The Name 'Swara'

"Swara" is a beautiful Sanskrit word that has a range of meanings. My favourite interprets it as 'Self Shining' - the true self that shines forth. It can also simply refer to a 'note' particularly the sung by a human voice. Another text describes Svarā (स्वरा, “Sound, Speech”)as one of the female offspring from Mahākālī. Mahākālī is one of the three primary forms of Devī, the other two being Mahālakṣmī and Mahāsarasvatī.

In the mid 1990s, when I first started offering Indian singing with Rajeswar, we called our venture 'Swaramalika' meaning garland of notes. So this is honouring these origins.