Hindustani Music — Step-by-Step Roadmap
The whole Hindustani Music journey, 0 to 100, in order: who can start, the detailed route, what is open at every age, where to train, who pays, and the jobs and money after. Every step is taken from the same official sources as the main Hindustani Music guide.
What each step costs, and the age limits
AIR music audition fees (audition fee + ₹100 form fee + 18% GST) [1]
| Category | Total | SC/ST (25% off the audition fee) |
|---|---|---|
| Fresher | ₹1,298 | ₹1,003 |
| Any upgrade (B → B-High, B-High → A) | ₹2,478 | ₹1,888 |
| A → Top | ₹6,018 | ₹4,543 |
| Folk / tribal fresher | Nil | Nil |
| Divyaang, senior citizens, AIR / Doordarshan staff artists | Nil | Nil |
- There is no waiting period to re-audition or seek an upgrade — except Top: you need 10 years in A grade, and after a failed Top attempt you wait a year.
- A classical fresher who fails at the CAB gets one exemption from the LAB screening if they reapply within a year.
- If your discipline is not available at your home station, apply at the nearest station that has it; no TA/DA for the audition, but TA/DA is paid for a booked broadcast. [1]
Central scholarships and fellowships open to musicians [11][13][12]
| Scheme | Age | Amount | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| CCRT Cultural Talent Search Scholarship | 10–14 | ₹3,600 a year + guru/institution tuition reimbursed up to ₹9,000 a year | 2 years at a time, renewable up to the first degree or age 20; 650 new awards a year |
| Scholarship to Young Artistes | 18–25, with at least 5 years under a guru or institution | ₹5,000 a month | 2 years; up to 400 a batch |
| Junior Fellowship | 25–40 | ₹10,000 a month | 2 years, research project; 200 a batch |
| Senior Fellowship | Above 40 | ₹20,000 a month | 2 years; 200 a batch |
M.Mus / B.Mus and BPA / MPA are university degrees; Gandharva titles such as Visharad and Alankar are the Mandal's own examinations. Margdarshan found no Government file setting out their equivalence to degrees, so ask the university or employer in writing before relying on one in place of the other.
From the first lesson to Top grade
The Hindustani music ladder, step by step [3][11][1][13][6][12]
| Stage | Typical age | What happens | Who pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guru–shishya start | Childhood | Lessons with a guru; Gandharva Mahavidyalaya New Delhi takes children's vocal at 11–14+ and instruments from 11 | Family |
| Talent scholarship | 10–14 | CCRT Cultural Talent Search Scholarship | Govt: ₹3,600 a year + tuition up to ₹9,000 |
| Graded examinations | Teens onward | Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal levels: Prarambhik → Praveshika → Madhyama → Visharad → Alankar (each after Prarambhik in Pratham and Purna parts) | Family |
| First AIR grade | Adult | LAB screening at your station → recording → CAB grades you B (or higher) | ₹1,298 fee |
| Advanced training | 18–25 | Young-artiste scholarship after 5 years' training | Govt ₹5,000 a month |
| Climb the grades | Within 5 years of B | B-High, then A, by recorded upgrade auditions | ₹2,478 per upgrade |
| Senior artiste | 10 years after A | Top grade audition; SNA Award (35+), Ratna (50+); a guru's Repertory grant | ₹6,018 fee; Ministry of Culture, SNA |
The Ministry of Culture's Repertory grant (Guru–Shishya Parampara) supports music ensembles too — one guru and up to 18 shishyas, ₹15,000 a month for the guru and ₹2,000–10,000 a month per shishya, depending on age. [12]
Hindustani music at every age — first lessons to the veteran artist pension at 60
A musician's career has age windows, not an end: Gandharva Mahavidyalaya classes from 11, scholarships at 10–14 and 18–25, AIR grades for adults, fellowships to 40 and beyond, Akademi honours from 35 and 50, and support for veteran artists from 60. [3][11][1][12][6]
Type an age to light up every group you can enter.
-
10–14years
Child
CCRT talent scholarship
₹3,600 a year plus your guru's tuition up to ₹9,000 a year; renewable to your first degree or age 20. [11]
-
11+years
Student
Gandharva Mahavidyalaya classes
New Delhi: children's vocal 11–14+, instruments (sitar, flute, tabla, harmonium) from 11, separate vocal classes from 15. [3]
- 18–25years
-
19–25years
Young artiste
Kathak Kendra accompanist courses
Certificate in tabla, pakhawaj, sarangi or vocal (19–21, Class XII); Diploma Special (20–25, graduates). [4]
- 25–40years
- 35+years
-
40+years
Senior artiste
Senior Fellowship · guru
Senior Fellowship ₹20,000 a month; a guru's Repertory grant for an ensemble of up to 18 shishyas. [12]
- 50+years
-
60+years
Senior artiste
Veteran Artists assistance
Up to ₹6,000 a month at 60+ with annual income up to ₹72,000. [12]
Where to train — verified 2026-27 details
- Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi — founded 1939 by Pandit Vinaya Chandra Maudgalya, headed by Pandit Madhup Mudgal, affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Mumbai.
- Subjects: Hindustani vocal, and sitar, flute, tabla and harmonium; separate girls' and boys' vocal classes from age 15, instruments from 11, children's vocal at 11 to 14+ (ages as on 1 May 2026).
- Audition: a 1-minute song of any kind for vocal; viva only for instruments (no instrument needed).
- Classes: 1 hour, 3 days a week (children's vocal 45 minutes); 75% attendance compulsory; certificates only after 2 years' training.
- 2026-27 fees: form ₹500, admission ₹5,000, tuition and instrument fee ₹3,000 a month (Indian nationals), cash only; for the 2026 batch the Mandal's exams are taken privately at other centres. [3]
Kathak Kendra (SNA), New Delhi — music courses for accompanists [4][5]
| Course | Age (1 June 2026) | Qualification | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate — tabla, pakhawaj, sarangi or vocal (1 year) | 19–21 | Class XII passed | ₹400 a month |
| Diploma Special — tabla, pakhawaj, sarangi or vocal (3 years) | 20–25 | Graduate | ₹650 a month |
Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Lucknow is a major Hindustani music university, but its official website could not be reached when Margdarshan checked (16 Oct 2026), so no fees, seats or dates are quoted. Take them only from the university's own notice.
What Hindustani music training costs — and who pays
- At an AIR audition the station provides tanpura and tabla/pakhawaj accompaniment; if you bring your own accompanists they must hold at least B-High grade, and AIR pays them nothing.
- Gandharva Mahavidyalaya's monthly ₹3,000 is a combined tuition and instrument fee; students pay for any damage to its instruments. [1][3]
- Guru's fees, ages 10–14: CCRT reimburses actual tuition up to ₹9,000 a year.
- Ages 18–25: the young-artiste scholarship pays ₹5,000 a month for advanced training.
- Touring abroad: for a 'Festival of India', the Government bears all expenditure on deputing the artist.
- Institutions: SNA grants-in-aid (₹30,000–₹1,00,000) do not pay for buying or repairing musical instruments. [11][13][14][8]
A sitar, sarod, tanpura or a pair of tablas is the family's biggest single cost, and no Government file publishes prices — so Margdarshan prints none. Learn first on the institute's instrument, buy only with your guru, and budget for strings, skins and tuning as running costs.
What broadcasting pays — and the government-job reality
AIR basic fee per booking by grade — AIR Mumbai's annual list of music artistes, as on 1 Jan 2020 [2]
| Grade | Basic fee shown |
|---|---|
| Top | ₹11,000 |
| A | ₹7,400 |
| B-High | ₹3,000 |
| B | ₹1,700 |
These are the figures printed in one station's 2020 list — the latest grade-wise fee list Margdarshan could find on Prasar Bharati's site. Ask your station for the current rate before you rely on it. A grade is not a salary: bookings depend on the station, and the boards can reduce booking frequency.
- Guru's Repertory grant: ₹15,000 a month.
- Junior / Senior Fellowship: ₹10,000 / ₹20,000 a month for 2 years.
- Festival engagements through the Zonal Cultural Centres' Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsavs (14 since November 2015).
- Veteran Artists: up to ₹6,000 a month at 60+ with annual income up to ₹72,000.
- Prize money: SNA Yuva ₹25,000, Akademi Puraskar ₹1 lakh, Akademi Ratna ₹3 lakh. [12][7][6]
There is no 'cultural quota' in the central sports-quota rules — DoPT's qualifying list covers games and sports only. Government income for a musician comes from open teaching posts, graded broadcasts and festival engagements, and the schemes above. [15]
Where this roadmap comes from
The sources cited on this page, numbered as on the main Hindustani Music guide, read on 16 October 2026. Trials, age rules and scheme amounts change — open the current file before you act on it.
- Prasar Bharati / DG All India Radio — Guidelines on the Music Audition System (2024) (opens in a new tab) Grades, boards, audition formats, approved instruments, raga and tala lists, assessment, fees, waiting periods · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
- All India Radio, Mumbai — Annual list of music artistes (casual/staff) as on 1 Jan 2020 (opens in a new tab) Grade-wise basic fee printed against each classical artiste · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
- Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi — Prospectus 2026-27 (opens in a new tab) History, ABGMVM levels, admission ages, audition, rules, fees · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
- Kathak Kendra — Admission, session 2026-27 (opens in a new tab) Certificate and Diploma Special music course ages and qualifications · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
- Kathak Kendra — Fee Structure (opens in a new tab) Monthly fees for the tabla / pakhawaj / sarangi / vocal courses · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
- Sangeet Natak Akademi — Guidelines for SNA Fellowship & Award (opens in a new tab) Akademi Ratna and Puraskar purse, music categories, age · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
- Sangeet Natak Akademi — Guidelines for Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (opens in a new tab) Age up to 40, 33 awards (8 in music), ₹25,000, nominators · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
- Sangeet Natak Akademi — Grants-in-aid to cultural institutions (opens in a new tab) ₹30,000–₹1,00,000 grants; no money for instruments · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
- ICCR — Empanelment of Artists/Groups: Introduction (opens in a new tab) Age 18+, Hindustani vocal and instrumental, year-round applications · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
- CCRT (Ministry of Culture) — Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme (opens in a new tab) Age 10–14, ₹3,600 a year + tuition up to ₹9,000, 650 awards, renewal to age 20 · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
- PIB — Financial assistance to traditional artists, folk artists and cultural institutions (Lok Sabha, 16 Mar 2026) (opens in a new tab) Repertory grant, scholarships, fellowships, Veteran Artists, Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsavs · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
- PIB — Financial Grant Scheme for Young Artists (Lok Sabha, 10 Mar 2025) (opens in a new tab) ₹5,000 a month, ages 18–25, 5 years' prior training, Indian classical music a recognised field · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
- PIB — Financial Assistance Schemes for Traditional Artists (Rajya Sabha, 27 Mar 2025) (opens in a new tab) Global Engagement Scheme — Government bears Festival of India expenditure · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
- DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) Qualifying list is games and sports only — no performing arts · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
How the art form is taught and judged, recognition and the traps to avoid.