EARLY EVENING RAGAS: MOOD EXPRESSIONS AND GOLDEN MELODIES

   The key to the melody of any rāgā based song is the tonal geometry of its essence. The manifestation of the beauty and bliss of that rāgā totally depends on it. Gone are those golden days when musicians were well versed in translating the aesthetic demands of the soul into the melodies by the skillful application of a rāgā.

Rāgās befit particular times and particular seasons and particular mental states. They are capable of expressing various emotions like Joy, exuberance, love, devotion, longing, dejection, tenderness, compassion, philosophy, tranquility, nostalgia, separation and reunion, uncertainty, contemplation, self-narration, remorse, restlessness, wavering mind, vivacity and much more. Rāgās affect the blood levels of hormones which are closely coupled with human emotions. In these two articles, we are going to immerse ourselves into those rāgās which reach the height of their melodic beauty and majestic splendor in the evening, a time when the long shadows of loneliness come closing in from all directions and the poetry pours out effortlessly on the paper as you look at the distant blinking star.
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Early Evening Rāgās and Associated Songs

Khamaj

   The sun has gone down a long ago and now the river of your thoughts wants to flow seamlessly towards the horizon. Unless you let it flow in the direction it desires, the heart is not going to have a respite. There is no forcing or no holding back. It is spontaneous and eventually, everything is going to merge into one darkness. Memories of the past and the dreams of the future have suddenly turned luscious and they are flickering on the waves of the mind as the river flows thoughtfully, paying no attention to the boundaries and rising above the scales of time, it must flow. Every wave is shimmering with a new emotion, a new memory, only to converge back into the flow to give way to another. The cycle will go on until the time comes back and makes you aware of its existence. It had started with a trickle and now it has grown into a mighty current which you are not able to withhold. you let it flow, it scours you out of your distasteful moments and renders your heart clean. You enjoy its tides, eddying back on yourself, sometimes bursting with a wham. It is the life of one's soul because one knows that stagnation will be a sure death.

Maru Bihag

   Go on a date with Maru bihag. Have a romance with it. Both the souls are addicted to each other. There is no pretending. They love each other and they pledge to love each other until they die and even after death, if there is life. How unsafe and uncomfortable they were when they were separate! This is true for two valentines and it is also true for the love between a soul and God. There is acceptance in spite of pitfalls and imperfections. You have to admit that you have met someone who is exactly right for you. Call them soul-mates, they are perfectly hinged together with their flaws and perfections. This love is so strange that it is born out of fire in the heart and peace in the mind. It is the kind of passionate gratification which one couldn't have had, if they were given gold, gemstone or a seat in heaven. Maru bihag will walk you through all these feelings.

Patdeep

   There is love in holding and there is love in letting go. There is love in separation and there is love in reunion. But those times of loneliness when one is separated are unbearable. Rāgā Patdeep is meant just for describing such intense longing which pours out of a grieving heart. This is the time of dusk which separates the day from the night and this highlights the separation of two hearts as well. A philosopher once said that God removes a person from your life to protect you. Oh, who wants to be protected in love? They have already taken an oath to cross the valley hanging on a thread of uncertainty. Being apart may extinguish them but it will intensify the fire of love. No wisdom of ages is going to appease that. You will never see your beloved again, you are sure about that. Yet, be prepared to say - farewell!

Pilu

   Like rāgā Bhairavi of the morning, Pilu is an all-encompassing rāgā which is sung in the evening. Musicians have tried to restrict it to the perimeter of time, some stated that it is best enjoyed in the rains, some insisted that Pilu prominently features early summer. Pilu has satisfied all! Is there a specific time for love? It can be done anytime! So it is true for this versatile rāgā. A classic expression of Pilu is that of the naughty love between Krishna and Gopis. Listen to the songs below. The same note is reflected in everything. Coming down to the human level, it can take the shape of a heart-wreck or that of a peppy nightingale. There is some complaint in your love, you are not satisfied with some aspect or behavior of your beloved, Pilu has a whole cache to voice your concern in the most loving manner! Any love, for that matter, reflects the face of the divine. It teaches you to love another person the way you love yourself. You don't mind your own faults, so you shouldn't your beloved's. In the area of love only souls are welcome, not the principles. 

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Purvi

   It is not commonly used in film music in spite of its merit to express a forlorn, dismal, desolate mind state.
No hope is foreseen in these heartbreaking moments and it seems that the world has abandoned me. The sky has taken on the shades of orange and every fraction of the setting sun is deepening my gloom. But I am not going to quit. Like a shadow, my anguish will fade away and I will be heard. Purvi is full of this assurance.

Puriya Dhanashri

   Puriya dhanashri is one of those rāgās which have got varied emotional characters. This depends upon the predominance of the note on the scale used. This rāgā is capable of rendering different kinds of expressions like - the sringara rasa (amorous or erotic), the hasya rasa (laughter) , virah rasa (heroic), raudra rasa (wrathful) and the adbhuta rasa (wondrous), bibhatsa rasa (repulsive), the bhayanaka rasa (fearsome) and karuna rasa (compassionate). Enjoy these five songs of five different moods composed in Puriya dhanashri rāgā. 

Bhup

   Silence is divine. Probably that's why God prefers to remain silent! Rāgā Bhup transcends your mind to the world beyond this world from where you would resist coming back. This is the world where the soul prefers to lie down in the pools of devotion which has a quality and dimension of its own. It transports you from the shallow world of paltry things to the subtle world of sublime things. Silence is one of the great arts of conversation with your own soul. It is a means to know that everything in life has a purpose. Thoughts and words arise from the sea of silence. Answers subdue questions and they both merge back into the sea again. Silence is as deep as eternity, speech as shallow as time. Rāgā Bhupa tries to express the inexpressible through its wonderful string of notes. Notes will linger in your ears long after the song is over. People say that silence precedes a storm. Never mind, let me delve deep into it, at the moment. 

Hamir

   Listening to Hamir rāgā is like riding a steadily running chariot through the hills while enjoying the scenes on the way. On the way, there are ascents and descents, sudden ups and downs and it means a lot of fun! Or listening to Hamir is like flying a kite and enjoy it swaying and curving around with the currents of the air. The thread will be under constant tension like your vocal cords. Once your mind is tuned perfectly to the melodious and meditative notes of Hamir, they absorb you so much that you can't bear to see that the song is over and you feel like going over that particular song again and again. Wondering with no destination is more enjoyable than traveling with a destination at the end. Songs and journeys are so closely associated because they keep your mind and senses busy with the ever-changing milieu of moods. After all, what is life? Life is a journey taken to reach yourself at the final stop.
Hamir is a good rāgā for composing devotional and patriotic songs.

Hamsadhwani

   Hamsadhwani is famous for the undulations of voice that accompany the song, called tāān. These are the rhythmic progressions of the various vocal notes rendered in a fast tempo. The actual meaning of Hamsadhwani is the sound of a swan but the rāgā actually reminds one of the quick succession of waves produced when a swan swims on the surface of the water. You can't listen to this rāgā while being engrossed in some other work. Keep everything aside and give it an ear with a little attention. The melody settles on your mind after entering through the ears and then captures your heart and ultimately, soaks into your soul. Call it a possession or obsession, this is the best way to enjoy this rāgā. Your body is no longer yours and the rhythms will be evident through various muscles of yours as you sway, oscillate and jerk! You will find that the words have minds of their own and they chase you like a squirrel chasing another! This is a glimpse of the same celebration that goes on the cosmic level, at the level of stars. That will add life to your spirits. This kind of hypnotic trance induced by Hamsadhwani which sneaks up on your nerves is so enthralling! 

Kafi

   Rāgā Kafi reflects a light mood. No high tides and no low ebbs, no tears and no laughter, no depression and no elation, no conditions and no promises. It is moderately balanced in between. There is usually a kind of light attitude floating around. Reality is welcome as it comes along. Here, life is not a question to be solved but it's a lucky reality to be experienced. The final word in any reality is unconditional love. Don't expect this unconditional love to arise from high-end principles, lofty goals, self-determination, self-discipline, hard work or dedication. It is there already. The only thing required is to get oneself into a tense state by moving away from the past and future tense and developing a habit to get involved with the concert of life going around in the present moment.

Pahadi

   The contribution of Pahadi rāgā to Hindi films is so extensive that it requires a separate article on it.
   Did you like this collection? Wait! Here is more for you:-

     * Golden Melodies on Early Morning Ragas
     * Golden Melodies on Late Morning Ragas     
     * Golden Melodies on Late Evening Ragas
     * Golden Melodies on Early Night Ragas
     * Golden Melodies on Late Night Ragas
     * Golden Melodies based on Raga Pahadi