A solo item in which a pupil in classes 8 to 12 sings a ghazal, a poem of rhyming couplets with a repeating refrain, marked out of 100 in Karnataka’s school talent festival.
A ghazal is a poem built from self-contained couplets that share a refrain and a rhyme, traditionally on love, longing and loss. Sung ghazal sets those couplets to a slow, unhurried tune, so the singer’s job is to let each couplet land as its own small thought while the refrain ties the whole piece together. It is closer to light classical singing than to a film song: the melody is simple, but there is nowhere to hide an uneven note or a careless word.
In the Karnataka school talent festival the item is a solo entry for the senior band, classes 8 to 12. Boys and girls compete together, the language is open, and the marks are out of 100. The source table prints no readable time limit for this item, so none is set in the template; first, second and third places are recorded and the winner moves up through the school, cluster, block and district stages.
A finished entry is one ghazal, or a few of its couplets, sung from memory with a steady pitch, clear pronunciation of every word and a pace slow enough for the meaning to reach the listener. Because the couplets are separate, the singer can pause between them and repeat the refrain with a slightly different emotion each time, which is where a panel hears real understanding of the verse.
Organisers run it because it needs no equipment, brings an Urdu-rooted poetic form to older pupils, and tests listening, diction and control rather than volume. For a scoring team it is simple: one pupil at a time, one mark out of 100 and a clear timer if the organiser sets one.
Where Ghazal (ಗಝಲ್) is run
In eTalenter’s data this item appears on one template, the Karnataka school talent festival (classes 8 to 12, solo, any language). It is a separate item from the Kerala school Kalolsavam’s Urdu ghazal-singing item, which has its own page and its own rules. The printed rules give marks out of 100 but no breakdown, so this page does not claim a scoring table.
- India – Karnataka (state school talent festival, classes 8-12)
Key facts
- Individual item; boys and girls compete together.
- One class band only: classes 8 to 12.
- Language is open (any language) in the template; confirm local expectations with your organiser.
- No readable time limit is printed for this item, so none is set; ask your organiser for the slot length.
- Marked out of 100, with first, second and third places recorded; no per-criterion marks are printed.
- Idea starters, not rules: a short ghazal with a simple refrain, a couplet pair on friendship or the seasons, or a well-known ghazal in a comfortable range with the meaning of each couplet explained to the pupil first.
On eTalenter, Ghazal (ಗಝಲ್) is filed under Music and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Ghazal (ಗಝಲ್) is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100.
The scoring method the templates attach to this item, and what that scale means. The category this competition is filed under when a template is installed. Others in this category: Classical Vocal, Light Music, Folk Song, Western Vocal, Instrumental, Group Song, Devotional Song, Patriotic Song eTalenter matches an item to its criteria on the words in its name, and creates exactly these when the template is installed. No criteria match this name, so none are created automatically — judges score it on the event’s own criteria instead.How it is scored
Where it sits
Judging criteria installed for it
What judges look at in Ghazal (ಗಝಲ್)
What a Ghazal (ಗಝಲ್) panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Pitch (sruti): holding one centre through the whole ghazal. The tune is gentle, so any drift is audible; a steady, modest range beats an ambitious one.
- Diction and pronunciation: Urdu and Persian-derived words carry sounds such as the soft ‘z’ and ‘kh’ that are easy to blur. Panels listen for clear, correct words, especially at the refrain.
- Expression (bhava): each couplet is a separate thought, so the mood should shift with the verse. Flat, rote delivery loses marks even when every note is right.
- Rhythm and pace: an even, unhurried beat with natural pauses between couplets, not a rushed or dragging tempo.
- Memory and confidence: singing without stopping, restarting or glancing at the teacher, and returning to the refrain cleanly.
- Time discipline: finishing inside whatever slot the organiser sets, with the last couplet sung out rather than cut off.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Ghazal (ಗಝಲ್) under Scoring Setup, or start from our guide to judging solo song competitions.
How to prepare for Ghazal (ಗಝಲ್)
How entrants and their teachers usually get Ghazal (ಗಝಲ್) right on the day:
- Choose a ghazal in the pupil’s comfortable range and test the highest note when the voice is tired, not only in a fresh rehearsal.
- Read the couplets aloud as speech first and have the pupil say each one’s meaning in their own words before learning the tune.
- Practise the difficult consonants and long vowels slowly, on their own, with a teacher or a recording, before singing them at tempo.
- Mark the breath points on the lyric sheet so a couplet is never broken in the middle of a phrase.
- Rehearse in sections, then whole, then standing on a stage floor, timing the full length against the organiser’s slot.
- Work on the refrain separately: it comes back many times, and each return should sound deliberate rather than automatic.
- Record a run on a phone and listen for pitch drift and swallowed words; problems are easier to hear than to feel.
Events that run this (1)
Ready-made templates that already include this competition. Installing one sets it up for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ghazal (ಗಝಲ್) judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
Is a ghazal the same as a bhavageete?
No. A ghazal is a set of rhyming couplets with a refrain, rooted in Urdu and Persian poetry. A bhavageete is a lyrical poem, most often Kannada, set to a simple tune. Both are separate items in the same festival.
Is Ghazal solo or a team item?
In the Karnataka school talent festival it is a solo item for classes 8 to 12. Check the rules of your own festival if you run a different format.
How long can the performance last?
The template carries no readable time limit for this item, so none is set. Ask your organiser for the slot length before the day.
Does the ghazal have to be in Urdu?
The template sets the language to any, so the data does not require it. Confirm with your organiser, as local rules may expect a particular language.
What are the marks given for?
The printed rules give a total out of 100 but no breakdown. Pitch, clear words, expression and rhythm are the usual points a panel listens for.
Similar competitions
Items whose names share a word with this one — usually the same discipline in another form.
Want the full judging picture? Read our guide to judging solo song competitions, or browse every music competition item.
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