Abstract

Raga Durga and Bhoop use two different sets of “five musical notes” i.e., “Sa Re Ga Pa Dha” and “Sa Re Ma Pa Dha”, respectively. If the “Ga" (Gandhar) in Bhoop is substituted with "Ma" (Madhyam) while keeping the positions of the other four musical notes intact, would this replacement alone be enough to convert Raag Bhoop into Raag Durga? Certainly not! In this study, we emphasize that the dissimilarities between Raag Bhoop and Durga surpass the easily perceptible differences of "Ga" and "Ma" notes and the positions of the "Re" (Rishabh) and "Dha" (Dhaivat) also exhibit differences. Specifically, in Bhoop, the "Re" and "Dha" notes seem to be lower (i.e., at 10/9 and 5/3 respectively w.r.t Shadaj) as compared to Durga (where these notes appear to be at 9/8 and 27/16 respectively w.r.t Shadaj). This difference in the respective placements of Rishabh and Dhaivat in the two Ragas can be quantified by the ratio 81/80, commonly referred to as Praman shruti. In the subsequent section of the article, we examine the fusion of these two Ragas in a "Jasrangi" rendition, a unique jugalbandi that follows the principle of Moorchana. We highlight that in such a Jugalbandi, the interplay between the two Ragas can influence the placement of notes within the respective domains of each Raga and present a challenge for the performing artists to preserve the individualities of both Ragas.