In South Indian weddings it is a very prominently played ragam. The wordKalyani meansshe who causes auspicious things. It is the 65thmelakarta ragam under theKatapayadisankhya. It is also calledMechakalyani. The notes for Kalyani are S R2 G3 M2 P D2 N3. Kalyani is the first Prathi Madhyama raga that was ever discovered. It was obtained by the process of Graha Bhedam or modal shift of tonic of the ancient Shadja Grama.[1]
Kalyani has scope for elaboratealapana. One should not remain too long on panchamam (pa) or alternate between shadjamam and panchamam too frequently. Kalyani is prominently known among the public. It is often performed at the beginning of concerts because it is considered auspicious.[1]
It is the 5th ragam in the 11th chakraRudra. The mnemonic name isRudra-Ma. The mnemonic phrase issa ri gu mi pa dhi (or 'di') nu.[2] Itsarohana-avarohana structure is as follows (seeswaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):
The notes used in this scale areshadjam, chatushūruti rishabam, antara gandharam, prati madhyamam,panchamam, chatushruti dhaivatam, kakali nishadam. It is aSampurna raga in Carnatic music, that is to say, has all the seven notes:Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. It is theprati madhyamam equivalent ofSankarabharanam, which is the 29thmelakarta. This raga is very significant to the chart, because it is sung with all higher notes.
Nearly every significant Carnatic composer (including theTrinity of Carnatic music) has composed several pieces in the Kalyani ragam. Kalyani is considered one of the "major" ragams of Carnatic music along withSankarabharanam,Todi andKharaharapriya (the set of "major" rāgams is an informal grouping of the most popularMelakarta ragams used for elaboration and exploration, and which often form the centerpiece of aCarnatic music concert in the form of aRagam Tanam Pallavi (RTP) or aKriti). SeeRelated ragams section for further information on relationships between these ragams. The state anthem ofMysore,Kayou Shri Gowri is also set in this raga.Here is a short list of compositions in Kalyani:
The most popular film composition set in Kalyani is "Mannavan Vandhanadi Thozhi" by K. V. Mahadevan rendered by P. Susheela,[3]" andSindhanai Sei Maname by G. Ramanadhan.M. S. Viswanathan has composed numerous songs in Kalyani such as "Isai Ketal Puvi" from the movieThavapudhalavan, "Indha Mandrathil" fromPolicekaran Magal, "Maalai Sudum mananaal" fromNichaya Thamboolam, "Kannan Vandhan" fromRamu, "Azhagennum Oviyam Inge", "Paar Magale Paar", "Varuvan Vadivelan", "Maduraiyil Parandha Meenkodi", "Mugathil Mugam paarkalam". "Amma Endrazhaikkaatha Uyirillaye" byIlayaraja, "Manmadha Pournami" (P. Susheela) in Panchavankadu by G. Devarajan. The trackKalaivaniye in Sindhu Bhairavi is set in the Kalyani rāgam and sung without an avarohaṇam. The Bharathiar compositionVeenai Adi Nee Enakku from the movieEzhavathu Manithan is set in the Kalyani ragam. The Telugu movieSankarabharanam has aShloka"Māṇikya Upalālayanti" set in this ragam. "Aa Nimishathinte" from the Malayalam movieChandrakantham and "Swarganandini" fromLankadahanam composed byM. S. Viswanathan is set in Kalyani.
Yaman/Aiman is not an ancient raga. It is first mentioned in the literature in the late 16th century, by which time it was very popular: TheSahasras contains 45dhrupad song-texts for Kalyan and five for Iman-Kalyan. According toVenkatamakhin (1620), Kalyan was a favourite melody to the Arabs, andPundarika included Yaman among his 'Persian' Ragas.[4]
