Madhalam is a solo percussion item at the Kerala school kalolsavam, judged on a verified five-criterion, 100-mark scheme of its own — distinct from the scheme used for Mrudamgam / Ganchira / Ghada, the other percussion-solo item at the same festival. This guide gives the exact criteria, a printable judgement sheet, the category and time rules as published, and how to run it fairly on eTalenter.
What is Madhalam?
Madhalam is an Individual, On Stage percussion competition item, open to both genders at Category III and Category IV. Every entry carries a 10-minute time limit (warning bell at 9 minutes) and a maximum score of 100. It sits in the festival’s instrumental-percussion group alongside items like Mrudamgam / Ganchira / Ghada and Thabala, but it is scored on its own dedicated criteria rather than a shared percussion rubric.
The verified judging criteria (100 marks)
The scheme below is cited directly from the festival’s own template data — nothing here is inferred or invented:
| Criterion | Marks |
|---|---|
| Rhythm (Thalam) | 20 |
| Practice (Sadhakam) | 20 |
| Melam | 20 |
| Tone (Nadam) | 20 |
| Completeness (Poornatha) | 20 |
| Total | 100 |
How it differs from Mrudamgam / Ganchira / Ghada
Readers searching for percussion-item judging criteria often land on a page built for a different instrument item, so it is worth being explicit: Mrudamgam / Ganchira / Ghada is judged on tone, fingering, tempo (layam), improvisation (manodharmam) and clarity of syllables (cholshuddham) — a scheme built around a melodic hand-percussion instrument with syllable-based solkattu passages. Madhalam’s scheme instead weighs rhythm (thalam), practice (sadhakam), the overall ensemble feel of the piece (melam), tone (nadam) and completeness (poornatha) — there is no “fingering” or “improvisation” head at all. Both are even 20-mark, five-criterion, 100-total schemes, but the heads themselves are different instruments’ different skills, so neither page should be used as a stand-in for the other.
Printable judgement sheet
Hand judges a sheet with these five columns, chest number down the left, and a totals row:
| Chest No. | Rhythm /20 | Practice /20 | Melam /20 | Tone /20 | Completeness /20 | Total /100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Category, gender and time rules
| Category | Gender | Time limit | Max score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category III | Both (mixed) | 10 min (9 min warning) | 100 |
| Category IV | Both (mixed) | 10 min (9 min warning) | 100 |
Deductions typically apply for overrunning the 10-minute limit, an unplayable or undeclared instrument, or arriving without the accompanist/tala cues declared at registration — publish these rules alongside the criteria before entries open so every unit knows the standard in advance.
Running Madhalam on eTalenter
Set Madhalam up as an Individual competition item under Category III and IV, Both-gender participation, a 10-minute time limit with a 9-minute warning, and the five-criterion, 100-mark scheme entered once in the judging panel. Judges score each of the five heads independently on their own device; eTalenter totals, ranks and publishes results the moment all judges submit, with the printable sheet above available as a backup for paper scoring. Open a live demo and log in as a judge to see the scoring screen, or as a coordinator to see how the item, categories and criteria are configured.
FAQ
What are the judging criteria for Madhalam?
Five criteria worth 20 marks each: rhythm (thalam), practice (sadhakam), melam, tone (nadam) and completeness (poornatha), totalling 100.
Is it an individual or group item?
Individual — a solo performer, not a team.
Which categories compete in Madhalam?
Category III and Category IV, both open to boys and girls competing together.
What is the time limit?
10 minutes, with a warning bell at 9 minutes, in both categories.
How is Madhalam different from Mrudamgam / Ganchira / Ghada?
Both are 20-mark, five-criterion percussion schemes, but the heads are different: Mrudamgam / Ganchira / Ghada scores tone, fingering, tempo, improvisation and clarity of syllables, while Madhalam scores rhythm, practice, melam, tone and completeness. Use the criteria page that matches the specific instrument item on your item list.
Need help setting up Madhalam or any other competition item on eTalenter? Message us on WhatsApp or email support@etalenter.com — we help with the software, not with entries.
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