Raga Suha Kanada

Raga Suha Kanada is a khayal performance recorded by Hindustani classical vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. The track appears as the sixth composition on the album The Multifaceted, released on 1991 by The Gramophone Company of India Limited (now Saregama India Ltd.). The album was issued in CD format and features a selection of Joshi’s interpretations across various ragas.

The performance spans 4 minutes and 45 seconds. Joshi renders the raga in the Suha Kanada framework, a variant of the Kanada family characterized by its use of komal re (flattened second), shuddha ma (natural fourth), and komal dha (flattened sixth). The recording captures his signature vocal technique, including meend (gliding between notes) and gamak (oscillations), aligned with the vilambit (slow) and madhya laya (medium tempo) sections typical of khayal presentations.

The Multifaceted compiles studio recordings from Joshi’s career, though specific session dates for this track remain undocumented in publicly available sources. The album’s production credits and accompanying artists (e.g., tabla or harmonium players) are not explicitly listed in the release metadata. The Gramophone Company of India Limited distributed the CD under catalog number CDNF 150006, targeting audiences of Indian classical music during the early 1990s commercial expansion of digital audio formats.

Joshi’s interpretation of Raga Suha Kanada reflects his adherence to the Kirana gharana (school), emphasizing breath control and sustained note development. The track omits tarana or drut (fast) sections, focusing instead on the bada khayal (elaborate composition) structure. No lyricist or composer is credited for the bandish (fixed melodic composition) in the album liner notes, a common practice in classical releases where traditional material is adapted.

The album received recognition as part of Joshi’s broader discography, which includes seminal works like Mile Sur Mera Tumhara (1988) and his live rendition of Raga Multani (1986). The Multifaceted contributed to the preservation of his studio recordings during a period when concert performances dominated his public output. The CD’s release coincided with Joshi’s status as a leading exponent of Hindustani vocal music, following his receipt of the Bharat Ratna (2008), India’s highest civilian award.