Vardhini | SgGmPdnS | Hindustani Raga Index

S-gG-m-P-d-n-S

Adapted from Carnatic music’s mela #32 (‘Ragavardhini’: strictly speaking, the Northern form should perhaps be spelled this way too), Vardhini matches the swaras of Nandkauns or ‘Jogkauns komal ni’. Seemingly introduced to the Northern ragascape via the Dagarvani Dhrupad – as per information kindly supplied by Pelva Naik, “Vardhini came into the Dagar gharana, as far as I am aware, when Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar played it on his rudra veena in the 1980s and 1990s”. A recording from Zia’s 1986 Seattle show features a strong Sa–ma sangati, with subtle, shifting modifications to the komal ga sruti (technically a ‘tivra Re’ in the Carnatic system). The best modern rendition is undoubtedly Bahauddin Dagar & Pelva Naik‘s colourful duet at Darbar 2018, with each performer teasing different tensions from the double-Ga (as per one listener, “This took me back to 1967, as a 4-year-old child: Zia Fariduddin & Mohiuddin Dagar used to enjoy my moving hands and shaking feet [during] their divine performances at the Narayanswami School…”). Also recorded by other Dagarvani exponents including Ritwik Sanyal and Uday Bhawalkar – as well as (seemingly) forming the foundations for a Marathi folk song by Hridaynath Mangeshkar & Asha Bhosle.

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—Bahauddin Dagar & Pelva Naik (2018)—

[jor, e.g. 2:51] d(ndndSn) SGG(mG), (PG)G (PG)Gmm g(S)S, G(ndG) (Gm)dnS, G, GG, GG(m), mmm…

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• Carnatic Origins •

—Ragam Ragavardhini (mela #32)—

(Sanjay Subrahmanyan)

–All ragas of Carnatic origin–

• Recent Raga Index Updates (Nov 2025): Added new ragas: e.g. Asa, Basant Bahar, Badhans Sarang, Bayati, Chandni Todi, Chandraprabha, Deepavali, Firozkhani Todi, Gaud, Japaniya, Kaushiki, Kokilapriya, Latangi, Maru, Palas, Sarangkauns, Shanmukhpriya, Shivanjali, Shrutivardhini • Analysed the overlap of DoGa Kalyan and the Beatles’ Blue Jay Way • Amir Khan’s ‘168 merukhands’ • Uncovered Prabhateshwari‘s origins • Transcribed Manjiri Asanare-Kelkar’s ‘Amodini‘ lec-dems • Experiments (e.g overtonal Bhairav, jazz Malkauns) • Survey of Sa Tunings • More Masterlist ragas (1000+)

• Classifiers •

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: Nandkauns

Also see other shadav ragas which omit Re

–Swara Geometries–

• Core form: S–gG–m–P–d–n–S

• Reverse: SRGmPdDS

• Negative: 2-1-4-3-2

• Imperfect: 2 (Ga, Pa)

• Detached: 1 (Ga)

• Symmetries: none

• Murchanas: Chanchalas Malhar (on ma)

–Global Translations–

• Carnatic: Ragavardhini (mela #32)

S-G₂-G₃-M₁-P-D₁-N₂-S

• Jazz: Aeolian (no 2nd, dbl. 3rd)

1-b3-3-4-5-b6-b7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-3-4-5-7-8-10-0

(3–1–1–2–1–2–2)

o • • o o o • o o • o • o

• Tanpura: Sa–ma

• Names: Vardhini, Vardhani, Ragavardhani, Ragachudamani (archaic)

• Transliterations: Hindi (वर्धिनी)

—Uday Bhawalkar (2013)—

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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!