Multani.. Moolsthani

If I had to choose one raag to represent North-Indian classical music that could be labeled as grandiose and truly represents "big raag league" , I would name Raag Multani. The longing, the dry summer of Multan (North India,now part of Pakistan) and the scorching heat of late afternoon, bringing out the soft side of  human heart, the wait for the twilight breeze, the surrender through musical notes that pours out a "Karun ras" is what Multaani represents.
For the seekers (mumukshu) Multani brightens the path. For the philosophers it illuminates the thought. For the audience and performers, it opens minds showering the eternal happiness and hope, "Sat-Chit-Anand"(सत-चित-आनंद ) . A true  entertainment to mind and soul.  रञ्जयति इति रागः
Multani is close to my heart.It has the power to touch minds and souls instantly in its rendering, taking the listener to deep thinking, the true strength of Hindustani Classical Music in real sense. Multani has done the magic on me many a times and has brought me in touch with my inner self. Most connoisseurs have experienced the intense power of Multani,eliciting various "Bhaav and Ras" from Bhakti - Love - Separation-Longing- Karuna- Surrender to deep thought, reflexively turning their eyes wet (including yours truly) !!

Here is a starter by Kumar Mardur to get the Multani party started ! Shear power and intensity of Multani demonstrated by a talented vocalist.

The notes of Todi and Multani are same in terms of theory hence it is part of Thaat Todi, but Multani is no way near Todi in rendering. The Rishabh and Dhaivat in avaroha (descend), that is sharper, the attack on Rishabh is also from the sharper side of Gandhar. This also gives a "aabhas" of sharper Madhyam is what makes this raag unique. It is believed that Multani is a raag that can be learned only through "Guru-mukh" .. in truly aural tradition. It cannot really be "taught", it has to be "learned" by the disciple. Hence, in my view, rendering of Multani demonstrates the real character and talent of a disciple. 
Vocalists from Kirana gharana, perform it as their trade mark. Patiala gharana Multani is something that connoisseurs long for, especially from a veteran vocalists. The bandishes of Multani are truly classical, they are NO songs for consumption of "popular" music. Philosophy and deep thought flows through each of these classic bandishes be it of Bhakti ras, Virah or romance.
Sawai Gandharva Music festival of Pune typically starts around 3pm every day during December. One gets to hear lots of Multanis and Bhimpalases by young upcoming artists, as they open the day's concert every day for 5 days of festival. I have heard many such live Multanis but the one live Multani rendition I treasure the most is that of Ut Mubarak Ali Khan of Kirana gharana along with this shagird Arshad Ali on Sunday, Jan 4th , 2015. A thing that I can say about that performance is that, it had that truly classical feel of listening to Ut Bade Gulam Ali Khan saheb, Ut Amir Khan Saheb mixed with the classical Kirana style of badhat with each note. A mix of Patiala, Indore and Kirana in one of the divine mix. Unfortunately I do not have this recording but here is my blog post from that day !

My playlist of Multani on youtube is huge. Here is the link to it...  Posting some of my favorite renderings from the Multani playlist for this "Multani Party"
First , my favorite young upcoming classical vocalist ,Kumar Mardur Sings "Nainan mein aan baan" , a classic Kirana Gharana bandish
नैनन में आनबान,कौन सी परी रे
निसदिन सोवत पलक न खोलत
जब देखो मुख श्याम सी पारी रे

Kaushiki sings Multani in the tradition of Patiala-Kasur
कवन देस गये 

दूरगा के संग रितु मानी रे
और न जानू अब लुग गई
प्रीत कदर ना जानी रे

Indrani Mukherjee sings Multani in a Kirana-Rampur Sahaswan style

 
Sanhita Nandi gives an intense rendering set to Jhumra taal ,in a style that has mix of Indore and Kirana style

Anuradha Kuber Sings Multani in Bhendi Bazar Gharana style
तुम बिन मानत नाही जियरा मोरा

नैना नीर झरत
दरस की आस कासे कहूँ अब

 
Pt Ajay Chakravarti sings Multani in truly Patiala-Kasur style
जीवन नैय्या डोले

  
Pt Venkatesh Kumar sings Multani in a Kirana+Gwaliar+Patiala style
सुन्दर सुरजनवा साईं रे
निसदिन तुम्हारो ध्यान धरत है
आन मिलो रब साईं रे

Veena Sahastrabuddhe , traditional Multani bandishes in Gwaliar style
गोकुल गाँव का छोरा
नैनन  में आनबान

     
Ut Amir Khan saheb sings Multani in Jhumra taal

हे सुरजनवा
बलमा मोरे तुमसो लागली प्रीत

  
Pt Jayteerth Mevundi sings traditional bandishes of Kirana Gharana

गोकुल गाँव का छोरा
कंगन मुन्दरिया मोरी
नैनन में आनबान

Pt Prabhakar Karekar sings Multani Agra Style
तुम बिन मनात नाही जियरा मोरा
कौन देस गवन किन्हो चीत जाये बसे

Ut Bade Gulam Ali Khan saheb sings his trade mark Multani
( old recording hence poor recording quality is regretted but still one can experience those sparks of brilliance )
कवन देस गये 

दूर गा के संग रितु मानी रे
और जन दुर्जन लोग बसत है
सुन री मोरी आली 
और न जानू अब लुग गई
प्रीत कदर ना जानी रे
इतनी अरज मोरी उन से कहियो
तू दुर्गा मैं दुर्गानी रे 

  

Kaushiki , the darling of Patiala gharana sings the classic patiala bandishes along with the traditional bandishes in Multani   .. दुर्गा के संग ..  ( one of my favorites )

One of the Multanis from playlist is of Ut Mashkor Ali Khan recorded in a private mehfil in California.  

Again here is a link to my youtube playlist for Raag Multani ..

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Note about Multan,Pakistan: The Moolasthana (Multan) is now in Pakistan and has been famous since ages,for Saints and Shrines. The Aditya Surya Temple was one of the four Sun Temples build by Hindu King in 7th Century, was repeatedly attacked by Muslims and then rebuilt by Hindus for nearly 500 years. It finally lost its original identity when the Ismaili ruler replaced the Sun Temple with a mosque.

Vibhaas : The enlightenment, an appeal to Mind and Soul !

                  

तारवा गिनत- गिनत मै को रैन गवाई
ऐसी प्रीत तुम कब हूँ  ना किन्ही
सुरजनवा बलमा प्यारे ...
सदारंग कल ना परत मोहे तोरे बिना
भई हूँ मैं दीवानी

Vid Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande sings extended , but crisp vilambit "hey narhar narayan" followed by "Taarvaa ginat-ginat mai ko raien gavaai".

My morning starts frequently with this "नरहर नारायण" and "तारवा गिनत-गिनत" Vibhaas of Bhairav thaat by Vid Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande and then by Pt Madhup Mudgal , especially during these lock-downs due to Corona virus pandemic. Many a times these days, when the situation of "kal naa parat" is readily experienced,  the drut bandish lingers in mind all day long !
Vibhaas of Bhairav thaat has been the "Raag of Lockdown" for me ... It has that mix of solitude, one-ness, depth, sorrow, longing and hope that characterizes my experience during these challenging times.

अरुपास पाहे रूपी
तोच भाग्यवंत
निसर्गात भरून राहे
अनादी अनंत

To me , Raag Vibhaas has always appealed as a deep morning thought , an enlightenment that makes one explore and persist in spite of all the tribulations.. it has that perfect blend of grandiose, poise and thoughtfulness of primordial Bhairav along with the pensive touch of Marwa. The Yang and Yin of life !
The picture that comes to mind while listening  to Raag Vibhaas (Bhairav thaat) is that of the horizon on a seashore just before the sunrise..early morning golden hour just before the dawn !

This post could be labeled as continuation of the post from May 2018, Vibhaas .. a melody signifying pervasiveness of the Almighty Creator  


















I like to listen to Bhairav thaat Vibhaas early in the morning, around 4am and sometimes the Marwa Thaat Vibhaas very late at night in solitude
( Pt Madhup Moudgal - Bhairav Thaat Vibhaas : Taarwa Ginat Ginat mai to raein  )

 ( Kishori Amonkar - Marwa Thaat Vibhaas : Hey Narahari Narayan and Meet Piharava Mora re )

Here is my complete playlist of Raag Vibhaas ( with both Marwa and Bhairav thaat ) 
Vibhaas Playlist 

In my musings on music, I realize that the haunting melodies of Vibhaas are the worldly equivalent of the "Universal Bhairav".. appeals emotionally to human mind and soul more than the Brain !

Vibhaas : Here again is the link to my previous blogpost on Vibhaas with some fine songs with haunting melodies.

Raag Jog : Hindustani Classical Music in a nut shell !

This blog post is an extension of the post that I started in July 2018 , titled  Raag Jog - the crux of Khayaal 

 Jog and Multani are two of my favorites of Raags of Hindustani Classical Music / Indian Classical Music. I have a special predilection to Raag Jog. To me , raag Jog represents perfectly, what a Khayal is supposed to be ... Raag Jog is a perfect blend of raags ( Khamaj and Kafi ) that creates a "bhaav and ras" conducive to meditative , soulful and entertaining tunes ... it fits well to the definition of a raag as described in scriptures and literature .. रञ्जयति इति रागः .. an entertainment to mind and soul !
Raag Jog , may have initially meant Yog or union , when it was created and envisioned. The one reasoning to it could be that it is a classic mix of Khamaj and Kafi. A pentatonic tune attributed to Kafi thaat in Bhatkande's classification.
The credit for Raag Jog is attributed to Haji Sujan Khan ( Sujan Singh of Akbar Darbar ). This raag is a specialty of Agra Gharana but is in vogue and popularity with almost all gharanas including the Dhrupadiyas, vocalists and instrumentalists alike.
It provides a perfect "union" of entertainment and philosophy , a union of two raags (khamaj and kafi) , that are supposed to be part of semi-classical or light classical music, to produce a brilliant pentatonic serious but pleasant , soulful and meditative melody of Jog.
Here , Pt Jasraj takes us through the journey of Raag Jog .. from Dhrupad Style rendition to Khayaal with "murchanaa" giving a feel of Raag Vrindavani Sarang , Kedar and Gujari Todi ! This shows the versatility of the pentatonic raag Jog that brings into it all eight "Prahars" encapsulating raags associated with morning to midnight !
Here is my playlist of Raag Jog on Youtube that has most of my favorites 

Pt Ajay Chakravarti's Jog is one of the soulful Jog renditions that I like to listen :
The bandish goes as :
 धन जोबन नहीं नाम संजोग,
 कहत मुनि ज्ञानी करत सब
अपनी - अपनी करनी का भोग
आये हसे सब जाये तो रोये
यूँ ही भुगत सब लोग .. धन जोबन नहीं नाम संजोग  

Pt Madhup Moudgal's short rendition of Raag Jog too is my favorite : the bandish goes as
बनरा बनी आयो , ब्याह बनरी को
शुभ घडी ,शुभ दिन , शुभ महूरत मनाओ

I am guessing that this old bandish might have given inspiration to Ut Fayyaj Hussain Khan (प्रेम पिया ) to compose an impromptu bandish in Raag Jog, on occasion of his daughter's marriage ( or it may be even other way around, but both bandishes have than common theme of marriage, union , yog/jog and of happiness of it ) ... now kind of a signature of Raag Jog :  "Saajan more ghar aaye "
साजन मोरे घर आये
मन अतिसुख पावे
मंगल गावो शौक पुरावो
प्रेम पिया हम पाए

Raag Jog is my favorite and the joy it gives my soul is immense. The bandishes mentioned above are some of my favorites. I would say that I fell in love with Hindustani Classical Music after listening to Raag Purvi ( Thaat Purvi) and gradually moved from Multani to Bhairav to other raags eventually reaching Raag Jog..
Raag Jog has given me that "ठेहराव"  "Theharaav" (pause) .. It has everything that pleases my soul and my mind through music.

Here is a recent addition to my favorite playlist .. a poignant rendition of  raag Jog by the Ustad-Shagird duo from Lahore (Pakistan) .. through two beautiful bandishes !

ओ बलमा ..  कब घर आओगे , मध जोबत मोरा बीता जाए .. बेगर दरस दिखा जा 

साजन कासे कहूँ ..  अपने मन के बतियाँ ..  बिन तुम्हरे जागी मैं  !

- राग जोग 

Here again is link to my playlist on youtube for Raag Jog.