Raaga Yaman. Another great creation by our
ancestors. It is an evening raga and is as relaxing as the evening itself.
There are two versions of the note Ma.
In Yaman, the Teevra (Sharp) version of Ma is used.
One of the most flexible ragas, Yaman can express a number of emotions
simultaneously. All the seven notes are used in it, of which only Ma is sharp, which I wonder, could be
the reason for its simplicity.
Carefully listen to it and you’ll realise
that the as it expresses the deep calm longing experienced by a person
desperate for his loved ones, it also expresses the depression saturated in a
mother’s heart, a mother waiting for her child to come home as it has started
getting dark. It expresses the maddening cravings of success and achievement as
well as pacifies the listeners with long lasting dull sad nostalgia, just as
any beautiful sunset would.
Perceptions of evenings and beautiful
sunsets are very difficult and subjective to specify. The opulent beautiful
colours in the sky, the cold breezes, the pacifying atmosphere give rise to a
number of feelings and it is difficult at times to specify what one feels while
one sees a beautiful sunset.Yaman, thus, is a perfect musical translation of such scenic sunsets and evenings into the seven notes. Imagine! Only seven notes are powerful and versatile enough to express the same chaos of feelings and emotions that a sunset needs thousands of colours for.
Check out these videos. You’d be satisfied and yet craving for more from it, at the very same time! You just can’t get enough out of it people!
The
Malhars! The Refreshers! Another great group of Ragas like the Bhairavs
(Example: Ahir Bhairav – Previous post). The Malhars are associated with the
rains. Word ‘Mal’ is, here, a preffix denoting negativity or all the negative
virtues in general. And the word ‘Har’ actually denotes the person or an entity
defeating the negatives.
Capable
of creating a very pacifying effect, it almost brings you on the verge of
rediscovering yourself and the environment around you, just the way the rains
do – wash clean everything! Ever if feeling depressed, struck by a terrible
inferiority-complex, a few minutes of a real ‘Malhar’ experience is the best
pill for you!
The Malhar, whichever it may be, take you into this whole new state of self
realisation and you are dumbstruck and overwhelmed by the entire experience. No
wonder, these ragas are associated with rains. Rains, revealing the beauty of
nature, break it free from the shackles of lifeless weariness and rejuvenate
it, at the same time empowering it for not only making the flame of life
survive but also nurturing it with great care. In a similar way, these musical
creations defeat all the emotional weariness and culprits like self-pity, low
self esteem and inferiority complex that cause depression, concentrated in your
mind and give you a whole new vision to look at your life.
Nat Malhar, Ramdasi Malhar, Miyan-ki-Malhar, Megh Malhar, Shuddha Malhar (the
original one), Gaud Malhar, Meera-ki-Malhar are versions coming under the
heading of Malhar. These types were to great extent used by musicians and the
composers that we were fortunate enough to have in our film and entertainment
industry. Trust me; you would surely want to download the creations, of which
the links are attached down here. Worth a shot! Go ahead! Try one, and have a
wonderful experience of self realisation!
Here comes the most famous, signature song of Raag Miyan Ki Malhar..
"Bole Re Papihara" from the movie "Guddi"(1971), sung by Vani Jairam as her debut song, composed by Vasant Desai:
Another amazing & my most favourite composition is "Badarwa garjat aaye, nanhi nanhi bundan.." by Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. It has been composed in Raag Sur Malhar. Sur Malhar is another raaga in Malhar family & is slightly different from Miyan ki Malhar. It was originally composed by Sant Kavi Surdas (son of Ramdas, composer of Ramdasi Malhar).
Special Note: Do not miss the mesmerizing piece around 16:50 min.
Here comes an amazing bandish by Smt. Kishori Amonkar..
Umad Ghumad Garaj Garaj... The words themselves create an amazing picture of roaring monsoon winds. The picture gets completed by flash of Thunderstorms created by Smt Kishori Amonkar's beautiful tanas..
Below is the famous bandish "Karim Naam Tero.." by Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. The same vilambit bandish sung by Smt. Kishori Amonkar, in a slightly different style is also famous.
Apart from all the emotions like "Kaari badariya", "Chamke bijuria", "Papiha Bole", "Saiyan na aaye"usually found in Miyan Ki Malhar, this beautiful Vilambit Bandish composed by Sadarang (Real Name: Niyamat Khan) has got a different feeling.This is all what it says:
Karim Naam Tero
Tu Saahib Sataar Dukh Daridra Duur Keeje Sukh Deho Saban Ko
Sadaranga Binati Karata
Sun Leho Sataar
Sadarang & Adarang (Nephew of Niyamat Khan, Firoz Khan) were serving as artists for Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah (ruled 1719-1748), are still remembered for their great compositions.
This one is another mind blowing composition in Miyan Ki Malhar, by Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia:
Water Poems
Here comes "Ab Ke Saawan", a Rock song, quite similar to Raag Miyan ki Malhar, by Shubha Mudgal. Being created in the year 1999, it still enjoys the place of one of the best mixtures of Western Rock & Indian Classical Music. The song Ghanan Ghanan from the film Lagaan also goes by the similar way of Miyan ki Malhar.
One of the epic song in Marathi, "Ghan Ghan Maala" also enjoys an important place in list of songs of Miyan Ki Malhar.
You might be thinking of this Malhar family being dominated by Miyan ki Malhar only! I wouldn't deny that! But, it was just to put some of the best compositions before you. It is not at all possible to cover all of them.. Like a tip of iceberg, I must say.
Jan Palbhar Mhanatila....
The last song here, again from Miyan Ki Malhar, is again a beautiful Marathi song, sung by Lata Mangeshkar. A very different composition in Miyan ki Malhar, about which you will definitely think that the meaning which Malhar should convey is not at satisfied by the song.
But, have patience till the last few lines, and you will definitely get answer of your question!
Do not at all worry about the meaning. The lyrics & English translation is available at the following link:
The most passionate, firm, strongly obsessive raga I
personally have ever known.
Let the first few seconds pass and you’ll come to know what you’re dealing
with, honestly!
As you go on with the track, no matter whoever the artist
is, the first image that comes to your mind is of a dawn, not a pleasant one
though. Unlike Bhoop and other obviously pleasant and happy mood ragas that are
sung or played in the morning, Ahir Bhairav doesn’t create a happy picture.
To provide specifications, Komal Rishabh in
it doesn’t make it happy and pleasant in an obvious way. But the Shuddha Dhaivat and the Komal Nishad manage to create an image
of solace of sunlight over the dark sad horizons, almost creating a feel of
mystery.
The overall feel is of passion, determination and a perseverance of fighting
against the dark odds.
Even for those who don’t understand Marathi, the feel created by the song Teerth Vitthal would not create a different image than this. The last verses of
the song explain it all. Sant Namdev says that He has found God and now has no
fear for the ups and downs that would show up anymore!
Try the fusion tracks first, if not hard core Indian Classical. I am sure
you’ll find it obsessive. Here are some more links of fusion in Ragas. Let know
how you felt! Suggestions are welcome!
“Teerth Vitthal . . ”, composed by Sant
Namdev is one of the epic Abhangas(Poetic compositions by Saints) ever in
Marathi literature. Being known as one of the most remarkable abhangas, it
gained its true fame, in music lovers in & outside India with a golden
touch of Pt. Bhimsen Joshi’s magical voice.
Being created as a tribute to Lord
Vitthal, God of Warkari sect in Maharashtra, the song beautifully shows the
path of Bhakti (Selfless devotion) to Vitthal.
The abhang was originally meant to sing
in the program called “Santwani”, one of the most famous musical programs of
Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, but even today, it enjoys its position in “All time favorite
Songs ” of music lovers.
The charm of the song is so amazing that
it actually takes us to Pandhari, across river Bheema, with thousands of
Warkari!
Here comes the you tube link to the song:
The original video of same song sung by Panditji in Savai Gandharva Mahotsav is also also available on YouTube.
The song is composed in Raag Ahir Bhairav, a morning raga (Timing: 6 to 9 AM) by Mr. Ram Faatak around 1970s.
Some of the favourite hindi songs based
on Ahir Bhairav are listed as bellow:
1.Pucho na kaise maine raine bitayee
2.Jaya shankara Gangadhara, in
Marathi, composed by Mr. Ram Marathe
3.Solah baras ki baali umar ko
salaam
& the last one, for the lovers of fusion:
4.Albela Sajan Aayo ri (a fusion
like song in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam)
Enjoy the songs & let me know if you liked them or not! Your feedback is most important to me.
