S-R-g-m-P-d-n-S Darbari has been described as “the Emperor of Ragas, and the Raga of Emperors”. Its majestic tones famously echoed across the marble floors of Mughal palaces in centuries past, bringing solemn relief to kings, warlords, and diplomats alike. Consequently, modern renditions tend to retain a grave, reverential patience, pairing pakad of (n)dnP & (m)gmR amidst […]
• Raag Darbari •
• Raag Kaunsi Kanada •
S-R-g-m-P-d-n-S Kaunsi Kanada is often oversimplified as a blend of two ragas: ‘Malkauns (or Pancham Malkauns) on the way up, and Darbari on the way down’. But, as ever, the whole is far more than the sum of these parts, with multiple facets of both these ragas interacting with ideas from across the Kanada spectrum. […]
• 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 Dhani •
S-g-m-P-n-S Despite its ‘Minor Pentatonic’ scale form enjoying global popularity as the predominant mode of blues, rock, pop, and countless other guitar-driven genres, Dhani is comparatively rare as a raga in its own right – with its swara set mostly being heard as the ‘aroha of Bhimpalasi’ rather than in isolation (…it may be the […]
• Raag Ahiri •
S-r-g-m-P-D-n-S Traditionally held to cure stomach ailments, Ahiri allows for long, kaleidoscopic melodies – with a scale form resembling ‘Bageshri komal re’, ‘Ahir Bhairav komal ga’, or even ‘Bhairavi shuddha Dha’. Artists are relatively free to roam throughout the scale – often accentuating the ‘equilateral triangle’ of nyas (r-m-D: an augmented triad) while also drawing on motions […]
• Raag Jaiwanti Todi •
S-r-g-m-P-D-n-S An Ahiri–prakriti raga introduced by Maharaja Jaiwant Singh Waghela (1904-1980): a hereditary King of Sanand who also gained wide renown as a spiritual teacher, vocal educator, and generous patron of the nascent Mewati gharana (also hear his famous Mata Kalika composition). Its twists and turns are linked to the lineages of Todi, Ahir Bhairav, […]
• Raag Sarangkauns •
S-R-m-d-n-S A rare audav raga of bewitching beauty, taking the form of ‘Malkauns with shuddha Re instead of ga’. As the name implies, the adoption of Re allows for poorvang shades from Sarang (SRm, mR), set in contrast to distinctive Malkauns turnarounds in uttarang (Snd, dnS). Like both Malkauns and Madhumad Sarang, the scale shape […]
• Raag Sindhi Bhairavi •
S-rR-g-m-P-dD-n-S While often just lumped into the general ‘Mishra Bhairavi’ category, the ‘Sindhi Bhairavi’ lineage is a distinct melodic stream, although interpretations still vary significantly by artist and gharana. Typically, shuddha Re is given greater prominence, often employed in the fashion of the Asavari-ang, and performers may also give prominent roles to shuddha Dha, tivra […]
• 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 Rasikpriya •
S-gG-M-P-nN-S A direct borrowing of the Carnatic mela #72: which, as the final position on the wheel, has all its swaras set to their highest allowable positions. In Hindustani music, the equivalent principle would produce Yaman (SRGMPDNS), but the South Indian system allows three variants for each of Re, Ga, Dha, & Ni, with the highest Re/Dha […]
• 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 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 Hemshri •
S-g-m-P-nN-S A night raga created by renowned Gwalior composer and vocalist Vishwanath Rao Ringe ‘Tanarang’, essentially equivalent to ‘Tilang komal ga’. In his own summary (seemingly the only source of melodic information): “the mood is light…a very sweet melody that manifests readily in the following combinations [e.g. SgmPm, gmPnPNNS; PNSnP; PNSgNS]”. Re is banned entirely, while […]
• 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 Kaushiki •
S-R-g-m-P-d-n-S A mysterious Malkauns-adjacent raga of great historic renown, now seldom heard in its traditional form. Ragas entitled ‘Kaushika/Kaushiki’ are mentioned in numerous ancient texts, including the 11th-century writings of Abhinavabharati (“Bhinnashadaja, Kaushiki, and Bhinnapanchama are favoured in Summer”), Sarngdeva’s 13th-century Sangita Ratnakara (“Bhairava, Kaushika, Hindola, Dipaka, Sri, and Megha are the six primary ragas”), and […]
• Raag Sampurna Malkauns •
S-R-g-m-P-d-n-S More of an umbrella term for assorted ‘sampurna-modified Malkauns’ renditions than a specific form (i.e. with Re and Pa added, thus completing the sapta swara). As per Deepak Raja: “Amongst the various manifestations of the concept, the most celebrated is that of Kesarbai Kerkar…[which] uses 9 swaras [SRgGmPdDnS] instead of the minimum 7. Its […]
• Raag Chandrakaushiki •
S-R-g-m-P-d-nN-S An invention of Nikhil Banerjee, combining Chandrakauns and Kaushiki. Expanding on a Malkauns base, the shuddha Re opens up a broader array of intervals to and from the interlinked twin-Ni positions – with the komal dha playing a similarly vital role below. (n.b. While some online sources refer to the raga as having been “created by […]
• Raag Salagavarali •
S-r-g-P-D-n-S A rare ‘Ahiri no ma’ scale, combining a Bhupali Todi-like poorvang with an Ahir Bhairavic uttarang (Srg+PDnS) 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 […]
• Raag Jungala •
(S-R-g-m-P-d-n-S) The term ‘Jungala’ (or ‘Jangla’) generally indicates a ‘reworked’ variant of a well-known raga rather than a specific set of swaras – for example Yunus Hussain Khan’s ‘Jangla-Gara‘ restricts Gara‘s melodies to shuddha Ga and Ni only, and Jagdish Prasad’s ‘Jangla-Bhairavi‘ adds a prominent double-Ni to Bhairavi‘s basic shape. Usually associated with folk-derived forms, several […]
• Raag Amiri Todi •
S-rR-g-m-P-dD-n-S Created by sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan in 1974, catalysed by the untimely passing of legendary vocalist Amir Khan the same year. As recounted to Indian Express in 2009: “My love and reverence for Khansaheb does not stem only from his music, but for his truly kind and humble nature. When he died, it appeared […]
