S-r-G-M-P-D-N-S As per Deepak Raja’s insightful analysis, “Purva [bears] resemblance to Puriya in terms of swara material, phraseology, melodic centre of gravity, and aural impression” – also adding that, while sitarist Vilayat Khan considered the raga indistinguishable from Puriya Kalyan, it is in fact marked out by “differential weightages given to different segments of the […]
• Raag Purva •
• 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 Shadja. 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 […]
• Raag Malavi •
S-r-G-M-P-D-S An enchanting sandhiprakash raga, which has different melodic characteristics depending on the time of day. Jaipur-Atrauli vocalist Manjiri Asanare-Kelkar’s demo lesson describes its ‘morning form’ as “a complex raga combining Hindol and shuddha Dha Bibhas…you might also find a glimpse of Deshkar” – whereas she places the ‘evening form’ closer to Shree (“There are several […]
• Raag Lalit Pancham •
S-r-G-mM-P-D-N-S A title applied to various offshoots of Lalit which add some combination of Pa and shuddha Dha to the basic SrGmMdNS swara set, often removing komal dha in the process. Many such incarnations draw from Shuddha Basant (a raga which features Pa and, depending on variant, either form of Dha: Ulhas Kashalkar notes that […]
• Raag Khokar •
S-G-m-P-D-nN-S A captivating raga with disparate modern strands. In its predominant Jaipur-Atrauli incarnation, Khokar is, according to some, essentially identical to Bihagda, itself a fusion of Bihag and Khamaj (Deepak Raja: “A melodic analysis of the so-called Khokar confirms its identity with Bihagda…[any] distinction remains unsupported by either logic or evidence”). On the other hand, […]
• Raag Hansa Narayani •
S-r-G-M-P-N-S Taking the shape of ‘Puriya Dhanashree minus dha’, Hansa Narayani presents uttarang shades of Hansadhwani (PNS): another swan-related raga with Carnatic roots (‘Hansa’ suggests a swan-riding image of Saraswati, the four-armed Hindu goddess of music and learning, and ‘Narayani’ refers to an incarnation of Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and fortune: collectively covering two-thirds of […]
• Raag Virat Bhairav •
S-r-G-m-P-dD-n-S A ‘double Dha Bhairav’ raga with a unique swara set, associated with Jaipur-Atrauli vocalists including Nivruttibuwa Sarnaik (who, according to gharana stablemate Gandhar Digrajkar, invented it). In addition to Bhairav’s classic G\rS swoop and general poorvang-focus, Parrikar notes “a rather busy uttarang: shuddha Dha is used sparingly, in special sancharis such as GmPDnDn and […]
• Raag Hindolita •
S-G-mM-P-D-N-S A blend of Hindol and Lalit, seemingly introduced by Kirana master Bhimsen Joshi – who recorded it a handful of times over the years, including at the 1992 Sawai Gandharva Festival with Zakir Hussain, and for his 1997 Rarely-Heard Ragas album (also featuring Jaijaiwanti Nat and Bageshri Bahar). Given the sparsity of its recorded […]
• Raag Vijayanagari •
S-R-g-M-P-D-S A scale of Southern origin, seemingly imported North by Gwalior guru Balabhau Umdekar, which matches the swara set of ‘Madhuvanti minus Ni’ (although the Carnatic original is classed as a ‘janya‘ derivative of Hemavati). While I can’t trace any of Umdekar’s recordings, Malini Rajurkar has performed a pair of his bandish: Sajana Ghara Avo […]
• Raag Mangal Todi •
S-r-g-mM-P-d-nN-S A variant of Todi, seemingly of ancient origin, involving the addition of shuddha ma via phrases such as Smmd and MdndPmmd. Ram Marathe’s rendition, built around energetic mixing of both Ma and Ni positions, is probably the most prominent interpretation – with Shounak Abhisheki’s 2021 lockdown take building superbly on these ideas, setting bewildering […]
• Raag Bhankar •
S-r-G-mM-P-dD-N-S Bhankar is a complex morning form which introduces Lalit-flavoured phrases to the basic framework of Bhatiyar. Manjiri Asanare-Kelkar cites two main variants sung in her Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, one of which also features touches of Bhairav – with both versions sharing common phrases including Bhatiyar’s Sm mPG, MDS and Lalit’s NdMm, GmMmG. She also elucidates how […]
• Raag Darjeeling •
S-r-g-m-P-d-n-S Unveiled by sitarist Niladri Kumar in a 2014 Taj Mahal tea commercial, launching a new Darjeeling-themed range described in marketing materials as “definitely our most premium offering” (Niladri: “I have composed [it] in honour of the superlative flavour”). Status as a ‘real raga’ (rather than just a Mishra Bhairavi) is highly dubious – and […]
• Raag Bhankari •
S-r-G-mM-P-D-N-S A complex blend of several ragas, Bhankari was created by Gwalior guru Ramashreya Jha ‘Ramrang’. His student Rajan Parrikar describes it as a “tantalizing melody blending facets of Bhatiyar, Jait, Bibhas, and Deshkar, while retaining an aesthetic coherence in the end product”. Ramrang’s renditions also overlap significantly with some interpretations of Bhankar – an […]
• Raag Jogeshwari Pancham •
S-gG-m-P-D-n-S Created by Gwalior educator and vocalist Vishwanath Rao Ringe ‘Tanarang’ by adding touches of avroh Pa to Ravi Shankar’s Jogeshwari (itself a blend of Jog and Rageshri). Jogeshwari’s basic phraseology is retained, while also allowing elaborate extensions into Jog’s territory (the inclusion of komal ga means that all Jog’s swaras are now present). In […]
• Raag Adarangi Todi •
S-r-g-mM-P-d-nN-S A double-ma, double-ni Todi variant linked to 18th-century composer Naimat Khan ‘Sadarang’ and his nephew Feroze Khan ‘Adarang’, who served at the court of Mughal Emperor and prolific arts patron Muhammad Shah. While the raga’s historical lineage remains half-sketched, Ali Akbar Khan took to performing it later in his career. Sometimes given the alternate title […]
• Raag Dakshinatya Basant •
S-r-G-m-P-D-N-S A springtime raga described by sarodiya Joydeep Mukherjee as “very rare…adapted from Carnatic music” (hear him play it on “a very rare instrument, the Radhika Mohanveena”, created by Radhika Mohan Maitra in 1948 – accompanied by Subhasish Sabyasachi, “the first ambidextrous percussionist of India“). The name translates as ‘Southern Basant’ (to distinguish it from the […]
• Raag Shivangi •
S-G-P-D-S A charming chatuswari, confined to the swaras SGPD throughout. Vocalist Shubhada Moghe, in the accompanying notes to her 2019 rendition, describes Shivangi as “a rare morning raga taught to me by my guru-ji Pt. Manikbua Thakurdas, whose lineage goes back seven generations…it is very close to Deshkar, but omits Re completely. The vadi-samvadi are […]
• Raag Sonakshi •
S-r-G-mM-P-dD-N-S From my 2018 Darbar interview with Maihar bansuri maestro Rupak Kulkarni: “I created Sonakshi [‘Golden-Eyed‘] so I could experience a raga which was suitable for any time of day. I believe we have different mindsets depending on the hour: in the morning our mood is spiritual and fresh, and in the evening it is […]
• Raag Namanarayani •
S-r-G-M-P-d-n-S Equivalent to ‘Basant Mukhari tivra Ma’, the SrGMPdnS swara-set – known in Carnatic music as Namanarayani, the 50th mela – has barely been played in the North. I searched hard during my quest to find matching ragas for the 32 ‘sampurna thaat’ scales (=all those with one variant each of ‘Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, […]
