Like Ustad Vilayat Khan, Pt. Arvind Parikh has had no particular interest in creating new ragas. But, ragas often create themselves, when an inspired mind responds to striking melodic ideas. When he heard Ustad Mehdi Hassan’s ghazal -- तुम आये हो तो शब-ए-इन्तेज़ार् गुज़री है, Arvind Bhai felt that the pathos of the melody could be heightened by adding komal Gandhar in the avaroh. Thus, in 1990, was born raga Gunji Kauns, a blend of Malgunji and Malkauns. The raga projects a sombre mood in the lower octave, and adds a touch of shringar rasa in the middle octave. It is a tricky raga to perform. Keeping it free from the shades of Darbari Kanada and Nat Bhairav requires great grammatical alertness. Pt. Arvind Parikh has performed the raga frequently (recorded for India Archive Music in 2002). His students do perform the raga, which has also attracted the interest of other well-known musicians from other gharanas. Read Less