Singhi Bhairavi Sadra

Singhi Bhairavi Sadra is a composition performed by sitarist Subroto Roy Chowdhury and featured as the sixth track on his 1995 album Bageshree. The recording spans 9 minutes and 28 seconds and exemplifies the sadra form, a semi-classical vocal genre adapted for instrumental rendition in the Hindustani tradition. The album was released under the Tiptoe label in CD format.

The track adheres to Raga Singhi Bhairavi, a variant of Bhairavi thaat characterized by its use of komal re (flattened second) and komal dha (flattened sixth) alongside the shuddha ma (pure fourth). Roy Chowdhury’s interpretation emphasizes the raga’s introspective and expansive qualities through alaap-jor-jhala development, followed by a structured gat (composition) in vilambit (slow) and drut (fast) tempos. Accompaniment details remain undocumented, but the recording aligns with conventional ensemble settings for North Indian classical music, likely featuring tabla and tanpura.

Bageshree serves as one of Roy Chowdhury’s commercial releases during the 1990s, a period marked by his contributions to both traditional raga performances and experimental fusions. The album’s title track, Raga Bageshree, precedes Singhi Bhairavi Sadra in the sequence, though no additional metadata confirms thematic or structural linkages between the compositions. The Tiptoe label, active in the distribution of Indian classical and fusion music during this era, produced the album without supplementary liner notes or artist commentary.

Limited archival sources restrict further context on the recording sessions, live performance history, or critical reception of the track. Roy Chowdhury’s discography from this period primarily focuses on sitar recitals, often blending orthodox gayaki ang (vocal-style phrasing) with technical innovations in taans (rapid melodic passages). The 1995 release date positions Bageshree within a broader revival of interest in instrumental sadra adaptations, though specific influences or contemporaneous works by the artist remain uncataloged in available references.