Charukesi
Also known as: Charukeshi, Chaarukesi, Tarangini
Melakarta raga — 26
Practise Charukesi →Charukesi is the 26th melakarta, built as a bright Sankarabharanam-like lower tetrachord (S R G m) grafted onto a plaintive Thodi-like upper tetrachord (P d n S), a contrast that lets it express happiness and sorrow within a single phrase. Its mood is poignant and easily recognised, evoking pathos and bhakti while also handling sringara, soka and santha rasas with equal felicity, and it is prized for its nenjai-urukkum (heart-melting) quality. Well-known compositions include Tyagaraja's "Adamodi Galade," Swati Tirunal's "Kripaya Palaya," and Lalgudi Jayaraman's varnam "Innam Manam Ariyade," and the raga is used widely in devotional and film music.
Gamaka
| Swara | Style | Hold allowed | Oscillation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | steady | yes | — | The tonic acts as graha and nyasa; it is sounded plain and held as the stable anchor for both the Sankarabharanam-like purvanga and the Thodi-like uttaranga. |
| R | kampita | yes | — | The chatushruti rishabham of the purvanga is rendered largely plain with only a gentle kampita, in keeping with its Sankarabharanam-like lower tetrachord, and can be sustained. |
| G | kampita | yes | — | The antara gandharam is a jeeva swara that is oscillated and dwelt upon, often approached from madhyamam, and carries much of the raga's identity. |
| m | steady | yes | — | Shuddha madhyamam is the pivot between the bright purvanga and the plaintive uttaranga and serves as a resolution and resting point, sounded fairly plain. |
| P | steady | yes | — | Panchamam is a stable nyasa/resting note, sounded plain and held, marking the join between the two tetrachords. |
| d | kampita | no | — | The shuddha (komal) dhaivatham is the chief pathos-bearing note of the Thodi-like uttaranga; it is given a tension-laden oscillation rather than being held flat, and it gravitates down toward panchamam/madhyamam or resolves to shadjam. |
| n | kampita | yes | — | The kaisiki nishadham is the second jeeva swara, oscillated and used to decorate neighbouring notes and heighten tension, though it can also be dwelt upon as an emphasis note. |
Common pitfalls
- Reverting the uttaranga to Sankarabharanam habits by singing the higher chatushruti dhaivatam (D2) and kakali nishadam (N3) instead of the required shuddha dhaivatam (d) and kaisiki nishadam (n).
- Holding the komal dhaivatam (d) flat and steady, which kills the raga's pathos; it needs a tension-laden gamaka that resolves toward P, m or S.
- Treating the raga as a mechanical splice of Sankarabharanam plus Thodi rather than making the purvanga-to-uttaranga transition graceful, and neglecting the jeeva swaras G and n that give it life.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charukesi — Corroborated the scale (S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S / reverse), sampoorna melakarta 26 in Bana chakra, poignant/devotional mood, alias Tarangini (Dikshitar school), and graha-bhedam relatives (Vachaspati, Natakapriya, Gourimanohari).
- https://anuradhamahesh.wordpress.com/carnatic-raga-appreciation/7-charukesi-the-raga-close-to-the-heart/ — Corroborated jeeva swaras G and N, the Sankarabharanam+Thodi construction with a graceful (non-mechanical) transition, rasas (sringara/soka/santha/bhakti), nenjai-urukkum quality, and compositions (Adamodi Galade, Kripaya Palaya, Innam Manam Ariyade varnam).
- http://music-raagaa.blogspot.com/2012/02/charukesi-26th-melakarta-ragam.html — Independently corroborated the scale, swara qualities (chatushruti rishabha, antara gandhara, shuddha madhyama, shuddha dhaivata, kaisiki nishada), jeeva swaras G and N, and the Sankarabharanam/Thodi split.
- https://www.ragasurabhi.com/carnatic-music/raga/raga--charukesi.html — Independently corroborated arohana/avarohana as the 26th mela and the composition Adamodi Galade.
- https://www.classicalweekly.org/p/understanding-raag-charukeshi — Same scale in the shared Hindustani 'Charukeshi'; supported gamaka treatment of the komal dhaivatam (tension resolving to Ma/Sa) and komal nishadam (decorating neighbours, adding tension), and the melodious/poignant character.
Related ragas
Ragas that share Charukesi's family, scale, or swaras: Bhairavi · Harikambhoji · Kambhoji · Mararanjani · Natabhairavi · Ragavardhini.