Showing posts with label Indian classical music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian classical music. Show all posts

Raga Bhairavi - An Eternal Sound of Blessing

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The classical music across board is the highest form of religion. It has the subtle trick to keep consciousness alive even in turbulent times of livelihood. To voyage into the world of classical music and to realise the soul is a definite path to salvation. The world today is crumbled with myriad troubles in all sphere of life. The growing menace of pandemic is throwing us to a world of uncertainties which never been perceived. What is the ultimate? - A billion dollar query of million minds.
Now what could be a best healing touch to livelihood? All ancient religious scriptures always has been very focal to the inner journey of mind and unveiled the way how we can control the outer world from within. Apparently it seems unrealistic but out of our accord when we stay at comfort everything around us seems so beautiful and pleasant. I think all scriptures very meditatively have decoded the science behind ‘the comfort’, the tranquil part of our attitude towards life. Music here plays a momentous role to keep us alive in consciousness. 
The raga Bhairavi which mostly being known as queen of all ragas and technically a Hindustani classical heptatonic (Sampurna) Raga of Bhairavi thaat is all beyond attributed to primordial mother goddess, the companion of Tripurantak Bhairava according to Puranas and Tantras and also called as Subhankari, who does auspicious deeds to her children. Playing and listening to the raga is a prayer to the divine which surely will heal us in this critical injecture of life.
When its raga Bhairavi I don’t like to lose the chance to share tales of Maihar, the home to one of 52 Shakti Peethams, and Baba Allauddin Khan, the Sarod player, multi-instrumentalist, a renowned composer of 20th century in Indian classical music and above all the founder of Maihar gharana often said as Maihar-Senia gharana as he learnt music under the tutelage of Wajir Khan of Senia gharana. Maihar’s Trikuta Mountain is also an abode of Sarada Mai where he used to visit every dawn to pay his homage. Tale has it that during one early dawn when Baba Allauddin Khan was playing raga Bhairavi mother goddess descended and dance.

Pt Prosenjit Sengupta (File Photo)
The raga has its speciality in the gharana and on later so many followers including legends Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pt Nikhil Banerjee, Annapurna Devi, Pt Ravi Shankar have chanted the mantra of Bhairavi and lured the world. My Guruji Pt Prosenjit Sengupta, one of their prominent successors in recent time, has paid homage to mother goddess in a monkish solitude. Let us enjoy and feel the divine within. 


Listen Links:
https://youtu.be/xZ2Hi2hSnBY
https://youtu.be/9miyGwrFkss
    

Now all Rasikas churn ‘Charukeshi’

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Indian classical music always stands tall while understanding the people and culture of our country. When its classical music all religions intermingled into the truth of humanity, delve deep into the core of human physiology. It’s a highest most chanted mantra of all ages since the beginning of the universe. But unfortunately today the massive sprouting of mechanisation of life (an inclination towards the mundane world) has left us far away from the subtle context. It is within us but in a burial. When this vibration comes by any chance we feel settled and peaceful unconsciously. The seven swaras of classical music are in firm knot with vertebras of our body and when they get chance to be tuned the third dimension of life transcended. All ragas thus have a greater influence in toning the aura of human body and healing the deadly diseases. Raga Charukeshi apart from rejuvenating the mind helps us to cure heart ailments evoking flavours of Sringara (Romance), Soka (Sorrow), Saantha (peace) and Bhakti rasa (devotion).
    Raga Charukeshi (literary represents one with beautiful hair) has its origin in Carnatic music. It is the 26 th Melakarta ragam in the 72 Melakarta ragam system of Carnatic music.
The raga on later has been imported into Hindustani music and being an entrant it suffers a state of gestation in the Hindustani style. With purely a new set of scale there are a number of ways in constructing the raga and applying even in film songs. The Hindustani instinct in one way has imbibed the constituent poorvanga and uttaranga portions of the scale in terms of familiar patterns. Whereas Pt Ravi Shankar, Vijay Raghab Rao has gone with an alternative style by advancing the gandhar to evolve a different swaroopa. Likewise the uttaranga scope enthusiastically hunted by the Hindustani cult are Asavari ( Darbari like behaviour) and Bhairavi. Charukeshi’s journey in Indian films reminds us of works of kalyanji-anandji, Shankar-jaikishen et al. It’s a big spread of beautiful hair from heart to soul.

Pt Prosenjit Sengupta (File Photo)
A convoluted journey on the raga is still predominant in Hindustani style of music. Among all leading Sarod players of India my Guruji Pt Prosenjit Sengupta of Maihar-Senia gharana has blended Raga Kausi and Bhairavi to rouse emotions in mind in an amicable way. His master strokes have evolved the aura (with beautiful hair) in a mesmerizing way and help us to dissolve into the divine of ‘Charukeshi’. In this turbulent time of pandemic his genius is a blessing to us to heave a sigh of relief and to travel within.