A structurally outstanding piece, this thillana composed by Calcutta Krishnamurthy (1921-1999) is set to Raag Hamsanandi in Adi talam. Krishnamurthy was one of Unnikrishnan’s gurus who had shaped his formative years as a musician.

Embellishing each line of the thillana diligently with an exquisite combination of Hamsanandi phrases, Unnikrishnan infuses resonance into this piece. The alapanas and niravals (lyrical elaborations) are delivered with fluency, creating a high emotional appeal with soul-stirring expressions.

Jyotsna Srikanth gives a pleasing accompaniment on the violin, enhancing phrases and maintaining subtlety when required. Bangalore Praveen (mridangam) and RN Prakash (ghatam) blend into the lyrics, providing a charming accompaniment with unobtrusive, intricate patterns.

Raag Hamsanandi is a derived raga (janya) of the 53rdmelakarta, Gamanashrama of the Carnatic system. It uses 6 notes, leaving out Pa or the 5th note. It’s jati is shadav-shadav, that is, it uses six notes both in its ascent and descent. It is similar to the Hindustani raga Sohini. Like Shree Ranjani, it has only the invariant panchama (5th) missing from its parent scale, Gamanashrama.

Its arohana and avarohana are as follows:
S R₁ G₃ M₂ D₂ N₃ Ṡ[a]
Ṡ N₃ D₂ M₂ G₃ R₁ S[b]

This scale uses the notes shadja, suddha risabha, antara gandhara, prati madhyama, chathusruthi dhaivatha and kakali nisadha.

Musicians 
P. Unnikrishnan (vocal) 
Jyotsna Srikanth (violin) 
Bangalore Praveen (mridangam) 
RN Prakash (ghatam) 
Priya Prakash (tanpura) 

Raag Hamsanandi, Thillana in Adi talam 
Composed by Calcutta Krishnamurthy (1921-1999)