Raga Pahadi: Thumri (Chod ke na ja saiyan more)

Raga Pahadi: Thumri (Chod ke na ja saiyan more) is a thumri composition performed by Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and Ustad Sharafat Ali Khan. The track appears as the third piece on the album Ragas Desi Todi Abhogi Kanada, released in 1991 under the Weston label. The recording adopts the CD format and showcases the artists’ interpretation of Raga Pahadi, a light-classical raga often associated with thumri and dadra traditions.

The thumri Chod ke na ja saiyan more exemplifies the Patiala gharana style, of which the Khan brothers were prominent exponents. The performance emphasizes lyrical phrasing and emotive delivery, characteristic of the semi-classical genre. The album Ragas Desi Todi Abhogi Kanada primarily features dhrupad and khyal renditions but includes this thumri as a contrasting element. The accompanying instrumentation and vocal interplay remain consistent with the era’s studio recording practices for Indian classical music.

Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and Ustad Sharafat Ali Khan were celebrated for their collaborative performances, blending technical precision with expressive depth. The 1991 release captures their mature artistry, though specific session details such as recording location, producers, or additional musicians are not documented in available sources. The track duration falls within the typical range for thumri recordings of the period, though exact timing is unverified.

The album Ragas Desi Todi Abhogi Kanada serves as a representative work of the Khan brothers’ later career, issued during a period when commercial CD releases expanded the accessibility of Indian classical music internationally. The Weston label, known for its catalog of South Asian classical and folk recordings, distributed the album in global markets. No reissues or remastered editions of this specific recording are confirmed in public records.