Chinmaya Gita Chanting Competition (CGCC) — Scripture Chanting Competition by School Class, with Memorisation and Reading Rounds, Set Up in Minutes

Talent Test · Sunday School

Chinmaya Mission’s annual Bhagavad Gita chanting competition run by its centres in India and abroad: six class-based groups (Nursery to Class 12) with 6 to 20 verses each, a Memorisation item scored Memory / Pronunciation / Presentation / Meter and an optional Reading item, with the manual’s real preliminary-round marks and first, second and third placings, built from the 2026 official manual.

Sets up a Bhagavad Gita chanting competition: six school-class groups from Nursery to Class 12 with 6 to 20 verses each, a Memorisation item and an optional Reading item, scored out of 100 on memory, pronunciation, presentation and meter.

This template builds the preliminary round of a scripture-chanting competition in which children memorise and chant a set number of verses from one prescribed chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. The coordinator opens an event that already holds two competition items, six groups and first, second and third placings, rather than designing the entry sheet and marking scheme from a blank page.

Groups follow the school class, not the child’s age. Group A takes Nursery and both Kindergarten years (6 verses), Group B classes 1 and 2 (10 verses), Group C classes 3 and 4 (14 verses), Group D classes 5 and 6 (16 verses), Group E classes 7 to 9 (18 verses) and Group F classes 10 to 12 (20 verses). The class lists are installed as the class restriction on each group, so a participant is placed by the class they are in. The age ranges shown (3 to 5 up to 15 to 17) are only a typical class-to-age mapping so the platform can place entrants; adjust them for the school system where you run the event.

There are two items, both in the Oral category and both marked out of 100. Gita Chanting (Memorisation) is judged on Memory 45, Pronunciation 30, Presentation 15 and Meter / Tune 10. Gita Chanting (Reading) is for centres that allow chanters in specific age groups to read from the text, and is judged on Pronunciation 60, Presentation 30 and Meter / Tune 10, with memory dropping out. The source does not say which groups may read, so the Reading item is offered to every group; remove it from any group your organiser does not allow.

Entrants chant one at a time, so time is counted per head. The source prints no time limits, entry fees or penalty marks, so none are installed. Final rounds use different mark splits at state, national and international level; because one set of criteria is held per item, only the preliminary-round marks are installed, and you edit the criteria on the item if you run a later round on the same event.

Where this event comes from

The competition is built from the organiser’s official 2026 manual, which prescribes Chapter 12 of the Bhagavad Gita for the year.

Where this event is run

Run each year by the centres of a Hindu spiritual organisation in India and abroad, as a school-linked talent competition that moves from a preliminary round to centre, state, national and sometimes international finals. This template covers the preliminary round that a single centre or school group would run.

• India
• Centres of the organiser abroad

Key facts

• 2 items: Gita Chanting (Memorisation) and Gita Chanting (Reading), both individual, open to boys and girls, in Samskritham
• 6 groups by school class, Nursery to Class 12, with 6, 10, 14, 16, 18 and 20 verses respectively
• Memorisation marks (out of 100): Memory 45, Pronunciation 30, Presentation 15, Meter / Tune 10
• Reading marks (out of 100): Pronunciation 60, Presentation 30, Meter / Tune 10; optional and set by the centre
• Placings: first, second and third; the source prints no points for them, so they carry zero points
• Not modelled: later-round mark splits, qualification quotas between levels, open entrants and the optional unmarked verses

Age groups

6

Competition items

2

Competitions

12

Grade bands

0

Rank awards

3

Age groups

Every candidate is placed into one of these groups by age, and competitions are run per group.

Group A

3From

–

5To

Candidates aged 3 to 5 compete in this group

Group B

6From

–

7To

Candidates aged 6 to 7 compete in this group

Group C

8From

–

9To

Candidates aged 8 to 9 compete in this group

Group D

10From

–

11To

Candidates aged 10 to 11 compete in this group

Group E

12From

–

14To

Candidates aged 12 to 14 compete in this group

Group F

15From

–

17To

Candidates aged 15 to 17 compete in this group

Competition items

The events themselves — each with the category it belongs to and how judges score it.

Gita Chanting (Memorisation)

OralMarks

Gita Chanting (Reading)

OralMarks

Frequently asked questions

Can I change this template after installing it?

Yes — installing it creates a fully configured, live event, not a locked package. Every age group, competition item, rule and scoring setting can be edited afterwards to match exactly what your event actually needs.

Do I need technical knowledge to set this up?

No. Installing a template does the setup work for you; you only need to review the details (dates, unit or house names) and open registration.

Want the fuller picture first? See our guide to Gita chanting competition software.