Bangalore A. R. Ramani Ammal

Murga is a carnival-rooted performance genre that blends choral singing, sharp social satire, and highly rhythmic street percussion. Typically presented by neighborhood troupes, it combines theatrical staging, elaborate costumes, and choreographed movement with a driving, snare-led groove. Although it has variants across the Hispanic world, murga is especially associated with the Río de la Plata region, where its sound crystallized into massed chorus, rapid-fire "cuplés" (satirical couplets), and set pieces that open (saludo) and close (retirada) each show. The tone ranges from festive and humorous to bitingly political, all delivered with bold vocal projection and call-and-response energy.

Devotional is a broad South Asian musical genre centered on spiritual praise, meditation, and communal worship. It encompasses a range of forms—such as bhajans, abhangs, kirtans, and Sufi songs—that are designed to invoke the divine, cultivate devotion (bhakti), and foster collective participation. Musically, Devotional draws on raga-based melodies, cyclical tala (meter), and a drone foundation (tanpura or shruti box), while accommodating both austere chant-like settings and richly ornamented, improvisatory singing. Performances may be solo or call-and-response, accompanied by harmonium, tabla/dholak, handclaps, cymbals (manjira), or mridangam, and rendered in many languages including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, and Urdu. Modern recordings range from traditional temple and dargah repertoires to studio-produced devotional pop and global kirtan, with arrangements that can include acoustic guitars, keyboards, and ambient textures. The lyrical focus remains on praise, remembrance of divine names, surrender, and moral or philosophical reflection.