Raga: Bilaskhani Todi (Gat in Vilambit Teental)

Ragas for Dawn is a studio album of North Indian classical music released on May 21, 2020, under the Aimrec label. The recording features sitarist Manilal Nag accompanied by Samar Saha on tabla. The album adopts a traditional instrumental format and appears in CD physical media.

The second track of the release presents a performance of Raga Bilaskhani Todi, structured as a gat set in vilambit teental, a slow-paced 16-beat rhythmic cycle. The composition spans 18 minutes and 50 seconds. The raga belongs to the Todi family and is traditionally associated with early morning performances, aligning with the album’s thematic focus on dawn ragas. The track showcases the characteristic komal re (flattened second) and komal dha (flattened sixth) swaras of the raga, rendered through the khayal-influenced instrumental style.

Manilal Nag executes the alat and jor sections with gradual elaboration, emphasizing the raga’s emotive contours. Samar Saha provides rhythmic support through layered theka patterns and spontaneous improvisations during the gat development. The recording captures the interplay between melody and percussion without additional production effects, retaining the acoustic integrity of live classical performance.

The album’s liner notes and packaging do not specify further details about the recording location, session dates, or additional contributing artists. The release aligns with Aimrec’s catalog of traditional Indian classical music, though no broader series or compilation context is documented.