Raga Desh is a night raga of the Khamaj thaat, closely associated with the monsoon. Its gentle, romantic character has made it a favourite for both classical and light-classical music, from instrumental gats to thumris and songs.
Desh ascends with a simple five-note line, S R M P N S, and descends more fully, bringing in flat Ni (komal ni) and natural Dha: S n D P M G R, G R S. That contrast between the bright ascent and the softer descent gives Desh its sweet, longing quality.
On Aimrec, Desh is heard on sitar, bansuri and the rare vichitra veena, and in thumri, rachna and gats in deepchandi.
Aimrec recordings of Raga Desh
- Introduction to Indian Music Vol. 2Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Zakir Hussain, others · 2019Rachna in Desh · Thumri in Desh
- Introduction to Indian Music Vol. 1Ustad Vilayat Khan, Hidayat Khan, others · 2016Raga: Desh (Gat in Deepchandi)
