Shubhapantuvarali - Raga Ruminations

Pathos. This is the word that comes to my mind when I hear the strains of raga Shubhapantuvarali. Whether it's Tyagaraja's "Ennaloorage" or Dikshithar's "Shri Satyanarayanam" the mood is melancholic and the lyrics are deeply moving. While Tyagaraja in his song taunts Lord Rama for thinking that no one would question the Lord for not caring enough, Dikshithar extolls the greatness of Lord Narayana. Both these songs are sung in slow to medium tempo with great emphasis on the lyrics and nuances of the raga. Here is a rendition of Shri Satyanarayanam by Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkVnQXHDcKU Shubhapantuvarali corresponds to raag Thodi in Hindustani music. Illayaraja's composition of Vaikariyil sung by SP Balasubramaniam for the movie Payanangal Mudivathillai was based on this raga. Here's Manna Dey singing Jaago Rey Prabhat Aaya for the movie Sant Gyaneshwar. This song is sung in the classical style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEVz3Aq1F8w For those who want details, Shubhapantuvarali is the 45th Mela raga (parent) and the scale is as follows. ārohaṇa: S R1 G2 M2 P D1 N3 S avarohaṇa: S N3 D1 P M2 G2 R1 S