Wishing a very Happy Holi to all the readers

When the first monsoon rains quench the thirst of the parched earth, and dry rivulets, water bodies and ponds get filled with water, and green shoots emerge from dry plants and trees, and the farmers rush to the slushy fields for transplantation, it’s a time for joyous dance with abandon (Haryala saawan jhoom machata aya; Aha ha ha umad ghumad kar chaayee re ghata). When the freezing winter gives way to spring, and the flowers bloom, and the land is awash with colours of Holi with songs all around, the hearts of even the haughtiest ladies are aflutter with desire. But when the lover is away, the same rains and spring only aggravate the torment of the lovelorn nayak or nayika pining for the lover. The pitter-patter of raindrops is like a heavy hammer pounding on the pulsating heart; the red colour of palash is like the flames of fire searing the already burning heart.

Remember KL Saigal sang the immortal:
बालम आये बसो मोरे मन में
सावन आया तुम ना आये
तुम बिन रसिया कुछ ना भाये
मन में मोरे हूक उठत जब
कोयल कूकत बन में

Many years later Zohrabai Ambalewali sang:
रुम झुम बरसे बादरवा, मस्त हवायें आईं पिया घर आ जा
काले काले बादल घिर घिर आ गये, ऐसे में तुम जाके जुलमवा ढा गये
सावन कैसे बीते रे, मैं कहाँ तुम कहाँ, ओ मोरे राजा आ जा
….
मुझ बिरहन के हाल पे बादल रोते हैं, बालम हमरी आँख मूंद कर सोते हैं
हमको नींद न आये रे याद सतावे तेरी मुख दिखला जा आ जा

In the same film (Ratan), the separated lovers made a heart-rending plea to the clouds not to torment them and go somewhere else to pour their rain:
छेड़ो न हमें आ के बरसो कहीं और जा के
वो दिन न रहे अपने रातें न रहीं वो
सावन के बादलो, उनसे ये जा कहो
तक़दीर में यही था साजन मेरे न रो
सावन के बादलो

These are songs in the pure Barahmasa tradition. Literally meaning ‘twelve months’, in music it refers to folk or light classical form of north and east India, sung primarily in the rainy season. Naushad must have been very familiar with this tradition. Later, he gave Ayi saawan ritu ayi, sajan mora dole hai man, laagi teri lagan ghar aa ja. And remember, his mentor Khemchand Prakash, who was from Rajasthan, had earlier composed an immortal Ghata ghanghor ghor, more machave shor, more sajan aa ja aa.

I remember a baithak in which the singer singing a thumri in Raag Desh, Sainya gaye pardes, gave an interesting explanation why thumri singers take liberty with Raags. The nayika is in virah morning, noon and night, and all the time she is in perpetual lament Sainya gaye pardes. Therefore, her plaintive cry involuntarily comes out in different Raags appropriate to the time and the season.

In art, Barahmasa encompasses miniature paintings of seasons. In vernacular literature, the Barahmasa poetry flourished in Ritikal (17-19th century, between Bhakti and Modern periods). Its high point was Keshavdas’s Rasikpriya which became the pole star of the genre, followed by the later Ritikal poets, such as Bihari, Padmakar, Deo, Bhushan, Ghananand and Senapati. A typical lovelorn nayika of Ritikal could somehow pull through Shishir and Hemant (winter), but she didn’t know how she would survive Vasant without her Kant (husband/lover).

बीत गयो कैसेहू शिशिर हेमंत आली
कंत बिन कैसे ये बसंत रितु बीतेगी

This takes me to Rituvarnan which has a very ancient tradition in Indian literature. The twelve months according to the traditional Indian calendar (of North) are divided into six seasons of two months each: Vasant (Chaitra, Vaishakh), Greeshm (Jyeshtha, Ashadh), Varsha (Shravan, Bhadrapad), Sharad (Ashwin, Kartik), Hemant (Margashirsh/Agrahayan, Paush), Shishir (Magh, Falgun). The reference to seasons in Vedas is in liturgical context, but in the epic Ramayan it takes the form of accentuating the longing of Lord Ram who has been separated from Sita. As he sees the beauty of spring around him, he contrasts his state from his friend Sugriva’s and his brother Bharat’s who are with their spouses. The Shad-rituvarnan reached its zenith in the classical poetry of Kalidas who formalised it in his Ritusamhar (ऋतुसंहार).

To be sure, the beauty of seasons has inspired poets all over the world. But relating the cyclic changes in seasons to the pangs of separation of a lover from his beloved is unique to Indian tradition. The Sufi poets have seen in Barahmasa tradition the longing of the individual soul for the Supreme. Bhansali sought to placate the vigilante groups by changing the name of his film to Padmavat (from Padmavati), and deluding that the film was based on Malik Mohammad Jayasi’s eponymous epic, with the Censor Board acquiescing in the charade. Jayasi’s Padmavat (c. 1540) is a deeply mystical tale in the Sufi tradition of Barahmasa. We had some extracts from the epic in our school text book, but we knew it was beyond our comprehension.

A further discussion on Barahmasa is beyond the scope of this blog. Normally, I wouldn’t have written on it, but my interest was piqued when a Sangeet Sarita programme on Vividh Bharati presented a Barahmasa song while illustrating Raag Jaunpuri, and, soon after, I got to hear an RD Burman composition exactly on the same tune. Here is a typical Barahmasa song of UP (which divides the year in three seasons of four months each – summer, rains and winter):

Nai jhulni ke chhaiyan balam by Indira Srivastava

And here is the RD Burman composition based on this tune:

Hum to hain chhui mui ib ka karein by Lata Mangeshkar from Agar Tum Na Hote (1983), lyrics Gulshan Bawra, music RD Burman

I never expected RD Burman to be inspired by Barahmasa. That set me on exploration of film songs which could be described as belonging to Barahmasa tradition. The song has to be one of yearning of the separated lover related to the season. Thus, Garjat barasat saawan ayo ri/ Aye na humre bichhude balamwa would qualify, but Barsaat mein tumse mile hum sajan, humse mile tum would not.

As we celebrate Holi today, please spare a thought to the nayika in virah, whose pain is enhanced manifold by all the festivities around her. This is the best time to explore film songs fitting the Barahmasa tradition. Our veterans can add hundreds of barsaat/saawan/baadal and vasant/basant songs. Let us jointly take up the challenge to discover songs of other seasons, such as summer and winter. Because of the rarity of songs on these seasons, we can be flexible to include songs of any mood.

1. Jhulna jhulao ri by KL Saigal (non-film song, 1932-33)

Jhoola, raindrops, the nayika’s lament that her lover has not yet come – Nanhi nanhi bundaniya/ Padat phuhar, abahun na aye baalamwa – this is a perfect Barahmasa song. And when Saigal sings it, his metallic voice becomes one with the musical instruments, and his aakar taan in the end becomes the lady’s आर्त्त पुकार for her lover. At another level, you can think of the yearning of the individual’s soul to merge with the Supreme Being. I mentioned in the beginning Saigal’s Baalam aye baso more man mein from Devdas (1935), which made him a national icon. But he had already achieved lasting fame by his first record which was of the non-film song Jhulna jhulao ri.

2. Nis din barsat nain hamaare by KL Saigal from Bhakta Surdas (1942), lyrics Surdas, music Gyan Dutt

Ever since Shyam left (Brij), Gopis have known only one season – Paawas (Rains) – as tears have been flowing incessantly down their eyes. A beautiful combination of bhakti and viyog shringar. And no one could have given voice to the pain of the gopis better than Saigal.

3. Barkha ki raat aye manwa by Pankaj Mullick from Adhikar (1938), music Timir Baran

The monsoon night, the aching heart – Garjat sankat ka badarwa, dukh ki padat phuhar/ Aao barkha ritu mein bolein byakul man ke bain. This time sung by Saigal’s mentor, admirer and promoter Pankaj Mullick, himself a great icon.

!

4. O varsha ke pahle baadal mera sandesa le jana by Jagmohan Sursagar from Meghdoot (1945), lyrics Faiyyaz Hashmi, music Kamal Dasgupta

Here the man (the Yaksha, banished by his brother’s curse), separated from his beloved, is in virah. He requests the cloud to carry his message to his wife. Jagmohan was gifted with a very sweet and melodious voice. He does an absolutely marvellous job of conveying the emotion of pathos in Kalidas’s Meghdootam. This song led to a long association of Jagmohan with Faiyyaz Hashmi and Kamal Dasgupta, which made him a monarch of non-film songs.

5. Koeliya bole jiya mora dole haule haule by Zohrabai Ambalewali from Humjoli (1946), lyrics Anjum Pilibhiti, music Hafiz Khan

The lady cannot but see the cooing of koel, or the rimjhim of rains, or saawan ki rut in any way other than the effect it has on her – making her heart restless.

6. O sajni saawan ki kali ghatayein dil ko tadpaye to kya karun by Unknown male voice and Shamshad Begum from Panditji (1946), music Md. Aziz Khan

The audio is of poor quality, but the music is absolutely melodious. And with lyrics like Saawan ki kaali ghatayein dil ko tadpaye to kya karun/ More piya tore bin kuchh nahi bhaye, teri yaad aye to kya karun, I couldn’t leave this song. (P.S. DP Rangan informs in comment #1 that the male singer is Khan Mastana and the lyricist is Dukhi Amritsari)

7. Pardesi piya re ho ab mose na guzare rain by Zohrabai Ambalewali from Bela (1947), lyrics DN Madhok, music Bulo C Rani

In introduction to the post, I mentioned two songs of Ratan in which the main voice was of Zohrabai Ambalewali. She is at it here again giving vent to the pangs of separation, now under the baton of Bulo C Rani. The lover is away, the lady spends restless nights. She has somehow survived winter and summer, but the nights of saawan do not seem to end.

परदेसी पिया रे हो अब मोसे ना गुज़रे रैन
जिया बड़ा बेचैन हो अब मोसे न गुज़रे रैन

सर्दी गुज़ार ली गर्मी गुज़ार ली
बीते ना सावन की रात
वो काली काली बदली मोहे छेड़ गयी
का से कहूं जी की बात
मोरे बरसन लागे दोनो नैन
परदेसी पिया रे…

ठण्ढी हवा भी है बरसात का मज़ा भी है
और बिजली चमके है कहीं कहीं
पर मेरे दुख भरे दिल से पूछे कोई
तू नहीं तो कुछ भी नहीं
मेरे बस में हो चुरा लूं तोरा चैन
परदेसी पिया रे…

8. Bhaado ki raat re pade barsaat re akeli dar laage by Zohrabai Ambalewali from Bela (1947), lyrics DN Madhok, music Bulo C Rani

It seems Zohrabai Ambalewali was made for Barahmasa. In Ratan, the clouds of Saawan caused the torment; now the month is Bhaado, the second month of Varsha ritu. When the rain falls in the night, the lonely lady is filled with fear. I have a huge respect for Bulo C Rani who shone even though he was surrounded by the superstars like Naushad and C Ramchandra. The lyricist DN Madhok was a man of multifarious talents. The combination creates a great song.

9. Rut basant ki ayi jiya nahi laage piya ghar aa ja more by Khursheed & others from Angoorbala (1947), lyrics Mister Shyam, music Ram Gopal

The spring has arrived; therefore, the lady makes a fervent plea to her lover to come home. The koel cooing in the forest echoes the beats of her restless heart.

10. Saawan mein barkha sataye by Hemant Kumar from Biwi Aur Makan (1966), lyrics Gulzar, music Hemant Kumar

I fast forward from the vintage to the golden era. If we have to name one singer who touched us with his voice, Hemant Kumar’s name comes first. He was always sweet and melodious. Don’t blame me if it is again the same theme of the rains tormenting the lonely heart.

11. Ghar aa ja ghir aye badra sanwariya by Lata Mangeshkar from Chhote Nawab (1961), lyrics Shailendra, music RD Burman

My surprise at RD Burman into Barahmasa was what led me to this theme. Then I remembered his first song composed for Hindi films:

Ghar aa ja ghir aye badra saanwariya
Mora jiya dhak dhak re chamke bijuriya

Soona soona ghar mora dansne ko aye re
Khidki pe baithe baithe saari rain jaaye re
Tap Tip sunat main to bhai re baawariya
Ghar aa ja…

Kasmas jiyara kasak mori dooni re
Pyaasi pyaasi ankhiyon ki galiyan hai sooni re
Jaane mohe laagi kis bairan ki nazariya
Ghar aa ja..

And listen carefully: when Lata Mangeshkar sings ‘Tap tip‘ (टप टीप सुनत मैं तो भई रे बावरिया), you can hear the pitter patter of rain drops falling on the window sill where the lonely lady is waiting for her lover. Beautiful composition in Raag Malgunji.

12. Na gilaf na lihaf, thandi hawa bhi khilaf, itni sardi hai ….Bidi jalaile jigar se piya by Sukhvinder Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan & others from Omkara (2006), lyrics Gulzar, music Vishal Bharadwaj

This post was getting monotonous with just one season. We have to thank Gulzar and Vishal Bharadwaj for giving us winter chill with Itni sardi hai kisi ka lihaf laile, Ja padosi ke chulhe se aag laile. Imagine it is so cold that they are desperate to grab anyone’s quilt and steal fire from the neighbour’s oven. It is supposed to be an adaptation from Othello. I have seen the play about two decades back at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. The experts may please throw light where would this song fit in the Bard’s play.

13. Hariyal jawani mori sookhi sookhi jaye re..Kuan ma doob jaungi by Sapna Awasthi Singh from Page 3 (2005), lyrics Ajay Jhingran, music Shamir Tandon

From shivering in peak winter, now this song would make you wilt as if in peak summer. The Jeth garmi is unbearable, the lover is so dumb he does not give water to the lady, she is like a writhing fish out of pond, and in desperation she has to jump in the well to give comfort to her burning body. The ‘Page 3’-crowd sneers at the ‘cheap’ song, but this was a perfect song to show their hypocrisy, double-standards and dark side.

14. Ek do teen chaar paanch….Tera karun din gin gin ke intezaar, aa ja piya ayi bahaar by Alka Yagnik from Tezaab (1988), lyrics Javed Akhtar, music Laxmikant-Pyarelal

As I was getting frustrated at not getting songs of all the seasons, I sat up when Javed Akhtar, in one of the episodes of ‘The Golden Years with Javed Akhtar’, said that he had written a miniature ‘Barahmasa’ song for a film. Being from Awadh, he was thoroughly familiar with this tradition. After explaining what Barahmasa was, he presented this song from Tezaab. Well, the song describes the pangs of yearning of Mohini (Madhuri Dixit) every day of a month. We can ignore the little detail that she seems to be unusually peppy and exuberant for someone who has been crushed under the grinding-wheels of biraha (Pachcis chhabbis ne mara mujhe/ Biraha ki chakki mein main pis gayi). Her skimpy dress though is appropriate to the spring season (Aa ja piya ayi bahaar). After describing in detail what happened to her till the end of the month, she takes a quick sweep of the entire year.

Din bane hafte, hafte maheene, maheene ban gaye saal
Aa ke zara sa dekh to le, kya hai hua mera haal
Diwani dar dar bhatakati hun, na jiti hun na marti hun
Tanhayi ki raat sahti hun, aa ja… aa ja ki din ginti rahti hun

15. Tum to thahre pardesi saath kya nibhaoge by Altaf Raja (NFS), lyrics Idris Nizami and Zaheer Alam, music Mohammad Shafi Nizami and Idris Nizami

My own yearning for a full Barahmasa song was soon fulfilled when I listened to this famous qawwali by Altaf Raja carefully. He meticulously reminisces each of the twelve months – January to December – when the lovers were together, but he reconciles himself that he may not see her again until she comes to shed a few tears on his grave. There never was a more complete Barahmasa song.

16. Kinu sang khelun holi, piya taj gaye hain akeli by Lata Mangeshkar (Meera song)

I started with the serious. Therefore, let me return from the ridiculous to the sublime. Since I chose to discuss virah on Holi, I end this post with this beautiful Meera song in which the lover (Krishna) has gone away and the lady is at a loss who to play Holi with. I was looking for its rendering by Kishori Amonkar (I believe there is one), but here is a nice one by Lata Mangeshkar in Yaman.

Acknowledgements:
Here are some very useful articles on Barahmasa.
1. http://creative.sulekha.com/ritu-varnana-and-barahmasa_454874_blog The thumbnail painting of the lonely nayika is gratefully taken from this article.
2. http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/barahmasa/
3. Introduction to Malik Mohammad Jayasi’s Padmawat
http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/29127/8/08_chapter%201.pdf
4. ‘Barahmasa: Songs of twelve months’ by Prof PC Joshi and Dr Dalijeet

Note: Barahmasa, or Songs of Seasons, is so dominated by rains/clouds that there is also a tradition to describe the songs specific to this season as ‘Varsha Chaumasa’.

Disclaimer: The song links have been embedded from YouTube only for the listening pleasure of music lovers. This blog acknowledges that the copyright over the songs rests with the original owners such as Saregama India Limited and other respective owners.