Milan Gandhar | SgGPDnS | Hindustani Raga Index

S-gG-P-D-n-S

An enchanting yet ultra-rare raga created by pioneering Punjabi vocalist Salamat Ali Khan, running along the lines of ‘Kalavati with komal ga in avroh’ (often as PDPgS or SngS), bringing shades of Kafi. A 1965 Salamat & Nazakat performance in Kabul (bandish: Piya More Angan Aaye & Tana Dhere Na Dhim), emphatically places the komal ga on dhamar taal’s sam, while otherwise remaining close to Kalavati – while a Salamat & Sharafat rendition adds acrobatic spice via a greater uttarang focus. Classified by its creator as an early night raga, and performed by very few outside his Sham-Chaurasia gharana vocal lineage – however, other very similar ‘Kalavati plus ga’ ragas do exist under alternate names, seemingly of independent creation: including Homshikha (sung by Abhirang in 2024), and Ganga (recently unveiled by santooriya Tarun Bhattacharya as “a tribute to the holy river“). Also compare to the nearby Jogeshwari Pancham (the same scale plus shuddha ma, albeit with a different treatment of double-Ga).

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राग मिलान गान्धार

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—Nazakat & Salamat Ali Khan (1965)—

[refrain, e.g. 1:38] SGPDnD PG, (S)n/gS, (S)nS n/g(S), (n)D nDP, DnDn/S, SG n(DnD)PGS, (S)n…

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Explore hidden inter-raga connections: swara geometries, melodic features, murchana sets, ragangas, & more (also see the Full Tag List):

Swaras: -4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10+

Sapta: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Poorvang: SRGM | SRG | SRM | SGM

Uttarang: PDNS | PDS | PNS | DNS

Varjit: Re | Ga | Ma | Pa | Dha | Ni

Double: rR | gG | mM | dD | nN

Thaat: 10 | 32 | Enclosed | Inexact

Chal: All-shuddha | All-komal | Ma-tivra

Gaps: Anh. | Hemi. | 3-row | 4-row | 5-row

Symmetries: Mirror | Rotation | Palindr.

Aroha: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Avroh: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Jati: Equal | Balanced | Av.+1 | Av.+2

Samay: Morning | Aftern. | Eve. | Night

Murchana: Bhup. | Bihag | Bilaw. | Charu.

Raganga: Bhairav | Malhar | Kan. | Todi

Construction: Jod | Mishra | Oddball

Origin: Ancient | Carnatic | Modern

Dominance: Poorvang | Uttarang

Prevalence: A-list | Prachalit | Aprach.

• Prakriti: (none found)

Also compare to other ragas matching the generic swaras ‘Sa-Ga-Pa-Dha-Ni‘: including Lilavati (S-g-P-D-n-S) & Kalavati (S-G-P-D-n-S).

–Swara Geometries–

• Core form: S–gG–P–D–n–S

• Reverse: SRgmdDS

• Negative: 2-1-3-1-2-3 (e.g. Shivawanti)

• Imperfect: 3 (Ga, Pa, ni)

• Detached: none

• Symmetries: mirror (gG—Dn)

• Murchanas: Malavi (on ga)

–Global Translations–

• Carnatic: (~Vagadeeshvari)

S-R₃-G₃-P-D₂-N₂-S

• Jazz: Dorian ‘b4’ (no 2nd)

1-b3-3-5-6-b7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-3-4-7-9-10-0

(3–1–3–2–1–2)

o • • o o • • o • o o • o

• Tanpura: Sa–Pa

• Names: Milan Gandhar, Milangandhar

• Transliterations: Hindi (मिलान गान्धार)

—Vijay Bakshi (~2000s)—

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George Howlett is a London-based musician, writer, and teacher (guitars, sitar, tabla, & santoor). Above all I seek to enthuse fellow sonic searchers, interconnecting fresh vibrations with the voices, cultures, and passions behind them. See Homepage for more, and hit me up for Lessons!