Mand

The scales of Mand are as follows :

Aarohanam : S G3 M1 P D2 S’
Avarohanam : S’ N3 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S

It is considered to be a janya raga, derived from Shankarabharanam, 29th of the Melakarta scale. The zig-zag pattern of the avarohanam is not expressed in the above; it may be better expressed as in Hindustani music as below :

S’,S’-N3-D2-P-D2,P-N3-D2-P,G-M1-G3-R2-S

 

 

 

There is a doubt as to whether Mand is truly accepted as a Raga in the Hindustani system. If accepted as a Raga, it seems to be placed in the Bilawal Thaat. Some commentators see it as a sampoorna raga with low usage of R2 and N3 in the ascent. Others see it as a shadav-sampoorna raga.

In the Carnatic System, it is mainly used for bhajans and tukkadas or short pieces sung towards the end of a concert. There are a few noteworthy compositions in this Raga; Janaki Manoharam by Mysore Vasudevachar, Ramanai Bhajithal by Papanasam Sivan, Arumo Aval by Kannan Iyengar and the marvellous Thillana by Lalgudi Jayaraman are all worth your attention.

Note : The 12 notes in the octave are named as below. Please note that C is used as Sa for the sake of simplicity as the scale is relative in Carnatic Music. Also note that the scales paint only a superficial picture of the raga as the gamakas(ornamentations) are a very important part of a raga.