Raag Malhaar and the Music of Rain: Justice Katju on a Timeless Classical Tradition
- When Clouds Sing: Exploring Raag Malhaar, the Raga of the Rainy Season
- Raag Malhaar: How Hindustani Classical Music Captures the Spirit of the Monsoon
- The Sound of Rain in Indian Classical Music: The Enduring Magic of Raag Malhaar
- Raag Malhaar: From Miyan ki Malhar to Megh Malhar, a Journey Through Monsoon Ragas
Justice Katju on Raag Malhaar: Nature, Monsoon and the Soul of Hindustani Music
Justice Markandey Katju explores the beauty of Raag Malhaar, the celebrated monsoon raga of Hindustani classical music. From Miyan ki Malhar and Megh Malhar to legendary performances by Pandit Jasraj and Bhimsen Joshi, this essay examines how Indian classical music captures the spirit of rain, thunder, clouds and the changing seasons.Raag Malhaar
By Justice Markandey KatjuI had given a brief idea of North Indian ( Hindustani ) classical music in two articles I wrote some time back, given below :
North Indian ( Hindustani ) classical music
As mentioned in this article, Hindustani classical music is closely connected to nature. There are early morning raags like Bhairav, Jaunpuri, Todi, etc, afternoon raags like Vrindavani Sarang, Bhimpalasi and Pilu, evening raags like Yaman, Tilak Kamod and Bhupali, and night raags like Darbari and Malkauns. There are seasonal raags like Bahaar, the raag of spring, Malhaar, the raag of the rainy season, etc.
There are many forms of Malhars, each having slight differences from the others such as Mian ki Malhar, Megh Malhar, Sur Malhar, Gaud Malhar, Ramdasi Malhar, Shudh Malhar, Nat Malhar, etc, the main malhar being Miyan ka Malhaar.
On hearing raag Malhaar, one feels that the clouds are coming, they are thundering, lightning is flashing, and then there is a downpour of rain.
A good illustration is this song in Miyan ka Mahaar by the famous Pakistani singer Ayesha Omer.
As mentioned in this article, Hindustani classical music is closely connected to nature. There are early morning raags like Bhairav, Jaunpuri, Todi, etc, afternoon raags like Vrindavani Sarang, Bhimpalasi and Pilu, evening raags like Yaman, Tilak Kamod and Bhupali, and night raags like Darbari and Malkauns. There are seasonal raags like Bahaar, the raag of spring, Malhaar, the raag of the rainy season, etc.
These raags create the ambience of the time, season, etc.
Since some rain has fallen in Delhi, and the monsoon season is approaching in India and Pakistan, the thought of raag Malhaar, the raag of the rainy season, came to my mind.There are many forms of Malhars, each having slight differences from the others such as Mian ki Malhar, Megh Malhar, Sur Malhar, Gaud Malhar, Ramdasi Malhar, Shudh Malhar, Nat Malhar, etc, the main malhar being Miyan ka Malhaar.
On hearing raag Malhaar, one feels that the clouds are coming, they are thundering, lightning is flashing, and then there is a downpour of rain.
A good illustration is this song in Miyan ka Mahaar by the famous Pakistani singer Ayesha Omer.
A rendition of raag Malhaar by Pandit Jasraj, a great Hindustani classical music master, is given below :
An explosive performance of raag Malhaar by another great Hindustani classical music master, Bhimsen Joshi, is given below :
Once Vishnu Digamber Paluskar (1872- 1931), the great Hindustani classical music singer, was invited to the Golden Temple in Amritsar by the Sikh priests there, who requested him to sing Raag Megh Malhaar ( it was the rainy season at that time ) in the Harmindar Saheb, the sanctum sanctorum of the Darbara Saheb ( the Golden Temple ), which he did.
Unfortunately, the rendition was not recorded. My guru in the Prayag Sangeet Samiti, where I learnt Hindustani classical music for 3 years in the 1960s, who told me this story, said that the first words of the song were 'Sadho man ka maan tyaago'.
Here is the same song in raag Malhaar sung by other singers in the Golden Temple :
Unfortunately, the rendition was not recorded. My guru in the Prayag Sangeet Samiti, where I learnt Hindustani classical music for 3 years in the 1960s, who told me this story, said that the first words of the song were 'Sadho man ka maan tyaago'.
Here is the same song in raag Malhaar sung by other singers in the Golden Temple :
However, I am presenting here links of raag Malhaar sung by other great singers, who were Sikhs, in the Golden Temple.
(Justice Katju is a retired Judge of the Supreme Court of India and a former Chairman of the Press Council of India. These are his personal views.)
