Recorded at Darbar Festival 2014, on 21 September, at London's Southbank Centre.

Musicians:
- Pandit Bharat Bhushan Goswami (sarangi)
- Prabhu Edouard (tabla)

Raag Gara; Thaat: Khamaj; Samay: Evening

“I was encouraged by my gurus to immerse myself as completely as possible, in the study of music. That meant learning both theory and practice because one cannot be a practitioner/performer of Hindustani classical music without any knowledge whatsoever of shastra or theory,”

Pandit Goswami is one of the foremost sarangi players of our country. He brings a refreshing perspective with his rare command over the subtleties of his instrument – a currency that has proven itself an instant draw for his listeners time and again. His grandfather, Anmol Chand Goswami, was a noted exponent of Haveli Sangeet, an ancient form of North Indian devotional singing, and the family’s vocal traditions have influenced his style (how? What do you hear?). First trained in sarangi under Kanhaiya Lal, he went on to study under esteemed Benares gurus including Hanuman Prasad Mishra and Rajan & Sajan Mishra. He is in demand as a soloist as well as an accompanist.

Learn more about the music:
Gara is a Hindustani classical raga belonging to the Khamaj Thaat. This raga is similar to raga Jaijaiwanti. Both ragas i.e. raga Jaijaiwanti and raga Gara, have the same svaras. Gara is a rare raga. It is rendered in the late evening. The raga uses all the seven notes, six in the ascent and seven in the descent. Therefore the Jati of the raga is Shaadav-Sampurna. While some say that seven svaras are played in the ascent and seven in the descent. Therefore the Jati then becomes Sampurna-Sampurna. It uses both, the Komal (flat) and Shuddha (full) Nishad, and all other notes are Shuddha (full). The derivative ragas out of this structure are grouped under the broad head of Khamaj Thaat. Gara belongs to a family of melodic entities, which were apparently derived from folk melodies, and entered art-music in association with the thumri genre. This family includes ragas like Kafi, Piloo, Jangula, Barwa, and Zilla, along with several others. This raga expresses the feeling of happiness and satisfaction of achievement, however it simultaneously conveys the sadness of losing. This raga is also a vivacious and romantic one.

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