Lec-Dem Video: Dhondutai Kulkarni: Aprachalit Jaipur Raags: Sukhiya Bilawal, Vihang, Suha, Malavi

To mark the birth anniversary of Dhondutai Kulkarni (July 23, 1927 – June 1, 2014), here is an episode from Doordarshan Sahyadri's Aaswaad ('Appreciation') series. Rather than a concert recording, it is an interview–demonstration programme in which Dhondutai discusses and illustrates a number of aprachalit (uncommon) raags. 00:00 – Sukhia Bilawal 05:09 – Introduction to Dhondutai Kulkarni, her training under Kesarbai Kerkar, the awards and honours she received, and the importance of her repertoire of rare Jaipur–Atrauli raags. 06:38 – Dhondutai speaks about her musical upbringing, the sacrifices made by her father, and her teachers: Bhurji Khan, Lakshmibai Jadhav, Kesarbai Kerkar and Azizuddin Khan. 07:52 – Discussion of Sukhiya Bilawal: how it differs from the closely related Bihagda, why she chose it for the Devi festival, and the revelation that Kesarbai Kerkar's recording labelled 'Kukubh Bilawal' is actually Sukhiya Bilawal. 10:31 – Introduction to the rare evening raag Vihang. Dhondutai explains that its opening resembles Purva while its concluding movement recalls Bihag, giving the raag its name. She demonstrates its characteristic phrases and explains that the treatment of the tivra and komal notes makes it a difficult raag to sing. She repeatedly stresses that the challenge lies in preserving both identities without allowing one to overwhelm the other. The interviewer remarks that both Sukhiya Bilawal and Vihang are now very rarely heard, and Dhondutai agrees. 14:52 – Introduction to Suha ('the afternoon Kanada'), which she describes as a taan-pradhan raag. She explains that some raags are alap-pradhan, some taal-pradhan and some taan-pradhan, and chooses Suha as an example of the last. Sung in Rupak taal, its opening itself is built around taans, leaving almost no room for error: if the sam is missed, even an untrained listener will notice. She also explains why it is called the 'afternoon Kanada' – because of its unmistakable colouring of Sarang. 18:11 – Demonstration of the Sarang phrases that distinguish Suha. 19:33 – Discussion of the Jaipur-Atrauli approach to jod raags. Dhondutai explains that people wrongly imagine a compound raag to consist of one raag in the ascent and another in the descent, or one below Pa and another above Pa. That is not the Jaipur method. Instead, all constituent raags should remain simultaneously present throughout the performance. Recalling the teaching of Kesarbai Kerkar, Lakshmibai Jadhav and Bhurji Khan, she uses the analogy of differently coloured threads twisted into a single cord: every colour should remain visible, just as every constituent raag should remain perceptible from only a few characteristic notes. 21:04 – Introduction to the rare jod raag Malavi. 21:51 – Before singing, Dhondutai explains that the bandish was composed by Alladiya Khan himself in praise of Krishna. She describes Malavi as a difficult raag incorporating elements of Hindol (morning), Jait Kalyan (evening), Bhup (night) and Sohni (midnight), together with a distinctive treatment of komal Rishabh. The interviewer observes that such raags demand complete command over swaras and deep maturity in raag knowledge, after which the remainder of the programme is devoted to the performance. * * Recordings are shared for research, reference, and wider access, in line with fair use principles and YouTube's policies. This channel is not monetised and has no commercial intent. If you are a rights holder and have any concerns, please get in touch; a comment here will be seen and addressed promptly, and a copyright strike should not be necessary. Corrections, additions, and identifications (raag, bandish, lyrics, artistes) are welcome.