Recorded for Darbar in 2014, on location in Bangalore, India.

Musician:
- Anupama Bhagwat (sitar)

Raag Shahana; Thaat: Kafi; Samay: Midnight

“So exhilarating has been the beauty of my journey in the realms of music, that the destination is no longer important” (Anupama Bhagwat)

Anupama Bhagwat’s sitar style combines the best elements of the Imdadkhani gharana - structured alap playing, rapid taans, and a detailed master of gayaki ang [singing style]. Her varied approach reflects the eclecticism of her guru Bimalendu Mukherjee, a sitarist who also played veena, surbahar, sarod, sursingar, mandra bahar, dilruba, esraj, tar shehnai, and pakhawaj. She won All India Radio’s sitar competition in 1994, and has participated in fusion projects such as Global Rhythms and Shanti. Now based in Bangalore, she continues to refine her style while touring to acclaim.

Shahana is a late night raga. Literally meaning ‘of royal demeanour’, it is a close cousin of the more famous Raag Bageshri, sharing the same swaras [SRgmPDnS], but focusing much more on shuddha Dha as a melodic endpoint. It is often considered to be part of the Kanada family - performers often descend with the characteristic phrase nP, gmRS. Sitarist-scholar Deepak Raja notes that the raga is mentioned in medieval texts as being related to a Persian melody known as firodast, and that poetry set to it often features imagery related to spring and the monsoon season. It is not to be confused with the unrelated Carnatic Raga Sahana.

Subscribe to the Darbar Player for access to the full, uncut performance.