The magic of monsoon songs
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Shobhana Rao and Shaila Hattangadi presented an enjoyable concert in New Delhi. MANJARI SINHA
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In concert Shobhana Rao and Shaila Hattangadi.
The India Habitat Centre heralded the rainy season, presenting Shobhana Rao and Shaila Hattangadi with songs of Barkha Ritu, the monsoon, this past week. The vocal recital by the two talented sisters comprised genres like Khayal, Thumri, Dadra to th
e folk varieties like Kajri and Jhoola depicting almost every aspect of the delightful season. They also sang some rare folk varieties like the Barsane Ka Jhoola or the Nirguni Bhajan type Kajri, not heard very often.
A classical music background has given Shobhana and Shaila a commanding range over the octaves, and a compelling mastery over rhythm. Initiated into classical music by their mother Mira Gulwadi of Allahabad, Shobhana later learnt from Pandit Raghunath Seth, Pandit Amarnath and Pandit Bholanath Mishra, while Shaila Hattangadi was groomed in classical and semi-classical music by Pandit Chandrashekhar Rele of the Gwalior gharana. Establishing their credentials individually in solo recitals, they came together to sing duets later.
The beauty of Indian classical music also lies in its association with seasons. The most striking example of such a connection is the popular association of the rainy season with the Malhar group of ragas. Shobhana opened her recital with the most popular raga Mian Ki Malhar, credited to Mian Tansen. Shobhana presented an adarang bandish in medium tempo Teen tala, which had a very unique sam. The authentic treatment of the raga with bol-alap, behelava and a variety of taans spoke o
f her grip over the classical idiom. Shobhana also sang a thumri in raga Desh, set to Deepchandi tala, before she invited Shaila to take her solo turn.
Famous composition
Shaila chose to sing raga Gaud-Malhaar, another popular variety of Malhars, presenting a famous composition of Sadarang, “Saawan ke jhuki aaye re badara…” set to madhya laya (medium tempo) Teen tala, that described the agony of a pining Nayika whose beloved is not home when the dark clouds of saawan gather in the sky. The well-rendered khayal was followed by a dadra in Mishra Pilu, continuing the emotional content of Viyog-Shringar. Both the artistes had melodious support on the harmonium by Ballu Khan Warsi, on the sarangi by Ghulam Sabir Khan and on the tabla by Nawaab Ali.
The duet session started with a kajri, “Aayo saawan ka mahinavaan, sab mil khelen kajri”, based on Tilak Kamod with shades of Pilu and Mian-Malhar in reference to the word “saawan”. The Barsaane ka jhoola, “Jamuna ke teer dekho ri mukut jhonka le rahyo...”, was based on Pilu set to the chaanchar theka. It described how Radha and Krishna enjoyed the swing on the banks of River Yamuna. Then came the popular Mirzapuri kajri, “Kaise khelan jaibu saawan mein kajariya, badariya ghiri aailee nanadi…” in a question-answer format, between the sisters-in-law — nanad-bhaujaai.
Shaila also inserted informative remarks between the songs, about the golden age of Kajri during the time of the Hindi poet Harishchandra, and about poets like Mangal Kavi, who wrote kajris even in Nirgun Bhajan style that they presented this evening. Banarasi jhoola was another variety of Jhoola that went “Arre Rama rimjhim barsela paniyaan, jhoolein Raadha ranian re Hari…”
Shobhana and Shaila concluded the concert with a Bhairavi bhajan immortalised by Kumar Gandharva. The concert was well conceived and aesthetically pleasing.
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