The Phrase That Turns Bageshri into Bhimpalasi
At a monthly baithak in a Kanpur school hall, a Class 12 candidate sings a vilambit khayal in Raag Bageshri with the tanpura tuned to C sharp. The examiner follows her notation sheet: the sthai sits in the middle octave, the tempo is 45 matras per minute in Teentaal, and she plans eight avartans of alaap before the madhya-laya taans. From the fourth avartan onward, every time the phrase rises toward the upper Sa she sings S'–n–D–P–M–g before coming down, and the examiner writes 'raag bhram' in the margin without explaining. Her drut composition in the same raag is clean and her voice is steady, but the closing taan of 16 matras finishes on matra 14, so the sam passes without resolution. She has three weeks, a 40-minute practical slot, and a teacher who has asked for a written diagnosis plus a practice plan rather than another full rehearsal.
1. Identify the exact phrase producing the raag bhram, name the raag it points to, and explain the swara-level reason.
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Diagnosis. The offending phrase is the descent S'–n–D–P–M–g. The inserted P is the problem, not the upper Sa or the komal ni.
Why it sounds like Bhimpalasi. Bageshri is built so that P is varjit - it is not used in the aaroh or the avaroh. Its ascent is S g M D n S' and its descent S' n D M g R S, so D falls directly to M. Bhimpalasi keeps both P and D (aaroh S g M P n S', avaroh S' n D P M g R S). Once the candidate places P between D and M, the ear receives the characteristic Bhimpalasi descent and the raag identity collapses, even though every individual swar she sang is in tune.
Correction. Replace the descent with S'–n–D–M–g or S'–n–D–M–g–R–S, and drill the pakad D n S g M g R S until the direct D–M movement is automatic. In Bageshri, D should touch M directly or rest on D as a nyas; P simply has no place.
2. Design an eight-avartan vilambit alaap plan that establishes Bageshri before any taan. Specify nyas notes and what must be avoided.
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The plan should move from the strong notes outward, never introducing material that belongs to the neighbouring raag.
- Avartans 1–2: Establish S–g–M and return via M–g–R–S. Nyas on M (vadi) and g; keep R short and only as a lower turning note, because R is omitted in the aaroh.
- Avartans 3–4: Introduce D and n with M–D–n–S' and nyas on D, then descend n–D–M. Still no P.
- Avartans 5–6: Take the upper Sa as a resting point, then descend S'–n–D–M–g–R–S slowly, with nyas on g and R before settling on S. This is where the raag is won or lost.
- Avartans 7–8: Consolidate the pakad D n S g M g R S and close on sam with M or S.
Avoid: any P; a long stay on R in the ascent; and treating D as a mere passing note. Keep the alaap in aakar and let the upper Sa be reached, not grabbed.
3. The closing taan of 16 matras ends on matra 14. Explain the arithmetic and give two acceptable corrections, stating the convention each assumes.
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Arithmetic. A 16-matra taan ending on matra 14 must have begun on matra 15 of the previous avartan (15, 16, then 1–14 = 16 matras). It is therefore starting two matras before sam and resolving two matras early, which the ear hears as a taan left hanging.
Correction 1 - resolve on the matra before sam. Begin on matra 1 and let the taan occupy matras 1–16; the final bol falls on matra 16, immediately before the next sam. This is the common khayal convention of 'landing just before sam'.
Correction 2 - land the last bol on sam itself. Begin on matra 2 with 15 matras, or on matra 2 with 16 matras if the first bol is a grace note, so that the final syllable coincides with matra 1 of the next cycle.
Either is defensible, but she must choose one and rehearse it with the tabla so the resolution is predictable. Do not mix the two conventions inside one performance.