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 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 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 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 Nayaki Kanada •
S-R-g-m-P-n-S A popular Kanada raga said to be a creation of Gopal Nayak – the legendary poet-composer of Alauddin Khilji’s 12th-century Delhi durbar, fabled to have catalysed Amir Khusro’s invention of qawwali via Khusro seeking to outdo Nayak’s Sufi syllabic singing (although other origin myths relate the raga to Nayak Bakshu of Raja Man Singh’s […]
• 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 Enayetkhani Kanada •
S-R-gG-m-P-d-nN-S Invented by sitarist Vilayat Khan as a tribute to his father, legendary innovator Enayet Khan (although when the raga first surfaced, circa 1981, he was calling it ‘Vilayat Khani Kanada’ instead…). As per fellow Imdadkhani sitarist-scholar Deepak Raja’s excellent analysis, the raga runs along the lines of “Darbari with the addition of two ‘alien […]
• Raag Sughrai •
S-R-g-m-P-D-nN-S An afternoon raga of the Kanada family, Sughrai shares significant historic and melodic overlap with Suha (the two are sometimes fused as ‘Suha-Sughrai’) – with Mewati vocalist Aarshin Karande describing it as “a ‘higher-shruti‘ version of the more popular Suha” and “an ancient compound of Sarang and Malhar, featured prominently in Haveli Sangeet“. Shuddha […]
• Raag Shahana •
S-R-g-m-P-D-n-S The late-night Shahana (literally: ‘Of Royal Demeanour’) draws on elements from Darbari and Bageshri, notably including the former’s nP; gmRS descent and the latter’s strong g-m-D grouping. Distinctively, shuddha Dha is used as a prominent melodic endpoint, with Pa supporting it via distinctive up-down phrases such as PmgmD. Usually interpreted as a Kanada raga, Deepak […]
• 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 Buddhadev Dasgupta‘s concise rendition: gat transcribed below). Komal ga is reintroduced via the gmRS Kanada signature in avroh – and some artists, including […]
• Raag Gunji Kanada •
S-R-gG-m-P-d-n-S A Gwalior gharana favourite which blends Malgunji and Kaunsi Kanada, principally via inserting the former’s catchphrase of RnSRG, Gm (also found in Dev Gandhar) into the broader Kanada framework – although some sources also cite vital influences from Adana and Bahar (e.g. mDnS). Modern renditions tend to take the komal dha, although a shuddha Dha variant […]
• Raag Abhogi •
S-R-g-m-D-S A rare instance of an ‘audav Kanada’ raga, Abhogi’s swara-set resembles ‘Bageshri‘s aroha without ni’ – presenting a clustered poorvang and sparse uttarang (SRgm; DS). As per Tanarang, the raga’s capacity for Darbaric concluding motions (mgmRS) summons “a deep atmosphere” – with the vacant upper scale presenting performers with a curious creative challenge. Abhogi is […]
• Raag Mudriki Kanada •
S-R-g-m-P-D-n-S Described by Rajan Parrikar as “an uncommon Kanada variety, on which there prevails no consensus”. Basing his analysis of Ramrang’s renditions, he considers the raga to be formed via “introducing a shuddha Dhaivat into the Adana stream…[although] the Agra-Atrauli edition comes in a different flavour, involving a recurring phrase of RmRP” (evident in Sharafat […]
• Raag Basanti Kanada •
S-r-G-mM-P-D-nN-S Perhaps the only Kanada raga to give prominence to tivra Ma (which appears in Basant-like poorvang motions such as GMDMG; MGrS), Basanti Kanada is a thinly-analysed form which summons idiosyncratic tensions via a precise mixing of seemingly incongruous elements (e.g. from the bandish below: DmG, GMdM\G, MGrS). Predominantly associated with vocalists of the Jaipur-Atrauli […]
• 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 Suha •
S-R-g-m-P-n-S Suha is an afternoon Kanada raga which draws inspiration from Darbari, Megh, and Sarang, while also sharing significant overlap with the prakriti Nayaki Kanada and Gaudgiri Malhar (also see the overlapping Sughrai, and their hybrid ‘Suha-Sughrai‘). Information regarding the raga’s melodic movements is scant: Ocean of Ragas gives a vadi–samvadi of ma–Sa, noting that […]
• Raag Raisa Kanada •
S-R-g-m-P-D-n-S Despite regional variances, Raisa Kanada is generally considered to be distinguished by an idiosyncratic sequence involving shuddha Dha – given by Ramrang as nDPDPmP. Most interpretations fall close to Shahana (the two names have similar meaning: shahana: ‘of royal demeanour’, ‘raisa’: ‘rich, noble-born’) – with some also linking the raga to Nayaki Kanada, Kafi, […]
• Raag Rageshri Kanada •
S-R-gG-m-P-D-n-S A seldom-heard Rageshri variant which incorporates Kanada-flavoured poorvang phrases into a broadly Khamaj-ang framework. The only full-length recording I was able to find is a fascinating 1960 album rendition by Dhrupad vocal legend Rahimuddin Khan Dagar (Ganga Jata Shiv: transcribed below), which incorporates shuddha Re and komal ga in curious adjacent movements such as […]
• Raag Nagadhwani Kanada •
S-R-gG-m-P-D-nN-S A hazily-codified raga of uncertain origin, Nagadhwani Kanada is seldom performed today – although the term ‘Nagadhwani’ (‘Sound of Serpents’) seemingly appears in ancient lakshanagranthas including the 13th-century Sangita Ratnakara (‘Ocean of Music and Dance’). Joydeep Mukherjee’s Mohanveena rendition lies close to Patdeep, placing particular emphasis on shuddha Dha, while Pandit Jasraj’s Kafi-tilted bandish […]
• Raag Hussaini Kanada •
S-R-g-m-P-D-n-S Cited by Aarshin Karande as a creation of Hussain Shah, the last Emperor of Jaipur’s Sharqi Dynasty (1458-1505) – who found time for musical innovation amidst a perpetually violent, invasion-laden reign (also see Jungala). Karande considers Hussaini Kanada to be a blend of Nayaki Kanada and Shuddha Bahar (“this raga uniquely extracts a mood […]
• Raag Lachari Kanada •
S-R-gG-m-P-nN-S Despite its unique swara set, Lachari Kanada is rare to the point of extinction: the only two recordings I can track down are both brief cuts by Agra stalwart Latafat Kussain Khan (one is said to have been captured at a baithak in Kolkata, the other is of unknown origin). His rendition reveals Kanada turns […]
• 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 […]
