Rendezvous with The Ragas : The Allure of Aiman

"One must play with a Raga with a lover's passion. One must learn to love it to pay court to it, like a cavalier, and then alone can a musician tell the story of joy and grief; of laughter and tears.."- Ustad Faiyaz Khan

The magical world of Indian Classical music, where you experience everything with a sense of wonderment when you first enter it, for everything is ethereal, so beautiful… As you spend some more time with the bliss you begin to recognize some patterns, a systematic framework of sorts which gets adorned with the nuances of  the musical genius of a performing artist.

These templates  slowly make themselves visible to even people who are not trained formally in this field … the specific arrangement of musical notes that sets boundaries for performers and which also convert the art of music into a mathematical science that can be analyzed and studied in a systematic manner.

The word Raga is derived from Sanskrit and means color… Colors can be seen and described in words, colors can be given names but, colors are also experienced- they  evoke feelings and affect moods … Similarly the organization of music into Ragas has been done by applying the principles of Math and Physics but their emotional aspect adds a new dimension to the organizational structure of Indian Classical music- the dimension of rasas or moods, which has resulted in Ragas being categorized according to the time of the day and the season of the year and so on

I speak of the Ragas as a novice – an average music listener and lover who has just dipped a toe into waters of the vast ocean that Indian Classical music is... As I go along I hope to begin understanding a little more about these fascinating frameworks that  musicians use to weave their magnificent art..I write and speak from the heart as I begin my Rendezvous with The Ragas

Aiman/ Yaman

Miniature Paiting, Raga Yaman

"...that Raga of languorous waits, the Raga of the philospophers .It is endless, yes endless. If I look outside at the scene created by the setting Sun and the birds that move along slowly from nowhere to nowhere, I can only imagine that God felt too moved to create anything but Yaman.." - Vasudev Murty- 'What the Ragas Told Me'

“ When Aiman plays on the Sarangi, you can’t even move….if you love music even a little bit, that is” – Shafqat  Amanat Ali , on Coke Studio Pakistan

When Shafqat Amanat Ali romanced Aiman, the result was an “Ankhon ke Saagar”- the song that brought him in his own words “into the limelight” A great example of a Raga getting adapted for a popular, contemporary song.

This Raga, also referred to as Yaman, is supposed to be performed in the first quarter of the night, and is often associated with the feeling of peace , tranquility and an inner, spiritual joy. The mood definitely comes across beautifully in this song, which is amongst his most heard and performed songs

The origin and the technical nuances

There are various schools of thoughts about the origin of Aiman.  One of the most popular ones credits Amir Khusro with its creation. It says that Amir Khusro created this Raga along with others like Zilaaf and Sazgari- the latter two are now extinct and no longer performed. However, Khusro himself in his 'Ejaz –e Khusravi 'mentions that he didn’t create the Raga, and it already existed in the Iranian and Indian music. This sounds plausible  because Yaman or Aiman is also considered by many as an innovative blend of the Raga Hindol of Hindustani with the Persian Nairez or Nairiz. 

There are others, however, who believe that the Raga always existed in the Indian classical music as Yamuni, which later became Yaman.

The classification of Hindustani Music that we follow today is the result of extensive work and research of a man called Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkande- he gave us a system that consists of Thaats- families, under which different Ragas are classified. The Thaat represents the parent scale of which the Ragas in that family are a subset.

Yaman or Aiman is a complete or Sampoorna Raga as it utilizes all the seven swars. It falls under the Kalyan Thaat- and is characterized by the use of a teevr (sharp) madhyam. Another very similar raga from the family is the Yaman Kalyan which uses both the teevr and shudh madhyam

This video explains the difference of the teevr and shudh Ma very nicely!

Here’s Ustad Fateh Ali Khan rendering a delightful bandish in Aiman composed  by his grandfather and one of the founders of the Patiala Gharana- Ustad Ali Baksh , also fondly called Jernail . Accompanying him, his nephew- Shafqat’s eldest brother, Amjad Amanat Ali

Aiman in Light Music

Fuzon’s and Shafqat’s engagement with Aiman didn’t end with Aankhon ke Saagar. They did a Neend Na Aaye which too was based on this Raga. But this was before the band broke up and the song was released by Fuzon in their album in the voice of another vocalist. Shafqat’s unreleased version is however available on YouTube

Light music , including ghazals , geet etc.  are often based on or inspired by the Ragas. But unlike the strict mathematical precision of the classical format , this genre often takes liberties in composition and even mixing of Ragas in one song are quite common

And, since the Yaman Kalyan is so similar to and hard to differentiate from Yaman for a listener like me, and also because one modern school of music thinks that the distinction between them  is too little and that they should be considered the same Raga; and mostly because they are so close to my heart, I will be mentioning songs here which may be both  Yaman and Yaman Kalyan based...

So many of my favorite ghazals are in Raga Yaman- Most popular of course is Aaj jaane ki Zid na karo, sung by many including Shafqat.

Then there is Ranjish hi sahi, by Mehdi Hassan .

An absolute, absolute favorite by Noorjehan…'Mujhse pehli si mohabaat mere mehboob na maang' also brings out the beauty of this Raga so well. Faiz is said to have permanently dedicated this ghazal to her after he heard her rendition…

And not too long ago I discovered this one - Yaar ko maine , mujhe yaar ne- beautiful words by Khwaja Haider Ali Aatish composed as well as sung by Ustad Amanat Ali

And this is a clip of Shafqat singing it an interview

Yaman seems to be the mother of all Ragas when it comes to Raga based compositions in Hindi films-There are so many film songs based on this beautiful raga that you can keep counting.

Music director Roshan’s Yaman based  ‘Mann re tu kahe na dheer dhare” by Rafi remains one of my most favorite songs, ever. “Abhi na Jao chor kar” is another one by Rafi where he teams up with Asha – a brilliant romantic number with music by Jaidev. Another Yaman beauty by him is- “Ehsan tera hoga mujh par’ composed by Shankar Jaikishen.

Shafqat recreates the magic of Rafi’s Din Dhal jaaye on the Sony Mix Solos in this video…This time it was S.D. Burman who had brought  Yaman and Rafi together

My father is a die-hard Saigal fan and would play him all the time when I was a kid despite my siblings and I protesting. It was only many years later that I actually begun to enjoy the  singing of this great music legend. His very famous Do naina matware tihare and Diya jala are Yaman based, I believe.

And here Shafqat renders  K.L. Saigal’s Main kya jaanu kya jaadu hai… when asked to sing a song that he heard in his childhood that had had an impact on him, thus affirming his special connection with Aiman…

The list is of film songs based on Yaman simply endless and goes on...

The Devotional Side

The  mood of  Yaman has been beautifully utilized  for devotional or Bhakti compositions as well. Lata’s Sri Ramchandra Kripalu bhaj is a popular one.

I, especially want mention three songs in this genre here ( All, I believe, in Yaman Kalyan)

If you visited my home many years ago chances of these you hearing  these  first two songs in the background would be very high. They were a big favorite with my father and gradually we, the rest of the family, also began to enjoy these.

In the first, Pandit Jasraj sings an ode to the young child Krishna-

Rani tero, Pt Jasraj

The second one  by Kishori Amonkar, is also a prayer dedicated to Lord Krishna, who is called Banke Bihari…

Mharo Pranam, Kishori Amonkar

The third is the result of my engagement with  Sufi music, which began with a love for Sufi poetry and this one has the sublime words of Amir Khusro and the inimitable voice and style of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Munn Kunto Maula, Nusrat FatehAli Khan

So that’s the Raga for you- ancient, versatile, soothing, stirring…it certainly is hard to resist the Allure of Aiman

Some trivia

- Often  the first Raga to be taught to students as it is complete and contains all notes, thus making it ideal for training the voice

- The soothing feeling attributed to the raga is due to use of  Tivra madhyam  interspersed with 6 shudh swaras

-  It is a documented fact that listening to Aiman lowers stress and blood pressure, and also benefits patients of rheumatoid arthritis 

The Legacy (III)- Asad Amanat Ali Khan

The Man, the Music, the Memories...

25^th September, 1955 – 8^th April, 2007

My fascination with Asad Amanat Ali began with this particular video, in which he sings probably his most popular song- 'Umran Langiyan'

I am always captivated by the whole aura of his personality as he renders it... Here is a singer who is aware of his mastery over his singing, yet sings without arrogance. He wields a magical power over his audience… hypnotizes them, and indulges them with little treats that he knows will delight them. He playfully engages with the accompanying musicians, his handsome countenance glowing with joy as he sings and displays his mastery over the rhythm  Occasionally he dives deep into his artistic repertoire and pulls out enchanting little nuances … like a diver who explores the depth of the ocean and brings out the beautiful pearls hidden in it…

The song is written by Mazhar Tirmazi, who remembers Asad in an interview as-Khush Mijaaz and Khush Shakal… of a happy attitude and a happy demeanor  In the same interview he mentions the special connection that Asad had with this song- “He sung many songs,” says Tirmazi, “but his soul lay in this song.” He also laments the fact that the potential and the promise that Asad’s talent had could never be  fully fulfilled

Asad died young…he was only 52 when he passed away on this very day, 6 years ago in London.

Always missed by fans and family… “Ghar waapas jab Aaogey tum, Kaun tumhe Pehchaney ga, Kaun Kahega….Tum bin Ye nagari sunsaan”

Shafqat remembers his elder brother very fondly, as a very caring, loving brother, someone who valued relationships; a person who provided not just for his own but also the extended family, someone who kept everyone together.

In an interview on Asad’s first death anniversary Shafqat mentions how in their family the youngsters always maintain a respectful distance from the elders. Asad was almost 13 years older than Shafqat but he was always approachable- “There was a bridge which could always be crossed to reach to him in case of any problem or need.” He recalls a particular incident where he was was short of some money to buy a place for a studio. Asad sensed this and sent him the money even without his asking. When the very grateful Shafqat went to return some of the money back after sometime, Asad refused to accept it and reprimanded him lovingly - “Have you made too much money? Have you become that big?”

Shafqat and Asad came together only once to sing. It was a song of their father, Amanat Ali, that they sang together for album, which was a tribute to the late ustaad.

Shafqat had immense respect for his elder brother as a singer but the fact that they both very heavily influenced by their father’s singing and had similar singing styles is what prevented them from collaborating more often. Shafqat admits, though, that he learnt a lot from his brother. He always looked up to him as a role model and tried to emulate the way he dressed, the way he did his riyaaz,  and even the way he dealt with people.

Asad’s formal debut as a singer happened for a PTV program called Nikhar where he teamed up with his uncle, Hamid Ali (more of a peer and friend as they were of the same age group) and sang Raag Malkauns. It was Ustad Fateh Ali Khan who had suggested that they get together and sing as a Jodi. Asad reminiscences in a mehfil, “It was because he felt that I resembled Baba (Ustad Amanat Ali Khan) and Hamid resembled him (Fateh Ali Khan) and he wanted us to recreate the magic that they had spun as a musical team.”

And this pair too, wove magic. Hamid Ali recalls one of their early performances where they sang with the then Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, in the audience. She was impressed and is said to have complimented them by saying that the duo looked like a Ram –Laxman Jodi.

The Jodi was however not meant to be forever and due to differences the two had to part ways. Asad went solo and also began to foray more into the lighter forms of singing because he felt that they were more appreciated by the new generation audiences who neither had the taste nor the patience to appreciate the classical music in its purest forms. But he felt hurt if he was considered a lesser singer just because of the fact that he was singing other genres. In an interview with Ally Adnan he says…

“It is true that I have trained in classical music, but that is the only type of training a singer can have.You cannot train someone in light music.I have very sound training in classical music and I use that to sing all types of music….If I am to be judged I should be judged on the quality of my singing, not by the genre I choose to sing”

He sang Ghazals and his uniquely textured voice- slightly grainy, slightly nasal with a melodious tinkle, made them memorable. He loved films and Shafqat remembers his fondness for them and how he would sometimes bunk his riyaaz to watch a movie. So it was a sweet coincidence that he sang several songs for Pakistani films and was quite a popular playback singer through the 80’s, but in his own words “the charm (to sing in films) wore off very soon”

One of his favorite Ghazals, and mine too…

And another favorite in Punjabi…

A song from from a Pakistani film

His singing training, which began with his often “cursing himself for being born into a family of musicians who didn't let him do anything but sing” when as a child he had to wake up at 6 in the morning for his riyaaz, progressed to practicing for up to 18 hours a day so that he could “live up to the expectations of everyone and deserve being called the son of Amanat Ali Khan” and culminated in music becoming the “most important thing in his life”. He was awarded the “Pride of Performance” the highest civilian- award in Pakistan for his contribution to music just a couple of weeks before his death.

He often ended performances with this song written by the poet Ibn-e-Insha and originally sung and popularized by his father. He saved it for the last because he would be so emotional after singing it that he couldn't carry on. He died young, just like the poet, and his own father, and thus, became a part of a legend and also a superstition associated with the song…

For me, Asad is, and shall always be, the joy of music, personified. I am pretty sure he must be busy singing happily in mehfils in the heavens above with the angels applauding.

……

Special thanks to Ally Adnan who shared an interview that he had done with Asad in 1989, from which I have quoted extensively J