Rag Tukhari
Out of the thirty-one principal rags in the Guru Granth Sahib, Rag Tukhari has been designated the twenty-second place in the sequence. Under this rag, compositions have been recorded from page 1107 to 1117 of the Guru Granth Sahib. It includes five Sabads and one Barah Maha by Guru Nanak Sahib, four Sabads by Guru Ramdas Sahib, and one Sabad by Guru Arjan Sahib.

According to ancient writings, the country northwest of the Himalayas is called ‘Tukhar.’ It is possible that Rag Tukhari may have evolved from the tunes of this region.

Tukhari falls into the category of less popular rags. This rag is not mentioned in any of the ancient, medieval or modern texts of Indian music. No melody of this rag, sung by a musician belonging to any gharana, is available. Scholars believe that this rag was composed by Guru Nanak Sahib himself. Of the medieval religious texts, only the Guru Granth Sahib contains compositions uttered under this rag. This rag is a unique gift of the Guru to the Indian music system. Prof. Kartar Singh associates the composition of Rag Tukhari with the Rag Mukhari of the southern music system, but its mention is not found anywhere else.

Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha is of the opinion that Tukhari is a ragini of sampuran jati. Vadi is rishabh and samvadi is pancham, and it employs both notes of gandhar and madhyam. But many have also written it as a ragini of sharav jati by forbidding pancham.

According to the ‘Indian Classical Music and Sikh Kirtan,’ written by Dr. Gobind Singh Mansukhani, this rag belongs to khamaj that. Both notes of gandhar, madhyam and nishad, and the rest of the notes are normal (shudh). ‘Pa’ is vadi and ‘Sa’ is samvadi.

According to the form of Rag Tukhari given by Prof. Tara Singh, both notes of madhyam, both notes of nishad, flat (komal) note of gandhar and normal (shudh) notes of the rest are used. Its vadi note is pancham and samvadi note is shadaj. Rishabh is forbidden (varjit) in its ascending scale (aroh), and after pancham, dhaivat is used in the form of ‘Pa Dha Ni (komal - flat) Dha Pa;’ but there is a practice of forbidding dhaivat while approaching shadaj. For this reason, its jati is considered to be aurav-sampuran. Additionally, he has mentioned two other forms of Tukhari; one form given by Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha and the other belonging to that purvi. According to him, the vocal form of Tukhari employs rishabh and dhaivat flat (komal), madhyam sharp (tivar), pancham forbidden (varjit) and rest of the notes as normal (shudh). The form of this rag sometimes appears to be similar to Rag Marva or Gujri, but in Marva, dhaivat is normal (shudh) and in Gujri gandhar is flat (komal). For this reason Tukhari is different from these two rags.

S. Gian Singh Abbottabad has considered the form of Tukhari to be a rag of that todi. In it, gandhar is flat (komal), madhyam is sharp (tivar), both notes of nishad and rest of the notes are normal (shudh). Due to the forbiddance of rishabh and dhaivat in the ascending scale (aroh), its jati is aurav-sampuran.

Although the above scholars have given different forms of Rag Tukhari, but the ‘Rag Nirnayak Committee’ has accepted only the following form, and the same form is more prevalent at present. Even though this rag does not fit well under any ‘that,’ todi can be considered as its closest ‘that.’ In this form of Rag Tukhari, especially in Purvang, the form of Madhuvanti Rag arises, but with the use of flat (komal) nishad, Tukhari acquires a separate form.

Description of Rag Tukhari
That: tori
Svar (notes): Both nishad, gandhar flat (komal), madhyam sharp (tivar), rest all notes are normal (shudh)
Varjit Svar (forbidden notes): Rishab and dhaivat in aroh (ascending scale)
Jati: aurav-sampuran
Vadi: Pancham
Samvadi: Shadaj
Aroh (ascending scale): Ni (mandar saptak - lower octave) Sa, Ga (komal - flat), Ma (tivar - sharp) Pa, Ni Sa (tar saptak - upper octave).
Avroh (descending scale): Sa (tar saptak - upper octave) Ni Dha Pa, Ni (komal - flat) Dha Pa, Ma (tivar - sharp) Ga (komal - flat) Re Sa.
Mukh Ang/Pakar (Main Part): Ni (mandar saptak - lower octave) Sa, Ga (komal - flat) Ma (tivar - sharp) Pa, Ni (komal - flat) Dha Pa, Pa Dha Ma (tivar - sharp) Pa, Ma (tivar - sharp) Ga (komal - flat) Re Sa.

Singing Time
Fourth-quarter of the day.