Which pair of Raga have same 'Vadi-Samvadi'?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 2: Malkouns, Bhimpalasi.

The core of this question tests your knowledge of the essential structural notes of Ragas, the Vadi (King) and Samvadi (Minister) swars, which are the most prominent and second-most prominent notes, respectively. The pair Malkouns and Bhimpalasi is correct because both Ragas share the same Vadi and Samvadi notes, an unusual but established feature in Hindustani music. In both **Raga Malkouns** and **Raga Bhimpalasi**, the **Vadi swar is Madhyam (Ma)** and the **Samvadi swar is Shadaj (Sa)**. This identical pairing is key to their melodic structure, as it ensures that the central resting and reinforcing notes are the same, even though they belong to different Thaats and are sung at different times of the day (Malkouns is late night, Bhimpalasi is late afternoon). The consistent prominence of Ma and Sa defines the melodic movement in both these ragas.

The incorrect option is 1: Yaman, Bhupali.
This option is incorrect because the Vadi-Samvadi relationship is different for the two Ragas. For **Raga Yaman**, the established Vadi swar is Gandhar (Ga) and the Samvadi swar is Nishad (Ni), which are highly characteristic of the Kalyan Thaat. Conversely, for **Raga Bhupali** (an Audav Raga of Kalyan Thaat, excluding Ma and Ni), the Vadi swar is also Gandhar (Ga), but its Samvadi is Dhaivat (Dha). The difference in their Samvadi swars (Ni vs. Dha) means they do not have the same Vadi-Samvadi set, thus disqualifying this pair.

The incorrect option is 3: Alhaiya Bilawal, Vrindavani Sarang.
This pair is incorrect as both Ragas have completely different Vadi and Samvadi notes. **Raga Alhaiya Bilawal's** Vadi is Dhaivat (Dha) and its Samvadi is Gandhar (Ga), belonging to the Bilawal Thaat. In contrast, **Raga Vrindavani Sarang** has Rishab (Re) as its Vadi swar and Pancham (Pa) as its Samvadi swar. These notes are characteristic of the Kafi Thaat (though with Shuddha Ga and Ni). Since both the Vadi and Samvadi notes are distinct for each Raga, they cannot be the correct answer.

The incorrect option is 4: Kafi, Bhairav.
This option is incorrect because the two Ragas have distinct Vadi-Samvadi swars. **Raga Kafi** of the Kafi Thaat has Pancham (Pa) as its Vadi and Shadaj (Sa) as its Samvadi. However, **Raga Bhairav** of the Bhairav Thaat, which uses Komal Re and Komal Dha, is defined by Komal Dhaivat (Dha) as its Vadi and Komal Rishab (Re) as its Samvadi. The difference in their Vadi swars (Pa vs. Dha) and Samvadi swars (Sa vs. Re) confirms that they do not share the same primary tonal relationship.