Bandish Thumri in Raga Bhairavi (Teental)

Girija Devi performed Bandish Thumri in Raga Bhairavi in the Teental rhythmic cycle. The recording appears as the fourth track on the 2012 compilation Masterworks from the NCPA Archives. Sony Music released the album on CD. The composition spans 10 minutes and 37 seconds.

The thumri exemplifies the Banaras gharana style, a tradition Girija Devi represented throughout her career. The performance captures her vocal phrasing, improvisational bol-banao technique, and the expressive use of meend (glissando) characteristic of the genre. The recording originates from archival material preserved by the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai. The album compiles live and studio performances by various artists, though specific session details for this track remain undocumented in publicly available sources.

Girija Devi (1929–2017) established herself as a leading exponent of the Purab Ang thumri and dadra forms. Her renditions often blended the rigor of khyal with the lyrical flexibility of semi-classical styles. This track reflects her command over Raga Bhairavi, a morning raga traditionally associated with devotion and pathos. The accompaniment details, including instrumentalists or percussionists, are not specified in the release metadata.

Masterworks from the NCPA Archives curates selections from the institution’s collection of Indian classical music. The compilation features artists across Hindustani and Carnatic traditions, though the full tracklist and contributing performers vary by edition. Sony Music distributed the CD under license from NCPA, targeting audiences interested in archival recordings of 20th-century classical and semi-classical works.