(S-rR-gG-mM-P-dD-nN-S) Said by some to be more of a ‘performance concept’ than a single raga, ‘Patmanjari’ translates as ‘Bouquet of Five Ragas’. Debate persists over whether the form should be interpreted as an open challenge to blend five ragas of an artist’s own choosing, or whether it entails five specific ragas – and, if so, […]
• Raag Patmanjari •
• Raag Madhusurja •
S-rR-mM-P-n-S A Kumar Gandharva creation, inspired by witnessing the plight of a goat as it was led past his house on the way to be sacrificed at a nearby Kali temple. To collate a few common tellings: “When the goat realises, it starts pleading to save its life. The vilambit bandish describes these prayers [‘bachaale […]
• Raag Basant Bahar •
S-rR-gG-mM-P-dD-nN-S A complex jod raga which, due to its parentage, has the rare distinction of using all 12 swara positions in its core form (Basant: SrGMPdNS + Bahar: SRgmPDnNS). While there are other ragas which do allow the use of all swaras, they tend to be either combinational experiments (e.g. Patmanjari, a blend of five […]
• Raag Gaurimanjari •
S-rR-G-mM-P-d-nN-S An intricate ten-toned raga created by Ali Akbar Khan via blending ideas from across the Lalit–Gauri spectrum (Gaurimanjari: ‘Bouquet of Gauris’) – notable for its winding melodic motions and dense, crowded swara-space (some renditions employ all swaras except komal ga). Its core form also possesses the ultra-rare property of rotational symmetry (i.e. the interval […]
• Raag Roopkali •
S-rR-G-mM-P-d-N-S A variation of Ramkali, which is distinguished through a general avoidance of komal ni and sporadic inclusion of shuddha Re. Renditions generally focus on the mid-scale region, with all five specific swaras from shuddha Ga to komal dha available for use (GmMPd). Khadim Hussain Khan’s twisting melodies tend to pair tivra Ma with Pa above, […]
• Raag Sohini Bahar •
S-rR-gG-mM-P-D-nN-S A complex, challenging compound of two starkly contrasting forms – Sohini and Bahar – collectively spanning all swara positions save for komal dha (SrGMDNS + SRgmPDnNS). While ‘Sohini+Bahar’ experiments have existed since at least the 1960s (e.g. Rao’s 1966 Raga Nidhi Vol.4 lists a bandish entitled Saba Bana Phoolari, describing the raga as “a […]
