Indian Music?

Hello all

Today I attended a composition workshop. One of the things we discussed was world music, and in particular, Indian music. The composer leading the session talked about how there are sets of notes called "raga" and how each one evokes a specific mood. Unfortunately we ran out of time although I found it really interesting. Can anyone elaborate on how Indian music is written - in regards to the patterns and structures found within?

Thanks

I'm not an expert, but I was almost an ethnomusicologist.
I would encourage you to not think of raga so much as a set of notes or a mode and more of a color, a sort of feeling (in that culture's words) that is associated with a piece, not a mode.
Only thinking about them in a Western way can you begin to think of the raga as modes (that are not tuned the same way we do it; just intonation is far more prevalent, and even then, it's not consistent), which are pretty internet-able, though there are so, so many. The main difference between raga and modes in a practical sense is that a raga, way it may have a "tonic", have each of the different notes serving some sort of particular function (different emphasis somewhat like Medieval church modes, are different rhythmic emphasis (tabla) when used in a certain contour). 

A while ago I was SO looking forward to going to an Indian party but I had to cancel it. I couldn't find a baby sitar.