Bhaskar Roy Chowdhary

Ekaika Kriti Raga-s 

The classification Ekaika Kriti Raga-s (EKRs) itself does not appear to be useful either to students or practitioners of music, except perhapsto enlist their support in preserving and popularising them. In other words, it has basically a cultural conservation value only. The number One also may not have any special significance. A raga in which there arc only two kriti-s is as rare or liable to become extinct as an EKR. (I do not know whether there are entities accepted and recognised as ragas in which no kriti-s are known to exist). It is also not possible to call all EKRs rare. Devibrova in Chintamani and Mridu bhashana in Maruva Dhanyasi were being sung by M. Balamuralikrishna in most of his concerts during his heydays. The former kriti is even now very popular with musicians and rasika-s. The EKR classification, therefore, does not seem to have any musicological significance (unless research is done on some aspects as referred to later in this article).

Profile - Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury

Prior to his accident, it was as a dancer, offering dynamic and unique interpretations of classical Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kathak, Manipuri and a variety of regional folk dances, and even Modern dance of the West, that Bhaskar made his mark on the New York stage. He utilised the performing space to provide an audio-visual experience, unfolding a canvas cohering/consolidating elements of painting, sculpture, architecture, poetry, music and drama into his dance. His upbringing and training in Madras had laid the foundation for this success.

Music Appreciation Notes by S. Rajam

Abhogi raga is a janya of Kharaharapriya, the 22nd melakarta raga. It is an upanga raga, taking the same notes as Kharaharapriya but dropping the panchama and nishada. The swara-s of Abhogi are shadja, chatusruti rishabha, sadharana gandhara, suddha madhyama and chatusruti dhaivata. Abhogi is a moorchanakara raga: if its madhyama is taken as the shadja, the result is Valaji.  A pleasant, simple raga, Abhogi lends itself to compositions in karuna rasa. It is a raga which would be familiar even to most beginners in music, thanks to the popular varnam, Evari bodhana composed by Patnam Subrahmania Iyer.