The monsoons arrive every year but I can never get tired of
waiting for them each time. The fragrance of the damp earth after the first
showers, the mystery of the dark overcast skies, the flash of lightening
followed by that short moment of anticipation before the thunder rumbles and
echoes above, raindrops gliding off the leaf blades of ecstatic plants that
seem to be dancing in the rain- ever so grateful for the pouring heavens from
above- the magic of the rains could ever cease to amaze me!
No wonder then, that for centuries poets have been inspired
by this magical season in our part of the world. Some have talked about the
romance of it and some are overwhelmed by its sheer beauty. There are some for whom the monsoons are a
reminder of the power and glory of the creator and that also fills them with a
certain kind of grief of being separated from the supreme and a longing to be
one with Him. Tulsidas says –
“Ghan ghamand nabh gartjat ghora/ piya heen tarpat man mora”
The thunder echoes in
the overcast sky/while my heart pines for my dear one….
Raindrops often become an analogy for the tears of “virah” or separation. Like Surdas wrote:
“Nisdin barsat nain hamare/Sada rahat pavas ritu hum par/Jabse Shyam
sidhare
Tears flow constantly/like
the never ending rains/ever since my beloved walked away
The rains have also inspired our music. The ragas of the
Malhaar group are born form the parent Raga Megh and present different aspects
of the rain. So we have, for example, the DhuliyaMalhaar that is about the start of the monsoons, when the first breeze
carrying the rains blows over the parched lands marking the end of the dry
summer. And then there is Mian ki Malhaar, created by the maestro
Tansen himself, which is inspired by the heavy downpour and the sonorous sounds
of the thunder.
If there is any popular song of our times that captures the
essence of the rains for me it has to be Shafqat Amanat Ali’s Malhaar from
Fuzon’s album Sagar.
The powerful voice connects you to the Divine as it laments
about the distance between the eternal lovers- the soul and the Supreme…
Raiin Na jaaye, ab din nahin aaye/ tum bin kucch nahin bhaaye
The long night refuses
to end, the dawn never breaks/ Everything pales into insignificance, without
you by my side
Barkha rut hai shor machaye/kahe yeh mujh pe yoon jal barsaye
Door ho tum mere pas nahin ho/koi use samjhaye ….
The downpour creates
such a din/ why does it leave me drenched
You are so far away
from me/ why doesn’t it understand
The wonderful blend of modern beats and rhythms makes the
perfect package to present the timeless Malhar to the current generation. Just
like the magic of the monsoons never fades away and remains a subject of
fascination for people of all ages, our musical legacy- of the ancient, season-inspired
ragas and such- will also continue to enthrall music lovers in all age and
times. And we have artists like Shafqat Amanat Ali to thank for that.
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