Raag Desh राग देस

The notes

Desh takes all seven swaras, but not all of them both ways. Going up it leaves out Ga and Dha: Sa Re Ma Pa Ni Ṡa, five notes. Coming down it takes all seven. So its jati is audav–sampurna. Ni is shuddha going up and komal coming down; every other note is shuddha.

Aroha आरोह

Sa Re Ma Pa Ni Ṡaसा रे म प नि सां

Avaroha अवरोह

Ṡa Ṉi Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Ga Ṇi Saसां नि॒ ध प म ग रे ग ऩि सा

Pakad पकड़

Re Ma Pa Ni Ṡa · Ṙe Ṉi Dha Pa · Ma Ga Re · Ga Ṇi Saरे म प नि सां · रें नि॒ ध प · म ग रे · ग ऩि सा

Re is Desh’s most important note (the vadi), and Pa answers it (the samvadi). Re, Pa and Ni are where it rests. The way down ends with a turn through the Ni below Sa: Ma Ga Re, Ga Ṇi Sa. Many sources write one more turn, Pa Dha Ma Ga Re, with Dha gliding down to Ma; the line above takes the plainer Pa Ma Ga Re.Reading the sargamA dot below a swara puts it in the lower octave (mandra), a dot above in the upper (taar). A line under a swara marks it komal.

On the harmonium

With Sa at C♯, Desh climbs on C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯ and C, and comes down on C♯, B, A♯, G♯, F♯, F and D♯. Its two Nis are neighbouring keys: C for the Ni going up, B for the komal Ni coming down. With Sa at G♯ they are G and F♯. Set your Sa above and the keyboard lights Desh’s keys from there; tap a key to hear it.

Desh with Sa at C♯. Tap a key to hear it.

Swara	Name	Sa at C♯ (kali 1)	Sa at G♯ (kali 4)
Sa सा	Sa	C♯ kali ek	G♯ kali chaar
Re रे	Re	D♯ kali do	A♯ kali paanch
Ga ग	Ga	F safed chaar	C safed ek
Ma म	Ma	F♯ kali teen	C♯ kali ek
Pa प	Pa	G♯ kali chaar	D♯ kali do
Dha ध	Dha	A♯ kali paanch	F safed chaar
Ṉi नि॒	Komal Ni	B safed saat	F♯ kali teen
Ni नि	Ni	C safed ek	G safed paanch

Desh’s glides, like Ma down to Re through Ga, are sung as one smooth curve. A harmonium can only play them as steps, so use it for the notes and a singer for the curve.

How it moves

A raga is more than its scale. These are the moves that make Desh sound like Desh.

• Re Ma Pa Ni ṠaThe climb passes over Ga and Dha and takes shuddha Ni. This is how Desh opens out.
• Ṙe Ṉi Dha PaFrom the top it comes down on komal Ni: Ṡa Ṙe Ṉi Dha Pa. Shuddha Ni going up and komal Ni coming down are the heart of Desh.
• Ma to Re through GaMa glides down to Re, touching Ga on the way: Pa Ma Ga Re, sung as one curve. Often it starts from Dha: Pa Dha Ma Ga Re.
• Ga Ṇi SaPhrases end with a turn down to the Ni below Sa and up again: Re Ga Ṇi Sa.
• Rest on ReRe is where a Desh phrase comes home. Hold it.

Ragas near Desh

Several ragas share Desh’s notes, or most of them. These are the ones it is most often mixed up with.

Paltas in Desh

Paltas walk a raga’s own line in small groups. In Desh they climb without Ga and Dha on shuddha Ni, and come down on komal Ni to the closing turn, Ga Ṇi Sa.

Sangat has three palta sets in Desh: pairs, threes and fours. They come with Sangat Pro, like the paltas of every raga but Yaman, Bhairav and Bhupali. Open Desh in Sangat to see them; its About page is free to read.

Common slips

• Ga or Dha in the climbTaking Ga or Dha going up pulls Desh toward Khamaj. Climb Re Ma Pa Ni.
• The wrong NiKomal Ni going up, or shuddha Ni from the top down, blurs Desh. The only shuddha Ni on the way down is the low one in Ga Ṇi Sa.
• Resting on Ga or the low NiLong stops on Ga, or on the Ni below Sa, turn Desh into Tilak Kamod. Come home to Re.

Songs in Desh

Desh is a light raga. It is sung as khayal, but even more in thumri, hori and geet, and many songs are based on it. Each of these is named as Desh by two sources: Rajan Parrikar’s essay on Des, and Wikipedia. Film songs often bend the raga, but humming one gets Desh in your ear.

• Vande Mataram (the national song, in its Desh tune)
• Dukh Ke Ab Din Beetat Nahin (Devdas, 1936)
• Milne Ka Din Aa Gaya (Tadbir, 1945)
• Mere Pyar Mein Tujhe Kya Mila (Maan, 1954)
• Gori Tore Naina (Main Suhagan Hoon, 1964)
• Mana Mere Haseen Sanam (The Adventures of Robinhood, 1965)
• Phir Kahin Koi Phool Khila (Anubhav, 1971)

Questions

Facts checked on 29 October 2026 against tanarang.com, Rajan Parrikar’s essays “Des: Tunes from the Countryside” and “In the Khamaj Orchard” at parrikar.org, the NCERT Class XI textbook Hindustani Sangeet: Gayan evam Vadan (for Khamaj) and Wikipedia.