Raaga Based Song Of The Day #45

Raaga Based Song of the Day: Matwali naar thumak thumak chali jaaye…
Raag Maru Bihag, Tal Kaherava

Today is the Birth Anniversary of singer Mukesh and even though, so far, I haven’t repeated a raaga so far except the raag of my home place: Pahadi, I am giving you Mukehs’s popular song in Raag Maru Bihag (the earlier song in Maru Bihag that I gave you was some eight days ago: Tum toh pyaar ho sajana sung by Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar for the 1963 V Shantaram movie Sehra).

From the time Mukesh sang his first song as playback singer: ‘Dil jalata hai to jalane de’ for the 1945 Motilal (a distant relative of his) film Pehli Nazar, Mukesh came a long way off. The first song reminds you of KL Saigal‘s way of singing. However, soon, Mukesh acquired a style of his own. He did playback singing for Raj Kapoor (he was known as Raj Kapoor’s singing voice in the movies), Manoj Kumar, Feroze Khan and Sunil Dutt. He sang occassionally for Dilip Kumar and some of those songs became very popular, eg, Tu kahe agar jeevan bhar main geet sunaata jaayun in 1949 Mehboob Khan movie Andaz and Suhana safar aur ye mausam haseen in 1958 Bimal Roy movie Madhumati.

As far as Sunil Dutt, the hero of the current song is concerned, some of my favourite Mukesh songs pictured on him are for the 1967 Adurthi Subba Rao movie Milan: Saawan ka mahina pawan kare sor, Ram kare aisa ho jaaye, and Mubarak ho sabako sama ye suhaana.

We have completed forty-four days of Raaga Based Songs of the Day. Our first post in the series was titled ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #1’ and the song was a Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar song from the 1970 Shakti Samanta movie Pagla Kahin Ka: Tum mujhe youn bhula na paoge. It is in Raag Jhinjhoti, Tal Kaherava.

Our forty-fourth post was titled ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #44‘ and the song was a Mohammad Rafi song from the 1966 Subodh Mukherji movie Saaz Aur Awaz: Saaz ho tum awaz hoon main.  It is in Raag Patdeep, Madhuwanti, and Kafi; Tal Tintal, Punjabi Theka (Sitarkhani), and Kherava.

This blog has a number of posts on Raaga based songs in Hindi movies titled similarly; for example: ‘The Best Raaga Based Songs in Hindi Movies – Raaga Yaman – Part I‘.

In the last forty-three days of sharing Raaga based songs of the day, I have given you songs based on Raag Jhinjhoti, Gara, Bhimpalasi, Madhuvanti, Shivaranjani, Bihag, Pahadi, Sarang, Pilu, Bhairavi, Khammaj, Charukesi, Kalyan or Yaman, Desh, Malgunji, Kirwani, Kedar, Bageshri, Megh Malhar, Bhupali, Ahir Bhairav, Malkaush, Adana, Kafi, Rageshri, Jaunpuri, Tilang, Janasammohini, Chayanat, Shuddha Kalyan, Gaur Sarang, Jogiya, Asavari, Maru Bihag, Durga, Lalit, Puria Dhanashri, Bhinna Sahdja, Sohani, Multani and Patdeep. The only raag that has been repeated so far is Pahadi, the raaga of my home place in the Himalayas.

Today, I give you a song in Raag Maru Bihag, Tal Kaherava.

However, first, lets take up the value added learning of today. Today, we shall learn about Sarod:

Sarod is similar to Western instrument Lute. It is, together with Sitar, one of the most important instruments in Hindustani classical music. If you have ever listened to such great Sarod players as Amjad Ali Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, Allauddin Khan and Hafiz Ali Khan, you would know that Sarod produces deep and heavy sounds (Mujhe tumse kuchh bhi na chahiye, which too is a Mukesh song from Raj Kapoor movie Kanhaiya. Indeed, another song that comes to mind is, coincidentally, also a Mukesh song: Bhooli hui yaadon mujhe itana na satayo) as compared to light and sweet sound of Sitar (Tora man darpan kehlaaye and Hum tere pyaar mein saara aalam kho baithe hain).

The origin of Sarod is Rubab, an Afghani instrument. Many experts on Indian classical music trace Sarod’s origin to ancient Chitra Veena, Afghani Rubab and modern Sursingar. It is believed that Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan’s ancestor Mohammad Hashmi Khan Bangash, a musician and horse trader, came to India with the Afghan Rubab in the mid-18th century, and became a court musician to the Maharajah of Rewa (now in Madhya Pradesh). It was his descendants, notably his grandson Ghulam Ali Khan Bangash, a court musician in Gwalior, who changed the Rubab into the Sarod we know today.

Anyway, what a coincidence that we took up Sarod as a musical instrument today and found that though rarely used in Hindi songs, two of the songs that we could think of have been both sung by Mukesh, whose birth anniversary we are celebrating today.

As I mentioned, today’s song is composed in Raag Maru Bihag, Tal Kaherava.

Maru Bihag, as I already told you on the 37th day (Please go through ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #37’) is a very melodious raaga that belongs to the Kalyan Thaat. It is to be sung during the second prahar of the night: from 9 PM to midnight. Its Jati is Audhav-Sampoorna. Maru Bihag is a variation of Raag Bihag in which I gave you the song Tere sur aur mere geet from Goonj Uthi Shehnai that had Shehnai-vaadan by Ustaad Bismillah Khan. In the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Raag Bihagara occurs on 20 pages from 537 to 557 and is similar to its modern version: Raag Bihag.

Some of the other songs composed in Raag Maru Bihag are: Tum to pyar ho sajna (Tal Kaherava), Dil jo na keh saka(Tal Kaherava), Payal wali dekhana (Tal Kaherava) and Radha jaaye na (Tal Dadra).

I have, at various places earlier, told you about the commonest Tal in raagas: Kaherava and I know that by now you know enough about it.

Today’s song is from the 1960 Bhappi Sonie movie Ek Phool Chaar Kaante, the name having come about from Waheeda Rehman, the Phool that Sunil Dutt loves. However, he has to win her over from the Chaar Kaante, her four uncles. The song was penned by Shailendra and composed by Shankar Jaikishan.

Please enjoy Mukesh sing a composition of Shankar Jaikishan in Raag Maru Bihag, Tal Kaherava, on the lyrics of Shailendra: Matwali naar thumak thumak chali jaaye…..

Matavaalii naar Thumak Thumak chalii jaaye
In kadamo.n pe kis kaa jiyaa naa jhuk jaaye
Matavaalii naar …

Phuul badan mukha.Daa yuu.N damake
Baadal me.n jyo.n bijalii chamake
Giit sunaa ke tuu chham chham ke
Lalachaaye, chhup jaaye, aay haay
Matavaalii naar …

Ye cha.nchal kajaraarii aa.Nkhe.n
Ye chitachor shikaarii aa.Nkhe.n
Gaii dil chiir kaTaarii a.Nkhe.n
Muskaaye, shaamaaye, jhuk jaaye
Matavaalii naar …

 

We have intended to learn about Raaga based music whilst we entertain ourselves with Raaga based songs. So, lets, once again, take stock of our collective learning so far:

1. On the first day we learnt about the Raaga system devised by Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, which is the prevalent system in Hindustani Classical Music and based on ten Thaats.
2. On the second day we learnt about Tal or Taal.
3. On the third day we learnt about characteristics of Raagas that included Swar, Jati, Thaat, Arohana and Avarohana, Vadi, Samvadi and Pakad.
4. On the fourth day, we learnt about Sargam.
5. On the fifth day, we learnt about notations used in Indian classical music or simply Swar Lipi.
6. On the sixth day, we learnt about the Ras (sentiments) that Raagas evoke.
7. On the seventh day, we learnt about various types of Swar: Shuddha, Achal, Vikrut, Komal and Teevra.
8. On the eighth day, we learnt the parts of a composition in Indian Classical Music.
9. On the ninth day, we learnt the names of some of the popular instruments used in Indian Classical Music.
10. On the tenth day, we learnt about the sources of names of Raagas.
11. On the eleventh day, we learnt about why Bhairavi is the first raag to be taught to beginners and also why it is the last in a performance.
12. On the twelfth day, we learnt about Khammaj Thaat.
13. On the thirteenth day, we learnt about Tal Punjabi Theka or Sitarkhani.
14. On the fourteenth day, we learnt about Alap.
15. On the fifteenth day, we learnt about List of Raagas (Raagmala) in my favourite book: Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
16. On the sixteenth day, we learnt about tips for raaga identification.
17. On the seventeenth day, we learnt the basics of Gharana system.
18. On the eighteenth day, we learnt about Filmi Sangeet.
19. On the nineteenth day, we learnt about the commonest Tal in Raagas: Tintal.
20. On the twentieth day, we learnt about the Kafi Thaat.
21. On the twenty-first day, we learnt a little more in detail about the classification of Raagas.
22. On the twenty-second day, we learnt the essential differences between Bhairavi and Bhairav.
23. On the twenty-third day, we learnt a little more in detail about the Jati or Jaati of a raaga.
24. On the twenty-fourth day, we learnt details of Thaat Bilawal, the most basic thaat in the Bhatkhande’s system of raagas.
25. On the twenty-fifth day, we learnt about Tintal.
26. On the twenty-sixth day, we learnt in detail about the Raaga – Samay linkage.
27. On the twenty-seventh day, we learnt about Lehar.
28. On the twenty-eighth day, we learnt about the history of the Hindustani Music.
29. On the twenty-ninth day, we learnt about Dhrupad.
30. On the thirtieth day, we learnt about Rupaktal that I was introduced to, a few months back, by my friend Anand Desai.
31. On the thirty-first day, we learnt about Khayal.
32. On the thirty-second day, we learnt about Thumri.
33. On the thirty-third day, we learnt about Tappa.
34. On the thirty-fourth day, we learnt about Tarana.
35. On the thirty-fifth day, we learnt about Tal Dipchandi (Moghali).
36. On the thirty-sixth day, we learnt about Tabla.
37. On the thirty-seventh day, we learnt about Kirtan.
38. On the thirty-eighth day, we learnt about Pakhawaj.
39. On the thirty-ninth day, we learnt about Hori.
40. On the fortieth day, we learnt about Dadra.
41. On the forty-first day, we learnt about Kajri.
42. On the forty-second day, we learnt about Chaiti.
43. On the forty-third day, we learnt about Sarangi.
44. On the forty-fourth day, we learnt about Shehnai.
45. And today, on the forty-fifth day, we learnt about Sarod.

There is much more still to be learnt and enjoyed.

Please stay tuned!