****Desh or Des is a Hindustani classical music raga which belongs to the Khamaj thaat. This raga is very similar to raga Khamaj.

Technical description

The raga is of audava-sampurna nature, i.e., in its arohana (ascent) only five notes are used, whereas the avarohana (descent) uses all the seven notes. Shuddha Ni is used in the arohana, while Komal Ni (represented as ni below) is used in avarohana. All other swaras are shuddha. The ascent in this raga is a step by step pentatonic movement which goes like this: Sa, Re, Ma Pa, Ni Sa’. Samayam (Time): The raga is to be sung during the second quarter of the night (9PM to 12AM). Re is very prominent, quite a few times the singer rests on Re, making it a centre to the melody. The Meend from Ma to Re via Ga is one of the most vital features of the raga. The arohana via shuddha Ni, and the transition from Re to komal Ni in the avarohana form an important part of the melodies in this raga. Further, Desh is quite close to neighboring ragas like Tilak Kamod, and hence requires skillful rendition to separate itself.

Prominent Songs

Desh has been used in a few patriotic compositions. Vande Mataram, the national song of India, is the most well-known. The popular old Doordarshan video Baje Sargam, that featured many respected Indian classical singers, is also based on Desh.

Rabindrasangeet based on the raga

The polymath and Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, had very often used Hindustani Classical Music and Carnatic Classical Music in his songs (Rabindrasangeet). The songs based on this raga Des are listed below:

Carnatic Compositions

Vikasita Pankaja by Kalyani Varadarajan Vithala Salaho Swami by Purandara Dasa

Film Songs

Language: Tamil

Other languages