First appeared in www.scroll.in on August 8, 2015. For many, the term raagmala or “garland of raags” conjures up images of Raag Mala paintings from the medieval period. These works incorporate elements of painting, poetry and music, standing witness to a time when the arts were treated as a composite whole. Not only do the works portray the painters’ visual interpretation of the raags, but some include descriptive verses for the raags. These paintings were based on the prevalent classification of