Sargam Again?!

Indian classical music isn’t just about hitting the right notes and calling it a day 🎶. It’s actually quite a beautifully organized system in which every sound has intention and every movement has meaning. The emotion you feel when you listen to a raag? That doesn’t just come randomly. That comes from structure, discipline, and just the right amount of freedom.

Let’s break it down to some key elements which give Hindustani classical music its depth and soul.

Sanchari :

Sanchari is the third part of a composition, and honestly speaking, this is where things get exciting.

Here, the tune starts moving upwards—from Madhya Saptak (middle octave, Sa) to Tara Saptak
(higher octave, Sā). Here, the artist gets more space for experimentation, and inserting their own unique personality and flavour into the raag.

Think of Sanchari as the moment when the raag stretches, breathes, and shows off its full emotional range. There’s still structure, but also freedom—variation, expression, and those little musical surprises that keep listeners hooked.

Aroha and Avaroha :

Every raag follows a very specific journey, and that journey is determined by two things.

• Aroha – the order of notes in ascending

• Avaroha – the descending order of notes

But the cool thing is this: raags don’t always employ all seven notes.

Raags are classified based on the number of swaras used as:

• Audav – 5 swaras

• Shadav – 6 swaras

• Sampurna – 7 swaras

These can combine in various ways, such as:

• Audav–Shadav: 5 notes ascending, 6 descending

• Shadav–Sampurna (6 up, 7 down)

• Sampurna–Sampurna (7 up, 7 down)

Usually the Aroha takes fewer notes than the Avaroha, though some raags love breaking this rule (commonplace iconic behaviour, really). These note patterns are important—they're what gives every raag its unique identity and mood.

Shruti :

Now for the subtle magic ✨

Shrutis are microtones—the smallest pitch differences that live between the main swaras. You may or may not be able to consciously hear them, but you sure as heck feel them.

A shruti is essentially a small interval within a note, and it allows musicians to add depth, softness, tension, or sweetness to a raag. It is important to realize that Indian classical music doesn't strive for stiff, mechanical accuracy; rather, it strives for expression. Shrutis make that possible.

They're the reason a same note sounds docile in one raag and heartbreaking in another.

Verna

Verna describes the various movements and interactions of the notes in realizing a raag during performance. These movements ensure the proper development of the raag for the continuity and natural flow of the music. There are four types of Verna:

• Sthaee Verna – repetition of a single note
  Example: Sa Sa Sa Sa
  Simple, concrete, meditative

• Arohee Verna – ascending movement
  Example: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni
  Building energy and momentum

• Avarohee Verna – downward movement
  Example: Sā Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Sa
  Resolution and calm

• Sanchari Verna – free movement across notes and octaves
  Where creativity really excels.

The combined effect of these movements is to make the raag unfold in an organic, well-balanced, and emotional way.

Concepts like Sanchari, Aroha–Avroha, Shruti, and Verna provide a strong framework, but within that framework, the artist is free to feel, explore, and express. When you understand this structure, you don't just listen to a raag—you experience it.

And once these elements start becoming more apparent, every performance becomes deeper, richer, and honestly, maybe even a little addictive.

Welcome to the world beneath the notes 🎵

PEACE !  🎻  There is no Hindustani Music Emoji btw...