Lalit is a raag of the hour before dawn, neither night nor day, and it sounds like that hour: longing, awakening, unsettled. Its signature is unique among the common raags: both Mas, shuddh and tivra, one after the other, Ma tivra-Ma Ma. It leaves out Pa, and has komal Re and komal Dha. Bhatkhande placed it in Marwa thaat.
Hear it
How it moves
Shuddh Ma is Lalit's vadi and Sa its samvadi.
Its hour
Lalit belongs to the fourth prahar of the night, before dawn: a sandhi prakash raag, of the meeting of night and day.
On the bansuri
- S
- R
- G
- M
- M
- D
- N
- S
- Its two Mas side by side are the whole raag: tune shuddh Ma, then tivra Ma a semitone above, and play them in turn until each is true.
- Leave out Pa entirely.
Look-alikes
Marwa, of the same thaat, has tivra Ma alone, shuddh Dha, and belongs to sunset:
Puriya Dhanashri has Pa, and a single, tivra Ma:
Practise it
- Long notes on shuddh Ma and tivra Ma, in turn.
- The aaroh and avaroh, slowly.
- The pakad and the phrases.
Meend starts it with Aaroh–Avaroh, Pakad, Aalap and Bandish, 27 minutes a day, and listens as you play: each swara of the notation lit as it is played, the time kept, a lotus grown petal by petal.
Questions
Why does Lalit use two Mas?
It is the raag's signature: shuddh Ma and tivra Ma side by side, Ma tivra-Ma Ma.
Which swara is left out of Lalit?
Pa.
When is Lalit sung?
Before dawn, in the last prahar of the night.