RagaTodi thaatlate morning
Raag Todi राग तोड़ी
Todi is a late-morning raga, and it gives its name to a thaat. It takes komal Re, Ga and Dha with tivra Ma. Its Re and Ga are sung a shade low, joined by a glide. Here is its parichay, each line played at your Sa.
- Thaat
- Todi
- Jati
- Sampurna–Sampurna 7 up, 7 down
- Vadi
- Komal Dha
- Samvadi
- Komal Ga
- Sung
- Late morning
- In Carnatic
- Shubhapantuvarali has the same scale.
The harmonium plays a line, then waits: sing it back in the gap.
The notes
Todi takes all seven swaras: komal Re, komal Ga and komal Dha, tivra Ma, and shuddha Sa, Pa and Ni. Komal Dha is its most important note (the vadi), and komal Ga answers it (the samvadi).
- Aroha आरोह
- Sa Ṟe G̱a Ma′ Ḏha Ni Ṡaसा रे॒ ग॒ म॑ ध॒ नि सां
- Avaroha अवरोह
- Ṡa Ni Ḏha Pa Ma′ G̱a Ṟe Saसां नि ध॒ प म॑ ग॒ रे॒ सा
- Pakad पकड़
- Ḍ̱ha Ṇi Sa Ṟe G̱a · Ṟe G̱a Ṟe Sa · G̱a Ma′ Ḏha Paध़॒ ऩि सा रे॒ ग॒ · रे॒ ग॒ रे॒ सा · ग॒ म॑ ध॒ प
Pa is the note to watch. Going up, Todi passes over it: Ma′ Ḏha Ni Ṡa. Coming down, Pa comes back as a place to rest. Some books write the aroha with Pa (Sa Ṟe G̱a Ma′ Pa Ḏha Ni Ṡa) and count Todi as sampurna–sampurna; singers mostly leave Pa out going up, and Sangat plays it their way.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; a tick after Ma marks tivra Ma.
Todi’s komal Re and komal Ga sit a little lower than the harmonium tunes them, and the voice glides between them. The harmonium plays them straight, so listen to a singer for the glide. In Carnatic music the same scale is Shubhapantuvarali. Carnatic music’s Todi is a different raga, with Bhairavi’s notes.
On the harmonium
With Sa at C♯, Todi is C♯, D, E, G, G♯, A and C. With Sa at G♯ it is G♯, A, B, D, D♯, E and G. Set your Sa above and the keyboard lights Todi’s keys from there; tap a key to hear it.
Todi 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 |
| Ṟe रे॒ | Komal Re | D safed do | A safed chhe |
| G̱a ग॒ | Komal Ga | E safed teen | B safed saat |
| Ma′ म॑ | Tivra Ma | G safed paanch | D safed do |
| Pa प | Pa | G♯ kali chaar | D♯ kali do |
| Ḏha ध॒ | Komal Dha | A safed chhe | E safed teen |
| Ni नि | Ni | C safed ek | G safed paanch |
How it moves
A few phrases make Todi sound like itself. These are the ones to know first.
- Ṟe G̱a, low and joinedKomal Re and komal Ga are sung a shade low, with a slow glide from one to the other. Without it, Todi does not sound like Todi.
- Ḍ̱ha Ṇi Sa Ṟe G̱aTodi often opens from below: mandra komal Dha and mandra Ni, up to Sa, then Re and Ga.
- Ṟe G̱a Ṟe SaGa comes back to Sa through Re. This turn is Todi’s signature.
- Ma′ Ḏha Ni Ṡa, past PaGoing up, step from tivra Ma straight to komal Dha. Pa waits for the way down.
- G̱a Ma′ Ḏha PaComing down, Pa is a place to rest, often reached from komal Dha.
- Rest on Ga and DhaKomal Ga and komal Dha are Todi’s resting notes, with Sa.
Ragas near Todi
Todi goes by several names: Miyan ki Todi, Shuddha Todi and Darbari Todi all mean this raga. Several other ragas carry Todi in their name, and one shares its notes exactly.
| Raga | How it differs |
|---|---|
| Gurjari Todi | Todi without Pa, going up or coming down. Komal Re is held longer than in Todi. |
| Multani | The same seven notes, but Re and Dha are left out going up, and Pa is the most important note. An afternoon raga, with none of Todi’s phrases. |
| Bilaskhani Todi | Todi’s glides on Bhairavi’s notes: shuddha Ma and komal Ni. Ma and Ni are left out going up. |
| Bhupal Todi | Five notes only: Sa, komal Re, komal Ga, Pa and komal Dha. No Ma and no Ni. |
Paltas in Todi
Paltas walk a raga’s own line in small groups. Sangat has five in Todi: pairs, triplets, fours, turns, and wide triplets from mandra komal Dha to taar komal Ga. Like the aroha, they pass over Pa going up and take it coming down. They come with Sangat Pro; open Todi in Sangat to sing them.
A first bandish
Todi is one of the ten ragas in Book 1 of Bhatkhande’s Kramik Pustak Malika, the books many teachers still start from. The book gives it a sargam geet, sung on the swara names alone, and two songs, “Nek chaal chaliye chatur” and “Kahan nar apno janam gamave”.
Sthayi
Antara
From V. N. Bhatkhande, Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati Kramik Pustak Malika, Book 1, page 55. The scan.
Book 2 adds a lakshan geet in Ektaal, “Bikarat jab dha ga ri”: a song whose words describe the raga. They name komal Dha as its main note and say Pa is used only a little.
Sthayi
Antara
From V. N. Bhatkhande, Hindusthani Sangeet Paddhati Kramik Pustak Malika, Book 2, page 426. The scan.
Sangat has 26 bandishes in Todi. The sargam geet and the lakshan geet are free; the rest come with Sangat Pro.
Common slips
- Re and Ga sung straightSung at the harmonium’s pitch and kept apart, Re and Ga lose Todi’s sound. Sing them a shade low and glide between them.
- Climbing through PaMa′ Pa Ḏha going up sounds like a plain scale. Pass over Pa going up; let it come back on the way down.
- Leaning on PaLeaving out Re and Dha going up and resting on Pa sounds like Multani. Rest on Ga and Dha instead.
- A shuddha Ma or a komal NiTodi’s Ma is tivra and its Ni shuddha. Either change brings in Bhairavi’s notes, and the raga drifts toward Bilaskhani Todi.
Songs in Todi
Film songs often bend the raga, but humming one is a quick way to get Todi in your ear. Each of these is named by two independent sources.
- Insaan Bano (Baiju Bawra, 1952)
- Raina Beeti Jaaye (Amar Prem, 1971)
- Eri Main To Prem Diwani (Meera, 1979)
Questions
What are the notes of raag Todi?
All seven: Sa, komal Re, komal Ga, tivra Ma, Pa, komal Dha and Ni. With Sa at C♯ the keys are C♯, D, E, G, G♯, A and C.
What is the aroha and avaroha of raag Todi?
Aroha: Sa Ṟe G̱a Ma′ Ḏha Ni Ṡa, usually passing over Pa (some books write Sa Ṟe G̱a Ma′ Pa Ḏha Ni Ṡa). Avaroha: Ṡa Ni Ḏha Pa Ma′ G̱a Ṟe Sa. In Devanagari, आरोह: सा रे॒ ग॒ म॑ ध॒ नि सां; अवरोह: सां नि ध॒ प म॑ ग॒ रे॒ सा.
What is the pakad of raag Todi?
One common form is Ḍ̱ha Ṇi Sa Ṟe G̱a, Ṟe G̱a Ṟe Sa, G̱a Ma′ Ḏha Pa, with komal Re and Ga sung a little low and joined by a glide.
What are the vadi and samvadi of raag Todi?
The vadi is komal Dha and the samvadi is komal Ga.
When is raag Todi sung?
In the late morning: the second prahar of the day, about 9 am to noon.
Is Miyan ki Todi the same as Todi?
Yes. Todi, Miyan ki Todi, Shuddha Todi and Darbari Todi are names for the same raga. Gurjari Todi, Bilaskhani Todi and Bhupal Todi are different ragas.
Facts checked on 29 October 2026 against tanarang.com, Rajan Parrikar’s essays at parrikar.org, ITC Sangeet Research Academy’s time wheel, ragajunglism.org and Wikipedia. The sargam geet and the lakshan geet are from V. N. Bhatkhande’s Kramik Pustak Malika, Books 1 and 2, which are in the public domain.
