Four rAga-s taking Re-Ga-Tivra-ma and komal-dha

Let us have some music first.

When you wish to stroll away and read the poetic interpretations of pragyAdhArA; please scroll down.

Self Incarnated pragyAdhArA

The beginning

Pragya, my disciple Dr Pragya Pyasi, called me in the afternoon, it was 05 October 2021. She asked if I knew any raga that takes Shudh Re, Shudh Ga, Tivra m and Komal dha. I could not remember any such raga but thought rendering of ‘Maru-Vasant’ should take these notes. I shared the puzzle with some of my musician friends but received no solution.

The following day it occurred that I could try to frame some ragas with these notes. Here are four ragas that came to me immediately. However, later I remembered that there was a raga ‘Purvi-Kalayan’ but not popular. On YouTube search, I discovered ‘Maru-Vasant’, but that takes both the M and m. 

A few days later, Professor Rajesh Shah of Banaras Hindu University and Sri Anindya Banerjee, Kolkata, pointed out a Carnatic raga ‘latAngI’ that takes these notes. I then realized that it slipped off my memory, and I remembered I certainly listened to Nikhilda [Pandit Nikhil Banerjee] playing ‘latAngI’. 

Ragas that take R G m [Tivra] and d [Komal]  |   P1= Mandra P

1.         Maru Vasant

Arohan: S G m P m G m d S’

Avarohan: S’ N d P m G, m G R S R – S

2.         Vishnu Kalyan

Arohan: N1 R G m d N S’

Avarohan: S’ N d P m G P GR – S  

3.         Purvi Kalyan 

Arohan: N1 R G m d N S’

Avarohan: S’ N d P m P G M G, G m P GR – S

4.         Pragyadhara

The idea of naming this raga as pragyAdhArA came to me as Pragya first put before the R-G-m-d puzzle before me and that was the source of the birth of this raga. You can listen to a brief AlAp on this raga in the audio-clip at the top.

This is a chalan based raga. 

Chalan:

A.         SP1 – S – R S, N1 S GR, N1 S R G N1 S R P1 d1-

B.         N1 m m G GR S, d1 P1

C.         P1 G – R, R m P GR – S, d1 P1 S

D.         m1 P1 S-, P1 S G d – P

E.         G m P d – m, GmPdN- N d P, m G – R

F.         R G m d, R G N d P

G.        R G m d, R G m P, G N N D P

H.        m G R, R G m d, m d N S’

I.          d N S’ R’ G’ R’

J.          P S’ – R’ S’, S’ N d P G -, m G GR – S

Arohan: P1 S R S, N1 S R G m G, m G R G m d P, m d N S’

Avarohan: S’ N d P G, m G R S

Version II

Pragyadhara – II

  1. S G P G, m d m G, PG S GR
  2. P1 S G – S, N1 R N1 P1 d1
  3. d1 N1 R G R N1 d1 P1 S
  4. P1 N1  S G  – S, P1 S GR
  5. S G P, m d – P
  6. m d N, m d, G P, P G S GR
  7. S G P S’ N m d m G, PG S
  8. G P S’ R’ S’ N  R1 P d
  9. S’ N P d m G, P G S R – S

Important combinations:

  1. S G P
  2. N1 R N1 P1 d

Poetic Interpretations of prgyAdhArA

Medha Persaud* writes in a WhatsApp message on 07 October 2021

In the early morning, 

Just after dawn,

When the sun is but a 

painting in the sky,

There is a gentle rain

Ever so light,

a wisp,

tip tapping on flecks of light

Softly

Softly

Softly…

That is how I feel after listening to this creation.

Fire and water at their gentlest. Is the sun reflecting the water or is the water reflecting the sun? No one knows because your raga doesn’t say. Beautiful. pragyAdhArA is born.

* Medha Persaud [nee Ramnath] visited India during 1990’s to learn sitar. She took admission at the Khairagarh University. Now, Medha is serving as a Senior Scientist in Molecular Biology and Genetics in a Biomedical Company in New Jersey [USA].