You already know
more than you think.
That familiar tune that changes the room. A phrase that feels like dusk. A voice that turns longing into something beautiful. Ragas give us another way to explore those experiences.
More than a scale.
A raga is a melodic identity: notes, characteristic movements, resting points and ornament. Two ragas can share notes and still tell different musical stories.
A family resemblance.
A thaat groups ragas by a parent set of notes in a widely used Hindustani classification. It is a useful map, not a complete description of any individual raga.
A time to feel.
Many Hindustani ragas have traditional time associations. Our clock uses eight approximate three-hour windows. These are listening prompts, not rules about when you may enjoy a song.
Room for interpretation.
Film composers adapt. A melody might borrow a recognisable phrase, mix ragas or change notes for dramatic effect. Our labels preserve that distinction instead of treating every song as a classical lesson.
Reading the notes.
Our notation uses S R G m P D N for Sa, Re, Ga, shuddha Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni. Lowercase r, g, d and n indicate komal notes. M^ means tivra Ma. S′ marks the upper Sa; a comma after a note marks the lower octave.
| Term | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Arohana | An introductory ascending movement |
| Avarohana | An introductory descending movement |
| Vadi / Samvadi | Prominent notes in a traditional description |
| Audav / Shadav / Sampurna | Five, six or seven notes in a scale direction |
| Vakra | A turning or non-linear melodic movement |
| Mishra | A mixed treatment that permits additional colours |
What the labels mean.
Raga-based: the reference supports a substantial connection. Raga-inspired: there is a melodic resemblance without strict adherence. Mixed / Mishra: the song draws on additional material. Disputed: informed sources or listeners disagree.
Source-listed means an attribution appears in a named reference. Expert-reviewed is reserved for an editor-recorded review with a reviewer and date. The initial catalogue uses source-listed associations.
Mood is personal.
Rasa filters are editorial invitations. “Devotional” is a listening category often connected with bhakti; it is not presented here as one of the canonical nine rasas. Neither mood nor thaat determines how every listener will respond.
Continue with the raga atlas →, or read George Howlett’s discussion of Yaman ↗ and David Courtney’s film-song index ↗.
