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Writer's pictureDr Radhakrishnan

RARE RAGA SERIES: NAGASWARAVALI – JANYA OF MELA (28) RAGAM HARIKAMBHOJI

I ever used to wonder why and how the ragam Nagaswaravali (Nagaswarali) has fallen into the Rare Ragas list; with almost 80 krithis available like any major janya raga, those heard sung in concerts are very few – the others are of academic interest only. Nagasvaravali is considered a janya ragam of Harikambhoji, the 28th Melakarta ragam, though it can be derived from other melakarta ragams, Chakravakam, Sooryakantam, Shankarabharanam, Vagadheeswari or Sulini, by dropping both rishabham and nishadam. It has the same arohanam notes of ragam Maand, but keeps the same for avarohanam also, so that it can be represented as:

S G3 M1 P D2 S // S D2 P M1 G3 S

This raga has good similarity with Bahudari, another janya of mela (28), S G3 M1 P D2 N2 S // S N2 P M1 G3 S. Another raga with some similarity is Gambheera natta, janya of mela (36), S G3 M1 P N3 S // S N3 P M1 G3 S.

Ragapravaham by D.Pattammal also gives the same specification as above, under mela (28); but also gives another under same mela, losing Panchamam also in arohanam.

S G3 M1 P D2 S // S D2 P M1 G3 S

S G3 M1 D2 S // S D2 P M1 G 3S

Compositions:

Ananda darishanam tandan (tv) - Gitamani (TMT)

Anavam kondu alaiyade ni - K.S.Krishnamurti

Anbal ulagalvom - A.Suruliyandi

Are re murali nada (lng - Govindacharya

Bandhamu seyaradu – Dr.Muttiah Bhagavatar

Bhavayami tava pada kamalam - Vina Padmanabhiah

Bhuta pataye namo – Dr.Muttiah Bhagavatar

Chintanai sheiguvai santatam - Abraham Panditar

Darishanam taruvaye - Periasami Tooran

Dhim tadhim (t)-Thillana - Chitravina N.Ravikiran

Gam ganapate - Jayachamaraja Wodeyar

** Garuda gamana samayamide - Patnam Subramania Iyer

Guruvin sevai arivai - Lakshmi Krishna

Ilagu jesiteetla saitura - Pallavi Shesha Iyer

Ini aghilum - Minakshisundaram Pillai

Ini agilum unadu - Vinai Krishnamacharya

Iru vinai edu - Periasami Tooran

Kalai magal deviye - C.V.Padmanabhan

Kannena vazhudal - Ramanathan Chettiar

*Kanni mula ganapatiye -.Ramaraj

Karkaraiyumpadi karaivikkum - Ramalingasvami

Karuna varidhi (tv) - Pallavur Mani Iyer

Karunakaravala kharaja - E.S.Shankaranarayana Iyer

Kula kanta - Vinai Krishnamacharya

Kumara guruve - N.S.Ramachandran

*Madhura muralidhara - Rukmini Ramani

Maduraiyodu mannanai - D.Pattammal

Maguva nipai marulugoni (tv) - Vina Varadayya

Mahadeva sutam mada - Ashok R.Madhav

Mangala dayaki - Pallavur Mani Iyer

Mlesha nivahanitane - S.Jagannarayanan

*Muralidhara manamohana - Papanasham Shivan

Muralidhara ramana - Papanasham Shivan

Murugan tiruvadiye sharanam - Kovai Subri

Na dhru dhim na dhru dhim (t) - Ashok R.Madhav

Nagabhushanam - Tulasivanam

Natana kalapriya - Bangalore S.Mukund

Nataraja nandishvara - Bangalore S.Mukund

Navanita chora nanda - E.S.Shankaranarayana Iyer

Nenuga ni janmametti - Vinai Krishnamacharya

Omkara svarupam - R.K.Suryanarayana

Oshai vadivana oru - Kalaikkuttan

Pada sarojamula nammiti - Vinai Krishnamacharya

**Padumanabhan maruga - Papanasham Shivan

*Palisamma muddu sharade - Purandaradasa

Param porule parandama - Rukmini Ramani

Parama purushan pada - Papanasham Shivan

Parulanu vedi ne - Mysore Vasudevacharya

Patrilen unai anri vazhvile - T.Lakshmana Pillai

Prana natha paliso ni - Purandaradasa

Puttam pudu vasantam - Shuddhananda Bharati

Raghukulottama rama - Oothukad Venkatasubbier

Rama ramana narayana - Mysore Vasudevacharya

Sada bhakti shei maname - T.R.Vaidishvaran

Sadgurukripa galavariki - Meesu Krishna Iyer

Saketa nagara rama (tv) - Karaikudi Rajamani Iyengar

Saketa rama - Vinai Krishnamacharya

Samayam ide samaya - Haimavati Tyagarajan

*Sami ni pai chala (tv) - Patnam Subramania Iyer

Sami ni pai chala (tv) - Karaikudi Rajamani Iyengar

Shiva chidambarame - Muttu Tandavar

*Shiva ganga sthali – Dr.Balamuralikrishna

Shiva shankara namam - Guru Surajananda

Shivaneriye melenru - T.N.Svaminatha Pillai

Shri parvatipate surapala - R.Venugopal

**Shri shankara guruvaram - Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer

Shri vallipate pahimam - Subbarama Dikshitar

**Shripate ni pada - Tyagaraja

Suguna bhushana - Mayuram Vishvanatha Shastri

Svami shiridum dayai - Papanasham Shivan

Taye dayapari dayai puriya - R.Venugopal

Un padam nambinen – Rukmini Ramani

Unadu padam aladu - R.Venugopal

Vadana ruchira - R.venugopal

Vanchana seyuta - Madurai G.S.Mani

Vandana ruchira vijitasoma - R.Venugopal

Vande shri ramanam (tv) – Krishna Sharma

Vande shri vishvanatham - Ashok R.Madhav

Vighna vinayaka shri ganapate - B.K.Padmanabha Rao

sAmi mayUragiri vaDivEla - (popularized by Sri.santhanam)

Note: the ones with (**) mark are the commonly heard; those with (*) mark are rarely heard.

We shall take the Patnam subramanya Iyer composition, ‘Garuda Gamana’ for discussion. This composition is on Lord Rama, the meaning:

“Oh Lord Rama, whose vehicle is Garuda, this is the right time to shower your grace on me.

Your beautiful appearence is unparalalled. You are the prop for devoted.

Anjaneya the son of wind god, worships you. You wield Siva's bow. You hail from Sun Dynasty. You are the most pious lord. Oh Venkatesa, your eyes are beautiful like lotus”.


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