Raag Maru Bihag

Raag Maru Bihag is a 16-minute instrumental composition performed by sitarist and composer Baluji Shrivastav. The track appears as the opening piece on the album Classical Indian Ragas: Shadow of the Lotus, released on January 1, 2007, under the ARC Music label. The recording adopts the traditional North Indian classical (Hindustani) framework, centering on the evening raga Maru Bihag, a variant of the Bihag family characterized by its use of komal re (flattened second) and teevra ma (sharp fourth) in ascent and descent.

Baluji Shrivastav executes the performance on sitar, accompanied by an uncredited tabla player. The track follows the conventional alaap-jor-jhala progression before transitioning into a structured gat (composition) in vilambit (slow) and drut (fast) tempos. The recording captures the improvisational taans (melodic phrases) and layakari (rhythmic play) typical of the genre. The album format is a physical CD, with Raag Maru Bihag occupying the first position in the tracklist.

The release forms part of ARC Music’s series on Indian classical traditions, though specific production details beyond the label and year remain undocumented. No additional session musicians, recording locations, or alternate versions of the track are publicly confirmed. The composition adheres to the grammatical rules of Maru Bihag, with Shrivastav’s interpretation emphasizing the raga’s lyrical and meditative qualities through extended meend (glissando) and gamak (ornamentation) techniques.