Play the plain notes of a raag – Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni – very straight, like pressing piano keys with no expression. Now play them again with slides, little turns, gentle shakes, and tiny passing notes. That second version is full of Alankar.
Alankar literally means “ornament” or “decoration”. Just as jewelry and clothing styles decorate a person, alankars decorate the bare notes of a raag, making it beautiful and personal.
Common types of alankar
- Meend – a smooth slide from one note to another (like bending a string on a guitar or glissando on a violin).
- Kan Swar – a quick, grace-note touch of a neighboring swar before landing on the main one.
- Gamak – a strong, purposeful oscillation between notes; more intense than simple vibrato.
- Andolan – a slow, wide oscillation around a note, especially effective on komal swars in grave raags.
- Sparsh / Krintan – specific ornamental touches used in classical texts, involving quick upward or downward flicks.
For Western musicians: imagine all the expressive devices you use – vibrato, slides, trills, grace notes – multiplied and codified within the grammar of each raag. That’s the world of alankars.
In teaching, alankars are also used as practice exercises – repetitive patterns ascending and descending to build control, intonation, and agility. A simple pattern like Sa Re Sa Re | Re Ga Re Ga… can be a powerful workout when sung in different speeds and different raags.
Without alankars, raags would be technically correct but emotionally flat. With them, the music breathes, smiles, sighs, and comes alive.