INDIAN SCIENTIFIC MUSIC
SEASONAL RAGAS – PART 1
Seasons !! Something that everyone looks out for !! Everyone has their own reasons to like a specific season : Some like the Rains , getting wet , the petrichor , looking out at the heavy thunderstorm sipping a cup of hot chocolate ; there are some who love the Autumn which marks the advent of Winter , the mild temperature , the red-yellow dried leaves falling off the trees on the sidewalk , a walk down that sidewalk with a loved one ; then there ’ s Winter the coldness that grips you for good , cuddling up under the blanket with pillows to cover your ears , the late sunrise and early sunset , sitting by the fireplace sipping a glass of warm brandy ; Oh Yes ! Then it ’ s the spring time ! The flora and fauna back into blossoming , the birds chirping around happily as you go jumping around the garden playing carefree as a kid and finally the Summers when the Sun shines in all his power , exhorting his powerful rays that could tan us almost instantly . Running back home to have a popsicle after a morning full of play in our Summer vacation is something that almost all of us have experienced and have a cherishing memory about .
Spring : Bahar or Basant
The spring is one of the happiest times as descried in all literature , with lush greenery and colourful flowers everywhere this time is the mating time for most animals .
There are two main ragas that describe this through music , Raag Basant and Raga Bahar . Basant is a tad more serious in its expression as we call it shows more traditionally masculine characteristics , whereas Raag Bahar is chirpier , fast paced and expressive thereby portraying the traditionally feminine characteristics
Almost all compositions in these Raags describe the beauty of the season or the environment during the season . Take the following lyrics from a composition in Raag Bahar by Bharatratna Pt . Bhimsen Joshi for example :
Kaliyan sang karta rang raliyaan , Bhanwar gunjaare phooli phulwaare , Chahoon oar mor bole , Koyal ki , kook suni , hook uthhi Kaliyan sang karta rang raliyaan This roughly translates to “ Look !! the honey bees making love to the flowers , The Bee that is humming its way over blossomed fauna , From the four directions can be heard the sweet wail of the Peacocks , And my heart is overwhelmed by the sound of the cuckoo birds chirping away !”
This is a typical poetic description of the Spring season .
EASWARAN ANANTRAM
Ragas , also have taken a position in the expression of these seasons . This article will take you through a few of these ragas and will show you the beauty of expression of Indian music through its technicality without compromising on the mood and emotion .
For starters , India ( the land of the Indus – from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean ) is said to experience 6 seasons or Rutu : Basant or Spring , Greeshma or Summer , Varsha or Monsoon , Sharad or Autumn , Hemant – Pre-winter and Shishir or Winter . This article will cover the first 2 seasons
Summers : Greeshma
The Summers are a tough one to express through music , there is a kind of mixed feeling associated with it . Different ragas are used to describe the different times in the Summers .
1 . Early summers and late spring is showing with the help of most types of Sarangs . Shuddha Sarang , Salang Sarang
2 . The mid summers are best described by Ragas like Multani and Bhimpalas , the mood of these ragas is heavy and show the tiredness caused by the Sun blasting us in full force
3 . The leaving summer and the advent of monsoon is described by Lighter ragas like Des , and Brindavani Sarang
With this I complete the first part to Ragas and Seasons . The second will deal with my favourite Season the Monsoons .
The Score Magazine highonscore . com
29