Background & Purpose​

South India Fine Arts (SIFA) has long championed the promotion and preservation of Carnatic music through concerts, performances, and educational initiatives. With SIFA Lalithakala Vaibhavam 2026, SIFA takes a bold and exciting step forward by introducing an event that celebrates Carnatic music knowledge in a uniquely interactive and entertaining format: the SIFA Carnatic Music Quiz.

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Drawing inspiration from the globally celebrated format of question-and-answer quiz shows, the SIFA Carnatic Music Quiz reimagines the traditional music competition as a high-energy, intellectually engaging experience for both participants and the audience. Unlike a performance competition, this event tests the depth and breadth of a participant's Carnatic music knowledge including composers, ragas, talas, instruments, krithi lyrics, music history, and beyond, turning learning into a thrilling spectacle.

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Why This Event Will Be a Crowd Favorite

• It's accessible and exciting for everyone. You don't need to be a trained musician to enjoy or follow the action. Parents, students, teachers, and enthusiasts of all ages can engage with the questions, debate the answers, and cheer for their favorites, much like a live game show.

• It bridges generations. Carnatic music is rich with lore, legend, and trivia spanning centuries. This format allows a retired sabha-goer to compete on equal footing with a young student steeped in the tradition, creating delightful and unexpected moments.

• It's highly entertaining. With buzzers, a live host, audio and video clues, and time pressure, the atmosphere in the hall will crackle with energy. The audience becomes part of the experience, second-guessing the contestants, gasping at unexpected answers, and celebrating brilliance in real time.

• It's educational without feeling like a class. Every question is a discovery. Audience members will leave having learned something new about a composer they admire, a raga they've hummed for years, or a tala they never knew had a name.

• It deepens community identity. Carnatic music is a shared heritage. An event that celebrates what people know, and are still learning, about this tradition creates a strong sense of collective pride and belonging, which is at the heart of SIFA's mission.

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Competition Format​

Sub-Junior 1 and Sub-Junior 2 (Age 5-12 years)

Modeled after the Spelling Bee format: Contestants answer progressively difficult questions in rounds, with elimination after each round.

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• Round 1: 16 contestants. Each contestant is asked 3 questions and has 15 seconds to answer each question. A correct answer receives 2 points and an incorrect or no answer receives 0 points. Partial points may be awarded at the discretion of the Quizmaster for partially correct answers. 8 top scorers will progress to the next round (in case of ties, if the target 8 number of contestants for the next round is not reached, then all of the tied contestants advance to the next round).

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• Round 2: 8 contestants (or more in case of a tie in Round 1). Each contestant is asked 3 questions and has 15 seconds to answer each question. A correct answer receives 3 points and an incorrect or no answer receives 0 points. Partial points may be awarded at the discretion of the Quizmaster for partially correct answers. 4 top scorers will progress to the next round (in case of ties, if the target 4 number of contestants for the next round is not reached, then all of them advance to the next round).

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• Round 3: 4 contestants (or more in case of a tie). Each contestant is asked 3 questions and has 15 seconds to answer each question. A correct answer receives 4 points and an incorrect or no answer receives 0 points. Partial points may be awarded at the discretion of the Quizmaster for partially correct answers. Only the top 2 scorers will advance to the final round (in case of ties, additional tie-breaker questions will be asked until we have 2 finalists).

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• Final round: 2 contestants. Each contestant is asked 5 questions and has 15 seconds to answer each question. A correct answer receives 5 points and an incorrect or no answer receives 0 points. Partial points may be awarded at the discretion of the Quizmaster for partially correct answers. In case of a tie, additional tie-breaker questions will be asked until we have a winner!

Note: The scores are cumulative for each contestant across the different rounds. The number of contestants, questions in each round, and the points awarded for each correct answer in a particular round are subject to final revision at the time of the competition. The Sub-Junior 1 and Sub-Junior 2 categories will each have a separate set of 4 rounds, with age- and level-appropriate questions.

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Junior (Age 13-18 years) & Senior (Age 19+ years)

Modeled after Jeopardy format: 5 teams with 3 contestants in each team will participate in this category. The teams will be assigned at random before the start of the competition. Each team selects a question or a clue from a category board (e.g., Composers, Ragas, Instruments, Krithi, Talam, Music History etc.) for varying point values. Questions/Clues are revealed by the Quizmaster and may include audio or video clips. A correct response earns the number of points associated with the question. A final "wager" round closes the game.

Note: Depending on the number of participants, the size of a team and the number of teams is subject to change.

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