S-R-gG-m-P-D-nN-S

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A highly variable form which grafts additional swaras onto a Dhanashree-ang Patdeep foundation – allowing for shades of many proximate ragas, including (but not limited to) Bihag, Khamaj, Jhinjhoti, Bilawal, Barwa, Hameer, Desi, and Maluha. Performed in various guises by vocalists of multiple gharanas, including Bhimsen Joshi (Kirana), Sharafat Hussain Khan (Agra), Aman Ali Khan (Bhendibazar: one of his only two surviving recordings), and Pandit Jasraj (Mewati: although his most prominent rendition is mislabelled as ‘Purba‘ on the album). Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande (Jaipur-Atrauli) describes her interpretation as “a cousin of Patdeep, [which] will give you shades of several ragas which are characteristic of this [afternoon] time…but I request that you do not try and find these shades”. Nevertheless, see below for further melodic depth on Patdeepaki: drawing from Deepak Raja’s essay Patadeepak: Can it be called a raga?, and from an excellent analysis sent to me in early 2025 by Mewati esraj exponent Pamalka Karunanayake (“the main [contrast with Patdeep] is that Patdeepaki has a prominent shuddha Ga and only occasional uses of komal ga…”).

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• Raga Masterlist (1000+) •

राग पटदीपाकि

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• Hindustani Raga Index •

Aroha: SGmP; GmDNS

Avroh: SnDP; mPG; SRS

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Pakad: variable, e.g. PmPG; SRS

Chalan: variable, e.g. SNDNS; NSmG; SGmP; PmPG; mDnSNS; SDnP; DmPG; GPmPG; SRS (Raja)

—Pandit Jasraj (1997)—

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[bandish, e.g. 4:14] DmP (N)S, NS SS(RSN), NSG (m)GS, (RSNS)N S(GS)G, (mG)m, GmPP, (m)PDN(DN)D D(Pm), PmGRN, S(mgmgS)gm, mgRS, DmP (N)S; NS SS(RSN), NSG…

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• More •

Histories, melodies, mythologies, etc…

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Mewati esraj artist Pamalka Karunanayake, a senior disciple of violin pioneer Kala Ramnath, generously answered my queries about the raga in early 2025: “In our own Mewati gharana, Pt. Jasraj Guru-ji sung Patdeepaki with a touch of Khamaj, but his recording has a very different colour all of its own [n.b. it is mislabeled as Purba, but is in fact Patdeepaki]. Whereas in Kirana, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi chose to sing Patdeepaki using other shades of Khamaj, along with the chalan of Jhinjhoti. Both of these singers retain a little of the chalan from Bihag, and there is also a single phrase from Kafi“.

 

Karunanayake summarises that “the main point of difference between Patdeep and Patdeepaki is that Patdeep has a prominent komal ga and no shuddha Ga, whereas Patdeepaki has a prominent shuddha Ga and only occasional uses of komal ga” – something clearly evident in the Jasraj bandish above (from my transcription: DmP (N)S, NS SS(RSN), NSG (m)GS, (RSNS)N S(GS)G, (mG)m, GmPP, (m)PDN(DN)D D(Pm), P m G R N, S(mgmS)gm, mgRS, DmP (N)S; NS SS(RSN), NSG…). Karunanayake also notes the existence of other Patdeepaki interpretations, including those of Pt. Ram Marathe (“a mix of the Jhinjhoti and Kafi chalans, without any Bihag-ang!”) and Ustad Sharafat Hussain Khan (“a different variation with no komal ga, and touches of Hameer and Bilawal”).

 

In his 2011 essay Patadeepak: Can it be called a raga?, Imdadkhani sitarist-scholar Deepak Raja also analysed the same Sharafat recording, concluding that “the major parameters of raga grammar are difficult to pin down…however, the phrase PmPG; SRS would appear to constitute the melodic signature…the centre of gravity is in the poorvang, with considerable importance to melodic action in the madhyanga“. And on the bandish itself, Raja remarks that “the lyrics express a fundamental idea in Indian culture – the sanctity of a disciple’s relationship with his guru – in simple and transparently sincere verse.”

 

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—Sharafat Hussain Khan (1974)—

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“[Patdeepaki] represents an intriguing blend of familiarity and novelty. In its phrasing strategy, the raga appears to tread a precarious line between members of the Bihag and Bilawal families. According to Sharafat’s disciple Purnima Sen, it is a combination of five ragas, with [Bilawal-ang] Deepak being the main component. The other elements, according to her, include Hameer, Bangal, Savani, and Chaya…” (Deepak Raja)

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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: Jaijaiwanti, Jaijaiwanti Nat, Gara, Zila Kafi, Hanskinkini, Jayant Malhar, Ramdasi Malhar, Rageshri Bahar, Tilang Bahar, Nagadhwani Kanada

Also compare to other members of the Dhanashree and Kafi ragangas

–Swara Geometries–

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• Core form: S–R–gG–m–P–D–nN–S

• Reverse: SrRgmPdDnS (=Amiri Todi)

• Complement: SrMdS

• Imperfect: 1 (Ni)

• Detached: none

• Symmetries: mirror (r—P)

• Murchanas: Jaijaiwanti set

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• Quirks: ‘maximal‘ (swaras are optimally ‘spread out’) • ‘Pa-repeating‘ (poorvang and uttarang take the same ‘semitone shape’)

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–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: ~Kapi

S-R₂-G₂-G₃-M₁-P-D₂-N₂-N₃-S

• Jazz: Dorian-Ionian

1-2-b3-3-4-5-6-b7-7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-2-3-4-5-7-9-10-11-0

(2–1–1–1–2–2–1–1–1)

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o • o o o o • o • o o o o

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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa

• Names: Patdeepaki, Patdeepak, Pradeepaki, Pratdipaki, Patadeepak, Pardeepaki (not Patdeep: although the ragas are related)

• Transliterations: Hindi (पटदीपाकि)

—Aman Ali Khan (~1940s)—