In the spell of Charukeshi

The beauty of Raga Charukeshi has captivated me in the last couple months. This raga, which originated in Carnatic music, has made its way into Hindustani as well. The raga has been used to depict various moods, mainly the pinnacle of Bhakti. It also renders itself very well to both ecstasy and sorrow, which not many ragas can manage as seamlessly as Charukeshi. I have been digging into many of the songs and renditions of Charukeshi in carnatic music, hindustani, dhrupad as well as movie songs.

Here is a collection. The favorite being the fusion by Anoushka Shankar and Nitin Sawhney.

1. Carnatic: Adamodi Galade sung by Charulatha Mani, where the composer, Saint Tyagaraja, begs Lord Rama to speak to him:

2. Movie: Song Shyam Teri Bansi Pukare from the movie Geet Gata Chal (1975)

3. Movie: Kripaya Palaya Shoure composed by Swathi Thirunal, rendered by the legendary K. J. Yesudas, in the Malayalam movie "Swathi Thirunal".

4. Hindustani: Pandit Ravi Shankar on Sitar with Ustad Allah Rakha on tabla

5. Fusion: Anoushka Shankar on Sitar, with composer Nitin Sawhney
Nitin Sawhney - Charukeshi Rain Live at the Electric Proms from Band on The Wall on Vimeo.

6. Movie: Song Ahista Ahista from the movie Swades (2005), sung by Udit Narayan and Sadhana Sargam.

7. Carnatic: L. Subramaniam on violin, in a class of his own...