Devi Krithis - Kavave Kanyakumari - sahanA ragam - Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna

Happy Navarathri to all of you! Hope all of you are having a nice time and enjoying the relaxing holidays and lovely food. I was going through some songs composed (and sung) by Dr. Mangalampalli 'Bala'muralikrishna when I remembered this wonderful and brilliant composition of his in the ragam sahanA. He is one of the most prolific composers of our age. His compositions have a certain sweetness to them both musically as well as lyrically. This composition of his in sahanA is called kAvave Kanyakumari in misra chapu talam. the lyrics for this song goes like -


kAvave kanyAkumari nIve gativamma sukumari 
(kAvave...)


pAvanamu mukha kamalamu 
nA jeevanamu nee nAma gAnamu 
(kAvave...)


neeve karmalakElla kartavu
neeve karmala phAlamuliTTuvu
needu roopame nindu punnami
needu varnaname murali gAnamu
(kaaveve...)

sahanA ragam is a really beautiful and melodic ragam that converys shanta (peaceful) rasa. It is derived form the 28th melakarta ragam Harikambhoji (also know as Harikedaragowla in the asampurna melakarta scheme). The scheme of sahanA is like:

Ar: S, R2, G3, M1, P, M1, D2, N2, S

Av: S, N2, D2, P, M1, G3, M1, R2, G3, R2, S

It can be seen that the ragam has vakra sanchanrams in both the arohana and avarohana. In fact, it has two such vakra sancharams in the avarohana. This liberal use of vakra sancharams is what gives sahanA its very characteristic melody.

Let us enjoy Dr. Balamuralikrishna sing his own composition-