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On the Bilawal Trail Rajan P. Parrikar Rajan P. Parrikar is a recognized expert on Indian Classical Music and shares his knowledge freely with those interested in the subject. He has written a series of articles on Indian Classical Music some of which have been archived on Sawf. Click here to read Rajan's archived articles.

Rajan P. Parrikar with Pandit Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang"

Namashkar.

The old melodies assembled under the Bilawal rubric come on the heels of the Todis and the Bhairavs in the matutinal parade of Ragas. The Bilawals bring to mind those marvellous, hot breakfasts in India, whipped up by the ladies: soft Idlis idling in an ocean of Sambar and spreads of crisp sub-micron thick Dosai laced with gourmet chutneys. Did I also mention filter coffee? (bonus points awarded to the gals if the beans are slow-roasted and freshly ground for that deep, full-bodied flavour).

The influence of the Bilawal Raganga extends far beyond its immediate environs, its kernel pressed into service in a variety of disparate melodic settings. Raganga Bilawal, therefore, merits a careful study. Our trek begins with an introduction to the fundamentals of the Bilawal Raganga. Later on in the programme, we call on several important members of the enchanting Bilawal family. Let M = shuddha and m = teevra madhyam. In all these discussions on Ragas, I strive to use the term "swara" instead of "note." They are not equivalent, and there is no English equivalent of "swara." Those who talk about "note" in describing the mechanics of Raga devalue the very idea of Raga.

The Bilawal thAT is composed of the seven shuddha swaras and corresponds to the Carnatic melakartA Shankarabharanam. The features of Raganga Bilawal are best embodied in its flagship rAga: Bilawal, often referred to as Alhaiyya Bilawal. The lakshaNAs of Raga Bilawal are heuristically explored.

G M R G P, [P] M G R S
This tonal phrase suggests the alpatva nature of the madhyam in the Arohi movement. The latter half embeds a vital gesture. The P in square brackets signifies a peculiar 'shake' imparted to it. Parenthetically we may note that this is also a seminal phrase in Bihag, a rAga of Bilawal extraction. The intonation - ucchAraNa - so critical to Bilawal is difficult to convey with the written word but will be clarified in the audio clips.

G M (G)R G P, G P DG M G, G R G P D-M G
The kaN of R imparted to the rishab and the coupling of D and G merit consideration. The arc D-M is a Bilawal signpost, the precise intonation of which is later addressed by Pandit Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang." It bears emphasizing that although the dhaivat is the vAdi, it is not a nyAsa swara. A careless elongation of D can effectively ruin Bilawal.

P, P P (N)D N S"
This tonal strip is the preferred launch for uttarAnga forays and a recurring theme in all Bilawals.

S" (N)D P M G
S", D n D P M G
The first of these tonal sentences illustrates a key avarohi locus, terminating with a nyAsa on the gandhAr. The second phrase has the komal nishAd tucked in, the manner of which is peculiar to Bilawal.

Obiter dicta: Some people regard Bilawal and Alhaiyya Bilawal as two different rAgas, positing that the latter contains the komal nishAd whereas the former doesn't. I see no reason to make that distinction and consider them to be one and the same rAga. The lakshaNAs of Bilawal have an existence independent of the komal nishAd whose inclusion (or exclusion) does not alter the Bilawal landscape in any essential way. We shall continue to use "Bilawal" and "Alhaiyya Bilawal" interchangeably.

The core of Raganga Bilawal is masterfully abstracted and summarized by the great vidwAn and vAggeyakAra, Pandit Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" of Allahabad -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/jha_bilawalanga.ram

Primed with the foregoing preliminaries we now confront a dazzling array of Bilawal performances. The basic Raganga is extended in a variety of ways in the prakArs surveyed here. It takes a certain intelligence and experience sifting the central ideas from the sidelights. The highly specialized constructions render mastery of the Bilawal track a challenge exacting considerable training and thought. Not surprisingly the Bilawals are seen to nest in the repertoire of seasoned campaigners.

Raga Bilawal/Alhaiyya Bilawal

<- Mogubai Kurdikar of Goa

Full-length 'light' compositions with complete fidelity to Bilawal are uncommon. We inaugurate the proceedings with Madan Mohan's composition from BAWARCHI (1972), delivered by Manna Dey, Lakshmi Shankar and Nirmala Devi: bhora Ayi gayA AndhiyArA -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/bawarchi.ram

We have an outstanding Classical tableau erected here. The utterances of Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" and K.G. Ginde must be singled out for special attention from the shAstraic point of view. We kick-off with Salamat Ali Khan who introduces us to the canonical vilambit Khayal: daiyyA kahAN gaye loga Braja ke basaiyyA -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/salamat_alhaiyyabilawal.ram

Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" deals the popular Alhaiyya chestnut: kavana baTariyA -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/jha_alhaiyyabilawal.ram

Nivruttibuwa was a musician of considerable power and depth, his gAyAki cast in the Atrauli-Jaipur mould and fortified with tAleem under Rajab Ali Khan of Dewas. His Bilawal offerings represent a very superior level of musicianship. The earlier chestnut is reprised -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/sarnaik_alhaiyyabilawal.ram

Nissar Hussain Khan ->

My own introduction to the delights of Alhaiyya came through the Rampur-Sahaswan vocal master Nissar Hussain Khan. This cheez has been a member of our household for as long as I can remember: sumirana kara mana Rama-nAma ko -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/nhk_alhaiyyabilawal.ram

Basavraj Rajguru, the eclectic master with a penchant for the Vacanas of Basavanna: neerige naidile shringArA -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/rajguru_vacana.ram

Rajguru's second offering is classical proper: bina dekhe mohe chainA nahiN Ave -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/rajguru_alhaiyyabilawal.ram

The selfsame cheez from his distinguished Dharwad neighbour Mallikarjun Mansur. This is a Mansur wet behind his ears, from his pre-Jaipur, Nilkanthbuwa days -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/mm_alhaiyyabilawal.ram



<- Ratnakant Ramnathkar of Goa
Ratnakant Ramnathkar of Goa, a pupil of the Agra luminary Vilayat Hussain Khan "Pranpiya," was an ace harmonium player in his teens. He later sought vocal training from Pranpiya and amassed a not inconsiderable amount of material. He was a skilled composer and took "Premrang" for his colophon. Jitendra Abhisheki sings a lovely composition of Ratnakant-bab (the tabalchis's tihAi crashes elsewhere before Jitendra-bab nonchalently supplies the adjustment): roke thADo gail mori woh to NandalAla -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/abhisheki_alhaiyyabilawal.ram





<- Gangubai Hangal


A robust, delightful Alhaiyya from the full-throated Gangubai Hangal -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/gangubai_alhaiyyabilawal.ram

By now the uttarAnga-pradhAna character of Alhaiyya Bilawal ought to be evident. Moving along, Kumar Gandharva's delectable composition: laitA jA jyo -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/kg_alhaiyyabilawal.ram





Krishnarao Shankar Pandit and the President of India, Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan ->












<- Krishnarao Shankar Pandit (seated right) with his extended family. Rightmost is his wife

The Gwalior people relish Alhaiyya Bilawal. Krishnarao Shankar Pandit plies a Tarana in this unpublished performance given in his final years. Incidently, the same composition recently released in Ulhas Kashalkar's voice lacks the thrust and verve so characteristic of KRSP's style -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/krsp_alhaiyyabilawal.ram

A masterly Atrauli-Jaipur statement by the incomparable Mogubai Kurdikar -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/mogubai_alhaiyyabilawal.ram

An old, charming Marathi bandish by Malini Rajurkar: Shiva harA he bhava harA -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/rajurkar_alhaiyyabilawal.ram

Vilayat Hussain Khan "Pranpiya" chips in on behalf of the Agra clan -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/vhk_alhaiyyabilawal.ram

On the instrumental front, Bismillah Khan has a beautiful early recording of Alhaiyya. Here we will make do with Ravi Shankar. A solid, if not memorable, assay -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/rs_alhaiyyabilawal.ram

Now that we have cultivated an acquaintance of the basic Bilawal, it is time to unveil its many prakArs, some of which are specialty items of specific Gharanas. Those widely acknowledged as 'traditional' and embraced broadly are: Devgiri, Yamani, Kukubh, Shukla and Sarparda. Each of these prakArs demands a fuller exegesis but here we shall only touch upon the central themes. The motivated reader will have enough material in the clips as a basis for further exploration. If the nature of the Bilawal kernel is firmly grasped, any variations imposed on it ought not to present much difficulty in comprehension.

Raga Devgiri Bilawal

The Kalyan and Bilawal Ragangas are natural allies, and Devgiri and Yamani Bilawal are both products of their union. In the eponymous Devgiri (after the town close to Daulatabad and home to the celebrated 13th C. shAstrakAra Sarangdeva) elements of Kalyan - Shuddha Kalyan in particular - are grafted on the Bilawal chassis. The rAga's active region spans the mandra pancham and the madhya saptak pancham which is where the definitive operations are undertaken. While 'local variations' prevail across schools, the common Devgiri germ is apprehended in the following tonal strips:

S, (S)D' N' D' S, R G
G R S, D' P' G
Notice the D'-S chalan in the first phrase and the influence of Shuddha Kalyan in the second, through the P'-G prayoga.

<- Omkarnath Thakur in performance with Chaturlal (tabla), and Parur Sundaram and M.S. Gopalakrishnan (violins)

N'SRGMGRG, N' R G M G, G R G [P] M G
The advent of the madhyam attenuates the influence of Shuddha Kalyan and re-installs Bilawal. There are special gamakas brought to bear on the ucchAraNa (refer to Ginde's clip) in the poorvAnga of both Devgiri and Yamani, without which they would be rendered lifeless. Occasionally, elements of Bihag are introduced in some versions, to wit: S M G P or G M P N.

<- K.G. Ginde

K.G. Ginde presents a canonical Devgiri through the traditional Gwalior Khayal, E banA byAhana, and follows it up with S.N. Ratanjankar's druta bandish, mAno zarA aba mAnani -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/ginde_devgiribilawal.ram

Basavraj Rajguru's treatment reveals a different spin (the "local variations" referred to earlier). For instance, his advancing the N' R G M G cluster -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/rajguru_devgiribilawal.ram

Omkarnath Thakur -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/omkarnath_devgiribilawal.ram

Nivruttibuwa's interpretation is severely enchanting -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/sarnaik_devgiribilawal.ram

The details of the Atrauli-Jaipur conception of Devgiri depart from convention but the Shuddha Kalyan influence is unmistakable. The placement of the sam on the rishab in Kukubh-like fashion may raise some eyebrows.

Kishori Amonkar unpublished -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/kishori_devgiribilawal.ram

Jha-sahab has composed several exceedingly charming compositions in Devgiri. The cheez here depicts a coy Sita fending questions about her brother-in-law Laxmana from curious forest dwellers.

kauna tumhAre lAgata kuNwara sAnware gore
sakuchi sunAyo Siya devara gore more
'Ramrang' saiyyAN sANware

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/jha_devgiribilawal_druta.ram

The Maihar statement from its most brilliant mind, Ravi Shankar -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/rs_devgiribilawal.ram

Raga Bangal Bilawal

This old Bilawal prakAr has all but vanished from the Hindustani radar. No uniformity of opinion prevails concerning its swaroopa. Jha-sahab outlines the asthAi of a traditional cheez: devana deva Mahadeva -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/jha_bangalbilawal.ram

Raga Yamani Bilawal

This rAga builds upon the interplay of the Bilawal and Kalyan angas. The teevra madhyam mediates the Bilawal-Kalyan interface. Some of the key tonal sentences are outlined below. The kaNs (graces) in conjunction with appropriate intonational behaviour (i.e. "ucchAraNa") are crucial to rAgas of this type.

S N' D' N' S R G
This uThAv is a key lakshaNA of Yamani Bilawal.

S, G R G P, P m P, GMRG, G R S N' S R G
Both the Bilawal and Kalyan Ragangas are united here.

G R G P, G M D, P, m P G M (G)R G, [P] M G R S
The chalan is now pieced together.

An explicit Kalyanic m D N cluster is observed in some versions. On the whole, the Bilawal ambience dominates the proceedings with strands of Kalyan judiciously spliced in.




<- Pandit Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" at the author's place in Goa



It will be evident that both Ramashreya Jha's and K.G. Ginde's interpretations hew to the considerations outlined above.

Jha-sahab's luscious compositions in Yamani Bilawal delight both the heart and mind. We present a full suite, beginning with the vilambit bandish set to Roopak tAla and addressed to Saibaba of Shirdi -

Sai tihAre nAma ki Asa lagi mohe
kara deejo beDA pAra
sANchA sAheb tu mero Sa'i
'Ramrang' ki saba lehu sudhAra

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/jha_yamanibilawal_vil.ram

A couple of druta compositions back-to-back -

humari sudha leeje Sa'i
deenAnAtha dukha hAri
dAni dAtA dariyA dayA ke
'Ramrang' Ayo sharana tihAri
Shirdi ke Sa'i jana ke aghahAri

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/jha_yamanibilawal_druta.ram

Dinkar Kaikini and K.G. Ginde, both students of S.N. Ratanjankar, combine their talents in this offering of Yamani Bilawal.

Kaikini's traditional Khayal in Tilwada tAla: Ana paRo -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/kaikini_yamanibilawal.ram

K.G. Ginde serves an upaj (lit. improvisation) where the words are not as tightly bound to tAla as in a bandish: piyA bina kaise ke -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/ginde_yamanibilawal.ram

Nivruttibuwa's Yamani Bilawal is of slightly different vintage. Notice the highly pleasing touch of the teevra madhyam around 14 secs into the clip -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/sarnaik_yamanibilawal.ram




Alladiya Khan with his son Burji Khan (left) and grandson Azzizuddin Khan (right) ->

The Atrauli-Jaipur conception of Yamani Bilawal deviates significantly from convention. Alladiya Khan was a great innovator given to rethinking, refurbishing and reconstituting well-worn rAgas and presenting them in surprising, ingenious formulations. In his Yamani Bilawal, the Yaman component is subtle, expressed primarily through N' R N' G cluster. Mallikarjun Mansur explicates -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/mm_yamanibilawal.ram

The foremost exponent of Atrauli-Jaipur today, Kishori Amonkar: Ali ri kituve gaye -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/kishori_yamanibilawal.ram

For the Maihar view, we turn to the brilliant Nikhil Banerjee. The precise, sharp tihAis are breathtaking -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/nb_yamanibilawal.ram

Raga Shuddha Bilawal

"Shuddha Bilawal" means different things to different people. Abdul Karim Khan's conduct draws on standard Bilawal in this magnificent old recording. A strong presence of Yaman and Bihag elements prevails. The variety purveyed here may be considered a subset of Yamani Bilawal: pyArA najara nahiN Aye -


<- Abdul Karim Khan

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/akk_shuddhabilawal.ram

Bhimsen Joshi reprises the composition but under the "Yamani Bilawal" label. The Yaman component is discernible, absence of the teevra madhyam notwithstanding. It is a splendid recording and I couldn't disagree more with the opinion issued by some dilettante awhile back on rec.music.indian.classical (RMIC) that Bhimsen's hasn't gotten it right. It is a kinetic performance, the rAga emerges refulgent, and this is not an opinion -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/bhimsen_shuddhabilawal.ram

Mushtaq Hussain Khan of Rampur-Sahaswan ->

Mushtaq Hussain Khan of Rampur-Sahaswan was a powerful presence. His Shuddha Bilawal co-opts the bandish traditionally identified with Yamani Bilawal: Ana paRo -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/mhk_shuddhabilawal.ram

Raga Kukubh Bilawal

The nub of Kukubh Bilawal lies in the presence of the Jaijaivanti and Jhinjhoti chhAyAs in its poorvAnga. Kukubh's signpost is the sui generis rishab, tugged with the gandhAr. Consider the following sequence:

S, N' S (G)R, G R G P M G, M G R G S (G)R

Jha-sahab's servings of Kukubh include the vilambit, singhAsana baithe, and the druta bandish, sumirana kar le mana. These compositions are some piece of work.

sumirana kara le re mana bAware
chAra dina ko yaha melA khelA jagata ko
terA merA saba jhooTho nAta
socha samajha nAdAna
'Ramrang' meiN ranga le apno tana-mana ko

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/jha_kukubhbilawal.ram

Kukubh Bilawal is a strong presence in the Atrauli-Jaipur imagination.

Mallikarjun Mansur: hE devatA -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/mm_kukubhbilawal.ram

Laxmibai Jadhav, disciple of Alladiya Khansahib's brother Haider Khan -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/laxmibai_kukubhbilawal.ram

Kishori Amonkar -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/kishori_kukubhbilawal.ram

Next on the Kukubh roster, Vasantrao Deshpande -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/vasantrao_kukubhbilawal.ram

Conformance is not a virtue one can associate with the Raga tradition. The musicians of Agra gharana are the outliers in Kukubh space as witness the following two renditions.

Latafat Hussain Khan -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/lhk_kukubhbilawal.ram

Vilayat Hussain Khan "Pranpiya" -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/vhk_kukubhbilawal.ram

Raga Shukla Bilawal

<- Vilayat Hussain Khan



Strands of Khamaj are woven into the Bilawal fabric in this ancient rAga. The key identifier is the poorvAnga prayoga S G G M, G P M with the tailing, deergha madhyam. The Khamaj antecedents and other special clusters in Shukla Bilawal are heard in the chalan cobbled up by Jha-sahab -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/jha_shuklabilawal_chalan.ram

Lata's chanting of this verse from the Bhagawad Geeta, composed by Hridaynath, carries a hint of Shukla Bilawal -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/lata_bhagwadgeeta.ram

A traditional Sadra by Jha-sahab: darasa bina mana vikala -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/jha_shuklabilawal.ram

K.G. Ginde -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/ginde_shuklabilawal.ram

Nivruttibuwa's opening bars cut straight to the chase -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/sarnaik_shuklabilawal.ram

The Atrauli-Jaipur musicians take their Shukla Bilawal very seriously.

Mogubai Kurdikar -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/mogubai_shuklabilawal.ram

Mallikarjun Mansur -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/mm_shuklabilawal.ram

The Agra version is served by Khadim Hussain Khan "Sajanpiya" -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/khk_shuklabilawal.ram

Raga Sarparda Bilawal

This composite rAga draws its genetic material from Gaud, Khamaj and Bihag, fitting it within an overall Bilawal framework. The disparate constituents are held together with special sanchAris. The Gaud strand is at once evident through (S, RGM) gesture in the poorvAnga. A sample chalan is formulated below:

S, RGM, M D D P, DPMG, R G M

Notice the strong madhyam and the deergha dhaivat. There's also a piquant M n D P cluster, part of its Khamaj heritage. The Sarparda selections ought to clarify its swaroopa. Additionally, a brilliant discourse by Pandit Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" immediately following the Sarparda section reins in the highlights of the prakArs discussed hitherto.



Mallikarjun Mansur, age 9 ->

An inspirited Jha-sahab amplifies on his own compositions -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/jha_sarpardabilawal.ram

K.G. Ginde hauls the well-known Sarparda composition: E to manvA nA rahe -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/ginde_sarpardabilawal.ram

The view from the B.R. Deodhar gallery -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/deodhar_sarpardabilawal.ram

Umrao Khan (Son of Sarangi maestro Bundu Khan) paints a somewhat different canvass. The powerful madhyam creates a 'virtual Sa,' releasing chhAyAs of Yaman (the Bilawalic G P D N is transformed to N' R G m through the murchhanA) -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/umrao_sarpardabilawal.ram

Pandit Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" holds forth on the Bilawals http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/jha_bilawalspeak.ram

Raga Hameer Bilawal

As the name suggests, this winsome melody issues from a happy union of Hameer and Bilawal. Jha-sahab got this rAga and the composition from his guru Bholanath Bhatt, who in turn picked them up from Bundu Khan. The movements switch felicitously between the two parent rAgas. The text speaks of the gopis and their anguish, expressed to Uddhava, over Lord Krishna's absence.

itani jAya kahiyo, kahiyo re Udho Govinda soN
ina gopiyana ke marama ki
ina gopiyana saba bhasama ramAyo hai
TAre na Tare karama ki

Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/jha_hameerbilawal.ram

Raga Nat Bilawal

The Nat contribution of this hybrid is manifested in the poorvAnga through S R, R G, G M, G M R S.

Jha-sahab's composition lays bare the rAga lakshaNAs right away: peeharvA nA Aye morA -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/jha_natbilawal.ram

The Maihar Sarodiya, Bahadur Khan -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/bk_natbilawal.ram

The placement of the sam on the rishab in the preceding renditions at once points to the Nat Raganga. The final item in Nat Bilawal is an unpublished recording of a Kesarbai Kerkar mehfil in Shantiniketan in 1950 -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/kesarbai_natbilawal.ram

Raga Lacchasakh

There is no consensus concerning the swaroopa of this uncommon Bilawal derivative. Lacchasakh is considered part of the traditional 'Sakh' quartet, the others being Devsakh, Ramsakh and Bhavsakh. Three selections of Lacchasakh are offered and the reader is invited to bring his own measure.

Jha-sahab first outlines the chalan and then sketches his bandish -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/jha_lacchasakh.ram

Omkarnath Thakur gives the Gwalior line: prathama tAla sur sAdhe -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/ot_lacchasakh.ram

The Atrauli-Jaipur interpretation draws on Khamaj gestures. Anandrao Limaye (Limayebuwa) 'explains' -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/limayebuwa_lacchasakh.ram

Raga Sukhiya Bilawal

This Atrauli-Jaipur specialty is infused with prayogas from Savani (GMPMPG) and Bihag.




Kesarbai Kerkar of Goa ->

Kesarbai Kerkar: devi Durge -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/kesarbai_sukhiyabilawal.ram

Note: HMV has mislabeled this Kesarbai recording as Kukubh Bilawal.

Kishori Amonkar -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/kishori_sukhiyabilawal.ram

Anandrao Limaye (Limayebuwa) supplies a different composition -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/limayebuwa_sukhiyabilawal.ram

Raga Jaij Bilawal (Jayant Bilawal)

This Bilawal prakAr comes equipped with strands of Jaijaivanti in its poorvAnga. Catch the subtle komal gandhAr in Mallikarjun Mansur's performance -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/mm_jaijbilawal.ram

B.R. Deodhar presents another formulation -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/deodhar_jaijbilawal.ram

The third and final version features Altaf Hussain Khan of Khurja -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/ahk_jaijbilawal.ram

Raga Narayani Bilawal

In our concluding item, Prof. B.R. Deodhar furnishes a cocktail of Ragas Narayani and Bilawal. This sankeerNa rAga is regarded more as a curio -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/bilawal/deodhar_narayanibilawal.ram

This brings us to the end of the Bilawal Trail. A refreshing, hot breakfast is just what a man needs after a good musical workout. I can hear the call of the Idlis and Dosai. Ta-ta!

Glossary