It is not known if this takes after the great Dikshitar kriti

Karikalabhamukham
dhyndhiganesam, in which the pallavi
means: O mind, pray to Lord Ganesa who is seated on the banks
of Kaveri and who should be glorified in the raga Saveri.
The Hindustani raga Jogiya is the closest equivalent of Saveri.
It is slightly different from the latter in that ga is omitted in its
descending scale as well. The Carnatic Saveri itself has entered
the Hindustani stream, thanks to stalwarts like Abdul Karim
Khan.
Malahari, Padi and Saranganata are Carnatic raga-s that are
close to Saveri. These three raga-s, with slight differences in the
moorchana, are also derivatives of Mayamalavagoula. They are
distinguished from Saveri and from each other with the help of
various orders of sanchara which lend them their swarupa-s or
characteristic images. Padi is an early night raga and Saranga is
an evening melody. Malahari is a morning raga and a raga for
the learners: the well-known geetam Lambodhara laghumikara
in Malahari is among the earliest the student learns.
Saveri is basically a vilambakala or slow tempo raga, with
potential for elaborate alapana-s. It is considered a ghana raga
or one which stays in our mind after listening. The melody depicts
karuna (compassion) or soka (sorrow) in abundant measure. It
can evoke other rasa-s too, as demonstrated by the sarcasm in
some well-known ninda-stuti compositions- compositions which
chide- like Ettanai sonnalum of Vaitheeswarankoil Subbarama
Iyer and Varattum vandhal avarkku of Kavikunjara Bharati. In
the same mould is Chalu, chalu in Tyagaraja's Nauka Charitram
and Telisunera, a padam of Venkatagiri.
Saveri has been a favourite of many vaggeyakaras. as well as
of musicians and rasikas. It is besides, one of the raga-s in which
vaggeyakaras have composed kriti-s with their first notes starting
on different swara-s of the raga's scale.
There are four varna-s in Saveri. The only one to find a place
in contemporary kutcheries is Venkataramayya's Sarasuda in
Adi. The three languishing in obscurity are: Vadivelu Pillai's
Vanajaksha in Khanda Ata; Patnam's Maname in Ata; and
Koteeswara Iyer's Maname mosam in Adi.
Tyagaraja composed, in all, 19 songs in Saveri. His Rama bana
was sung a great deal by Musiri Subrahmania Iyer and is now a
great favourite of D.K. Jayaraman. Kanchipuram Naina Pillai
popularised Tulasi jagajjanani while S. Ramanathan has often
sung the divyanama sankeertana, Balamu kulamu. Besides
Karikalabha, Dikshitar composed Sri Rajagopala, a majestic
masterpiece which Madurai Seshagopalan sings frequently these
days. Tiger Varadachariar was known to have been fond of
Durusuga by Syama Sastri whose Sankari sankuru in Tisra Adi
is one of the best known of kutcheri kriti-s and has been known
to lift up many a sagging concert with its unusual nadai and
potential for niraval on the line 'Syama Krishna sodari'. Ettanai
sonnalum received delectable treatment from Maharajapuram
Viswanatha Iyer, while this pada has been a favourite of many
rasikas as sung by Brinda-Mukta also. I cannot but note that
even some famous musicians have sung the second part of the
pallavi line of this song with a distinctly Todi flavour. Aptly, the
meaning of this line 'Ettanai sonnalum teriyadavargal' is: some
people won't learn even if told a number of times!
It was Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer who laid out the currently

Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, the Hindustani maestro who lived for many years in Madras, has recorded two Carnatic compositions: Enta nerchina
in Saveri and Rama nee samanamevaru in
Kharaharapriya. The songs are on a Columbia
12-inch disc, BEX 253. according to V. A.K. Ranga
Rao who adds that the songs are stated on the
record label, to be in Canarese!

SONGS OF TYAGARAJA
Balamu Kulamu * Chalu chalu neeyuktuki
Daridapuleka * Intakanna delpa tarama * Inta
tamasamaite * Je je Sitaram * Kanna talli * Karmame balavantamaya * Neevubrovavak *
Parasakti manuparadha * Ramabana trana *
Ramabhirama * Ramam bhajeham * Samsarulaite nemayya * Ramachandra Raghava *
Srirama Rama Rama Sri Rama Ramasritulamu
* Teeruna naloni * Tulasi jagajjanani.
SONGS OF DIKSHITAR
Karikalabhamukham * Sri Rajagopala.
SONGS OF SYAMA SASTRI
Durusuga krupa joochi Janani natajana paripalini * Sankari sankuru.
SONGS OF MUTHIAH BHAGAVATAR
Bhoobharamati
Trilokesa

* Moolaprakritiroope

* Sri

SONGS OF PAPANASAM SIVAN

Muruga muzhumadhi parikkum Kalladha e/hai
* Padhari manam * Tiruvadi pani * L'nai dinam

* Chamundeswari Sankari * L'laga vazhvil Kapali irukka * Kamakshi Gauri * Padha malarinai
* Podhu janangalai * Balakrishna mam

very popular ragamalika format for Swati Tirunal's Bhavayami.

Even the lay listeners are captivated by this 7 -raga composition
which starts off with Saveri and gets back to the same melody
at the end of each of the other five raga-s, with neat chittaswara
passages joining the pallavi. Maharajapuram Santhanam has recently taken to rendering the first line of this song as a pallavi,
starting off on the panchama instead of the usual lower sadjama.
in a ragam-tanam-pallavi exposition of the raga. But it is
M.S. Subbulakshmi, who has cut adiscof the ragamalika version,
who is the most celebrated exponent of this song; with it, she
has earned for herself, and for Carnatic music in general, quite
a few admirers. Bhavayami has also entered the Bharatanatyam
repertoire of many. Subbulakshmi has also given voice to
Sadasiva Rao's Sri Kamakoti peetasthite.
Among the modern composers, Papanasam Sivan sculpted 12
kriti-s in Saveri, but none has taken hold among the performing
musicians. On the other hand, Periasami Thooran's Muruga,
Muruga enraal, sung often by K.V. Narayanaswami, has been a
great hit with listeners.
Saveri is a preferred raga for ragam-tanam-pallavi. It is used
a great deal in ragamalika-s too. Moreover, pada-s and javali-s.
many in number, are favourites on the dance stage as well as
thetoncert platform. Old-time drama buffs will recall that Saveri
was often embraced by the melody kings and queens of the
theatre.

SONGS OF OTHER COMPOSERS

Krishnaswamy Ayya : Java Jaya Janaka
Mysore Sadasiva Rao : Sri Kamakoti Peetasthite
Patnam Subrahmania Iyer : Etu nammina; Enta
nerchina
Swati Tirunal : Anjaneya; Bhavayami
YYalajapet Venkatramana Bhagavatar : Tagadu
ra
Periasami Thooran : Muruga Muruga
PADA-S
Baga neeyani (Kshetrayya)
Emo teliya (Kshetrayya)
Lema roma (Kshetrayya)

Ethanai sonnalum (Subbaraya Iyer)

Nikhilananda (Kumara Ettendra)
Telisenura (Venkatagiri)
JAVALI-S
Muttaradade (Krishnaswamy Ayya)
Muttaraddu ra (Krishnaswamv Avval

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