OK, let me kick start this board called "Raagas"!
It is hard to describe 'raga' without using theoritical terms. In essence, it is a melody structure that invokes a particular feeling. It is a template that a musician uses as a basis for improvization. You can find a detailed explanation about raga as well as Indian classical music in general at:
http://www.ravishankar.org/indian_music.htmlHere is an excerpt from there:
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A raga is a scientific, precise, subtle and aesthetic melodic form with its own peculiar ascending and descending movement consisting of either a full seven note octave, or a series of six or five notes (or a combination of any of these) in a rising or falling structure called the Arohana and Avarohana. It is the subtle difference in the order of notes, an omission of a dissonant note, an emphasis on a particular note, the slide from one note to another, and the use of microtones together with other subtleties, that demarcate one raga from the other.
There is a saying in Sanskrit - "Ranjayathi iti Ragah" - which means, "that which colours the mind is a raga." For a raga to truly colour the mind of the listener, its effect must be created not only through the notes and the embellishments, but also by the presentation of the specific emotion or mood characteristic of each raga. Thus through rich melodies in our music, every human emotion, every subtle feeling in man and nature can be musically expressed and experienced.
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Terms "Raag" [as used mostly by Hindustani folks], "Raaga", "Ragam" [as used in Carnatic music], or just "Rag" -- all denote the same thing -- raga.
I will take a few ragas and elaborate in my next post.
A great reference for in-depth understanding of some ragas (along with samples) ->
http://www.sawf.org/music/articles.asp?pn=Music
