Author: Sanjoy

Bilasi-Yaman | An Accidental Raga

Born on 22 May 2024 at 9:40 a.m. IST

Sanjoy Bandopadhyay

On May 22, 2024, during an insightful musical session with Dr. Adrian McNeil, we explored the concept of how murcchanā can transition focus from the hands to the mind, effectively diminishing physical awareness while playing an instrument.

This discussion sparked the idea of composing a raga that artfully blends the evocative moods of Bilaskhani Todi with the foundational notes of Yaman, retaining Yaman’s essential swaras: S, R, G, m (tivra), P, D, N. This fusion is straightforward and uses Nishad-Murchhana to infuse the atmosphere of Bilaskhani Todi. When Nishad-Murchhana is applied, it shifts into the Bhairavi scale, incorporating komal r, komal g, and komal-d. The resulting scale is illustrated below:

Notation System:

  • Shuddha Svaras: S R G M P D N
  • Vikrit Svaras: r g m d n
  • Tar Svaras: S’
  • Mandra Svaras: N1

Dr. McNeil suggested that this raga may be considered a Chhayalag raga. Yes, this shows a unique Chhayalag quality, where two ragas create their respective moods using the same group of notes.

For Bilaskhani Todi, the Yaman note Equivalents:

N1 = S | S = r | R = g | G = M (shuddha) | m (tivra) = P | P = d | D = N | N = S’

In Bilasi-Yaman, two types of notes and their positioning differ when depicting Yaman and Bilaskhani Todi (BT). Given that Yaman applications are well-known, we will focus on the unique note positions when invoking BT.

For example, to evoke the essence of BT’s rn1Srg, which is S ND1 N1 S R, from Yaman’s perspective, the S will adjust to reflect BT’s komal-r effect.

Naming of the Raga

The naming of the raga was not easy. Initially, I thought of Yaman-Todi, and later, I considered options like Yamani-Todi. But it was not good, as I wanted to compose an evening raga. Yaman-Todi or Yamani-Todi indicates association with morning because the ending is tagged with Todi, a morning raga. So, the first idea update was Bilaskhani-Yaman, which was later finalized as BILASI-YAMAN, where the ‘Bilasi’ connects to Bilaskhani Todi.

As a raga under the Yaman-veda, Bilasi-Yaman emphasizes the Yaman aspect, making it an evening raga. The innovative blending of these two ragas creates a unique and sophisticated musical experience, harnessing Yaman’s elegance with Bilaskhani Todi’s softness.

জাদু ছিল ওই দরজা পেরিয়ে…

হোয়াটস-অ্যাপের ফ্যামিলি গ্রুপে রাতুর এত সুন্দর লেখা পড়ে আমারও কেমন যেন বেশ লেখা-লেখা পাচ্ছে। এটা অনেকটা সেই খোঁড়ার অলিম্পিক দৌড়নোর ইচ্ছের মত। খোঁড়া বলে কি কিছুই করব না? অলিম্পিক না দৌড়োই, আট-দশ পা হাঁটার চেষ্টা করতে আপত্তি কোথায়?

এই তো সেদিনের কথা। তখন আমি কিছুটা ছোট সাইজের ছিলাম, আরে না না, পাড়ার হুলো বেড়ালটার থেকে বেশ কিছুটা বড়ই ছিলাম। সে কি, এতে হাসার কী আছে? মানুষকে এরকম টাক-মাথারই থাকতে হবে এরকম কোন মাথার দিব্যি আছে নাকি? বিশ্বাস কর বা না কর তখন আমার মাথা ভর্তি চুল ছিল আর ভুঁড়ি একেবারেই ছিলনা।

যাদবপুরে আমার এক স্বপ্নপুরী ছিল। হ্যাঁ, ওই সেই সাদা গোল বাড়িটা, আর তার ব্রাউন রঙের দরজা, একটা গোল হাতল যেটা ঘোরালেই দরজা খুলে যেত, আর সেই দরজার ওপরে পিতলের ফলকে লেখা 37/5 জ্বল-জ্বল করত। বাড়ীর সামনে এক-ফালি জমি, তাতে কিছুটা বাগান, জমি পেরিয়ে লাল সিমেন্টে সবুজ বর্ডার দেওয়া বারান্দা। জাদু ছিল ওই দরজা পেরিয়ে।

দরজা পেরিয়ে ছোট্ট একটা ঘর, এ ঘরের চেহারা মাঝে মাঝেই বদলাত। কখন তাতে পড়ার টেবিল, কখন বসার জায়গা, কখনো খালি, কখন মোটর-সাইকেল, কখন কোন সকালে টেবিলের ওপর চেয়ার চড়িয়ে তার ওপর ছোট্ট দাদার গ্যাঁট হয়ে বসে মহারাজ হয়ে যাওয়া, বা দেখিয়ে দেখিয়ে মজা করে অল্প অল্প নুন খেতে খেতে ছোড়দির গুন-গুন করে গান গাওয়া। জিজ্ঞেস করলাম, “কি খাচ্ছিস রে?” উত্তর এলো “খাবি?” বললাম, “হ্যাঁ”। “তাহলে চোখ বন্ধ করে হা কর।“ তার পর মুখে এক মুঠো নুন ঠুসে দেওয়া — হা হা হা হা হা।      

সঞ্জয় বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় ৽ কলকাতা ৽ ২৮শে ফেব্রুয়ারী ২০২৪      

Musical Translation

Music is a creative expression of human experiences, a medium of expression applying different skill sets. So, music mostly tries to express human experiences and emotions as approximate and creative translations.

The following audio-video mix aims to create musical visualizations of raga music quickies. These videos are recreations of music in visual forms. These videos surely are not examples of reverse engineering but may be termed “Creative Reverse Engineering”, where the music is a source of fresh ideas expressed in non-music media.

Moonlit Night with Chandni-Kalyan
Musical Translation-II

Best Paper Award to Pragya

I am indeed thrilled that on September 23, 2023, Naad Nartan felicitated Dr. Pragya Pyasi with the Best Paper award for their 2022 National Seminar organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

Pragya is the first among my disciples to get felicitated for excellence in
academic writing!

Her paper titled ‘Do the YouTube Views Count Reflects the Seniority and Acceptance of Indian Classical Musicians within Fraternity or the Vice-Versa?’ was published in UGC CARE Listed Naad-Nartan Journal of Dance & Music [ISSN:2349-4654], Vol-10, Issue-1, June 2022, DOI: https://zenodo.org/record/7056304

Pragya is the first among my disciples to get felicitated for excellence in
academic writing!

Here is an insertion from a Facebook post of September 26, 2023.

Dr. Pintu Saha [pen name Pramit], Head of the Department of Music at Assam Central University, commented below…

Partially auto-generating publishable good-quality materials

Sanjoy Bandopadhyay

Concept basis

India has enough human resources to match or can be quickly updated to match most of the publication requirements.

Expected benefits

This document will assist in managing the academic publication system for the community that can use AI to its advantage. The identified difficulties during the process will generate areas where the AI developers may focus on and update AI support for publications.

The concept

One can maximize the time economy by generating an AI and chosen HR-supported system for publication management. This system should develop acceptable quality publishable materials in larger quantities.

India has substantial human resources to employ HR intelligently to its advantage. One can generate an algorithm for the work. The publication management will include the following:

  • intelligent work distribution to HR
  • introducing available Artificial Intelligence to the advantage

One can:

  1. painstakingly list the whole process in minute details
  2. create several alternative methods for a single stage
  3. Frame a good number of templates, wherever applicable, for each section of the process, e.g., content production, error detection, statement of compliance, and statement of deviations.
  4. Frame the responsibility distribution policy for different preparation, production, and distribution stages.

A. Content Production

  1. Topic generation
    1. Topic idea distribution
  2. Generating structure and alternative structures of paper-collection or chapters.
  3. A good number of content creation templates for different types of content generation.
  4. Different combinations of guidelines for generating different writing templates.
  5. Method of combining components in templates to match authors’ preferences.  
  6. Applications of AI in content generation.

A1. Error detection system and statement of compliance and deviations

  1. A straightforward method to detect compromises in maintaining the system.
  2. Authors’  declarations on adherence to the content generation policy and deviation areas, if any, to comply with any specific paper’s inherent requirements.

B. Editorial Policy

  1. A detailed editorial policy requires to be framed.
  • The sub-editors must ascertain the use of the editorial templates.
    • The sub-editorial report will include several questions that have MCQs and short reports.
  • Declarations of the Sub-editors on maintenance and deviations from the policy.
  • The Section Editor, after satisfactory validation, will send for copyediting.
  • After successful validation of the copyedited manuscripts, the article or chapter may be selected for publication.

C. HR identification

  1. Essential qualities of execution of a part above in A and B.
  2. Identification method to pinpoint HR with required qualities and attitude.
  3. Work distribution policy.

The expected outputs of this document

The output of this planning will be a detailed publication manual with detailed indexing. With its detailed indexing, this manual will help HR with guidance for utilizing AI and generating probable answers to most issues during the production, validation, and distribution processes. 

Selected Papers Presented in Seminars and Conferences

  1. Distance Education in Indian Music: Feasibility and Prospects – This paper was read as the concept paper in the International Seminar on Distance Education in Music held at Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal, from  27 to 29 November 2000 [DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7143365]
  2. INDIA, MUSIC, AND INTERCULTURAL INTERACTIONS – The paper was presented at the UNESCO World Conference held at Jyväskylä, Finland, from 15 to 18 June 2003. [DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7142815]
  3. The Sitar and the Academy: Teaching Traditional Music in a University Setting – This paper was presented in 2005 at MillerCom Lecture Series of the Center of Advanced Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign [USA]. [DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7151423]

বুড়ি ও বুড়ো

রচনা: কেমনামি বোকানি 

একটা ছিল বুড়ো, একটা ছিল বুড়ি। 

থুড়ি,  

একটা ছিল বুড়ি আর একটা ছিল বুড়ো,

একজন গাইত গান আর অন্যটা বাটত মুড়ো। 

দুটোই ছিল পাগল, একটা সেয়ানা আর একটা আস্ত, 

কে যে কোনটা সেটাই ধাঁধাঁ। 

ধাঁধাঁর  উত্তর কেউ বলেনা, 

বললে পরেই পড়বে হানা,

আরে না না না না। 

বুড়ো বুড়ির আড়ি হবে,

ভাববে তারা, 

আমার ঘাড়ে ওরটা কেন পড়ে?

আস্ত হই বা সেয়ানা, কার তাতে কি?

জমিয়ে থাকি এটাই বড়,

নইলেই বিপত্তি।   

কলকাতা | ১৫.০৯.২০২১

ক্ষেত ভরে যাবে শস্যে

আমি জানি,

তোর ক্ষেত ভরে যাবে শস্যে,

সে বর্ষা নামুক বা না নামুক।

আমি জানি,

তোর কাছে আছে সেই চাবিকাঠি,

যাতে জল আছে, আছে প্রাণ।   

তোর জলের স্নেহে আসবে নতুন পাতা,

তরতরিয়ে উঠবে নতুন শাখা,

গুন গুনিয়ে আসবে ভোমরা

আসবে রঙিন প্রজাপতি

গাইবে পাখি, আসবে তারা ঝাঁকে ঝাঁকে। 

তোর বাগান উঠবে মেতে,

সে বর্ষা নামুক বা  না নামুক।

কলকাতা, ০৭ অক্টোবর ২০২১

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].