Surmanjari

Surmanjari is a studio album by Indian classical vocalist Kumar Gandharva, released posthumously on January 1, 2004. The album compiles four recordings that showcase Gandharva’s interpretations of rare and lesser-performed ragas alongside a devotional bhajan. The release format is a commercial audio CD, though the original recording dates remain undocumented in available sources.

The album opens with Raag Bihagda, a raga derived from the Kafi thaat but distinguished by its use of komal re (flattened second) and komal dha (flattened sixth) in descent. Gandharva renders the raga in vilambit (slow) and drut (fast) tempos, accompanied by tanpura and tabla. The second track features Raag Paraj, a raga of the Poorvi thaat known for its use of shuddha ni (natural seventh) in ascent and komal ni (flattened seventh) in descent. The performance emphasizes gamak (ornamentation) and sparse alap (improvisatory prelude) before progressing to a rhythmic composition.

The third track presents Raag Patmanjari, a rare raga associated with the Sringara rasa (romantic sentiment). Gandharva’s interpretation includes a bandish (composition) set to teental (16-beat cycle), with extended taans (melodic phrases) in the higher octave. The album concludes with an unnamed Bhajan, a devotional song in a simpler melodic structure, reflecting Gandharva’s engagement with non-classical forms. The bhajan’s textual content and raga basis are not specified in the release notes.

The album does not credit accompanying artists, producers, or the recording location. The label information is also omitted from the release metadata. Surmanjari forms part of Gandharva’s posthumous discography, which includes several compilations released after his death in 1992. The selection of ragas aligns with his reputation for reviving and popularizing obscure classical forms.