (every favourite) plus up to three folders of your own — Walking, Long drive, anything you like. Tap + to make a new folder. One song can sit in more than one folder.
✏️ Rename or delete a folder
Open the folder’s tab and tap the pencil next to the tabs. You can rename the folder or delete it. Deleting a folder removes only the folder — its songs stay in your favourites under All. The pencil is grey on the All tab, because All cannot be renamed or deleted.
☑️ Move or copy songs
Tick the songs you want (or Select all). While songs are ticked, the two Play All buttons become Move to folder and Copy to folder. Copy adds them to another folder; Move takes them out of the folder you are in. Move is not offered on the All tab.
💔 Removing a favourite
The heart is the only way to remove. It asks “Remove Fav” first. On a folder tab it takes the song out of that folder only; on the All tab it removes the song from your favourites altogether.
▶ Play all
"Play All" plays every song in the open tab one after another, announcing each song’s details first in the language you selected in the app. "Play All (no intro)" skips the announcement and just plays the songs back-to-back.
🔗 Sharing a list or a folder
The Share icon at the top shares the tab that is open — All shares your whole list, a folder tab shares only that folder. Anyone opening the link can play all the songs. If they are signed in they can add the page to their own favourites (as a folder of the same name); if not, they are invited to sign up first.
Favourite ragas
♡ Adding a favourite raga
Every raga card carries a heart after the info icon, next to the raga name. Tap it and the raga is saved. For your first five favourite ragas a popup says “Your <raga> has been added to your favourites. Click the image at the top to view all your favourite ragas.”; after that a green bar at the bottom confirms it. Tap the heart again to remove it.
🔖 Viewing your favourite ragas
There is no separate page for favourite ragas. Tap the bookmark-heart image at the top, near the Raga name heading above the search: the list shows only your favourite ragas and the image fills. Tap it again to see every raga. If you have no favourite ragas yet, it tells you so.
🌐 Language switching
Multi-language support
Ilakku Music supports multiple languages to make the app accessible to a wider audience. Switch languages from the Navigation Menu.
🇬🇧
English
Default
🇮🇳
தமிழ்
Tamil
🇮🇳
हिन्दी
Hindi
📌 How to switch: Open the hamburger menu (☰) from the top-right corner of the main app. Scroll down to the "Switch Language" section at the bottom and tap your preferred language. The interface and raga data will update instantly.
🏆 Leaderboard
Your contributions power Ilakku Music. The Leaderboard shows everyone who adds and improves songs, ragas, quizzes and blogs, and who answers the No results found requests sent in by visitors. Open it from the 🏆 Leaderboard item in the menu.
📊 The top of the leaderboard
You’re #N — your overall rank, worked out from your points in every tab together.
Total points — your points, then the leader’s points in small grey (for example 120 / 450), so you can see how far the top is.
Below your rank: your points for Song, Raga and Quiz one by one.
🗂️ Four tabs
Songs, Ragas, Quiz and Blog. The number in brackets beside each tab is how many items everyone has added in it.
Each tab ranks the contributors of that kind only. The top contributor is shown in green. Your own row is highlighted and shows your rank in that tab — “You’re #2”.
🧾 The columnsWhat each row shows
- # — rank in this tab.
- Name — the contributor’s display name and profile picture.
- Added — new songs, ragas, quizzes or blogs they added that were approved.
- Edited — existing items they corrected or improved that were approved.
- Answered — No results found requests they answered.
- Points — the points all of that is worth. The leaderboard is ranked by points.
📨 What “Answered” means
When a visitor searches for a raga or song and finds nothing, they can press Submit No Results Found. The admins of that kind get a notification with a Pick Up button, which also shows how many days the request has waited.
The admin who picks it up (or is assigned it) answers it: adds the song or raga, or replies that it is already on the site, or that the spelling was not clear. After the super admin approves, the visitor is emailed — and that request counts in the admin’s Answered columncount.
A song or raga added from a request is also counted under Added and carries a Picked Up or Assigned label.
👆 Tap a number to see the list
On the Songs, Ragas and Quiz tabs, tap any contributor’s Added, Edited, Answered or Points number. Their list opens over the leaderboard; close it and you are back on the leaderboard.
The list has chips at the top — Added · Picked Up · Edited · Answered · Total · Points. Tap a chip to see only that list; Total shows everything again. There is a search box to find an item quickly. On the Songs tab, the Cine Classical Semi-C chips below the search box narrow the list to that kind of song, just like the main app. You can switch on more than one; tap a chip again to turn it off. They work together with the search box.
On the Songs tab every song is the same song card as the main app: the Views and Shares tabs hang under it; tap it to open Raga, Composer, Artists and Movie; the heart saves it to your favourites; the YouTube button plays it inside the card and turns into a red ✕ to stop. A song added from a request keeps its 🎯 Picked Up or 🎯 Assigned badge beside the name.
The Answered list shows each request: the name asked for (and the movie, for songs), the answer with its link or comment, and the status Answered.
🏅 View my badge
⏳ Not on the board yet?
Signed in but with no points in a tab? Your row is still shown, pinned at the bottom, with “You can be a part of Contribution team!” and a Become an Admin button that takes you to the request form. If you are already an admin of that kind, the button reads Go to Song Admin (or Raga, Quiz, Blog).
Not signed in? The leaderboard ends with Sign in to contribute.
⭐ How points are earned
🎵 Song admin guide
You see this section because you are a Song Admin. Open Menu → Song Admin to reach your dashboard.
🔑 When you update your password (Sign in → Forgot Password?), your new password and its version number (v1, v2 …) are mailed to your own email address, with a copy to the super admin.
📊 Your dashboard
- Total Songs and Approved songs on the site.
- My Contributions — songs you added and edited, and your songs edited by others.
- Pending Approval — your songs waiting for the super admin.
- No Results Found — song requests from visitors: All · Assigned · Picked, how many are not answered and the oldest day.
- Leaderboard — your rank (“You’re #N”).
Below the tiles, the songs table has My Songs to show only yours, and filters such as Missing Artist, Missing Composer, Missing YouTube URL and Missing Movie to find songs that need fixing.
➕ Add a song
- Press + Add Song (on a phone, the Add Song button under the search box).
- Pick the Raga name — search it in the list (All / Janaka / Janya) — and the Type: Cine, Classical or Semi-Classical.
- Paste the YouTube link (an Instagram post or reel link works too) and press Play to check it is the right song — it plays right there in the form.
- Fill Song title, Composer, Artist 1 (Artist 2 if it is a duet) and Movie/Album. The list button beside each name opens the composer, artist or movie list, so you use the spelling already on the site.
- Tamil / Hindi title and movie — leave them blank and they are filled in for you.
- Press Save Changes → Send for Approval? → Submit.
The song shows as Waiting for approval (an AI note beside it gives the AI Song Admin’s reason, if any) and goes live once approved. It then counts in your Added columncount.
A Tamil / Hindi spelling mistake does not get your song rejected — the AI Song Admin corrects the spelling and approves. A song is rejected only when the YouTube link does not open or the video is not the song you entered.
✏️ Edit a song
Press ✎ on the song’s row (or Edit on the song’s card). Correct what is wrong, press Save Changes and Submit. The change goes live once the super admin approves it, and counts in your Edited columncount.
When you press Edit, every other admin sees “In edit by <your name>” and cannot edit it. You can open it and change it as many times as you like until the super admin approves — even after you have submitted: the ✎ stays on the song’s row for you and opens your waiting correction, while every other admin sees “In edit · <your name>” on it. If you open it again after submitting, approval waits until you submit again. An edit left open without submitting stays locked; only the super admin can unlock it. Once approved or rejected, it is open to everyone again.
🛡️ Nothing you type is lost
🎵 Teach the tune for Hum to Search
- Press 🎵 on a song’s row (or card), or Teach tune now on the card that appears after you approve a new song.
- The Teach page opens for that song. Tap the mic and hum the opening of the pallavi for 6–12 seconds — or play the song on a speaker near the mic (▶ Open the song on YouTube is on the page).
- Each take is saved straight away; 2–3 takes work best. From then on, anyone humming that song finds it.
- Only Song Admins, Song Approvers and the Super Admin can save a tune.
🔎 Find a song in the list
- + Add Song is at the right end of the bar above the song list.
- Type in the search box under a column heading (Title, Raga, Author …) to find a song. The column headings and their search boxes stay at the top while you scroll down the list.Type in the search box above the list to find a song.
- When the table is wider than your screen, a scroll bar above the column headings lets you slide it left and right. The same works on the No Results Found page.
📨 Answer a No Results Found request
- Find the request. The notification bell shows a Pick Up button with how many days it has waited — or open the No Results Found tile on your dashboard (All · Assigned · Picked, and how many are not answered). The Date & Time column next to the name shows when each request was sent in — press its up arrow for newest first, or its down arrow for oldest first.
- Pick it up. Press Pick Up on a row nobody has picked. If other open requests have the same spelling, a Same spelling found card lets you tick them and Merge, so one answer goes to all of them — or choose Don’t merge. A request the super admin assigned to you shows Assigned to you. A row another admin holds shows a grey Answer button.
- Press Answer. “What happened with this one?” gives two choices:
- I’ll add it — the Add Song popup opens already filled with the request (song name, movie and link if they gave one). Complete it and submit. When the super admin approves, the request closes, the person who asked is emailed the link and everyone is told the song is added.
- Check Already on the Site — press Fetch URL. The app opens with the name typed into the search and a small Paste URL card you can drag. Find it, copy its ilakkumusic.com link, paste it and press Submit. If it is not there because the spelling was wrong, press Spelling Incorrect on that card and write a note for the person who asked.
- Done. The person who asked gets your answer by email, and the request counts in your Answered columncount on the Leaderboard.
🎼 Raga admin guide
You see this section because you are a Raga Admin. Open Menu → Raga Admin to reach your dashboard.
🔑 When you update your password (Sign in → Forgot Password?), your new password and its version number (v1, v2 …) are mailed to your own email address, with a copy to the super admin.
📊 Your dashboard
- Total Ragas and Approved ragas on the site.
- My Contribution — ragas by you.
- Pending Approval — your ragas waiting for the super admin.
- No Results Found — raga requests from visitors: All · Assigned · Picked, how many are not answered and the oldest day.
- Song Ragas to Confirm — songs the AI Song Admin could not decide (see below).
- Leaderboard — your rank.
➕ Add a raga
- Press Add Raga.
- Choose the Parent Melakarta.
- Type the Raga name. If the raga already exists under the same parent you are warned — pick the existing one instead of adding it twice.
- Enter the Arohanam and Avarohanam with the swaram keyboard, and press play to hear them.
- Add a URL reference if you have one, and send it for approval.
Once approved it is searchable for everyone and counts in your Added columncount.
✏️ Edit a raga
Press the Edit (pencil) on the raga. The old Arohanam and Avarohanam are shown beside the new ones, each with its own play button, so you can hear the difference before you send it. The change goes live once approved and counts in your Edited columncount.
When you press Edit, every other admin sees “In edit by <your name>” and cannot edit it. You can open it and change it as many times as you like until the super admin approves — even after you have submitted: the pencil on the raga opens your waiting change, not the old values. If you open it again after submitting, approval waits until you submit again. An edit left open without submitting stays locked; only the super admin can unlock it. Once approved or rejected, it is open to everyone again.
🎧 Song ragas to confirm
Open the Song Ragas to Confirm tile. It lists the songs the AI Song Admin could not decide, each with its reason, the YouTube link (red icon) to listen, and the author with their Correct entries %.
- Listen to the song.
- Type or pick the raga in the box on that row. In the raga list a melakarta shows its own number (Kharaharapriya #22); a janya shows the melakarta it comes from (Abheri — Janya of Kharaharapriya #22). Type a mela number such as 22 to list that melakarta and its janyas.
- The same raga as now → press Confirm Raga. Another raga → the button becomes Change Raga; press it. The button works once — it stays greyed out after the click.
- Cannot tell the raga? Press Could not confirm. The song leaves only your list — the other raga admins and the Super Admin still see it, with a “Could not confirm:” line naming who could not.
As a raga expert, your raga is taken as it is — the AI Song Admin then checks only the other details and approves. For a song already live, a raga change goes for approval first. The song then leaves the list and waits in Waiting for approval. When the Super Admin confirms or changes the raga, the song is approved at once and shows under Approved.
🔎 Find a raga in the list
- + Add Raga is at the right end of the bar above the raga list.
- Type in the search box under a column heading (Title, Raga, Author …) to find a raga. The column headings and their search boxes stay at the top while you scroll down the list.Type in the search box above the list to find a raga.
- When the table is wider than your screen, a scroll bar above the column headings lets you slide it left and right. The same works on the No Results Found and Song Ragas to Confirm page.
📨 Answer a No Results Found request
- Find the request. The notification bell shows a Pick Up button with how many days it has waited — or open the No Results Found tile on your dashboard (All · Assigned · Picked, and how many are not answered).
- Pick it up. Press Pick Up on a row nobody has picked. If other open requests have the same spelling, a Same spelling found card lets you tick them and Merge, so one answer goes to all of them — or choose Don’t merge. A request the super admin assigned to you shows Assigned to you. A row another admin holds shows a grey Answer button.
- Press Answer. “What happened with this one?” gives two choices:
- I’ll add it — the request waits as a highlighted, pre-filled draft above your raga table. Complete the Arohanam and Avarohanam and send it for approval. When the super admin approves, the request closes, the person who asked is emailed the link and everyone is told the raga is added.
- Check Already on the Site — press Fetch URL. The app opens with the name typed into the search and a small Paste URL card you can drag. Find it, copy its ilakkumusic.com link, paste it and press Submit. If it is not there because the spelling was wrong, press Spelling Incorrect on that card and write a note for the person who asked.
- Done. The person who asked gets your answer by email, and the request counts in your Answered columncount on the Leaderboard.
❓ Quiz admin guide
You see this section because you are a Quiz Admin. Open Menu → Quiz Admin to reach your dashboard.
🔑 When you update your password (Sign in → Forgot Password?), your new password and its version number (v1, v2 …) are mailed to your own email address, with a copy to the super admin.
📊 Your page
- Total Quizzes, Pending Approval and your Leaderboard rank at the top.
- My Quizzes — your own quizzes, each with its share banner, its status (Approved, 📝 Draft, ⏳ Waiting for approval) and how many people attended.
- Awaiting Approval — quizzes by other authors that are waiting for a decision, in their own row highlighted in yellow so they stand out. Approvers use Preview and ✅ Approve here.
- Community Quizzes — all other quizzes by other authors.
- The Type of quiz filter narrows both lists.
- Search quizzes — one box above the lists finds a quiz by anything in it: its name, school, link, description, type, status, author, or any question, option, answer or hint. Quizzes whose name starts with what you type are listed first. It works together with the Type of quiz filter, and the ✕ in the box clears it.
➕ Create a quiz — three steps
- Step 1 — School name and Quiz name (up to 15 letters). The URL preview shows the link your quiz will have.
- Step 2 — Type of quiz, the Share banner (choose an image, then pan and zoom it to fit the frame) and a short description. The banner is what people see when the quiz or a result is shared.
- Step 3 — Quiz Settings: basic rules, scoring, attempts, answers & feedback, time and results. Press Save Settings.
Press New Quiz on your page to start.
📝 Add the questions
- Set the Number of Questions (5 to 10).
- For each question choose single choice or multiple choice, write the question and the options, and mark the correct answer (or answers). You can add an image or audio to a question or an option.
- Every question needs a Hint of 10 to 200 letters.
- Press 👁 Preview to try the quiz as a learner would.
📤 Save and send for approval
Save Draft keeps your work without sending it — finish every question first. Send for Approval sends it to the super admin; the card shows ⏳ Waiting for approval. Once approved the quiz is live on Take a Quiz and counts in your Added columncount.
Quiz Settings changes on an approved quiz are saved straight away and need no approval. Changing questions or details of a live quiz needs approval again — learners keep taking the approved version meanwhile.
✏️ Edit a quiz
Press Edit on your quiz card. It opens on Quiz Settings, with Edit Questions beside Back; Back also takes you to Steps 1 and 2.
A quiz can be edited only by the admin who made it and by the super admin — and both of them can edit it at any time. No other admin sees an Edit button on your quiz or can change it.
If you open your quiz again after sending it, approval waits until you send it again.
📈 After it is live
✍️ Blog admin guide
You see this section because you are a Blog Admin. Open Menu → Blog Admin to reach your dashboard.
🔑 When you update your password (Sign in → Forgot Password?), your new password and its version number (v1, v2 …) are mailed to your own email address, with a copy to the super admin.
📚 Pick a raga
📊 Your dashboard
✍️ New Blog
Press + New Blog to open the blog page. First choose what your blog is about — tap one of the three cards: 📜 Song lyrics, 🎼 Raga blogs or 🎵 Song blogs. The heading and body open once a card is chosen, and you can switch to another card while writing. Blogs written before categories came in are Raga blogs.
Type the Heading, then build the body with the floating + Add button. Each press adds a section with a box for a picture, video or audio file and a text box side by side — the first with the picture on the left, the next with the text on the left, and so on (one below the other on a phone). Press Upload image, video or audio to fill the box (a song recording or a clip of a phrase can go in as audio); the text box stays beside it, so you can write or edit the text any time. Remove takes a section out.
Write in English. When you press Submit for approval, your blog is translated into Tamil and Hindi by itself, so it always goes in all three languages. To check the translation first, press தமிழ் or हिन्दी at the top of the page — the tab switches at once and shows Translating into தமிழ் (or हिन्दी) with moving dots until the text is in. Anything you correct there is sent exactly as you wrote it and is never translated over. Press English to go back. Pictures, videos and audio are the same in every language.
Press 👁 Preview to see your blog full screen, the way readers will see it — switch between English, தமிழ் and हिन्दी at the top and close it with ×. The eye on each blog in the list shows the same preview at any time — before you send it, while it waits for approval and after it is published.
Press Submit for approval — the super admin publishes it. You can edit your blog again with the pencil.
Closing the page or leaving it with text you have not sent asks you first, in a small Ilakku Music box (Leave without saving?), so nothing is lost by mistake.
🙋 My Blogs
📝 Write the article
Every box is filled with the text that is live right now, so you edit real copy, not a blank page. The editor is rich text — font and size, bold, italic, headings, lists, links and an HTML view — and shows the article as the public page will.
Yours to write: the page title, tags, hero image (Upload / replace), and the sections such as Musical Mood and Character, Essential Phrases for Practice and the compositions to listen to. Arohanam, Avarohanam, classification and approved compositions are read-only — they come from Raga Admin and Song Admin. Revert to built-in text puts back the standard wording.
🌐 One article per language
📤 Save and send for approval
Save as draft keeps your work without sending it. Submit for approval sends it to the super admin, who publishes it — the queue names the language.
If the super admin sends it back, it shows Sent back by the Super Admin with the reason — correct it and submit again.
🔒 In edit
Opening an article in the editor takes it for you, for that raga and that language.
When you press Edit, every other admin sees “In edit” on that article and cannot open or save it. You can keep editing it until the super admin approves — even after you have sent it. If you open it again after sending, approval waits until you send it again. An edit left open without sending stays locked; only the super admin can unlock it. Once approved or rejected, it is open to everyone again.
👋 Onboarding screens
These are the welcome screens new members see right after signing up. Use Back / Next to step through them one after another.
Welcome to IlakkuMusic
Your gateway to exploring Carnatic music — ragas, songs, and swarams — all in one app. Founded by S. Narayanan, and built with the community, for the community.
✉️ Unsubscribe
If you no longer wish to receive emails and notifications from Ilakku Music, you can unsubscribe here.
- Once you unsubscribe, no mails will be sent from Ilakku Music to your email address — no reminders and no approval or badge mails — and no notifications will show in the app.
- Only the mails you ask for yourself are still sent, such as a sign-in verification code or a password reset.
- Your account, contributions and favourites stay as they are. You can sign in and use the app any day, as before.
- If you change your mind, come back to this same section — it will show Subscribe.
👤 About the founder
Founder of Ilakku Music
S. Narayanan
Ilakku Music was founded by S. Narayanan.
CEO – Ilakku.xyz Pvt. Ltd.
Founder – Ilakku Learning | UX | UI Design Institute
I am S. Narayanan, a UX | UI designer, entrepreneur, and the founder of Ilakku Learning, a UX | UI design institute, and CEO of Ilakku.xyz Pvt. Ltd. I am not an expert in Carnatic music. I am simply someone who wants to learn, understand, practise, and contribute whenever I can.
Where it began
Teaching my mother
My journey with Ilakku Music started from something very personal. I was trying to teach my mother with the limited musical knowledge I had. While doing that, I started noting down ragas, swarams, arohanam, avarohanam, and songs related to them. I would try to remember them and play them on the keyboard.
The problem
Notes that went missing
But after a few days, I would forget some of what I had learned. Sometimes, even the paper on which I had written everything would be missing. That made me think about how much valuable musical knowledge can get lost simply because it is written on pieces of paper, stored in different places, or remains only in someone’s memory.
A second difficulty
Swarams written in many ways
While learning, I also noticed another difficulty. Different people and different sources use different ways of writing swarams. Some use S, s, S1, S^, small letters, capital letters, and many other variations. As a learner, this can be confusing. I felt that if we could follow an existing and commonly accepted standard, it would make things easier for learners to understand, practise, and share what they know.
What I found
Information that did not match
I also noticed that information about ragas and songs is not always the same everywhere. I collected information about some ragas from different websites, and some song details came from information I found through Google searches. I understand that everything we have collected may not always be complete or completely accurate. I don’t want to pretend that I know everything. I don’t. Instead, I want to create a place where we can start with what we know, learn more, and allow people who know better to review, correct, and improve the information.
The question
Why should it stay scattered?
Why should musical knowledge remain scattered across notebooks, papers, websites, and individual memories? Why can’t we create one place where we can record it, search it, learn from it, review it, correct it, and allow everyone to contribute?
The answer
That question became Ilakku Music
I believe this platform can become useful only when everyone participates. A learner can contribute something they discovered. A musician can share their knowledge. A teacher can correct something. An expert can verify information. A student can ask questions. A music lover can share a song. A composer can create something new. Everyone has something to give, and everyone has something to learn. That is why I don’t see Ilakku Music as something that belongs only to me. It should grow through constant learning, contribution, review, correction, creation, and sharing.
From here
Bigger than my original idea
I started this as a learner, with a simple desire to keep what I learn from getting lost. But I hope it can become much bigger than my original idea — a place where many people can come together and preserve, explore, understand, create, and share music. The information available today may come from my own research, publicly available sources, and contributions from users. As more knowledgeable people and experts participate, I hope the information will become better, more accurate, and more useful for everyone.
🌱 You don’t have to be an expert
If you know something useful, share it. If you find something that is wrong, help correct it. If you know more about a raga or a song, help someone understand it. If you want to learn, explore. If you create something, share it. If someone else knows something better, learn from them.
Is Ilakku Music community-built, or does it have a founder? Both. Ilakku Music was founded by S. Narayanan, and its content grows through community contribution — users add the songs, ragas, quizzes and blogs. It is community-driven by design, but it was founded, and is run, by one person.