Malhaar
is an old raag in Indian classical music. Malhaar is associated with
the atmosphere of torrential rains. Besides the basic Shuddha Malhaar,
which was the original Malhaar, there are several Malhaar-related raags
that use the Malhaar signature phrase m
(m)R (m)R P, including Miyaan Malhar, Ramdasi Malhaar, Gaud Malhaar, Sur
Malhaar, Des Malhaar, Nat Malhaar, and Meera ki Malhaar.
According to legend, raag Malhaar is so powerful that when sung, it can
induce rainfall. Although this has not been scientifically proved yet,
it is possible that the rainfall that the legends speak of is in fact
metaphorical of the state of mind brought about by the recital of the
raag.
There are many written accounts of Raag Malhar. Many
great artists of the medieval period and much earlier periods used to
sing this raag. Tansen, Baiju Bawra, Baba Ramdas, Nayak Charju, Miyaan
Bakhshu, Tantarang, Tanras Khan, Bilas Khan (son of Tansen), Hammer Sen,
Surat Sen, and Meera are among the singers who are said to have been
capable of starting rains using various kinds of Raag Malhar.
According to a legend, once the Mughal emperor Akbar asked his court
musician Tansen to sing Raga Deepak, the raag of fire. The effect was
such that all the lamps in the courtyard lit up themselves, and Tansen's
body became so hot that he had to sit in the nearby river to cool
himself. However, the river began to boil, and it became apparent that
Tansen would soon boil to death. He set out on a search to find someone
who could sing Raga Malhar to cure him. In due course he reached
Vadnagar, in Gujarat, where he found two sisters, Tana and Riri, whom he
asked for help. They agreed to sing Raag Malhar to cure him. When they
sang the Raag, rains came down in torrents, which cooled Tansen's body
immediately.
Listening to this gem video, connoisseurs will be moved by the
manificence of Raag Sur Malhaar, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi in his own
innovation. The themes are live, sprightly, ornamental yet virile. Each
unfolds a sound visual that exudes a baroque-style dignity and grandeur
secured through steady pregression and precise accentuation of its
salient notes in the slow movement. A variety of cascadeing "taans" lend
an evocative quality to the "drut" singing. This is a sub-melody of the
celebrated raag Malhaar and is credited to the eminent musician and
saint Surdas and in the second quarter of the night.
