Pandit Ulhaas Kashalkar | RAAG MALKAUNS | 17 years Old Performance |

#ulhaskashalkarmalkauns #artisticiindia

Pandit Ulhas N Kashalkar (born 14 January 1955) is a Hindustani classical vocalist. He has previously received training in the Gwalior, Jaipur and Agra gharanas, and is considered a representative of all three schools.

Ulhas Kashalkar initially worked as a programme executive at the Mumbai station of All India Radio. In 1993 he became a teacher at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, where he remains today.

Both Rambhau and Gajananrao were traditionalists which finds reflection in Kashalkar's vocalism. He possesses the ability to switch between three styles (namely Gwalior, Jaipur and Agra), at times even in the course of a single performance. He adheres to the aesthetic contours of each individual style, and also to the formal demands of the raga being presented. He is noted for his authentic presentations of obscure traditional ragas.In an uncharacteristically expansive passage, the veteran music critic Prakash Wadhera once noted:

Ulhas is a fabulous vocalist, still in his middle years and young, who has an old musical head stuffed with innumerable current and rare ragas and compositions. Like a computer he never errs in any raga or composition howsoever intertwined or tricky it may be. He, just seems to press one key and out comes a raga in the true Jaipur colours, another to obtain a melody attired in the Agra style and still another to get a raga in the Gwalior habiliments. One can only imagine Kashalkar's questionless loyalty to his various gurus, and his own prodigious capacity to assimilate and consolidate the incoming knowledge


Malkauns is a raga in Indian classical music. It is one of the oldest ragas of Indian classical music.The equivalent raga in Carnatic music is called Hindolam, not to be confused with the Hindustani Hindol.

The name Malkaush is derived from the combination of Mal and Kaushik, which means he who wears serpents like garlands — the god Shiva. However, the Malav-Kaushik mentioned in classical texts does not appear to be the same as the Malkauns performed today. The raga is believed to have been created by goddess Saraswati to calm Shiva, when the lord Shiva was outraged and was not calming down after Tandav in rage of Sati's sacrifice.

Malkaush belongs to Shaivait musical school; in fact most pentatonic ragas belong to Shaivait musical school.

Malkauns belongs to the Bhairavi thaat. Its notes are Sa, komal Ga, shuddh Ma, komal Dha, and komal Ni. In Western classical notation, its notes can be denoted as: tonic, minor third, perfect fourth, minor sixth and minor seventh. In raga Malkauns, Rishabh (Re - second) and Pancham (Pa - perfect fifth) are completely omitted. Its jaati is audav-audav (five-five, that is, pentatonic).

Arohana : .ni. Sa ga Ma dha ni Sa

Avarohana : Sa ni dha Ma ga Ma ga Sa OR Sa ni dha Ma ga Sa

The 'Ga' used is actually Ga-Sadharan (the rough minor third), 316 cent above Sa

Malkauns is a serious, meditative raga, and is developed mostly in the lower octave (mandra saptak) and in a slow tempo (vilambit laya). Ornaments such as meend, gamak and andolan are used rather than 'lighter' ornaments such as murki and khatka. Komal Ni is generally considered the starting note (graha swara), and the notes komal Ga and komal Dha are performed with vibrato (andolit). All five swaras can function as pausing notes.

The komal Ni in Malkauns is different from the komal Ni in Bhimpalasi.

The best time for this raga is late night. The effect of the raga is soothing and intoxicating.