Kaushiki Chakraborty sings the romantic afternoon Raag Bhimpalasi, showcasing the ornaments and rapid-fire melodies of her Patiala khayal gharana.

Learn more about the music:
Kaushiki’s virtuoso technique is the result of years of intense training, primarily from her esteemed father Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty. She hails from the Patiala gharana, known for a strong Islamic influence and elaborate ornamentation when singing taan [fast improvised melodies]. She describes her approach: “It’s all in the mind. One has to mentally align oneself to the form...My training has taught me two approaches to music – to do music and or to become it. The latter gives you the fluidity to transcend form and become one with it.”

Milind Kulkarni, also featured, is a modern exponent of Hindustani classical harmonium. Starting at the age of seven, he learned fast under the tutelage of successive gurus - Vasantrao Gurav, Anna Diwan, and Pramod Marathe. He still studies under the latter, and also receives accompaniment instruction from leading non-harmonium artists too, including vocalist Ulhas Kashalkar and tabla maestro Suresh Talwalkar.

Bhimpalasi is an afternoon raga, said to evoke sringara [attraction, romantic love]. It uses the notes of Kafi thaat, with an aroha [ascent] of nSgmPnS and an avroh [descent] of SnDPmgRS. Characteristically, Dha and Re only appear in the descending line, and are approached from the notes above. Ma is the vadi [king note]. The raga uses the notes of the Western Dorian mode, and the closest Carnatic raga is Abheri