Raag Madhuvanti | Flute | Pakhawaj | Tabla | Music of India | Purvi Festival 2023
About This Video
Shanish Kumar Gyawali performs Raag Madhuvanti on bansuri at the Purvi Festival 2023, Motihari — the gat section that follows the opening alap. Aditya Dip accompanies on pakhawaj and Pankaj Rai, faculty at Banaras Hindu University, on tabla.
Madhuvanti, a late-afternoon raga of the Todi thaat, builds its character from two defining notes: the Teevra Madhyama and Komal Gandhar. Its ascent omits Re and Dha, pressing forward to the dominant Pancham. In the gat section, these structural tensions open out across vilambit and drut tempos, moving from slow, deliberate phrases into a faster rhythmic exchange.
The bansuri and pakhawaj work in close conversation throughout — Gyawali's long meends against the pakhawaj's percussive interplay, with the tabla holding the taal. The performance builds from the meditative pace of the vilambit into a tightly woven drut that closes the main body of the raga before the jhala.
Ragas
Madhuvanti
मधुवंती
As the intensity of the midday sun begins to soften into a warm, golden hue, Raag Madhuvanti takes flight. A relatively modern addition to the classical pantheon, Madhuvanti is often described as a "sweet" (Madhu) version of the Todi family. It is a raga of the late afternoon, capturing the transition from the labour of the day to the anticipation of the evening. Structurally, Madhuvanti is an emotional powerhouse. By utilising the Teevra Madhyama (M#) and the Komal Gandhar (g), it creates a unique harmonic tension that feels both sophisticated and deeply romantic. At KalaSudha, we view Madhuvanti as the bridge between intellectual complexity and pure, melodic beauty. It is a raga that demands precision in its glides (Meends) and a soulful approach to its dominant Pancham (P).
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