Hamsanandi is one of the most beautiful ragas in Carnatic music. When I first heard the song Paahi jagat janani, I resolved to learn as many pieces as I could in this raga. Paahi jagat janani, a composition of the Travancore king Swati Tirunal describes several virtues of the mother Goddess. Paavana guru pavana pura, a composition of Lalitha dasar which describes Lord Krishna was made popular by singer Jesudas in all his concerts. Other compositions in raga Hamsanandi include Srinivasa tiruvenkata mudaya, a Tamil piece by Papanasam Sivan and Needu mahima pogadana, composed by Muthiah Bhagavathar after he heard the raga (Hindustani version) for the first time during a visit to Benares.

Enjoy Papanasam Sivan’s Srinivasa venkata mudaya sung by Ranjana and Gayatri.

Hamsanandi corresponds to the Hindustani raag Sohini which is usually sung in the evening. Listen to this brilliant alaap of Raag Sohini by the late Ustad Rashid Khan.

When I saw the Tamil movie Salangai Oli years back, the song “Vedam Anuvilum oru naadham” (composed by Ilayaraja in raga Hamsanandi) sung by SP Balasubramanyam made a tremendous impact.

The epic Hindi movie Mughal-e-Azam with music score by Naushad had a great song in raag Sohini sung by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. The music is the background for a tender love scene.

Another golden oldie (Hindi movie song) where the first verse is based on this raga.

For those who want details, Hamsanandi is a derivative of the Melakartha raga Gamanashrama (53). It has six symmetrical notes in the ascent and descent and this is the scale – SR1G3M2D2N3 SN3D2M2G3R1S