Gag bag: Asha

Raag Tilak Kamod

1:01:00 AM

Sometimes I wonder what is it about classical music that peaks my interest. I usually tend to get bored of things and quickly pass them by once I get a little hang of it. I might have blown off so many things only because they couldn’t generate enough mystery to keep me going at them. Classical music on the other hand is like this unsurmountable mountain. No matter how much you keep going at it, it just keeps surprising you and manages to keep you at bay. And it might just be this challenge which completely stumps me and makes me want it that much more.

Or maybe, it might just be so since it’s so rich and pleasant.

My experience or history in classical doesn’t go back long. I think the first time I really looked up what a raag was when I watched the movie Khuda ke liye. It had a beautiful song, called Tilak Kamod (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-4mY5dcMe8).

Funny as it sounded, it was my first exposure coming from within, to the wonderful world of raags. The song, a very famous bandish in the said raag, went something like this – Neer bharan kaise jaoo. And it completely managed to bowl me over. I have gotten feedback on the same song from multiple people, and I have always had varying reviews on it. But for me, somehow that song reminds me of my introduction to classical music.

Tilak Kamod, is a beautiful raag belonging to the Khamaaj thaat. To begin with, I must make it clear, that I have no knowledge of this raag at all. Whatever I have noted is mainly from the feel I have generated by looking it up thousands of times in the last 5-6 years, and I may be completely off while defining it or jotting it down. But for some reason, it is my most beloved raag, and it has managed to make a special place in my heart. It’s a very melodious raag, and usually works with romance as its main theme. I feel that happens because of its wonderful weight on the pillar notes, Pa and Sa. Pa and Sa are the only two notes which don’t have a komal or a teevra side to them, making them the ideal resting place during the raag’s presentation. It’s a shaadav-sampoorna raag, meaning it uses 6 notes during ascent, and all 7 notes during descent. And it also employs its own magic, by the use of komal ni during descent. And you will figure it out, when and if I can manage to point it out so, as to why that one note makes so much difference when used. For example: In the second part of the song Neer Bharan Kaise Jaoo (mentioned above), the line goes, "Chanchal chapal hat nat khat, manat na kahu ki baat, binati karat main to, gayi re haar sakhi." In this line, the part where the song goes "binati karata main to", there is a subtle use of the komal Ni.

Let us look at the ascent and descent of the raag first, or as we call it, the aaroh and avaroha of the raag.

Aaroh – Pa Ni Sa Re Ga Sa, Sa Re ma Pa Ni Sa

Avaroha – Sa Pa Dha ma Ga Sa, Sa Re Ga Sa, Sa Ni Pa Ni Sa, Sa Re Ga Sa

Pakad – Pa Ni Sa Re Ga Sa, Sa Re Pa ma Ga Sa Ni

As you will have observed, the descent isn’t sequential. It meanders its way alternating between high and low notes, thereby creating a wonderful step-up step-down melody when played. It’s a night time raag, meaning it will often be sung, or rather, it’s true characteristic will only appeal when sung or heard at night. But then, if you ask me, this raag manages to conquer time itself, so the time of the day never actually mattered to me.

Because of its use of 8 out of the 12 notes, there is a lot to be explored within this raag. Also, its defining characters and its vaadi samvadi notes stress the fact that this exploration, though vast, is bound by a certain set of rules, and it is because of these rules, that the raag sounds what it sounds like.

When you give it a listen, you will immediately connect with it. The reason is, this raag is used widely in many compositions even in light/ semi-classical compositions. Because of its nature and the emotion it portrays, using this raag as the base for composing everyday songs becomes ideal. Of course, singing and emoting the real feeling requires a lot of skill and talent from the performer.

I will note a few famous songs, both in Hindi and Marathi. I will again try to play the notes for the song below:

1. Gagan sadan tejomaya – Sung by Lata Mangeshkar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bpKU4WKnlY

2. Ravi me, ha Chandra kasa – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKNH6j231ek Sung by Asha Bhosale/ Vasantrao Deshpande (and many others)

Anoushka Shankar recently came out with an album called Land of Gold. The instrumental piece Reunion is based off this raag. The composition is:

Reunion - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2SyNolfVCk

There are a lot of classical compositions. Ones which immediately come to my mind are:

Mukul Shivaputra - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKJvCIqvYPs
Shubha Mudgal - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpLjoa_6D6c
Shruti Sadolikar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5GQY1zm2g0
Veena Sahasrabuddhe – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGsRYi4GZbA

I have managed to fall in love with this raag over and over again. No matter how many times I listen to it, it never ceases to please and amaze me. To me, this raag is like the cold water from a serene blue crystal clear lake, on a hot summer. It will refresh you like never before right from the first gulp, and will be something of which you just can’t have enough of.

Asha

Raag Yaman

4:42:00 PM

For a person who tends to listen to a huge variety of songs, this is one Raag which each of us has come across multiple times. It is one of the most fundamental and basic raags in Hindustani Classical music.

For one, it is a raag which uses all seven notes, namely Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni, and because it uses all 7 notes, the combinations are a lot more than what a 5 note raag might have. Hence, the number of songs which are based on Yaman or are pure Yaman are uncountable.

Notice that we use the teevra Ma, i.e. the sharp Ma in this raag. The shuddha ma is avoided, though sometimes in compositions, you might hear a note or two of the shuddha ma, but that is added only for adorning the composition. To stick to the pure Yaman, we completely avoid using the shuddha ma.

Yaman is also called emaan, aimaan. To begin classifying it, lets get to the definition of the Raag Yaman.

Thaat: Kalyan

Jati: Sampoorna

Vadi Swar: Ga

Samvadi Swar: Ni

Time of day: Evening/ Late evening

Aaroh (ascent): Ni Re Ga Ma Dha Ni Re Sa

Avaroha (descent): Sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Sa

Most raags will have a recognizable pattern to them, which will almost immediately tell you that oh, this might be so and so raag, just on the basis of the 4-5 note phrase. This is often called the pakad, i.e. the primary phrase or the defining phrase of that raag.

For Raag Yaman, it is the phrase,

Pakad: Ni Re Ga

This phrase will almost immediately pull you towards defining the raag as yaman.

Some other very familiar and often used phrases are:

Ma Ga Pa

Ma Dha Pa

The reason for this is that Yaman rules will push you to not move from Ni -> Sa directly, and from Sa -> Re too. And thats the same case with Pa, wherein Ma -> Pa, and Pa -> Dha isn’t allowed. These three rules kind of define the whole raag structure. Its one of those raags with very less number of rules. The Vadi Samvadi swars are usually the notes which are most emphasized, but yaman is so elaborate, that it doesn’t need to stick to these to emphasize itself. All the notes have almost equal weight, and can be used as per the mood and as per the composition, which gives even more space to play with in the land of the 12 notes (essentially in one octave).

Yaman really brings out a variety of emotions, and most of it depends on the usage of notes in the compositions. It can sound devotional, romantic, nostalgic or just plain happy. It is this wonderful capacity that Yaman has, that has excited composers and has given them the hope that they can create something new yet another time, from one of the oldest raags, i.e. Yaman.

A lot of famous songs are based on this raag, and I will try to explicitly state the Pakad in each of these which make them easy to identify them with Yaman. Who can forget:

Mohammed Rafi’s – Zindagi bhar nahi bhoolegi wo barsaat(Ni Re Re Re Ga) ki raat. This is one good example of how a composer uses the shuddha ma and komal ni to great effect. At the end of the verse, you will see a beautiful usage of these two notes. In the line “Kabhi dekhi na suni aisi, kabhi dekhi na suni(use of the komal Ni) aisi, tilismaat ki(use of shuddha ma) raat”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5GWp3w65s0

Mohammed Rafi’s – Mann re tu kaahe na dheer dhare, wo nirmohi, moha na jaane, jinka(Ni Re Ga) moha kare. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSRN316hGFA

Asha Bhosle – Nigaahe milaane(Ni Re Ga) ko ji chahata(Ni Re Ga) hai. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5SM4D515Jc

Asha Bhosle – Tethe(Ni Re Ga Pa) kar majhe julti. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQWTcEuLucg

Zeb, Haniya - Chal Diye. (You will find the Ni Re Ga in the Sa Ni Sa Ni Dha Ni, Ni Dha Ni Re Ni Dha Pa, Ma Dha Ni Re Ga Re Sa Ni Dha Pa Ma, Re Ga… part of the sargam which he sings) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY_LzIAG4gc

Suman Kalyanpurkar – Jithe Saagara(Ni Re Ga Ga Ga Ga), dharani milte. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX2xeEEXSNw

And so many more! As you will see, the phrase Ni Re Ga is so widely used, yet it is so difficult to distinguish since it is composed and fit so well in the song. And it occurs time and again, yet it always sounds different and just as beautiful each time.

For some reason, the Ni Re Ga for me tends to emote a wonderful emotion to the song. While listening to a song, if I find it, I feel amazed with the skill with which this phrase was hidden in the composition. I just feel like my mind blows away every time I listen to it. And I find it tough to figure out notes by just listening to a sung version of the song, so when I do come to realize that woah, that seemed like a Ni Re Ga there, it is a feeling comparable to finding gold.

Many classical compositions are available, and Yaman has been sung with great splendor in all of them. A few which come to my mind are:

Ut. Rashid Khan - Aiso sughara sundaravaa baalamavaa - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSEuCJSnu94

Pt. Venkateshkumar – Haravaa moraa re devo maMgaae - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Itbwcyaxq4

Nachiket Sharma – Bolo Raam Naam - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwyREIblBwY

Pt. Jayashree Patankar – Jiyaa maanat nahi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6YZRkf5luc

And no list would be complete without..

Pt. Bhimsen Joshi – Eri Ali Piya Bin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf-s2bZNl7w

There are so many transitions which sound so amazing when taken in Yaman. And although the compositions are much more than these small transitions, it is these which make the song all that complex and wonderful at the same time. The Ni Pa Ma Ga Re Sa, Ni Re Ga Re Pa Ma Ga Re Sa, Ga Ma Ga Pa, Ma Ga Re Ma Re Ga Re Sa, Ni Dha Sa, (Sa)Dha Ni Re, are a few which strictly adhere to the rules, and yet give a completely new side to Yaman whenever used. Then there are a few which don’t strictly adhere, but are often used since the application kind of makes it seem that the rule is followed. For example, often you will hear a well trained singer sing Re Ga Ma Pa, but its done so quickly, and by not stopping on Pa, and proceeding onto another note, it kind of shifts the weight from Pa to the next note, thereby almost following the rule of not moving from Ma-Pa. Then often time you might hear a singer sing Ni Sa Ni Sa, which technically shouldn’t be allowed, but again, the right application makes it sound interesting. And by not forcing the use or by utilizing it in just a one off spot, it makes it an interesting and fun to experience composition.

A very fun part which strikes me is the meend. Meend is the transition from one note to another, and is usually taken while playing/singing a note. For example, if I am singing a Ni, I can sing the exact frequency of Ni, and it will sound as Ni. But, I can also start singing Sa, and then sing Ni. And that transition, wherein I just somehow start at Sa's frequency but immediately move to Ni and sing Ni is called meend, and is denoted as so (Sa)Ni. What that does is, it gives an effect as if we are sliding down from Sa to Ni. And that slide creates wonderful musical combinations. Meends can be taken between any two notes, and if the distance between the notes is more than 1, then you will notice that the slide goes and slightly touches all the notes in between and then plays the real note. A very simple example is as stated below, and you will notice how much of a wonderful difference it makes, while playing plain Dha Ni Re Ga Re Sa,
and then playing it with the meend, (Sa)Dha Ni (Ga)Re Ga Re Sa.

Yaman is a fascinating raag, and every time I listen to someone play it or sing it, it takes me to a divine place. Music is an experience, and I wish that I had the vocal capacity to sing as well as the stalwarts, but I suffice that need by listening to any and every thing I can lay my hand on. My wish is that I can sit in an acoustically designed room, and have a singer sing wonderful aalaps/taans and that I just listen to it all day. Till then, I have my headphones and the internet at my disposal.

Yaman to me is like the wind, like the cool breeze. You know its always there around you, you just have to give it a shape, and it will sing to you!

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