Charanam meaning: what a charanam is and how it differs from the pallavi

What charanam means

A charanam is the concluding section of a composed song in Carnatic (South Indian classical) music. It comes after the opening and usually brings new lines of text and a fresh melodic idea.

The word comes from Sanskrit and also means “foot”. In a song, the charanam carries the song’s body. Think of the movement from the opening melody into new words and a different melodic idea, before the opening line returns.

You may also see it written as “saranam”. In this song-section context, saranam and charanam point to the same word, not two different parts of a song. The spelling changes, but the section being described does not.

The difference between pallavi and charanam

The opening line or two, sung to the main melody, form the pallavi. This is both the opening section and the refrain, the part the singer returns to after each other section. Its familiar words and tune give you something to recognise each time it comes back.

The charanam, the concluding section of the composed song, usually brings new words and a fresh melodic idea. Rather than repeating the opening, it carries the song’s body before leading back to the pallavi. The contrast is between the lines you recognise and the section that takes the song somewhere new.

Where the anupallavi fits in the three parts

Between the opening and the concluding section comes the anupallavi, a shorter second section that develops the opening idea. It often moves into a higher register, meaning a higher range of notes. It builds on what you have already heard.

• Pallavi: the opening section and returning refrain, carrying the main melody.
• Anupallavi: the shorter second section, taking the opening idea further.
• Charanam: the concluding section, usually the longest, with new lines that lead back to the pallavi.

These are the three parts of a typical kriti, the main composed song form of Carnatic (South Indian classical) music. In many kritis, the charanam’s last lines use the anupallavi’s tune. That familiar melody helps steer your ear back towards the pallavi.

How many charanams a song can have

A kriti, the main composed song form of Carnatic (South Indian classical) music, usually has one charanam, its concluding section. But some kritis have two or more. Each charanam leads back to the pallavi, the opening section that acts as the refrain.

With one charanam, you hear that section and then return to the opening. With two, each takes its turn before bringing you back to the same pallavi. The number changes, but that return gives you a familiar point to listen for.

So “concluding section” does not mean a song must have exactly one charanam. It describes the section’s place in the song’s shape, not a fixed limit on how many there can be.

How film songs use charanam and pallavi

In Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada film songs, each verse is a charanam, and the opening hook that returns after every verse is the pallavi. These film songs borrowed the terms from Carnatic (South Indian classical) music. The words describe the sections you hear, with the returning hook set apart from each verse.

Some film songs call the second half of the hook an anupallavi. In Carnatic music, that word names the shorter second section, which develops the opening idea. The film song use places it within the hook instead.

Hindi film music uses mukhda for the hook and antara for the verse. The names change, but they describe the same shape: a hook that returns after a verse.

How to spot a charanam while listening

Try this with Gayatri Asokan’s cover of “Oru Mukham Mathram”, a Malayalam film song from Etho Oru Swapnam. Listen first to the opening sung stanza. This is the pallavi, the opening section that returns as the refrain. Keep its first line in your ear as the song moves on.

• Wait until you hear the opening line come back once. Use that return as your starting marker.
• Follow the next verse. Its different, usually lower, melodic idea helps distinguish it from the opening stanza.
• When the opening line returns again, you have heard the charanam lead back to the pallavi.