Colours are a function of the visual sensory system, based on perception. Colours are believed to have intrinsic powers, influencing moods, feelings and emotions. Music also possesses similar abilities that affect the senses. Any piece of music takes on the personal attributes of its practitioner, thus lending to it a uniqueness, akin to the various colours in an artiste’s palette. When different colours are mixed together, an exclusive colour takes birth. Similarly, when different musical notes are combined with one another, a new raga emerges. Whilst a painter’s artistic expression comes alive on the canvas, a musician’s canvas is ‘space’. Even the same raga when rendered by 2 different musicians takes on 2 different interpretations. Further, the different genres such as bhajans, thumris, etc have an inherent colour of their own, which then blend with the performer’s style to give the world a distinct musical colour.
This series on the colours of various musical genres is an attempt to showcase the diverse richness of the legacy of Hindustani Classical Music.
Bhajanrang:
Bhajanrang expounds the colours of ‘Bhakti’ or devotion. Bhajans are soulful songs expressing various emotions towards the Lord. They are usually set to lilting tunes. Bhajans have mostly been penned by saints such as Kabir, Meerabai, Tulsidas, Surdas and many others. Bhajans may be classified based on their uniqueness of emotion. Meerabai’s bhajans speak of her love towards Lord Krishna, who she considers a spouse. This kind of devotion is known as Madhura Bhakti. Kabir’s bhajans elucidate the philosophy of life. Yet another form of bhajan symbolizes the ‘Pukaar’ or ardent call of the devotee. Sometimes devotees feel let down in their quest for oneness with the Lord and thus experience the ‘Viraha rasa’, an emotion which conveys separation. Many a devotee has diverted this strong emotion into lyrics, thus giving rise to another form of bhajan. Yet another interesting subject for a bhajan has been the description of the Lord. Be it the colour of the Lord’s skin tone, shape of His eyes, the ornamentation on Him, all these have found their way into literature books. Finally, there are bhajans which are said to help a devotee find peace. These bhajans are usually the name of the Lord and are repetitive in nature. The literature of the bhajan, the music composer’s creative input and the singer’s interpretation are all strong parameters, thus lending to a bhajan its unique colour. No wonder then, every classical artiste strongly desires to render bhajans which are in a unique genre of their own, an aesthetic combination of literature and music.
‘Bhajanrang’ features bhajans rendered by legendary classical artistes only, thus making this album an exclusive one.
About the Music:
CD 1: Opens with bhajans by the maestro Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. His mastery over bhajans in three languages viz. Marathi, Kanada and Hindi, made him an artiste par excellence. Gaan Saraswati Kishoritai’s ‘Mharo Pranam’ has achieved an immortal status. When Pt. Jasraj renders a bhajan, one is transported to a temple. When Begum Parween Sultana scales the octaves in her mesmerizing voice, the listener ascends to a level closer to the Divine. Malavika Kanan’s Meera bhajan is followed by two more Meera bhajans rendered by Manik Varma, a versatile artiste in her own right.
CD 2: ‘Mere to Giridhar Gopal’ and ‘Pag Ghunghroo Baandh’ by the legend M. S. Subbulakshmi are bhajans that are iconic. Besides his other bhajans, Pt. D. V. Paluskar’s ‘Payo Ji Maine Raamratan’ is sung by younger artistes even today. Hirabai Barodekar’s bhajans are as soulful as her thumri and khayal renditions. Pt. Narayanrao Vyas’s ‘Radhe Krishna Bol Mukhse’ and Pt. Omkarnath Thakur’s ‘Main Nahin Maakhan Khayo’ make this album a truly eclectic one.
CD 3: Pt. Kumar Gandharva’s ‘Nirguni’ bhajans are legendary. When paired with his talented wife Vasundhara Komkali, the music took on a magical touch. Lakshmi Shankar became highly popular for her khayal, thumri and bhajan renditions. Pt. Shrikant Bakre’s ‘Shamsunder Madanmohan’ is followed by bhajans by the talented Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and Sanjeev Abhyankar, both, representatives of the younger generation of artistes. Girija Devi has sung two bhajans in this album, one of which is by Sant Namdev. Pt. Rajan Sajan Misra’s dual rendition makes the next track extra-ordinary. The bhajan ‘Ud Jayega Hans Akela’ by the versatile Pt. Kumar Gandharva is a befitting closure to this 3 CD pack of bhajans.
