I hope this will help u to be sure its khamaz
In the Khamaj Orchard
Rajan P. Parrikar Rajan P. Parrikar is a recognized expert on Indian Classical music and shares his knowledge freely with those interested in the subject.
He has written a series of articles on Classical Indian Music which have been archived on Sawf. Click here to read Rajan's earlier articles. | 
Boys of a feather: Rajan P. Parrikar with his nephew Yash (Goa 2000) |
Namashkar. In the comity of Ragas, there is a certain class of denizens ordained as "kshudra prakriti ke
raga" by the long arm of tradition. They are so called because their provenance lies in the folk idiom. A number of kshudra ragas are acknowledged as the mother lode of the highly structured, expansive ragas that nest at the top of the pecking order. The heavyweights are the preferred choice for formal classical treatment and they exercise their
noblesse oblige through the Dhrupads and the 'big' Khayals placed in their service. The kshudra ragas, on the other hand, are mired in the native soil, and in sync with the pulse of the laity. They seduce us through the many subsidiary forms such as Thumri, Tappa, Dadra, Bhajan, Geet and so on. In general, they do not figure in elaborate Khayal or Dhrupad settings and it is in this sense only that they are deemed "kshudra" (lit. small).
Raga Khamaj is the cock of the walk of the kshudra block. Continuing with our exploration of the Hindustani Ragaspace we now enter the inviting confines of the
Khamaj orchard where a special
son et lumire, arranged by the the refined and cultured ladies of SAWF, awaits us. The lark includes an added attraction,
From the Carnatic Gallery, a compendium of enchanting perspectives from the South authored by V.N. Muthukumar, Ram Naidu and M.V. Ramana. Throughout the discussion, M=shuddha and m=teevra madhyam.
Raga Khamaj
< -- Pandit Kishore Kumar riding a Bong mule Khamaj represents three separate entities: thAT, raganga and
raga. The
Khamaj thAT is congruent with the 28th Carnatic melakartA, Harikambhoji, with the following scale set: S R G M P D n. The sampoorNa-jAti
Raga Khamaj draws upon all the notes from the parent thAT plus an additional shuddha nishAd.
The raganga kernel is encapsulated in the following tonal clusters:
G M P D n D, M P D-M-G
S" n D P D-M-G
The guiding principle in Indian music dictates that the swaras not be viewed as isolated units. The Indian term "swara" should not be confused with "note" (in the sense commonly used in the West) or a tone with a specific assigned frequency point. The idea of swara circumscribes the 'space' around a nominal note as well as its interaction with itself and its neighbours mediated through kaNs, Andolans and gamakas. This is the primary reason the essence of Indian music and the nuance of swara cannot be effectively conveyed through the written word or notation. It also explains why non-Indians (Westerners in particular) find themselves at sea upon first encountering Indian music. The curvature and intonation of
Khamaj's locus classicus, D-M-G, are vital. This arc is found in other allied ragas but only in
Khamaj is its ucchAraNa fully realized. The tonal strips of the raganga outlined above direct
Raga Khamaj's conduct. The rishab is varjit in Arohi sangatis. The shuddha nishAd, typically employed in upward movements, is on the whole subordinate to the komal nishAd. The gandhAr in the poorvAnga and the dhaivat in the uttarAnga are the dominant swaras. Let us explore the
raga some more. S, G M P D n D, [S"] n D, M P D-M-G
This tonal sentence elucidates the raganga. [S"] denotes a khaTkA on the tAra shaDaj. That is, a quick twirl of the type R"S"NS" or S"R"NS" . G M P D N S"
G M P D n D, P D N S"
G M n D, P D N S"
G M D N S"
G M P N S"
Each of these tonal groups is a candidate for an uttarAnga launch.
N. Moinuddin and N. Aminuddin Dagar -- > S, G M P D N [S"] n D, G M P DG M G, R S
Notice the langhan of the rishab in Arohi runs, the deergha bahutva role assigned to D, as well as the DG coupling, often put to good effect. The
Khamaj terrain embosoms all manner of melodic twists and turns and has been extensively mined. The kshudra prakriti ragas are permitted lattitude for play with vivAdi swaras and the main
raga thus elaborated upon usually goes by the prefix "Mishra." The teevra madhyam is a prime vivAdi candidate in
Khamaj, used to ornament the pancham. There are also specialized constructs involving m that lead to interesting situations such as an AvirbhAva of
Raga Gara (in this form, called Pancham-se-Gara), especially in renditions of Thumri and Dadra. P m P M G, GMPDnD GMDNS"nD P m P M G
Raga Gara may be explicitly invoked through a grAha bhedam (murchhanA) by translating the original tonic to the pancham. It is scarcely practicable to list the myriad variations attending the
Khamaj praxis. Its dhAtu is best assimilated through sustained tAleem and reflection.
< -- Pandit Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" We are privileged to have at hand Pandit Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" to illuminate the proceedings with a couple of didactic monologues. In the first clip, pinched off the telephone line, he discursively addresses the
Khamaj domain, training his sights on its three principal members:
Khamaj, Jhinjhoti and Khambavati. The discourse closes with a recitation of a famous Dadra in Pancham-se-Gara to illustrate the insertion effect of the teevra madhyam indicated earlier. The reader is encouraged to be on the qui vive for the ucchAraNa of the
Khamaj arc D-M-G. Pandit Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/jha_khamajspeak.ram In this second monologue Jha-sahab responds to a query initiated by Raja Kale and Satyasheel Deshpande and acutely clarifies the difference in intonation and curvature of the D-M-G ucchAraNa in the
Khamaj and Bilawal situations. The parley concludes with a dramatic recitation of Kabir's words to drive home an important point about the nature of shruti and the premium placed on anubhava (there is no satisfactory English equivalent of this beautiful word) in Indian tradition:
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/jha_khamajspeak_add.ram The platter put together for this presentation features several inviting and rare delicacies. The amount of material available in
Khamaj is forbiddingly large but our gauge limits admission only to purveyors of the highest quality. Even the most exacting, fastidious palate ought to be sated by our selection. We kick off with Lata Mangeshkar's rendition of Narsi Mehta's bhajan, a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi. The ennobling sentiments expressed and the tune dovetail beautifully:
Vaishnava jana to -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/lata_vaishnava.ram 
Rajan P. Parrikar with Pt. Kishore Kumar (Goa, 1986) -- > Khamaj looms large in the folk music of Bengal. We adduce a composition of Rabindranath Tagore rendered by Pandit Kishore Kumar, Khalifa of the Khandwa Gharana. Rabby was an extraordinary individual, a man possessed of transcendent intellect. While his appreciation of music was deep his musical talents were rather pedestrian if Robindra Shongeet is anything to go by. At its best his is "pretty" music. On the other hand, Pt. Kishore Kumar's genius lay in music and music alone, to be sure, in his wielding of the vocal brush. Although Panditji came from Khandwa the bongs shamelessly claim him as one of their own (and fail miserably in the attempt). Even a cursory analysis of the eigenvalues of Panditji's personality matrix betrays not a sliver of bong influence or trait. Panditji loved amangshor jhol, true, but the story goes that the day he discovered the pleasures of Goan prawn curry he foreswore the sissy bong cuisine for good. Every bong should put that in a pipe and smoke it. Panditji's voice, Rabby's bongspeak:
bidhir bAndhon -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/kishore_bidhir.ram K.L. Saigal's number from BHANWARA (1944) for master tunesmith Khemchand Prakash offers some
Khamaj vistas:
hum apnA unhe banA nA sake -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/klsaigal_humapna.ram Shubha Mudgal adapts an old Thumri tune to a modern orchestral arrangement in her rustic, full-throated
bAbul jiyA morA ghabarAye -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/shubhamudgal_khamaj.ram Hindi film numbers in
Khamaj are legion but this one is a personal favourite. R.D. Burman is said to have received counsel from his illustrious father S.D. Burman while developing this tune. Lata brings a keen maternal instinct and love to flower in this flawless take. From AMAR PREM (1971):
baDA naTkhaT hai re -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/lata_badanatkhat.ram 
< -- Govindrao Tembe with Alladiya Khan From the Marathi stage comes this crisp composition of Govindrao Tembe for the drama MANAPAMAN, reprised in recent times by Prabhakar Karekar:
yA nava navala nayanotsavA -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/karekar_khamaj.ram Next in line, a triple header from the fecund mind of Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang." The first, a Thumri in vilambit Keharwa, is seasoned with all the essential ingredients of
Khamaj:
nA lAge jiyarA -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/jha_khamaj1.ram Another poorab-anga Thumri, this time of a different design, in madhya-laya Teentala:
jina chhuvo mori baiyyAN -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/jha_khamaj2.ram The final item in Ramrang's suite: a bandish-ki-Thumri, in Ektala:
bole amavA ki DArana -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/jha_khamaj3.ram These three were Jha-sahab's own compositions. The Thumri technique he imbibed from his guru, Bholanath Bhatt, who was regarded in his own day as one of the great masters of that form.
Kesarbai Kerkar -- > The famous traditional bandish-ki-Thumri,
nA mAnoongi, has many votaries but it is given only to 'Aftab-e-Mousiqui' Faiyyaz Khan to take it to the nines:
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/faiyyaz_khamaj.ram Vilambit Khayal compositions in
Khamaj are uncommon. More typical are Sadras, Dhamars, Horis, Dadras, Thumris, Khayalnumas and Taranas. Ulhas Kashalkar unveils a traditional Tarana (documented by Bhatkhande in his Kramik Pustaka Malika):
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/kashalkar_khamaj.ram Kesarbai Kerkar's Hori reveals her consummate command of voice, its modulations and phirat. A vivAdi komal gandhAr is casually dropped at 1:47 into the clip:
Aye Shyam mose khelana holi -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/kesarbai_khamaj.ram 
< -- Begum Akhtar (l) with her disciple Shanti Hiranand Among the most celebrated Thumri exponents of our time, Begum Akhtar plies a flavoured
Khamaj:
nA jA balama pardes - http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/begumakhtar_khamaj.ram This Thumri by Lakshmi Shankar, set to Deepchandi, is from a 1995 private mehfil. On the Harmonium is yours truly, Tabla support is provided by Pranesh Khan. We join in the climactic moments of the recital:
aba nA bajAvo Shyam -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/ls_khamaj.ram Nikhil Banerjee's fingers sing
Khamaj in this delectable piece -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/nb_khamaj.ram 
Sureshbabu Mane -- > The richly gifted Sureshbabu Mane (1902-1953) inherited his yen for Thumri from his great father Abdul Karim Khan. Some of papa's vocal flourishes are replicated in the son, as witness this recording:
piyA tirchhi nazariyA -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/sureshbabu_khamaj.ram True to form, the lifelong maverick Ramkrishnabuwa Vaze deals
Khamaj in a brisk Ektala composition:
piyA nahiN Aye -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/vazebuwa_khamaj.ram By several accounts Barkat Ali Khan was a superior Thumri singer but had to content himself by playing second fiddle to his redoubtable brother, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. The same Thumri,
dekhe binA bechaina, is presented by the two brothers. Barkat Ali -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/barkatali_khamaj.ram Bade Ghulam Ali Khan -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/bgak_khamaj.ram 
< -- Siddheswari Devi (l) with daughter Savita Devi We ring down the curtain on Khamaj with a prized Thumri rendition by Siddheswari Devi: tumse lAgi preeta, sANwariyA -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/khamaj/siddheshwari_khamaj.ram
Originally posted by: fairdog
Thanks, osoniare....
Well just found out the carnatic equivalent for 'Khamaj'... it is 'Hari Kamboji'.
I found another popular song with raag khamaj...in the link provided by Arun...
Aayo kahaan se ghanashyaam, from buddha mil gaya....sung by Manna Dey...
I will now listen to both of the back to back...and enjoy....
thanks...
Edited by osoniare - 19 years ago
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