Raag Bihag Alap | Pundit Premkumar Mallick | Vocal | Music of India | Purvi Festival 2023

Pandit Premkumar Mallick, a 12th-generation Dhrupad vocalist of the Darbhanga Gharana, performs an Alap in Raag Bihag at the Purvi Festival 2023 in Motihari, Bihar.

Raag Bihag sits in the Kalyan thaat and belongs to the evening hours. Its ascent omits Rishabh and Dhaivat; the descent allows only a touch of each. This compressed movement places Gandhar and Nishad at the centre of the raga's harmonic weight. The tivra Madhyam colours the ascent without settling there, marking Bihag apart from other Kalyan ragas. The pakad traces a path from lower Nishad up through Gandhar, threading both Madhyams before returning, and that motion leaves the raga poised between resolution and suspension.

In this Alap, Mallick works through the raga without percussion, the voice alone tracing each swara at the pace Dhrupad demands. The Darbhanga Gharana places high value on accurate swara placement and extended phrases; Mallick holds each note long enough for Bihag's tensions to build before moving on.