Raga Kusumi-Kalyan

Parween Sultana recorded Raga Kusumi-Kalyan as the opening track (A1) on her 1973 album Khayal and Thumri. The Gramophone Company of India Limited released the work on a 12\" vinyl format. The composition exemplifies the khayal genre within the Hindustani classical tradition, with Sultana rendering the raga in the characteristic vilambit (slow) and drut (fast) sections. The album paired this performance with a thumri, though specific track durations and accompanying artists remain undocumented in available sources.

The release marked an early commercial recording in Sultana’s career, then emerging as a prominent exponent of the Patiala gharana. The Gramophone Company of India Limited, a subsidiary of EMI, produced the vinyl under its classical music catalog, targeting audiences of North Indian classical vocal music. Raga Kusumi-Kalyan belongs to the Kalyan thaat and features melodic phrases that emphasize komal re (flattened second) and shuddha ma (natural fourth), aligning with the raga’s theoretical framework. Sultana’s interpretation adheres to the gharana’s stylistic emphasis on taan (melodic improvisation) and bol-banao (lyrical embellishment).

The album cover and liner notes, where present, provided minimal technical annotations typical of classical vinyl releases from the period. No reissues or digital remasters of this specific recording appear in verified discographies, though Sultana later revisited Kusumi-Kalyan in live performances and subsequent studio works. The 1973 pressing remains a reference for her formative approach to raga exposition, distinguished by controlled sargam (solfège) passages and rhythmic interplay with the accompanying tabla and tanpura. The identity of the instrumentalists on this track is not confirmed in archival records.