Neelambari | SRgGmPDnS | Hindustani Raga Index

S-R-gG-m-P-D-n-S

A blend of the allied Kafi and Sindhura, brought into being by revered Gwalior vocalist Omkarnath Thakur some time prior to 1936 (n.b. it bears no discernible connections to the Carnatic raga of the same name). Parrikar points to “two special pathos-imbuing prayogas: the melodic molecule DngR, and the chromatic avroh slide from shuddha to komal ga: RmPDmG\gR” – with the raga’s double-Ga also presenting overlap with prakriti forms such as Malgunji and Lankeshwari. As noted by Sreevalsan Thiyyadi, “Thakur announces that his rendition would be devoid of gamaka loops and slippery taans: an indication of the tender treatment of the raga. It sounds more like a wistful revisit of a romantic relation” – a sentiment mirrored with uncanny accuracy in a later tale from Susheela Mishra: “Many years ago, the audience requested [Thakur] to sing Neelambari. But he begged to be excused – as Neelambari had been a favourite of his late wife Indira Devi [a renowned singer, writer, and activist, as well as Tagore’s niece, who died in childbirth in 1960] – and he felt he would break down if he tried to render it…”.

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—Omkarnath Thakur (~1960s)—

[refrain, e.g. 0:51] S(GRmGPm)Gm RS, n(DPD) ngR, Rg(R)S, RS (SN)S, (N)SRgRS, (SN)S n(SD), R, S…

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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: Malgunji, Bheem, Lankeshwari, Rageshri Kanada

–Swara Geometries–

• Core form: S–R–gG–m–P–D–n–S

• Reverse: SRgmPdDnS

• Negative: 2-5-2-3

• Imperfect: 1 (Ga)

• Detached: none

• Symmetries: mirror (gG—Dn)

• Murchanas: Bihag set

• Quirks: ‘maximal‘ (swaras are optimally ‘spread out’)

–Global Translations–

• Carnatic: ~Dwijaivanthi

S-R₂-G₂-G₃-M₁-P-D₂-N₂-S

• Jazz: Bebop Dorian (dbl. 3rd)

1-2-b3-3-4-5-6-b7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-2-3-4-5-7-9-10-0

(2–1–1–1-2–2–1–2)

o • o o o o • o • o o • o

• Tanpura: Sa–Pa

• Names: Neelambari, Nilambari

• Transliterations: Hindi (नीलांबरी)

—Padmakar Barve (~1970s)—

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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!