Hamsanandi - Raga Ruminations

Hamsanandi is one of the most beautiful ragas in Carnatic music. When I first heard the song Paahi jagat janani, I resolved to learn as many pieces as I could in this raga. Paahi jagat janani, a composition of the Travancore king Swati Tirunal describes several virtues of the mother Goddess. Paavana guru pavana pura, a composition of Lalitha dasar which describes Lord Krishna was made popular by singer Jesudas in all his concerts. Other compositions in raga Hamsanandi include Srinivasa tiruvenkata mudaya, a Tamil piece by Papanasam Sivan and Needu mahima pogadana, composed by Muthiah Bhagavathar after he heard the raga (Hindustani version) for the first time during a visit to Benares. Enjoy Papanasam Sivan's Srinivasa venkata mudaya sung by Ranjana and Gayatri. https://youtu.be/OcACiYpb6LY?si=xLeQHy3Nd5FX0QYi Hamsanandi corresponds to the Hindustani raag Sohini which is usually sung in the evening. Listen to this brilliant alaap of Raag Sohini by the late Ustad Rashid Khan. https://youtu.be/8kifCIG8kcc?si=jxpLrfSe_OOObHbv When I saw the Tamil movie Salangai Oli years back, the song "Vedam Anuvilum oru naadham" (composed by Ilayaraja in raga Hamsanandi) sung by SP Balasubramanyam made a tremendous impact. https://youtu.be/enoXhqWoYus?si=rrXIc8UfD2afdueg The epic Hindi movie Mughal-e-Azam with music score by Naushad had a great song in raag Sohini sung by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. The music is the background for a tender love scene. https://youtu.be/zJuM0IDrEmM?si=P-OvXSqE1sfMsSuu Another golden oldie (Hindi movie song) where the first verse is based on this raga. https://youtu.be/ANfV8VnzrYs?si=ftVpBYIKqxGqjVaQ For those who want details, Hamsanandi is a derivative of the Melakartha raga Gamanashrama (53). It has six symmetrical notes in the ascent and descent and this is the scale - SR1G3M2D2N3 SN3D2M2G3R1S