Nasikabhushani- Oxymoron but beautiful

 Nasikabhushani is the 4th raga in the 12th chakra- Aditya. Apart from going into the cursory Wikipedia link (which i will paste here for a casual reference to the raga ie: Nasikabhushani - Wikipedia), my aim is to illustrate the beauty of this raga.

Nasikabhushani is in the spot of having a vivadi swara in the form of R3. The R3 allows only the singing of G3 to accompany it, and therefore the R3 G3 mix is a bit imperious, (considering the closeness of the notes) when compared to the playful R2 G3 or serious sounding R1 G3. In general, closer sounding notes together, dont lend themselves to individual gamakas. Here with the R3 being three places away from Sa (R1,R2), the R3 by itself is played on the violin with the index finger, and the slide is charectaristic of the R3 note. If there were no G3 note, then R3 could have been called G2, but the combination of R3, G3 makes sure that R3 is emphasised. Since the R3 is played with an elongation, the Ga is played flat, being placed very close to each other. 

The major difference from it's almost twin Vagadheeshwari, (34th Mela) is the Madhyamam. With Nasikabhushani boasting of the prathi Madhyamam, the Ga is allowed for a little oscillation, almost going close to the shuddha madhyamam, but quite not touching the note. This is forbidden in Vagadheeshwari. As a result, the R3 G3 conundrum is partly eliminated with the placement with M2. This by itself lends it a bit oomph, so one could say. With its twin being a bit constrained with three subsequent notes of R3,G3,M1, the purvanga is constrained in gamakas for Ga and Ma. That results in a slower, serious raga with plain double notes. Of-course, any talented artiste can bring about the beauty of any raga perfectly. But with constraints, it becomes a bit difficult for the average musician to bring it out properly. Nasikabhushani by itself has space to work with in the purvanga, so its improvisation scope is a bit higher, according to me. 

The uttaranga is usually the distinguishing part of the chakra. Nasikabhushani in the 4th position has the D2 N2 combination. The uttaranga doesnt suffer the vivadi swara phrases, but has two consecutive notes. The Dhaivatam is played flat, with very little oscillation, and the Nishadam is given moderate gamakas. Kaisiki Nishadam is not the jiva swara. While it is one of the factors useful to separate Nasikabhushani from its five sisters, the Nishadam by itself is not emphasised as much. The glide from N2 to next octave R3 gives the raga's imperious feeling, a sharper transition which is suited for faster swara phrases rather than the elongated swara transitions. The D2 N2 provide some control to the imperiousness, as one climbs the swara ladder of D, N,S,R,G,M. Unlike Kosalam or Rasikapriya, which have the runaway effect, when the notes are sung fast, Nasikabhushani provides a level of control, meaning it can be sung, a bit slower and a bit more elongated when compared to the other two ragas. Nasikabhushani and its other sister, Jyoti Swarupini (68th Mela) which only differ in the Dhaivatam. Jyoti's D1, N2 combination gives a pathos effect, and in contrast, Nasikabhushani gives a hint of sringaar (flirtatiousness) effect of D2 N2. 

As this section says, a lot of differences exist between each member of each chakra. Only a trained ear can recognize it, after exposure. I am not going to do a comparison with each raga whose uttaranga is similar to Nasikabhushani, as the purvanga would give it away. 

A famous song in Nasikabhushani which has been perfomed beautifully by Haricharan is Maravairi Ramani. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-uj70mJqEI) 

The opening lines of the song clearly sets the difference between Nasikabhushani and all the other ragas. Try listening to it, as I am not going to spoil it.  However, there are potentials, to be used, either in solo, or with other members to create musical effects. I would envision the gurgling stream of water, which starts slowly in the descent, but picking up pace to be like Nasikabhushani, so the combinations are endless!

I usually do not see much about graha bedham or tonal shifts, but the theoretical implications are given in the Wikipedia entries.

Charulatha Mani's blog entries on Nasikabhushani is a treat to read: Pious notes - The Hindu

With conclusions Nasikabhushani gives sringaar, charectaristic of D2, N2 uttaranga, but also imperiousness with the R3,G3,M2 purvanga. It therefore is a tilting raga, capable of showing two feelings of imperiousness in demanding love and sringaar in receiving love, like an oxymoron!