---
title: "Tarana: Hindustani Vocal Form Explained | Model Diplomat"
description: "Tarana is a fast-tempo Hindustani vocal genre built on rhythmic nonsense syllables, attributed to Amir Khusrau. See how it differs from tillana and khayal."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/tarana"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Tarana is a Hindustani classical vocal form that sets rhythmic, semantically abstract syllables to a melodic line, sung at medium-to-fast tempo within a defined raga and tala.
- How does tarana differ from the Carnatic tillana?
- Who is credited with inventing the tarana?
- Are the syllables in a tarana meaningless?
- Why does a tarana usually come at the end of a recital?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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In his concerts of the 1960s and 1970s, Indore gharana founder Ustad Amir Khan closed recitals with meditative taranas, arguing that their syllables drew on Persian and Sufi vocabulary rather than being meaningless sounds.

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