S-R-G-P-D-S

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Thought to derive from Kashmiri or Bengali folk tunes, Pahadi (meaning ‘mountain’ or ‘of the hills’) combines playful and subtle shades. While its Bhupali-congruent core form offers a certain sparse simplicity, the raga’s true magic is found in its extensive mishra capabilities, with the tasteful use of any swara being permitted, particularly in long avroh lines which feature playful ornaments such as G(gG); D(dD). Pahadi can borrow liberally from nearby forms – evident in the dhun transcribed below by Shivkumar Sharma, who grew up in the Himalayan foothills of Jammu (see melodic summary). Popular in filmi and fusion. ‘Raag Pahadi’ is also the title of a renowned 2016 novel by Namita Gokhale (who, like the work’s translator, grew up in the mountains – in their words, “the writer sings the melody that is then echoed back by the translator; just as the Kumaoni song Bedu Pako, sung by people in the hills, echoes in the mountains…”).

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• Raga Masterlist (1000+) •

राग पहाड़ी

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• Hindustani Raga Index •

Aroha: SRGPDS

Avroh: SDPGRS

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Pakad: variable, e.g. GPDS, DPGgGS

Chalan: (open-form) – mishra path e.g. SD; DNPD; GPDS; DSRG; RGmG; RSND; PmG; PDSR; GmGgG; GPDS; DPGgGS (Ramrang)

• Based around the five swaras SRGPD, which predominate as stopping tones – but usually presented in ‘mishra’ form especially in the descent path, including an unusual penchant for long chromatic lines (e.g. SNnD; DdPMmG)

• Given the raga’s loose melodic ethos, interpretations can vary wildly – although popular features include the insertion of komal ga via a ‘cheeky, flirtatious’ G(gG) ornament (sometimes mirrored elsewhere, e.g. P(MP); D(dD)), as well as a general penchant for mandra and madhya saptak

• Often combined with folksy talas such as dadra, and generally presented in a ‘light, playful’ style – although the mishra elements can be strong enough to bring chayas of virtually any raga or rasa if desired (some renditions even have a ‘ragamalika’ feel)

—Shivkumar Sharma (2019)—

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[mishra dhun, e.g. 3:25] SRGP, P, P(DPMGRSRG), S(RGMP) D(PMPGRG) G(MPMDPMG)G; (D)GD, D, D(NDPMG) P, P(MG)RS(D), SRG, GRS, DNS(RGMPMGR), G G, GRS, DgRS, S…

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• More •

Histories, melodies, mythologies, etc…

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I couldn’t help but share this particularly vivid imagining of the raga, lifted from renowned musicologist G.N. Joshi’s original liner notes to Call of the Valley: the famous 1968 trio album by Shivkumar Sharma, Hariprasad Chaurasia, & Brijbhushan Kabra, which soon became one of the first raga albums to sell widely in the West. Also read Joshi’s equivalent depictions for the rest of the record – a true Hindustani classic – which, together, form a full narrative sequence, essentially a ‘concept album’ (1: Ahir Bhairav, 2: Nat Bhairav, 3: Pilu, 4: Bhupali, 5: Desh, and 6: Pahadi):

 

“The last [movement] is a piece de resistance, bringing to culmination the romantic episode that started in the early hours of the morning. The lovers enter the little boat, and as they glide away from the shore, they are carried on the gentle waves of the lilting notes of the Kashmiri Pahadi, known for its hypnotic charm. In their ecstasy and supreme happiness, they reach celestial heights from where they would not like to come down, but remain there forever, forever, forever – for if there is heaven on earth to them, it is here, it is here, it is here…“

 

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–Call of the Valley (1968)–

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—Imagery: Kashmir foothills—

“The flanking Himalaya and Pir Panjal mountains create a dynamic landscape. The foothills of the Himalayas, stretching toward the slopes, creating inner and outer zones formed by different processes. The inner zone contains particularly massive sedimentary rock, with forged plateau remnants and steep spurs after millennia of erosion, folding, and fracturing. These plains are canvassed by silt from the Pleistocene age…” (Jammu & Kashmir Mountains)

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• Classifiers •

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

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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

Thaat: 10 | 32 | Enclosed | Inexact

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

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

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Aroha: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Avroh: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

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

Samay: Morning | Aftern. | Eve. | Night

Construction: Jod | Mishra | Oddball

Origin: Ancient | Carnatic | Modern

Dominance: Poorvang | Uttarang

Prevalence: A-list | Prachalit | Aprach.

• Prakriti: Bhupali, Deshkar, Jait Kalyan

Also see other ragas matching the generic swaras ‘Sa-Re-Ga-Pa-Dha‘

–Proximate Forms–

Shivranjani = ‘Pahadi komal ga‘

Jansammohini = ‘Pahadi add ni‘

Shankara = ‘Pahadi add Ni‘

Bilawal = ‘Pahadi add ma/Ni‘

Khamaj = ‘Pahadi add ma/ni‘

(n.b. these are just ‘scalar similarities’, with nothing particular implied about phraseological overlap)

–Swara Geometries–

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• Core form: S–R–G–P–D–S

• Reverse: SgmdnS (=Malkauns)

• Complement: SrgmMdnNS

• Imperfect: 1 (Ga)

• Detached: none

• Symmetries: mirror (R—d)

• Murchanas: Bhupali set

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• Quirks: ‘atritonal‘ (no available tritones) • ‘maximal‘ (swaras are optimally ‘spread out’)

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–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: ~Mohanam

S-R₂-G₃-P-D₂-S

• Jazz: Major Pentatonic

1-2-3-5-6-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-2-4-7-9-0

(2–2–3–2–3)

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o • o • o • • o • o • • o

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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa (+Ga)

• Names: Pahadi, Pahari

• Transliterations: Hindi (पहाड़ी); Bengali (পাহাড়ী)

—Debasmita Bhattacharya (2015)—