SOUVIK CHAKRABORT Y
THE MUSIC OF
MONSOON
The monsoons
are known to be the
catalysts for evoking the
emotions and the passion within
the deep down crevices of the
human hearts.
The classical music of India has an innate
and pure relationship with the monsoons
of our land. While some of the rhythms are
believed to have inspired the rain itself, some
have been inspired by the rhythm of rain itself.
For eons the beauty around the clouds, rains and the
wet soil has been the muse of numerous poets, from a
Kalidasa of 5th Century to the classical singers of the
Mughal era. The nectar in the rain has been the food
for the thirsty soul of a musician.
Even the Holy Scriptures like the Rig Veda often contain
verses in which prayers are offered to the Parjyana, or
the God and harbinger of rain and nourishment. It is only
fitting that the Hindustani classical music boasts of a rich
and soul-stirring cluster of music called the Raga Malhar.
This raga is like an invoking voice of the resounding
thunderbolts in the sky coupled with the symphony of the
raindrops falling on the dry and longing earth.
It is believed that, when Tansen had lit several lamps
through his Raag Deepak, his daughter Saraswati sang
the very famous Megh Malhar and brought the showers,
which extinguished the flames that Tansen had
manages to produce.
The variety of monsoon ragas that are chronicled
in a book called ‘Raga Malhar Darshan’ amount to
at least 30 in number. While the ragas like ‘Mian
ki Malhar’ is associated with incessant rains,
the ones like ‘Surdasi Malhar’ is for the end
of the season, which largely reflects upon
the cosmic play between the Sun and the
atmosphere around the world. While a
raag like the ‘Gaud Malhar’ is for a
much intense form of the interplay
between the raindrops itself.
However, it is definitely
the 'Mian ki Malhar’
raag which
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had managed to attract
the maximum limelight
amongst the rest. It is said that if
the rhythmic movements on a tabla
or a pakhawaj is coupled with the deep
voice of a singer, it can produce the much-
desired effect of rain and thunder within the
soundscape of a raag.
If the monsoons were not so rare and far between,
the music of our deserts would have been very
different. The Manganiar community of Rajasthan
boastfully holds one of the richest heritage of
monsoon music in our country.
The Malhar based raagas of the Hindustani classical
music finds a lot of variations, through the folk songs of
Rajasthan. But that is not all, the monsoon raagas range
beyond the usual and can foray into beautiful renditions
like a Sorath, Sarang or a Desh and Mallari.
The music of Rajasthan is different in essence than the
rest of the Indian monsoon music. Unlike the music of the
mountains and the rivers, the Rajasthani music does not
digress to the beauty of the topography so much. Rather
the focus is mostly on the symbiosis between earth,
water, and air.
A rendition of Baalam Ji Mhaara in a typical monsoon
song of Rajasthan reflects more than just the longing for
rain. It poignantly poses the plight of women waiting
for their husband, an echoing semblance to the rain
that never satiates the thirst of the burning soil.
It is interesting to note that the Indian style
of music formation in these ragas have
predominantly been an exercise of generating
a family of an intensely thick atmosphere
which is based upon the cadence of various
tones, as opposed to the play of balance
in harmony, often used in the Western
music. Thus, the music of monsoon
in India will ring forever like the
music of the raindrops..