Recorded at Darbar Festival 2007, on 15th April, at the Phoenix Theatre, Leicester

Musicians:
- Begum Parveen Sultana (Patiala gharana)
- Partha Sarathi Mukherjee (tabla)
- Chiranjib Chakraborty (harmonium)
- Nina Burmi (tanpura)
- Gunwant Dhadyalla (tanpura)
- Debipriya Das (support)
- Ranjana Ghatak (support)

Raag Maluha Maand, tarana in drut Teental

Raag Maluha Maand is a rare repertoire of Begum Parveen Sultana; Although she has performed this tarana in many live concerts before, this piece from the Darbar festival 2007 stands out due to the panache with which she embellishes the composition on the spot. Coupled with that is the quality of the production – all thanks to our brilliant AV team that works tirelessly to produce the best in Indian classical music.

Raag Maluha Maand is basically a form of Maand into which, the ‘Maluha-ang’ or Maluha-like characteristics have been infused. Raag Maand belongs to Bilawal thaat and is a derivative of the folk music of the nomadic tribes who roam the sand dunes of Rajasthan in western India. It is a lilting melody, capable of transporting its listeners to an idyllic world and also has the versatility to imbibe the characteristics of other tunes easily. A typical lighter composition in Maand would keep gliding in and out of various ragas, creating a beautiful horizon for the listeners.

Begum Sultana introduces the raga with an alaap, detailing the raga in all its octaves. She spices it up highlighting on the teevra madhyam now and then, lengthening the delightful moments of the raga. The tarana in drut Teental is full of fertile imagination, exposing the vignettes of the raga over a happy template.

Chiranjib Chakraborty gives an outstanding accompaniment on the harmonium, wedging beautiful phrases in between Begum Sultana’s improvisations. Partha Sarathi Mukherjee provides a masterful support on the tabla.