It's Rama Navami, so I will let the composition lead me to the raga of the day. The Carnatic repertory has innumerable pieces dedicated to this anthropomorphic God, mostly by his ardent devotee, Saint Tyagaraja. Here is Sikkil Gurucharan rendering the glory of Sri Rama's life story 'Rama Katha Sudharasa' in Madhyamavati.
Popular kritis in this raga include "palinchu kamakshi" by Syama Shastri, "Adadu asangadu" by Oothukadu and "Bhagyada Lakshmi baramma" by Purandara Dasa.
Madhyamavati is an alluring pentatonic scale that can be sung as elaborately as any sampurna raga. The lingering gamakas around the notes Ri and Ni guide the imagination to build a measured gamut of phrases. Although the cadences of the raga are too characteristically Carnatic to afford any close parallel in Hindustani music, the notes themselves closely resemble Raga Megh, which finds a place alongside Madhyamavati in jugalbandhis.
Madhyavamati is culturally associated with auspiciousness. Which is why the "mangalam" at the end of a concert is sung in this raga. Speaking of culture and turning back to the gods, this devotional piece immortalised in Yesudas' voice has become iconic in Ayyappa worship.
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