S-r-g-m-P-d-n-S Probably the most prominent raga in the entire Hindustani canon, the dawn Bhairavi (‘awe, terror’: named after the Fifth Avatar of Mahadevi, the Mother Goddess) is a concert-closing staple. Unique in its chromatic flexibilities, the raga’s ‘Mishra Bhairavi’ form can span the full swara spectrum, allowing for a multitude of moods in the hands […]
• Raag Bhairavi •
• Raag Miyan ki Malhar •
S-R-g-m-P-D-nN-S Derived from the Sanskrit for ‘banishing uncleanliness’, the Malhar family is inextricably linked to the rejuvenating effects of rain. The main raga of this lineage is named ‘Miyan ki Malhar’ for its fabled connections to Miyan Tansen, the great composer of Emperor Akbar’s 16th-century royal court, who is said to have sung it to […]
• Raag Lalit •
S-r-G-mM-d-N-S Lalit (meaning ‘Lyrical’) is an oddly-shaped sunrise raga, resembling ‘Bhairav with Pa lowered a semitone’. Among the most influential forms in Hindustani history (see the Lalit raganga), its distinctive ‘double Ma, no Pa’ structure has a malleable ambiguity, capable of conjuring flavours ranging from ‘sadness and anguish’ to ‘the serene and devotional‘ (as per […]
• Raag Bageshri •
S-R-g-m-P-D-n-S An ancient raga of the late night, Bageshri is associated with ‘vipralambha’ – the profound shades of longing felt by a separated lover. These sentiments are reflected in its multipolar phraseology: artists may resolve towards shuddha ma for a more open, expansive sound (DnSgm), or towards Sa for a clustered, inward-turning feel (mgRS: sometimes […]
• Raag Puriya •
S-r-G-M-D-N-S A prominent sunset raga, Puriya takes the same six swaras as Marwa and Sohini, reworking them to present a distinct set of melodic forces. Renditions tend to focus on mandra and madhya saptak, seeking a relatively even balance between ascending and descending phrases – with its character often considered more ‘melodic’ than Marwa (which is […]
• Raag Marwa •
S-r-G-M-D-N-S Notable for omitting its own Sa for long stretches, the hexatonic Marwa conjures moods of ‘austere, spiritual renunciation’ – summoning these sentiments with low, slow lines which patiently outline the raga’s highly irregular geometry (three adjacent plus three wide-set swaras: NSr; GMD). Its descent-dominant melodies, which avoid Pa throughout, often tease at resolutions which […]
• Raag Parameshwari •
S-r-g-m-D-n-S A mellifluous modern form created by Ravi Shankar in 1968, via a murchana rotation of Kameshwari (itself the product of backseat travel boredom in Bengal). While somewhat resembling a ‘komal re Bageshri’, Parameshwari’s hexagonal structure is ripe for open-ended experiments, summoning its own colours and tensions – and, despite its young history, has already garnered significant […]
• Raag Khamaj •
S-R-G-m-P-D-n-S Among the most popular light-classical ragas, Khamaj’s core form matches the ultra-versatile Mixolydian Mode of Western music. Despite being chosen by Bhatkhande as the titular raga of Khamaj thaat, renditions will usually draw on melodic combinations from outside these main seven swaras. Jairazbhoy discusses the evolution of these ‘mishra‘ features as a natural outgrowth […]
• Raag Desh •
S-R-G-m-P-D-nN-S Intimately connected to Indian national identity, Desh gives melodic direction to the famous patriotic anthem Vande Mataram, as well as soundtracking dozens of Rabindrasangeet. Associated with the second quarter of night, renditions tend towards the sweet and amorous, with Deepak Raja noting clear divergence between ‘classicist’ and ‘romanticist’ treatments (the former is confined to […]
• Raag Gujiri Todi •
S-r-g-M-d-N-S A popular Todi variant named for its association with Gujarat, India’s Westernmost state. Linked to the morning hours, it takes a similar swara set to the main Todi, distinguishing itself by omitting Pa throughout. Dagarvani beenkar Bahauddin Dagar chooses to intone the raga’s Sa (the only ‘detached‘ swara) with a slightly higher sruti than that […]
• Raag Sindhura •
S-R-g-m-P-D-nN-S A Kafi ally with corresponding light-classical popularity, marked out by the explicit use of double-Ni and the frequent omission of ga in aroha. Described by Tanarang as “a light flittering melody…best suited for thumri, tappa, and hori” – while Parrikar notes that “the approach to Sa takes two pathways: one drops Ni as in […]
• Raag Ahir Lalit •
S-r-G-mM-D-n-S Introduced by Ravi Shankar, drawing from the swara material of three morning ragas: Ahiri, Ahir Bhairav, and Lalit. As per Deepak Raja, “for most listeners, Ahir Lalit will be unable to escape the shadow of Ahir Bhairav over the Lalit facet of the raga…since Ahiri is heard mainly as a Bhairav variant”. Nevertheless, the […]
• Raag Maru •
S-R-G-M-D-N-S Rare to the point of near-extinction in its own right, the historic Maru is now best known as an ingredient of the highly popular Maru Bihag. In the words of scholar-singer Arun Dravid: “It is not well known, even in the music world, that Maru Bihag is a mixed raga…very few people know that […]
• Raag Puriya Kalyan •
S-r-G-M-P-D-N-S Effectively combining the poorvang of Puriya Dhanashree with the uttarang of Yaman (SrGM+PDNS), Puriya Kalyan covers the seven swaras of Marwa thaat. Pa is prominent in descent, but may be skipped in Kalyanic ascending passages such as MDNS – and Sa is often omitted in both upward and downward motions, with mandra saptak Ni […]
• Raag Kedar •
S-R-mM-P-D-N-S An early night raga, Kedar is traditionally associated with heat (Tanarang: “there is much thermal energy in this melody…hence it is regarded as a ragini of Deepak“: Tansen’s legendary fire-bringing raga). Often seen as particularly subtle, complex, and hard-to-perform – partly due to its curiously wide aroha jump from Sa to Ma (depending on […]
• Raag Imratkauns •
S-R-G-m-d-n-S Devised by Imdadkhani sitar and surbahar virtuoso Imrat Khan via blending the scales of Rageshri and Malkauns – producing a swara set matching ‘Charukeshi no Pa’. This mid-scale space presents a strong poorvang–uttarang separation, amidst the strange geometric regularity of the consecutive ‘2-2-2-2’ run (dnSRG: just a ma-to-Ma nudge from matching the whole-tone scale, […]
• Raag Bahar •
S-R-g-m-P-D-nN-S As per Tanarang, Bahar (‘Spring’) “brings out nature’s beautiful blessings…full of shringar and bhakti ras…khatkas and intricate taans are conducive to its dynamic, fleeting nature”. While rooted in the Kanada raganga, the raga features a Malharic twin-Ni, with the shuddha being more prominent. Bageshri hallmarks can also be evident in the weak aroha Re, and […]
• Raag Gangeshwari •
S-G-m-P-d-n-S Like Parameshwari and Rangeshwari, Gangeshwari (‘Lordess of the Ganges River’) was created by Ravi Shankar in 1968, via murchana rotation of his newly-invented Kameshwari (itself dreamed up during a car ride through Bengal). Its unevenly-spaced shadav scale (prakriti with some forms of Sundarkauns) most closely resembles a ‘no Re’ version of either Charukeshi or Basant […]
• Raag Din ki Puriya •
S-r-G-M-d-N-S Din ki Puriya (‘Daytime Puriya’) sets its six swaras to the general phrase patterns of the Puriya–ang, avoiding Pa throughout. The scale’s ‘palindromic hexagon’ places a tight hemitonic cluster (NSr) opposite a wider tone-trio (GMd), also providing an augmented ‘equilateral triangle’ (SGd). Melodic motions remain fairly free, given the lack of any prakriti ragas […]
• Raag Deepavali •
S-R-G-mM-D-N-S A tantalising invention of bansuri pioneer Pannalal Ghosh, with a scale resembling ‘Bihag no Pa’ (or even ‘Bilawal komal Pa’/’Major Scale b5‘). As with Pannababu’s other creations, debate persists as to exactly how he conceptualised the raga – his own renditions span a multitude of ideas, and, at the time of his sudden passing aged […]
• Raag Khambavati •
S-R-G-m-P-D-n-S A loose mixture involving Khamaj, Jhinjhoti, and Mand, with different renditions emphasising varied facets of these ragas. The movements of the former tend to predominate: as per Deepak Raja, “normally performed in slow or medium tempo, with low to medium melodic density…an instant identification of Khambavati, as distinct from Jhinjhoti, requires consummate musicianship. This depends […]
• Raag Pancham •
S-r-G-mM-P-D-N-S An ancient raga of great historical renown, which is nevertheless rare in the modern era. Ramrang cites it as a descendent of the long-extinct Bhukosh (also an antecedent of Bhinna Shadja), with others linking it to the prakriti Bhankar and Bhatiyar (distinguished via sequences such as GMGrS; mmmGP; MDMmG). Most interpretations approximate the swaras […]
• Raag Nand •
S-R-G-mM-P-D-N-S Associated with Lord Krishna, Nand (also known as ‘Anandi’ or ‘Anandi Kalyan‘) rose to prominence around the turn of the 20th century – initially gaining renown through a pair of bandishes by Mehboob Khan ‘Daraspiya’ (Dhundu Bare Saiyan) and Vilayat Hussain Khan ‘Pranpiya’ (Ajahun Na Aye). Aarshin Karande describes the raga as being “regarded […]
• Raag Shree Kalyan •
S-r-G-M-P-D-N-S Congruent with the seven swaras of Puriya Kalyan (and Marwa thaat), Shree Kalyan is an enchanting product of Kumar Gandharva’s prolific imagination (also see Madhusurja, Lagan Gandhar, Saheli Todi, Rati Bhairav, Bihad Bhairav, and Bhavmat Bhairav). The movements of his main rendition (Dekho Re Rut Phoolan Lagi) place Shree’s tritonal re–Pa sangati on stark […]
• Raag Surdasi Malhar •
S-R-m-P-D-nN-S A combination of melodies from the Malhar and Sarang ragangas, said to have been created by Saint Surdas: a blind 16th-century poet-musician renowned for his evocations of Krishna amidst themes of shringara and bhakti. The raga which bears his name is described by Tanarang as “uttarang-pradhan, with general movement around taar Sa…[lyrics] are dominated by […]
• Raag Miyan ki Sarang •
S-R-m-P-D-nN-S A relatively straightforward mixture of Miyan ki Malhar and Brindabani Sarang, which omits Ga throughout in the fashion of the latter raga, while showcasing the former’s nDNS uttarang phrase (Jairazbhoy observes that “Dha is attached to ni, more or less as an ornament”). Refer to assorted vocal renditions by Apoorva Gokhale, K.G. Ginde, Shounak Abhisheki, […]
• Raag Palas •
S-R-g-m-P-n-S Now close to extinction in its own right, Palas (a.k.a. ‘Palasi/Palashri’) is best known for its historic confluence with Bheem – a union which produced Bhimpalasi. Subbha Rao’s Raga Nidhi Vol.3, published in 1965, states that (p.211): “These days Palas and Bhimpalasi are considered to be one and the same raga, but the aroha […]
• Raag Dhavalshree •
S-r-G-M-P-dD-N-S A Shree-ang monsoon raga which presents in multivariate modern forms, with particular variance evident in the status of Dha. Kishori Amonkar’s Jaipur-Atrauli interpretation adds shuddha Dha to the basic framework of Jaitashree, whereas Mallikarjun Mansur’s take renders dha komal amidst Shree-ang motions such as rNdP, also showcasing a strong SGP sangati and chayas of […]
• Raag Gaudgiri Malhar •
S-R-g-m-P-n-S An engrossing raga of uncertain origin, Gaudgiri Malhar is most prominently associated with Mewati pioneer Pandit Jasraj – although Gwalior stalwart Haribhau Ghangrekar and others were performing it even before this. Also sung by Jasraj’s brother Pratap Narayan and disciple Hemang Mehta, as well as Kirana vocalist Moumita Mitra – who describes it as a […]
• Raag Bhavmat Bhairav •
S-r-G-mM-P-D-n-S A curious fusion of concepts from two famous morning ragas – Bhairav and Lalit – devised by the gharana-blending Kumar Gandharva around the 1970s (also see his Bihad Bhairav, Rati Bhairav, Saheli Todi, Lagan Gandhar, & Madhusurja). Sadly, few recordings seem to exist – refer to Gandharva’s classic renditions for starters (e.g. Kantha Re […]
• Raag Shiv Manjari •
S-R-G-m-d-n-S A captivating shadav raga created by my own sitar guru-ji Pandit Shivnath Mishra, resembling ‘Charukeshi no Pa’. The only known recording is a brief clip by his sarod student Pat Lambdin, filmed at a 2024 Vermont concert with Amit Kavthekar on fine tabla form (mukhda: dnSRG; GmGRS). [More info to follow…]. Compare to Imratkauns, […]
• Raag Shivanjali •
S-gG-m-P-d-nN-S Despite captivating millions of listeners, Shivanjali is known to the world through a single performance. Conceived by bansuri master Hariprasad Chaurasia as a tribute to his close friend and collaborator Shivkumar Sharma, its lone unveiling came at a whole-night Stuttgart concert in 1995, with Shiv-ji in the audience (‘Shiv-anjali’: ‘Reverences to Shivkumar’). Comments left […]
• Raag Komal Ramkali •
S-r-g-M-P-d-n-S A strange sampurna scale, equivalent in shape to ‘Todi komal Ni’ or ‘Bhairavi tivra Ma’ (or ‘Todi’s poorvang + Bhairavi’s uttarang’: SrgM+PdnS) – indeed, the scale matches a historic form of Todi itself (Bor: “Todi Varali…first mentioned by Ahobala c.1665, with the scale SrgMPdnS”). Aside from Sa and Pa, Komal Ramkali has no shuddha […]
• Raag DoGa Kalyan •
S-gG-M-P-D-N-S A Ravi Shankar creation taking the form of ‘Kalyan with komal ga instead of Re’ (‘DoGa’: ‘Double-Gandhar’) – which, despite never having been released in classical form, may have left its mark on modern music as a possible source for The Beatles’ Blue Jay Way, composed by Shankar’s sitar student George Harrison in 1967. At […]
• Raag Jansammohini •
S-R-G-P-D-n-S Broadly running along the lines of ‘Kalavati plus shuddha Re’ (especially in avroh), Jansammohini is a captivating Southern import. As per santooriya Tarun Bhattacharya, “This [scale] was originally called ‘Siva Kalyan’, but the raga went out of circulation. Having heard the Carnatic Jansammohini, my guruji Ravi Shankar brought it back [under] the Carnatic name. […]
• Raag Barwa •
S-R-g-m-P-D-nN-S An Agra gharana speciality, Barwa blends ideas from Kafi (mP, mgR; mPDNS), Sindhura (SRmP; Pg), Desi (RPRg), and Miyan ki Malhar (nDNS). The komal ga tends to be omitted in aroha, and ma is rendered deergha, while the Malharic Re–Pa pair is often given as the vadi-samvadi. Traditionally associated with the late morning hours, […]
• Raag Prabhateshwari •
S-r-g-m-P-D-n-S A seldom-heard raga associated with bansuriya Hariprasad Chaurasia, which (to my ears) resembles a blend of the morning Ahir Bhairav and the late night Bageshri. His student Rajendra Teredesai describes it as having “all the hues…beautiful, complex, yet spiritually uplifting…full of pathos and bhakti ras, a state of perpetual divine bliss”. Prakriti with Ahiri and Jaiwanti […]
• Raag Sehera •
S-R-G-M-d-n-S Among the strangest of raga scales, Sehera’s six swaras are all spaced out in two-semitone jumps (akin to the Western Whole-Tone scale and the Carnatic Gopriya). The resulting symmetries summon a curious, centreless mood (also famous as the ‘dream sequence‘ of countless soundtracks) – best explored by its creator sarangiya Sultan Khan, who described Sehera […]
• Raag Rang Malhar •
S-R-mM-P-D-nN-S From my 2018 Darbar interview with Rupak Kulkarni: “Rang Malhar happened by chance. It was the rainy season, and I was playing in a monsoon festival. I was the last performer, and by the time my turn came then all types of Malhar family ragas had been played already. I thought I should come […]
• Raag Malay Marutam •
S-r-G-P-D-n-S ‘Malay Marutam’ translates as ‘Fragrant Hill-Breeze’. Maihar bansuriya Rupak Kulkarni explained to me in a 2018 interview how the raga “is from Carnatic music, which does not give so much attention to the times of day. We have decided to designate it as a morning raga, mainly due to the nature and essence of […]
• Raag Jaunpuri •
S-R-g-m-P-d-n-S Jaunpuri is a late morning raga, likely originating in the Sultanate-era music of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh (as per Subodh Agrawal: “The rulers of Jaunpur were keen patrons of the arts, and the last one – Sultan Hussain Sharqi – was himself a distinguished musician; it is probable that the Jaunpuri flavor of Asavari […]
• Raag Deen Todi •
S-r-g-m-D-n-S A near-extinct raga of uncertain origin, Deen Todi sets an ‘Ahiri no Pa’ form to the framework of the Todi-ang. Best preserved via an astonishing rendition by Kamalesh Maitra on the tabla tarang (a semicircle of 13 sruti-tuned dayan drums: below), accompanied by a multiphonic cluster of tanpura drones (tuned to a D-n-r-S cluster). Parveen […]
• Raag Ambika Sarang •
S-R-mM-P-D-nN-S According to Rajan Parrikar, Ambika Sarang is associated with Agra vocalist Chidanand Nagarkar, with “elements of Shuddha Sarang and Kafi blended together in a delicious cocktail” (as per his great-nephew Prasad Upasani, “The story goes that while teaching Shuddha Sarang, one student kept singing komal ni by mistake. This phrase stuck in his head, and […]
• Raag Adana •
S-R-g-m-P-d-n-S Though prakriti with Darbari, Adana favours a ‘lighter, flittering’ treatment: often summoned via skipping ga in aroha, limiting ornaments on komal dha, and focusing more on madhya and taar saptak (exemplified in Budhaditya Mukherjee‘s concise rendition: gat transcribed below). Komal ga is reintroduced via the gmRS Kanada signature in avroh – and some artists may […]
• Raag Rangeshwari •
S-R-g-m-P-N-S Like Parameshwari and Gangeshwari, Rangeshwari (‘Lordess of Colours’) was created in 1968 via murchana rotation of Ravi Shankar’s Kameshwari (itself dreamed up during a car journey through Bengal). Resembles a ‘no Dha’ filtering of either Patdeep or Kirwani, although its shape seems to be unique – with Shankar’s takes tending towards wide-open, poorvang-dominant movements. […]
• Raag Kameshwari •
S-R-M-P-D-n-S Dreamed up by Ravi Shankar during a March 1968 car journey through Chengali, Bengal. As explained by his widow Sukanya: “While riding in the car, he conceived the nucleus of a melodic form that he later developed and called Kameshwari [‘Lordess of Love’]. By using the old murchana and swara bheda system, he discovered […]
• Raag Tilang Bahar •
S-R-gG-m-P-D-nN-S A sparsely-recorded form which uses all the swaras of both Tilang and Bahar, appraised by Tanarang as “a fine blend of the two melodies…both [ragas] provide sweet tonal embellishment” (who gives characteristic phrases of GmPm; GmRS; mDNS; DNSRS; SnPmG; mPm; DNSnP; GmRS). Kirana singer R.D. Jadhav’s performance (described on the cover as a “bright […]
• Raag Shivawanti •
S-R-g-M-P-D-S A sparsely-documented modern creation of sitar and surbahar legend Imrat Khan – kindly brought to my attention by his student Chris Stephens via the Chandrakantha forum: “In regard to the ‘idiosyncratic’ Etawah ragas, here’s a video of [Khan] playing Shivawanti, which he described as a combination of Shivranjani and Madhuvanti. I captured this in […]
• Raag Raj Kalyan •
S-R-G-M-D-N-S A ‘Kalyan no Pa’ melody devised by Gwalior vocal innovator Vasantrao Deshpande (although he may well have seen it more like a ‘Marwa shuddha Re’). Parrikar describes how “the relief-inducing nyas on Pa is missing, giving a ‘restive’ persona”, while Ocean of Ragas gives a pakad of GmD, DmGR, NRS. Generally treated as hexatonic […]
• Raag Malgunji •
S-R-gG-m-P-D-n-S Roughly describable as a ‘Khamaj-ang Bageshri with a Rageshri-like shuddha Ga in aroha’, Malgunji is a multicoloured form, beloved by Gwalior vocalists (as well as Maihar sitarist Nikhil Banerjee). Some artists also feature a vivadi of shuddha Ni (often as mDNS, likely indicating the influence of Gara). Tanarang, aiming to evoke a “deep atmosphere”, gives a […]
