Vasanta

The scales of Vasanta are as follows :

Arahonam (Ascending):  S M1 G3 M1 D2 N3 S’
Avarohanam (Descending) : S’ N3 D2 M1 G3 R1 S

It is a Janya raga, derived from Suryakantam (below), 17th on the Melakarta scale.

This very old raga is considered an auspicious raga and suitable for singing in the evenings. In old Tamil music, it is called Andi Pan. It is upbeat and joyful, yet some of the slides in the avarohanam can evoke introspection. The raga shines in medium and fast speeds. Some well known compositions in Vasanta are Seetamma Mayamma by Tyagaraja, Ramachandram Bhavayami  and Harihara Putram by Muthuswami Dikshithar, Natanam Adinar by Gopalakrishna Bharathi.

Tamil speaking readers may enjoy this presentation of the raga by Charulata Mani.

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.