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 Parameshwari •
• Raag Prabhateshwari •
S-r-g-m-P-D-n-S A seldom-heard raga created by 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, the raga […]
• Raag Harikauns •
S-g-M-D-n-S Among the strangest of pentatonic scales, Harikauns resembles ‘Madhukant no Re/Pa’ or ‘Madhukauns with Dha-for-Pa’ (or ‘Malkauns with the middle two swaras raised’) – forming a ‘diminished square’ of 3-semitone jumps (SgMD) plus a (symmetry-destroying) komal ni. Aside from a natural uttarang focus, the raga allows for near-complete freedom of motion – but presents inherent […]
• Raag Salagavarali •
S-r-g-P-D-n-S A rare ‘Ahiri no ma’ scale, combining a Todi-like poorvang with an Ahir Bhairavic uttarang. As per Parrikar: “S.N. Ratanjankar conceived of this raga…ma is eliminated to yield the following contour: SrgPDnDS; SnDPgPrgrS. Brilliantly exploited by Jitendra Abhisheki in a celebrated natyageeta. Watch out for the injection of a vivadi dosha via tivra Ma”. […]
• Raag Deen Todi •
S-r-g-m-D-n-S A near-extinct raga of uncertain origin, Deen Todi takes an ‘Ahiri no Pa’ form. 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 DnrS). Parveen Sultana has also sung it live, and seems to […]
• Raag Sundarkauns •
S-g-m-D-n-S Taking the shape of ‘Malkauns shuddha Dha’ (or ‘Harikauns shuddha ma’), Sundarkauns’ swara set has, as per Tanarang, been unjustly sidelined by previous generations as a ‘Bageshri-ang Chandrakauns’ (“A misnomer…this raag has [neither] a shuddha Ni indicating Chandrakauns, nor [an] avroh like Bageshri…[so] it couldn’t gain much popularity”). He describes his revival of this intriguing audav […]
• Raag Jaiwanti Todi •
S-r-g-m-P-D-n-S An Ahiri–prakriti raga introduced by Maharaja Jaiwant Singh Waghela: a hereditary King of Sanand who also gained wide renown as a vocalist, music educator, spiritual teacher, and generous patron of the nascent Mewati gharana (also hear his famous Mata Kalika bandish). Some link its twists and turns to the melodic lineages of Jaunpuri, Todi, […]
• Raag Ahiri •
S-r-g-m-P-D-n-S Somewhat resembling ‘Bageshri komal re’, ‘Ahir Bhairav komal ga’, or ‘Bhairavi shuddha Dha’, Ahiri favours long, kaleidoscopic melodies, laden with shapes from proximate ragas. Artists may seek to accentuate the ‘equilateral triangle’ of nyas (r–m–D: an augmented triad), also drawing from its murchana-set neighbours Patdeep, Charukeshi, and Vachaspati. Matches the Carnatic Natakapriya, although ultimate origins remain […]
• Raag Rajeshwari •
S-g-m-D-N-S Taking the swaras of ‘Kaushik Dhwani komal ga’ (or ‘Chandrakauns shuddha Dha’), Rajeshwari’s five tones bring an idiosyncratic flavour, tied with diffuse tensions. All poorvang swaras are set to their lowest specific position (Sgm), and all uttarang swaras are set to their highest (DNS), with the relief-bringing Re–Pa axis banished throughout. The resulting scale […]
• Raag Suha Todi •
S-r-g-m-P-dD-n-S A jod raga primarily associated with (and probably invented by) Ali Akbar Khan. As per the liner notes to his 1978 album rendition with Swapan Chaudhury: “Suha is a time-tested traditional raga, and so is Todi…[however] their combination, though happily feasible, is not commonly heard…[Suha’s] Kanada trend blended with a raga of the morning […]
• Raag Lilavati •
S-g-P-D-n-S Confusion persists around which melodic forms are associated with the name ‘Lilavati’, with several incongruous examples in sporadic modern circulation. Abhirang uses the tones of a ‘komal ga Kalavati’ (SgPDnS), taking his composition from a 1969 edition of Sangeet magazine and linking his interpretation to the congruent Carnatic ‘Karani’ – while a scratchy Zia Fariduddin Dagar session […]
• Raag Niranjani Todi •
S-r-g-mM-P-D-nN-S A seldom-heard invention of Kishori Amonkar, combining elements from Bairagi, Ahir Bhairav, and Bhinna Shadaj. Despite these lofty origins, I can’t track down a single rendition by its creator – although her disciple Raghunandan Panshikar has recorded it several times, focusing his interpretation on a Jaiwanti Todi-like uttarang, and limiting shuddha Ni to specific […]
