Tilak-Kamod: Alap, jhor, jhala

Tilak-Kamod is a dhrupad-style rendition of the eponymous raga performed by vocalist Gopal Krishan. The track appears as the fourth entry on the compilation album Inde du Nord: Dhrupad / Khyal, released on January 1, 2009 by the French label Ocora in CD format. The recording spans 16 minutes and 50 seconds and follows the traditional alap-jhor-jhala structure, a hallmark of the Dagarbani school of dhrupad.

Gopal Krishan executes the alap with gradual unfolding of the raga’s phrases, emphasizing the komal re and tivra ma as defining swaras of Tilak-Kamod. The jhor section introduces rhythmic pulse through sparse pakhawaj accompaniment, while the jhala accelerates into rapid, percussive syllabic patterns. The performance adheres to the gambhira (solemn) aesthetic of dhrupad, with minimal embellishment and sustained exploration of microtonal inflections.

The album Inde du Nord: Dhrupad / Khyal curates field recordings and studio sessions from North Indian classical traditions, though specific session details for this track remain undocumented. Ocora, a subsidiary of Radio France, produced the release as part of its series on global traditional music. No additional artists or instrumentalists are credited for this track in available sources.