The word Desh means country. This raga too offers a wide canvas. One of the sweetest old melodies, Desh is extremely popular with all genres of music that includes dhrupad, dhamaar, khayal, thumri, bhajan, patriotic songs, kirtan et al. It features in the group of Monsoon ragas as well. Carnatic musicians have also included this in their repertoire albeit Kedargaula is very close to Desh.
Thhaat (parent scale)
Khamaj
Jaati:
Audav-Sampoorn (5-notes in ascent, 7-notes in descent)
Vaadi:
Rishabh (R)
Samvaadi:
Pancham (P)
Swaras:
Omits Gandhaar (G) and Dhaivat (D) in ascent, employs both Shuddh and Komal Nishaad (N and n), rest shuddh swaras
Aaroh (ascent):
S R M P N S’ (Western Notes: C E F G B C)
Avaroh (descent)
R’n D P, D M G R, G N.S (Western Notes: D’ A# A G, A F E D, E B C)
Key phrases:
N.S, R M G R, N.S, R M P, D M G R, R M P n D P, M P N S’, P N S’R’n D P, M P N S’, R’M’G’R’, G’N S’, S’n D P, D M G R, G N.S
Time:
Night (pre-midnight)
Different gharanas (schools) treat the raga differently. Some emphasize the features of Saarang (RMPNS), some stress on GMPDnD to bring in Khamaaj –ang (features) etc. But the former is more popularly known. Some musicians fleetingly touch Komal Gandhaar in the upper octave as well. There are ragas like Jaijaiwantee, Sorathh and Tilak Kamod that are very close to Desh. The raga is capable of portraying different moods effortlessly.
1. Bhatkhande V.N. (1919-1937) ‘Kramik Pustak Malika Vol 1-6’
2. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Music of India
3. The Raga-ness of the Ragas by Deepak Raja
4. Abhinav Geetanjali by Pandit Ramashreya Jha ‘Ramrang’
1. Ustad Faiyaz Khan (vocal)
2. Pandit Nikhil Banerjee (sitar)
3. Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (rudraveena)
4. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (sarod)
5. Ustad Rashid Khan (vocal)
6. Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar (vocal)
Soumik describes himself as ‘a slave to the instrument’. Here he takes a break from his frequent collaborations, returning to his classical roots for a solo rendition of Desh.
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