We were on our way back from Tel Aviv. Suddenly one of the radio stations started playing hindi lyrics. Such fun! On the occasion of Valentine's day :)

MSS

I am not a big fan of Carnatic Music. I have no reservations in saying that I hardly understand its nuances and won't be able to name 5 great artists associated. All the same, I can name one top artist, and she is none other than MS Subbalakshmi. Until I listened to her voice, I had an impression that Carnatic Music was soporific and unduly vibrant. Although there are many parallel raagaas between Hindustani and Carnatic, I have enjoyed the Hindustani counterpart much better.

If you're wondering what made me write so many words about a class of music which I don't much understand, and enjoy even lesser, here is the answer: I came across a marvelous piece by MSS: Bhaj-Govindam. You can listen it here. I am sure you'd take a liking too (if you're not a fan already!).

For a complete listing of tracks I recommend, look up here.

Hansadhwani

It has been almost five years since I moved to Bangalore.

The early memories of the past sometimes make a lasting impact. The memories of Hansadhwani fall in that category for me. My association with this melodious raagaa is as old as my association with Hindustani classical music itself.

And the first house in which I stayed after coming to Bangalore is the bridging link between the first two paragraphs above. There was a temple of Venkateswara right in front of our house. Early morning's quiet atmosphere would be punctuated by occasional ringing of bells in the temple on most of the days. And on more holy days, there would be music played inside the temple's premises. That music, in its pure Carnatic form, is still fresh in my mind. Perhaps, that mesmerizing raagaa, Hansadhwani was the most favourite raagaa of the Almighty Himself, and therefore would be played on numerous occasions. (Although, technically, Hansadhwani is a night-time raagaa, one may enjoy it in the calm and cool mornings too!).

It's no wonder that my description of the raagaa should borrow an analogy from the temple! The raagaa's rendition often makes me imagine a lonely lamp that's burning inside the temple, somewhere in front of the holy idol. Inside the main hall, the rich silence and the dim light emitted by the tiny flame are playful in their behaviour. From a small open window somewhere, breeze finds it way inside, making the flam sway. The shadows are swaying to the flame's tune, so to say. When I listen to Hansadhwani, I get lost in a train of such thoughts. Maybe it's all in the imagination, or maybe it's true. Co-incidentally, the wordings of the bandish in this raagaa usually are wrote in worship of the Gods.

With only five swaraas, S-R-G-P-N-S, it may sound a 'simple' raagaa. Mind you, it's not. Technically also, the notes S-R-G-P-N-S are placed at some distance from each other on the harmonium keys, making it difficult to play! R and P are the two 'key' notes, or waadi and samwaadi for the raagaa.

Ganapat vighna-har, is perhaps the most famous of the bandish. Listen to it in Her Majesty Kishori Amonkar's voice. If you want to listen to Hansadhwani in Carnatic style, I recommend Vathapi Ganapatim bhaje, by Yesudas. A tarana by Ust. Amir Khan Saheb is magnificent. The patriotic 'jayostute shri mahanmangale..' by V D Savarkar is set to Hansadhwani.

If your mood is not good, or if you are agitated for no reason at all, try Hansadhwani. Within fifteen minutes it should bring about its magic and you should find the peace of mind again! No wonder, when I listen to this raagaa I tend to see the tiny flame inside that large hall in which the God's idol resides.

Try it. In my opinion, you'd agree.

In case the reader wants to listen to Madhuvanti and Maarwa, he/she may click here. I will try to upload some of the must-listen tracks as and when I get time.

Marwa

Marwa resembles its pronunciation.

Just as you finish saying it, you can feel a rather warm afternoon coming to much awaited end and yet feel the heat that wind is still carrying to you. Make that a day in fall. Leaves are parting from their parent trees. The wind is collecting these dry remains and hurling them all over the place. You can see the sun going down through the bare branches of trees. A lone bird doing circles in the sky. The mood is not too cheerful, not too sad either. The harsh realities of life are in front of you: the Fall is at its peak. But at the same time, the nature is looking forward to spring. You aren't able to lose the connection to the past yet can't wait for the future.

That's when Marwa strikes you. That's when Marwa is most effective. That's when Marwa touches you the most. Yes. That's when you know that something has moved inside you, something has changed.

As such the notes are simple : 'N-r-G-M-D-,N-D-S' in aaroha and N-r'-ND,M-G-r,'N-'D-S in awaroha. The notes make it shadav-shadav or six-notes raagaa. As a characteristic this raagaa is recited in the lower notes (and that gives it a serious tone). The komal re and dha are the important notes of stress. The teevra Ma in conjunction with ga and komal re creates the evening atmosphere. The ni--re combination gives the raagaa a 'windy' feel. Of course, the wind is slow and warm. Along with vocal (that too by artists who have very good bass voice) you should listen to this raagaa on a wind instrument.

Some good pointers are: A short piece by Pt. Jasraj | A more general listing

This is no easy raagaa to recite. And by no means easy to listen too!

Madhuwanti

I remember that day very clearly. It was a bright afternoon and the mood was certainly upbeat if not anything else. That day was a special one- it was the first time I was going to listen to Pt. Rajan and Sajan Mishra from a mere 50-100ft distance. And what a magical afternoon it turned out to be. As I entered the auditorium in IISc, the swaras were already in the air, as Panditji's were performing their riyaaz.

They sang raag Madhuwanti that afternoon, an ideal choice for that time (I guess ~4PM, and the afternoon was getting ready to merge into even more beautiful evening). If you have ever listened to Pt. Rajan-Sajan Mishra, you must be knowing how addictive their music can be. So far I had to quench my thirst with only records, and since that day, I guess I have hardly missed any chances of listening to them live.

Madhuwanti is an afternoon raag. The teevra Ma takes it into early evening (and the Ma becomes more intense as the sun sets and darkness brings serenity in the atmosphere). It is a odava-sampoorna raag; which means, there are fives swaras in aaraoha and all seven in awaroha. It goes like this: N'-S-g-M-P-N-S --> S-N-Dh-P-M-g-M-g-R-S, where the ga is komal ga, and all others swaras are shuddha. You can listen to the swaras here. This somewhat serious raag belongs to Todi thaat.

As the raag starts, you can feel the heat of the afternoon. I do not know exactly what combination of swaraas achieves that, yet it is an unmistakable feeling. As the artist gets into his rhythm of the afternoon, the heat increases. At the same time, the swaraas in awaroha bring the heat down. It is almost like sudden rain coming down on the heated earth. You know what results, right? Extremely exotic aroma! Yes. That's what this raaga achieves too. Perhaps the same applies to various types of raag Sarang too, yet I find Madhuwanti better in one way or the other as compared to Sarang's.

At the same time, it is an ideal choice for the sleepy brain cells in the afternoon. It has become my favourite afternoon raag to listen in office. Quite a few pieces can be found on the Internet: Pt. Jasraj is at his best, Pt. Manohar Chimote's harmonium is as playful as ever. Pt Shivkumar Sharma's Santoor piece can be found here. If you are wondering where you have heard this tune before, it is not very difficult to guess it, is it? Do you not remember this mesmerizing song sung by Lata? This is based on raag Madhuwanti!

Of late, I have re-gained the interest in afternoon raaga's, and no doubt Madhuwanti tops the favourite's list!

Sanjeev Abhyankar

Sanjeev Abhyankar has got the gift of music. I think I had started a post with similar sentence not a long time ago, and here I am, starting it once again!

The opportunity to listen to the young master came begging. The ongoing Bengalooru Habba featured his concert on Sunday evening.

He started off with the ever melodious Yaman. When you start your concert with such a sweet raagaa, you are setting very high standards and expectations up-front. As the concert started a bit late as regards to the schedule, I think Sanjeev Abhyankar at times hurried through his renditions. After an elaborate aalaap, he was quickly on to drut khayaal, taking short-cuts on saragams etc. I wonder if it is the style of Mewati gharaanaa to which he belongs -- I haven't had enough opportunities to listen to either Pt. Jasraj or him, so I have somewhat weak knowledge of this particular style.

Here are a few 'notes' I captured, as the performance was on---

He seems to pick up swaraas from the ocean of infinite combinations of notes and present to the audience. The audience, at the same time, are awed at the fluency and grace of the way in which it is done. At this time, I remember Mr. Chauhan we met at the Valley of Flowers. He, too, in his best elements was a magician. He would ask us to follow him and show the most beautiful of the flowers--- a beauty which always existed; yet unknown to us. Those incredible little flowers always existed, but not everyone was as fortunate as us to who had the chance to behold them.

Well, maybe my description is rather extravagant, and perhaps Mr Chauhan was not an artist in himself, but like us, a mere admirer of the nature. Yet, on that day, we would believe that the nature was created by him!

Sanjeev Abhyankar, I think, although similar to Mr Chauhan in metaphor, is a greater figure. Being one of the most fluent performers of the distinguished art, he was a treat not only to a rather esoteric audience of Hindustani Classical Music, but to any person 'X' without the ear for this kind of music. The swaras have always existed, invisible to the ear, if you pardon my use of language, until sent out vibrating in the air. It, however, requires a good fortune of being at the right place and right time to catch those. I feel the audience today is that fortunate. The same swaras are sounding so different, so sweet. Every combination of those sounds- as if divine, as if never been created.

Those little flowers at the Valley- all of us had seen them. Every one of us had seen it differently. Those flowers had meant something different to each of us. Here, every swara the teevra 'ma' or the ni-re, seems to have a different meaning for each of us. Yet, only one thing seems common to all our feelings - that this is what could be called excellence.

It sounds so very easy - so very simple - so very effortless. Yet, for all I know, it is not. Because beauty cannot be so simple. Or is it that the beauty lies in this simplicity? I could only guess.

I was trying to take notes because I have always forgotten the words behind the swaraas once the concert was over. This time, in spite of a conscious effort, I returned home with the above notes, and not the words of khayaal!


He followed up with raagaa Gorakh Kalyan, Kalawati (a gem of a raagaa!) and concluded with Bhairavi.

The evening had started with Bahuddin Dagar's rudra Veena. This very 'bassic' [sic] instrument starts off with very serious tone, but as the notes scale to higher octaves, they sound very melodious. He played two raagaas - an elaborate Multani to set the mood of evening and then a short aalaap in Khamboji.

So, including Sanjeev Abhyankar's four compositions, it was a six-course meal. And to say the least, a very delicious one. If you are wondering, what about the seventh course, I guess the audience tasted it in the peace of their minds that followed these six courses!

Sangeet Samrat Tansen Sangeet Samaroh

The annual music festival, which started long ago in 1930's at Gwalior, one of the powerful centres of Hindustani Classical Music, called Tansen Sangeet Samaroh is on. After a rather boring and rhythm-less introductory speech by cultural minister of Madhya Pradesh (which they mentioned as only 'pradesh') the festival started off with Shehnai by Mr Dayashankar from Delhi.

If you are wondering how do I know all these minute details, let me explain-

The 'cultural' channel run by the Govt. of India, called "Doordarshan Bharti," is telecasting the festival live!

So, if you have time and interest, tune in to DD Bharati in the evenings for the next few days...

Absolutely Magical

I would use the above two words to describe the last three evenings that I spent at the Choudiah Memorial Hall, Bangalore.

It was truly a long weekend for all the classical music lovers of Bangalore (or at least, for those who attended it!).

The annual "Flights Of Fantasy" festival of music started off with vibrant Marwa by Pt. Rajan and Pt. Sajan Mishra. The time of the evening and also the mood set up a perfect setting for a memorable performance. The duo proceeded with a small composition in Jhinjhoti; and concluded with Kirwani, with a rather well known "jagat mein jhoothi dekhi preet." By the time the performance was over, the watch showed ten O'clock in the night! Surprised at how fast the time passed by, the audience was already wondering what was in store for the next day!

The next day, or evening to be more correct, started off with Ust. Shahid Parvez's sweetest of Sitar. I could not quite identify the raga, but after a small discussion with a friend, we decided that it was a kind of vakra raaga most probably from the bihag thaat. Sitar is an enchanting instrument. The aalaps on one string were simply unbelievable. The gayaki style of the sitar (I am guessing) made us believe that the sitar was actually singing to the tune of the ustaad.

Then followed Begum Parveen Sultana's aggressive rendering of Maru Bihag. Use of both 'ma's is a characteristic of this raga, or for that matter, this thaat. The time was perfect for the teevra 'ma' and the begum's voice, ranging almost three complete octaves had the audience applauding. The image of modern pop stars (!) asking the audience to jump and clap came to me. This particular performance was in a total contrast. The distinguished audience honoured the performer aptly, on their own.

Much to the delight of the South Indian audience, Begum saahiba concluded with a taraana in Hamsadhwani. With five shudha swaraas, this raagaa can be as simple or as complex as the performer wants it to be. Humming the tarana and defying the unseasonal drizzle, I returned home, only to go back next evening.

The evening started off with Yaman. The artist: Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar. I had heard Panditji before in Yaman utsav, quite some time back. This was a nice reminder of the same. As the sun goes down, the teevra 'ma' in Yaman, becomes stronger, and so did the audience in size! The auditorium was full in its capacity, and so was the air in it with dominating swaras by Panditji. The tarana in Yaman was a special one, with fast and fluent taanaas. One characteristic of artists from Agra gharaana (I think, of course) is that they do not go into saragam, but move on to a fast paced bandish straightaway.

It was half past seven when Pandiji concluded, setting the stage for another Pandit. This one, from Kashmir. It was the first time I listened to Santoor: i.e. live. Panditji took his time to fine tune the instrument, before beginning the melodious Jog. I wondered if the raga was more melodious or the instrument. Finally, no rocket science, I concluded- the raagaa would be as melodious as is the performance, not better! For almost two hours, the audience was treated to most elegant artistry by the Panditji. I thought it was no wonder that the music which comes from arguably the most beautiful state in the country should be as beautiful. "Aren't you tired yet?" was what Panditji asked of the audience, when it demanded for a signature raagaa pahaadi. Panditji had to agree, and for next half hour or so, he would demand even more applause from all of us. Finally, at ten O'clock, he stopped to standing ovation, and smiling, quickly kept the instrument aside!

It was truly an amazing performance. A performance to remember for a long time. A long time, before we listen to Panditji again. In all respects, it was a fitting conclusion to a three day long procession, that we all were part of.

"Awessssome!" I heard a eight-year old kid exclaim when Pt. Rajan and Pt. Sajan Mishra concluded their Marwa. Most of the senior audience must have resented at such an unfitting praise for the great duo. To me, it was a grand sight! Who said that the classical music is dying? Far from it, the flame was just lighted in the mind of that eight year old. Words may have changed, but not the spirit. The spirit of Hindustani classical music. The awesome one!

Daylight Robbery

Yes. I did it. I had to do it. There was no option, but to succumb to temptation. Not out of kleptomania (that's not my quality), but out of compulsion, I fell for it. On the bright afternoon of Saturday, I committed daylight robbery.

I was walking by a music store, and before I could refrain myself, I was already inside, browsing at audio CDs. The section devoted to classical music is not new to me, and I could tell, there was something different today in the arrangement of CDs. Skipping those which I already possess, and skipping those raagaas which I have tried more frequently recently, I came across a curious cover. "MP3 songs," was all that was written on the cover which wore bright colours. A brief look at the back-cover and it held my interest. It was an instrumental CD. It had clarinet, sitar and the to my best interest, harmonium by the legendary Pt. Rambhau Vijapure! Overall the CD seemed to have a very low profile as such - no big labels and no frills. The CD remained just a "MP3 Songs" CD. It contained most enjoyable raagaas - From Malkauns to Malhar, from Bihag to Bhairavi!

And the only reason I call it Daylight Robbery is the price. At Rs 35 (the printed, original price was Rs. 27, which the music store jacked up for their own benefit), it was nothing but a steal!

Pooriya Dhanashri

The mood : Partition. The conditions are forcing your loved One to be away from you. Intense. And Mad. Deep and Touching. Sweet, yet.

If you have experienced this mood, you know better. If not, listen to raagaa Pooriya Dhanashri. Never would the swaras be so cruel to you, and and at the same time, they will make you recount those sweet memories. The only raagaa more intense than this could be Pooriya or maybe poorvi, all originated from the same mother ThaaT, that is, poorvi.

What other time can be more apt for this emotion than a cloudy evening! Trace of shrieking lightening, thunder and your heart's desperate call. As the bandish picks up the speed, I find the cruelty on decline. I feel better then.

This raagaa is a bit advanced. Not easy by any means. And when describe the mood, believe me, it's not easy either!

It is a wakra raagaa, meaning the swaras don't follow their natural sequence of sa-re-ga-ma etc. Always, they come in a convoluted manner. e.g. in Pooriya Dhanashri, in the awaroha, you would find MA-re-ga-re-sa instead of MA-ga-re-sa. To me the beauty of this raagaa lies in this wakra composition and use of swaras : ga-MA-pa-dh-ni (MA teevra and dh komal).

"paayaliyaa jhanakaar mori..." The jhanakaar fires infinite bullets and tears the heart apart. When Ut. Rashid Khan tunes his swaramandala, that very instance, Pooriya Dhanashri can be identified. Another excellent rendition is by Smt. Veena Sahasrabuddhe. This features an unbelievable taraanaa in drut laya. This raagaa is famous among vocalists for live performances. If one searches enough he is bound to find more tracks.

Among the instrumentalists, I have heard one sitar piece by Ut Vilayat Khan. Another track of note is Ut Bismillah Khan's Pooriya Dhanashri. Shehnai adds to the mood!

As far as the hindi film music goes, Pooriya Dhanashri has its own place. "haye raamaa yeh kya hua" from Rangeela, or "kaahe CheD CheD mohe" from Devdas (Ismail Darbar) are unforgettable and very good examples of Pooriya Dhanashri. Also, "rut aa gayee re, rut chaa gayee re" from 1947-Earth has a strong Pooriya Dhanashri base.

All in all, this is a lovable raagaa. Surely on my personal top-10 list.

Intense and Mad.
Deep and Touching.
Sweet, yet.

Indeed!

Ahir Bhairav

सावन के झरने लगे हैं ।

मेघवा सताए मन सजन रे । सावन के ...

का रे का रे मन अब बरसन लागे ।

दामिनी दमके जियरा धडके । सावन के ...

Sanjeev Abhyankar has got a gift. Rich voice and extreme control are his plus points. And when he renders every swara in this Monsoon Melody, the rain comes alive. Literally.

Usually the rain song is associated with the Malhar raagas, such as Megh, or Miyan ki Malhar, Gaud Malhar etc. Or even Sarang, which has swaras almost the same as in a Malhar, only the chalan or sequence is different. This rain melody, however, is composed in raaga Ahir Bhairav, let's say, a cousin brother to Bhairav! A morning raaga would indicate the rising sun, yet, this bandish so clearly showers rain, and acute complaint of a lover : मेघवा सताए मन सजन रे!

The first time I heard songs from the movie, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, the most catching tune I thought was, "alabelaa sajan aayo re", sung with distinct hindustani classical style and nuances. Later when I got addicted to classical music, I could recognise Ahir Bhairav in the song. There is a traditional bandish with the same words, generally performed at a bit slow laya.

Ahir Bhairav has the same swaraas as in Bhairav. The only difference is that DH is shuddha in Ahir Bhairav (komal in Bhairav) and NI is komal in Ahir Bhairav (shuddha in Bhairav). A change of two notes, however makes Ahir Bhairav quite different from Bhairav. Even to an "untuned" ear, the difference would be noticeable.

This is a popular raagaa amongst male vocalists. A prolonged version of khyaal-drut bandish by Sanjeev Abhyankar is quite popular. Ut. Rashid Khan's Ahir Bhairav (a shorter bandish that I have) is quite enjoyable. As far as my listening experience goes, almost always the drut bandish is, "alabela saajan..." Ismail Darbar's filmi-conversion of "alabelaa" remains quite remarkable anyway.

The most soothing point in the raagaa is when one reaches the komal RE from PA-MA. e.g. when one comes back to "aayo RE" in "alabelaa saajan aayo re..." A similar shade is evident in the "jharane lage hein"

You could understand how mere words fail when it comes to describing music!

The Hariprasad Chaurasiya-Pt. Shivkumar Sharma's Call of the Valley is a famous composition collection. The first track is based on Ahir Bhairav. Ut. Bismillah Khan's Ahir Bhairav is gold. There are many others. You could add my performance if you like :)

I guess the antara of the Monsoon Melody describes not only the rain but the raaga as well,

का रे का रे मन अब बरसन लागे । दामिनी दमके, जियरा धडके ।. And when Sanjeev Abhaynkar sings, it comes alive. Every drop of it giving pure satisfaction. And peace too!

Bhairav

I wake up quite early in the morning. Early even by the universal timekeeper, the Sun's point of view. But then I just don't get up immediately. I lay awake for a while. Soon the day starts off with its journey, and then the first 'SA' is felt. After the night's silence, the low-notes are ready to breathe with unbelievable bass. These are a few moments when I feel I can really sing. The komal, prolonged 'RE' follows, and soon the rays too.

Bhairav thus starts with some laziness. Yet one can feel the warmth very soon. The most beautiful note in this raagaa, is I feel the komal 'RE'. And when we come down from 'GA' to 'RE', one can feel the warmth of the morning already. Similar emotion is evoked at komal 'DH' traversed from shuddha 'NI'. I guess in this sampoorNa raagaa, "RE" must be the waadi swara. As a matter of fact, "DH"is the waadi swara and "RE" is the samvaadi.

As is generally observed, the morning raagaas are not very commonly recited in the concerts. The late evening raagaas mostly steal such shows. Yet, some very good records are available. Pt. Bhimsen Joshi - Dr. Balamuralikrishna jugalbandi is quite good. Pt. Bhimsen Joshi's Kiranaa style stands apart from Dr. Balamuralikrishna's karnatic style. The transitions are however subtle- when Bhimsen hands over it to Balamuralikrishna. The tabla-mridingam, and harmonium-flute accompaniment is also of note. The Karnatic style encourages fast paced sargams and taanaas. Another record of note is Ut Rashid Khan's Bhairav. It is visibly(!) different from Bhimsen's style. Rich and complex, yet most enjoyable is this rendition. A must have indeed.

Among the instrumentalists, I have not found much popularity of this slowly unfolding raagaa. Bhairav's cousin, Ahir Bhairav however seems to be common. Apart from Ut. Bismillah Khan's Bhairav and one by Pt. Hariprasad, I don't recollect many other records. Another pseudo-bhairav is evident in Ut Zakir Hussain-KVaidyanathan (on violin) fusion album, "Colors". Though played with Karnatic influence, this track is a beauty.

The most quoted example of Bhairav is, "jaago mohan pyaare" (from film MotherIndia, I guess). This is pure Bhairav. There is a famous bandish with the same starting words. Another one is "tumhaavar keli mii marjii bahaal", from Pinjaraa(a maraaThi film).

If the morning starts off so well, no wonder the day is even better!

Durga

If one searches the Internet for sufficient amount of time, one is ensured to find enormous amount of data on Hindustani Classical Music. The theory behind the raagaas, the swaraas, the shrutis, the taals: anything and everything. There have been a lot of books written on this. Both simple-to-understand ones and those which present a rigorous analysis.

It has been almost three years since I have been an addict to Hindustani Classical Music. I am always interested in attending live performances, buying records and cassettes and as an amateur, playing my synthesizer. I thought I can share some of my thoughts in a series of posts. I know there are hundreds of programs and articles that take up themes based on thaaT, swaras and what not. This is just an attempt to summarize my knowledge (?) in this area : an area I am so fond of (second only to sports I guess).

Let me start with a raagaa that actually started my career as an avid listener and follower of Hindustani Classical Music, raag Durga.

---

In one of the Sangeet Sareeta program episode on Vividh Bharati, the presenter emphasized on the "startup" of a concert. The first swar, most probably a Sa, is to be rendered with utmost care. Not only as a confidence builder for the performer but just for the beauty of the raagaa he is going to present. The first Sa needs to be so powerful that to a trained ear, the raagaa should be immediately recognizable. I have myself experienced this in my (short) listening career. To quote an example, when Pt. Rajan Sajan Mishra starts his famous "Jay Jay Durge Maata", a chhoTa khyaal in Durga, Durga is evident without any delay. Sa-Re-Ma-Pa-Dh-Sa, Dh being the waadi swar. Theoretically, this raagaa finds the night to midnight time as its preferred playing time.

Durga is supposed to be a raagaa that is not suited for a detailed rendition. And it can be seen that one mostly finds short bandish or bhajan in this raagaa. One of the other Durga performances, of note is Pt. Bhimsen Joshi's baDaa khyaal, with a drut, "Sakar sukhadaa.." towards the end. Malini Rajurkar's Durga is also worth a collection.

Durga is a favorite raagaa for instrumentalists. Ut. Amajad Ali Khan's sarod sounds sweet and formidable at the same time when he plays the alap-joD-jhaalaa, with slowly increasing rhythm. Ut. Bismillah Khan's jugalbandi with Pt. V G Jog on his inimitable violin is a treasure. This dhun can be remembered as a unit to measure the Durga-ness, for identifying this very common raagaa.

As the name of the raagaa suggests, it is supposed to be fast paced, with notes bombarding, raining all over. It is difficult to explain the feelings a particular taan evokes, yet if one thinks about it as a experience as a whole, he may be able to relate the mood it creates. Listen to Rajan Saajan Mishra's Jay Jay Durge Maataa. You'll know what I mean. I enjoy Durga's stress on Dh as its waadi swara. When Sa-Ma-Ma-Pa jumps to Dh, it is the identification of Durga. One of the simplest feature of the raagaa is when I play it on my (low-end) synthesizer, all I have to do is use all black keys!

One of the most striking appearance of this raagaa in a pop or film music, is A R Rahman's Gurus of Peace from the album, Vande Maataram. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is amazing in his tanaas and layakaari. When I first tried to play it on synth, I did not know it had so much of Durga to it. Once I was done, I was delighted to have related a raagaa to a non-classical song. I guess this kind of revelation is sometimes more enjoyable than simply listening to a performance. Now every time I play it over, I see more ways of introducing complexities. Of course this kind of self-learning is not supposed to add much value as compared to a instructor-led learning, but it achieves satisfaction anyway.

And that's what matters the most for an amateur like me.

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I am a 100% opportunist. Wonder what is the name of the festival that starts today!

This thing is home

And is rocking. Absolutely!