Here is the solution to Carnatic Cryptic Crossword Puzzle #5:

Solution to Carnatic Cryptic Crossword Puzzle #5

Explanation:
  • 1D – SPHURITAM: The words His tampur rearranged (got warped) gives  (producing a) sphuritam a type of a gamaka
  • 2D – KAMBHOJI: Place the letters jok, i.e the word joke without the letter “e”, which is also short for East as in a compass bearing (joke without bearing) next to (by) Bhima and scramble (about) to get kAmbhOji, a raga.
  • 3A – PADA VARNAM: The answer stands for a type of composition that is usually the main feature of a Bharatanatyam dance performance (The main feature of the dance). A varnam in carnatic music is also a composition that serves as a lesson about the raga in which it is set. The answer can be obtained by scrambling (broke)  the words pandava army without “y”, the lead letter of Yudishtira – Yudishtira’s lead.
  • 4D – RITIGAULA: The answer is a highly valued raga that belongs to the kharaharapriya (22nd) mela i.e. a high quality 22-carat derivative. It can be obtained by unscrambling (turned out) taking the letters AG (silver’s chemical symbol), U (you), I and trail.
  • 5A – ALATHUR: The answer stands for the Alathur Brothers (indirectly referred to in the clue as brethren) and can be found in (found … in)  the clue itself: carnival at Huron.
  • 6D – TANAM: The answer of course is something that in the middle of a RTP i.e ragam tanam pallavi. It can be obtained by taking the words “tan” (why you go sunbathing – i.e. to get a tan) and placing it before “am” (i.e. morning).
  • 7A – HUSENI: The answer is a raga and can the words The rich use nice dance-dramas contain (featuring) the answer. The raga itself is popular in dance as it is used to portray the srngara (romance) rasa – and thus the play on the word dance-dramas.
  • 8D – GHANTA: The answer is a raga that is fairly rare nowadays (a rare commodity of late) and can be obtained by placing the letter T (tea) inside the word Ghana (African country).
    • Note: technically the clue should have be phrased as Tea in a African country – as this African country makes it sound as if the answer is an African country.
  • 9D – KALYANI: The answer is a raga, considered a heavy and a heavyweight raga in Carnatic Music and can be obtained by unscrambling (turned out) the words a, lanky and I (one).
  • 10A – SYAMA SASTRY: The answer stands for the composer (him), and can be obtained from by unscrambling (incorrectly) try, say and Assam.
  • 11D – HANUMA: The answer stands for the prefix for tODi meLa i.e. hanumatoDi is the full name for the #8 mela is hanumatoDi, where hanuma stands for 8 ( actually 80 => 08 => 8) as per the kaTapayAdi scheme used for the melakarta numbering. Of course hanuma also stands for Lord Hanuman/Anjaneya who is the prime devotee of Lord Rama.
  • 12A – CHEMBAI: The answer stands for Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar (maestro), and can be obtained y rearranging (arrangement) the letter/words: I (One), Bach and  (with) me.
  • 13A – VASANTA: The answer is a raga (something that is delivered) , and can be obtained by (with an implied reference to unscramble) the words a savant.
  • 14A – DHARMAVATI: The answer is a raga, whose name can be obtained by combining Dharma (a name for Yudishtra the eldest of the five Pandavas – first among five), and vati (the beginning of word vatican).
  • 15A – HINDOLAM: The answer is a raga, whose name can be obtained by combining hind (rear), Ola (a mexican/spanish greeting for hi), and M (stands for thousand in Roman numeral).