In Hindustani classical music, ragas are not only associated with
a particular time of day, but also with seasons. In particular,
ragas of the season are associated with spring or Basant and the
rainy season or monsoons.
Perhaps no other season is so rich in emotional diversity, as the
Indian monsoon. After the scorching heat and the dust of the long
summer months, the arrival of the first monsoon showers, announced
by the cry of the peacock, is more than welcome. The smell of the
damp earth fills the air, and the earth turns a rich, lush green.
The great rainstorms broken by distinct silences engender a whole
sweep of responses - excitement, immeasurable peace, satisfaction
and contentment for some; longing, anticipation, anxiety and
finally relief for those whose livelihood depends on the rains; to
others, it is the time of romance and joy.
One of the most fascinating aspects of North Indian Classical
Music is the rich relationship that the ragas have with the world
of nature. The moods of the monsoon have found subtle and
evocative sophisticated expression in Indian Classical Music.
Hindustani Classical Music has created the most poignant
compositions about the rainy season. These have been set to ragas
that conjure up a wide range of rich emotions: majestic (veer rasa),
yet full of pathos (karuna), joyful (sringar), yet plunged in
loneliness (viraha - sringar).
The chief representative ragas of the monsoons are those from the
Malhar family: ‘Shudh Malhar’, ‘Megh Malhar’, ‘Desh Malhar’ and
‘Gaud Malhar’. From these rose other derivative ‘Malhars’. Experts
say that the word ‘Malhar’ itself signifies "that which washes
away the dirt".
This feature presents ragas of this season:
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