S-r-g-M-P-d-N-S From my 2018 Darbar interview with bansuri maestro Rupak Kulkarni: “I lately composed Raag Annapurna: dedicated to Maa Annapurna Devi, my grand-guru [teacher of my teacher]. It is a combination of morning and evening ragas, so can be played at either of these times”. In 2022 I asked Kulkarni for more info: he described […]
• Raag Annapurna •
• Charju ki Malhar •
S-R-g-m-P-D-nN-S A diffuse branch of the Malhar lineage which exists in several modern forms. Pandit Jasraj, probably the raga’s most prominent interpreter, sings it as a Miyan ki Malhar variant with Desi-ang traits, including a distinctive treatment of shuddha Dha, which is emphasised in phrases such as mPDNS – echoed in Hemala Khare-Ranade’s recital preface (“Charju […]
• Raag Hemavati •
S-R-g-M-P-D-n-S Adopted from Carnatic mela #58, Hemavati matches the swaras of ‘Kafi tivra Ma‘, ‘Madhuvanti komal ni’, or ‘Vachaspati komal ga’. Prominently associated with Hariprasad Chaurasia, although it is unclear who may have first borrowed the scale from the South: Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan also recorded it, as has Amjad Ali Khan, with broad melodic variance […]
• Raag Miyan ki Sarang •
S-R-m-P-D-nN-S A relatively straightforward mixture of Miyan ki Malhar and Brindabani Sarang, which omits Ga throughout in the fashion of the latter raga, while showcasing the former’s nDNS uttarang phrase (Jairazbhoy observes that “Dha is attached to ni, more or less as an ornament”). Refer to assorted vocal renditions by Apoorva Gokhale, K.G. Ginde, Shounak Abhisheki, […]
• Raag Palas •
S-R-g-m-P-n-S Now close to extinction in its own right, Palas (a.k.a. ‘Palasi/Palashri’) is best known for its historic confluence with Bheem – a union which produced Bhimpalasi. Subbha Rao’s Raga Nidhi Vol.3, published in 1965, states that (p.211): “These days Palas and Bhimpalasi are considered to be one and the same raga, but the aroha […]
• Raag Chandraprabha •
S-R-m-d-N-S A magical audav raga matching the scale of ‘Chandrakauns with Re instead of ga’ (or ‘Kirwani no ga/Pa‘, thus allowing for poorvang shades of Sarang. Benares bansuriya Ajay Prasanna cites the raga as a creation of his father Bhola Nath Prasanna, adding that Chandraprabha “celebrates the light and glow of the moon…its serene calmness […]
• Raag Gaudgiri Malhar •
S-R-g-m-P-n-S An engrossing raga of uncertain origin, Gaudgiri Malhar is most prominently associated with Mewati pioneer Pandit Jasraj – although Gwalior stalwart Haribhau Ghangrekar and others were performing it even before this. Also sung by Jasraj’s brother Pratap Narayan and disciple Hemang Mehta, as well as Kirana vocalist Moumita Mitra – who describes it as a […]
• Raag Chanchalas Malhar •
S-R-g-m-P-nN-S Chanchalas Malhar (canchalas: ‘restless’, ‘flirting’, ‘fickle’) is an aprachalit stream of the monsoon family, seldom heard in the modern era. As per SIMA, the basic framework is derived from Megh, with other movements borrowed from Nayaki Kanada (e.g. mPnnP) – along with distinct srutis of komal ga and ni, both of which are raised […]
• Raag Shanmukhpriya •
S-R-g-M-P-d-n-S A strange scale imported from the Carnatic mela #56, equivalent to ‘Darbari tivra Ma’ (or ‘Hemavati komal dha’). Despite its Southern popularity, it is still little-known in the North, with only a few Hindustani artists having explored it in any depth. Among these, Rampur-Sahaswan singer Hafeez Ahmed Khan provides direct insight into its workings […]
• Raag Shrutivardhini •
S-g-mM-P-n-S A rare hexatonic raga which instantly gripped my ears as a match for the Western ‘Blues Scale’ (SgmMPnS) when I came across a mellifluous rendition by sarangi master Abdul Latif Khan – who regularly utilises distinctly bluesy double-Ma phrases such as nSgmM, PMmgS (as per his student Nicolas Magriel: “His bandish is somewhat reminiscent […]
• Raag Dhuliya Malhar •
S-R-g-m-P-D-nN-S An underappreciated branch of the Malhar family tree, titled in various ways (‘Dhulia/Dhuliya’, ‘Dhundu/Dhoondo’, ‘Dhundya/Dhoondiya’: said to be a reference to its creator Pandit Dhundibaba Dikshit, although further details on this prove scant). Most sources describe the addition of Sarang flavours to the basic Malhar framework, although they disagree on precise details: Ocean of […]
• Raag Lanka Dahan Sarang •
S-R-g-m-P-D-nN-S ‘Lanka Dahan’ refers to a famous tale from the Ramayana – as per Rajeev Taranath’s preface to a recital of the raga: “Ravana’s demonic horde set fire to Lord Hanuman’s tail; and the Monkey God sent the entire city of Lanka up in flames with it. But Rama’s consort Sita, an avatar of Lakshmi, […]
• Raag Tivrakauns •
S-g-M-d-n-S A novel experiment by rare raga connoisseur Abhirang, formed by changing Malkauns’ shuddha ma vadi to its tivra variant. This shift renders both Sa and Ma ‘detached’ (i.e. with no swaras either 7 semitones above or below them: a property shared by only Harikauns and Sehera), meaning that conclusive resolutions towards the raga’s two […]
• Raag Ardhanaarishvara •
S-r-g-m-P-d-N-S During my original search for the ‘32 sampurna thaat’, I couldn’t find a single raga that precisely matched the SrgmPdNS swara-set. This surprised me, given the scale’s inherently fascinating shape – with a poorvang-uttarang bifurcation of ‘Bhairavi–Bhairav’ (Srgm+PdNS), equivalent to ‘Bhairavi shuddha ni’, ‘Bhairav komal ga’, ‘Todi shuddha ma’, or ‘Kirwani komal re’. While […]
• Raag Komal Ramkali •
S-r-g-M-P-d-n-S A strange sampurna scale, equivalent in shape to ‘Todi komal Ni’ or ‘Bhairavi tivra Ma’ (or ‘Todi’s poorvang + Bhairavi’s uttarang’: SrgM+PdnS) – indeed, the scale matches a historic form of Todi itself (Bor: “Todi Varali…first mentioned by Ahobala c.1665, with the scale SrgMPdnS”). Aside from Sa and Pa, Komal Ramkali has no shuddha […]
• Raag Anjani Kalyan •
S-R-g-M-P-D-N-S A creation of Gwalior vocalist and educator Ramashreya Jha ‘Ramrang’ – named in honour of Anjana, a mythic Vanara princess fabled in Hindu lore as Lord Hanuman‘s mother. As per his student Rajan Parrikar, “the basic idea involves rendering the aroha of Madhuvanti sampurna, by taking in both [shuddha] Re and Dha. The aroha […]
• Raag Madhu Multani •
S-r-g-M-P-D-N-S An aprachalit raga combining Multani’s poorvang with Madhuvanti’s uttarang (also viewable as ‘Madhuvanti komal re’ or ‘Multani shuddha Dha’), which I found during my search for ragas matching the ‘32 thaat’ (=all possible 7-swara sampurna scales). Conceived by prolific rare raga explorer Abhirang in 2020, who banishes Re and Dha in aroha alongside other […]
• Raag Bayati •
S-r̃-g-m-P-ᵭ-n-S A unique experiment by vocalist Dinkar Kaikini, based on adapting a Middle Eastern melodic form known as Maqam-al-Bayati – resulting in highly unusual sruti tunings for re and dha, which are set to ‘quarter-tonal’ shades roughly halfway between komal and shuddha (ga and ni also display some degree of flexibility, leaving only Sa, ma, & […]
• 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 Harikauns •
S-g-M-D-n-S Among the strangest of pentatonic scales, Harikauns resembles ‘Hemavati 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 Barwa •
S-R-g-m-P-D-nN-S An Agra gharana speciality, Barwa blends ideas from Kafi (mP, mgR; mPDNS), Sindhura (SRmP; Pg), Desi (RPRg), and Miyan ki Malhar (nDNS). The komal ga tends to be omitted in aroha, and ma is rendered deergha, while the Malharic Re–Pa pair is often given as the vadi-samvadi. Traditionally associated with the late morning hours, […]
• 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 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 Rang Malhar •
S-R-mM-P-D-nN-S From my 2018 Darbar interview with Rupak Kulkarni: “Rang Malhar happened by chance. It was the rainy season, and I was playing in a monsoon festival. I was the last performer, and by the time my turn came then all types of Malhar family ragas had been played already. I thought I should come […]
• 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 Deen Todi •
S-r-g-m-D-n-S A near-extinct raga of uncertain origin, Deen Todi sets an ‘Ahiri no Pa’ form to the framework of the Todi-ang. 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 to a D-n-r-S cluster). Parveen […]
• Raag Ambika Sarang •
S-R-mM-P-D-nN-S According to Rajan Parrikar, Ambika Sarang is associated with Agra vocalist Chidanand Nagarkar, with “elements of Shuddha Sarang and Kafi blended together in a delicious cocktail” (as per his great-nephew Prasad Upasani, “The story goes that while teaching Shuddha Sarang, one student kept singing komal ni by mistake. This phrase stuck in his head, and […]
• 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 Rangeshwari •
S-R-g-m-P-N-S Like Parameshwari and Gangeshwari, Rangeshwari (‘Lordess of Colours’) was created in 1968 via murchana rotation of Ravi Shankar’s Kameshwari (itself dreamed up during a car journey through Bengal). Resembles a ‘no Dha’ filtering of either Patdeep or Kirwani, although its shape seems to be unique – with Shankar’s takes tending towards wide-open, poorvang-dominant movements. […]
• Raag Kameshwari •
S-R-M-P-D-n-S Dreamed up by Ravi Shankar during a March 1968 car journey through Chengali, Bengal. As explained by his widow Sukanya: “While riding in the car, he conceived the nucleus of a melodic form that he later developed and called Kameshwari [‘Lordess of Love’]. By using the old murchana and swara bheda system, he discovered […]
• Raag Devshri •
S-R-M-P-n-S An intriguing audav raga resembling ‘Megh tivra Ma’ (or ‘Vachaspati no Ga/Dha’). Its unique swara set – which features the unusual ‘tivra Ma, komal ni‘ sangati – is principally distinguished by a disbalance in how Sa and Pa are ‘surrounded’ by the swaras above and below (nSR: ‘2-2’, MPn: ‘1-3’) – offering curious contrast with the symmetry […]
• Raag Sundarkauns •
S-g-m-D-n-S There are at least two ragas in modern circulation which go by the title ‘Sundarkauns’, which appear to share no connection other than their name. One version, taking the swaras SgmDnS (‘Malkauns shuddha Dha’), is described by Tanarang as having been unjustly sidelined by previous generations, who have tended to misinterpret it as a ‘Bageshri-ang Chandrakauns’ […]
• 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 Chandni Todi •
S-r-g-M-P-D-n-S Equivalent to ‘Todi’s poorvang + Kafi’s uttarang‘ (or ‘Ahiri tivra Ma’), the SrgM+PDnS scale has barely been explored in Hindustani music – in fact, I couldn’t trace a single recording of it until late 2025, when vocalist Ashish Dha sent me his experiment in a new raga titled Chandni Todi (‘Moonlit Todi’). He describes […]
• Raag Simhendra Madhyamam •
S-R-g-M-P-d-N-S Borrowed from a South Indian ragam (mela #57), Simhendra Madhyamam takes the form of ‘Kirwani tivra Ma’, ‘Todi shuddha re’, or ‘Madhuvanti komal dha’. Despite the broad popularity of its Carnatic congruent (hailed by Charulatha Mani as “regal, meditative, bold, and striking”), the raga remains rare in the North – with its phraseological norms […]
• Raag Shobhawari •
S-R-m-P-d-S A rare ‘audav Asavari’ raga, matching the swaras of ‘komal Dha Durga’ (or ‘shuddha Re Gunakri‘). While relatively free of specific melodic constraints, the dha assumes natural prominence due to its disbalancing effects: it is involved in the only hemitonic pairing (Pd) and also the widest adjacent jump (dS), while serving as the only […]
• Raag Shivawanti •
S-R-g-M-P-D-S A sparsely-documented modern creation of sitar and surbahar legend Imrat Khan – kindly brought to my attention by his student Chris Stephens via the Chandrakantha forum: “In regard to the ‘idiosyncratic’ Etawah ragas, here’s a video of [Khan] playing Shivawanti, which he described as a combination of Shivranjani and Madhuvanti. I captured this in […]
• 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 Saheli Todi •
S-r-g-P-d-n-S An invention of vocalist Kumar Gandharva, lying between Bhupali Todi and Bilaskhani Todi via the addition of an avroh komal ni to the former (or the subtraction of ma from the latter). His original renditions linger patiently on the komal re (often intoned with a noticeably higher sruti than is usual for the Todi […]
• Raag Rasaranjani •
S-R-m-D-N-S A rare, oddly-shaped audav raga formed by omitting Ga and Pa from Bilawal thaat – essentially, ‘removing the major triad from the major scale’ (it can also be seen as ‘Bhavani plus Ni’, Rajeshwari Re-for-ga’, or ‘Durga Ni-for-Pa’). Vocalist Sakuntala Narasimhan, introducing a drut khayal, cites Rasaranjani as an innovation of her Rampur gharana […]
• Raag Pancham Malkauns •
S-g-m-P-d-n-S A loose collection of melodic strands which fall under the general banner of ‘Malkauns with Pa in avroh’ (thus sharing conceptual overlap with Kaunsi Kanada and Sampurna Malkauns). Ascents typically stay true to the pentatonic structure of Malkauns, and the Pa is usually rendered in vakra avroh lines (e.g. ndmgmdP or gmdndmP). Beloved by […]
• Raag Jogiya •
S-r-m-P-d-N-S Jogiya (from Sanskrit yogi: ‘State of Union’) is a shadav raga of considerable mystique. Tanarang recounts “a characteristic mood of devotion and detachment…Jogiya has komal re and dha like Bhairav, however they are not oscillated…and shuddha ma is powerful as nyas and vadi”. Generally expandable in madhya and taar saptaks, the raga’s geometries revolve […]
• Raag Gopika Basant •
S-g-m-P-d-n-S A hexatonic raga of bewitching beauty, Gopika Basant matches the swaras of ‘Asavari no Re’ (or ‘Malkauns add Pa’) – while also inviting shades of Bhairavi from ga upwards. The Sa–ma sangati is strong, and, as noted by Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy, descents can mirror the Malkauns-style scheme of “parallel conjunct tetrachords by oblique use […]
• Raag Devranjani •
S-m-P-d-N-S Stretched by the emptiness of a vast Sa–ma poorvang jump, Devranjani is formed by removing the re and Ga from Bhairav. Abhirang offers up both ‘shuddha Ni’ and ‘double Ni’ variants, with the former appearing to be predominant – while Bhatkhande’s early 20th-century works discuss the unavoidable strength of the ascending phrase Sm, mP […]
• Raag Bhavani •
S-R-m-D-S Distinguished by permitting only four swaras (and sometimes titled ‘Chatuswari’: ‘four-toned’), Bhavani’s symmetrical shape is akin to ‘Durga no Pa’. Its intriguing surtar sparsity necessitates a multipolar approach to melodic resolution, tempting a murchana-like refocus towards the triads available from Re (RmD: minor) and ma (mDS: major). Associated with the 20th-century experiments of Gwalior […]
• Raag Chandramadhu •
S-g-M-P-n-S An angular pentatonic form conjured up by vocalist Amir Khan only a short time before his untimely death in a 1974 car accident – indeed, it is unclear if he ever formally named his new creation (I’ve seen it referred to as ‘Bhushwati’ and ‘Amarpriya’, and at least two releases just list it as […]
• 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 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 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 […]
