Yaman on the Sitar: Which Written Claims Survive the Viva?
A candidate for the Intermediate practical examination is preparing Raga Yaman on the sitar and submits this written work for internal assessment: aroha - S R G M(tivra) P D N S; avaroha - S N D P M(shuddha) G R S; vadi - Ga; samvadi - Ni; thaat - Kafi; jati - audav–sampurna. The gat is set in Teental and its mukhda is notated as 'G R S - | N R G -'. In the trial, the candidate holds shuddha Ma for two matras while descending and then resolves to Ga, saying that 'Kalyan ang permits both Ma'. The examiner asks one question only: 'Which of your statements will you defend, and which will you correct before the viva?' The candidate has 20 minutes and a copy of the prescribed raga list, which names Yaman as a Kalyan-thaat raga.
1. Separate the errors from the defensible statements in the candidate's written work. Give the corrected version and explain the basis for each correction.
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Defensible: the aroha is correct, and vadi Ga with samvadi Ni is a standard Yaman placement. The mukhda 'G R S - N R G' is not an error in itself; a gat may begin on Ga, the vadi, rather than on Sa.
Corrections:
- Avaroha: it must keep tivra Ma, not shuddha Ma. Yaman's identity depends on tivra Ma in both directions; introducing shuddha Ma in descent changes the scale and can make the phrase sound like Kedar or Bihag.
- Thaat: Kafi has komal Ga and komal Ni, whereas Yaman has shuddha Ga and shuddha Ni. The correct thaat is Kalyan.
- Jati: audav–sampurna means five notes in ascent and seven in descent. Yaman uses all seven notes in both directions, so it is sampurna–sampurna.
The corrected line is: aroha S R G M(tivra) P D N S; avaroha S N D P M(tivra) G R S; vadi Ga; samvadi Ni; thaat Kalyan; jati sampurna–sampurna. The candidate should also check the prescribed list for the exact samvadi expected by the board, because some texts differ on Ni.
2. The candidate defends shuddha Ma in the descent by saying 'Kalyan ang permits both Ma'. How should the examiner judge this defence, and what should a two-minute demonstration prove?
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The defence should be rejected for this examination. 'Kalyan ang' explains Yaman's family resemblance, but the prescribed Yaman uses tivra Ma only. Both Ma belong to ragas such as Kedar and Bihag, not to the standard Yaman scale. A two-matra shuddha Ma in descent is therefore a raga-identity fault, not a permissible ornament.
A two-minute demonstration should prove identity through prayogas, not through assertion:
- play tivra Ma in ascent and descent;
- show Ni–Ga and Ga–Ni movements, since Ga is vadi;
- use a pakad-like phrase that establishes tivra Ma and shuddha Ni;
- avoid shuddha Ma entirely, and avoid phrases that suggest Kedar or Bihag;
- resolve clearly to Ga or Sa.
The examiner is judging whether the candidate can establish Yaman in a short span. A candidate who argues theory while playing the wrong Ma loses more than one who accepts the correction and demonstrates the correct scale.
3. If the candidate keeps the mukhda 'G R S - N R G', what must be checked about its placement in Teental, and why is beginning on Ga not itself a fault?
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The mukhda has seven written units, but the dash is a held note and consumes at least one matra, so the candidate must count the actual matras rather than the number of note letters. The key check is where the phrase begins and ends relative to sam. If the gat claims to begin on sam, the first bol must sound on matra 1 of the avartan; if the phrase is meant to resolve on sam, its final Sa must fall there. The candidate must also check that the complete sthai fills 16 matras or that the mukhda is repeated as a return phrase.
Beginning on Ga is not a fault. Ga is the vadi of Yaman, and a gat may enter from any note; the listener recognises sam by the coincidence of the phrase's landing point with the cycle's first matra, not by the phrase starting on Sa. The fault would be a mismatch between the notation's claimed sam and the actual matra count.