LATE NIGHT RAGAS: MOOD EXPRESSIONS AND GOLDEN MELODIES

   Night is the time when darkness covers everything and uncovers the secrets. It is the time to visualize new dreams which could be translated into reality during day or else could be converted back into the dreams if unfulfilled. Some nights are bearable while there are a few which are unbearable. Some nights are torturous, some are blissful and others are bland and indifferent, they won't hatch music. There are night rāgās to celebrate your emotional delicacies at night. They are powerful. Some of them are so elevating, you feel you can touch the stars. Some of them are so disheartening, they will throw you down the abyss of melancholy and darken your emptiness. Science agrees that the whole creation is a vibration. Indian classical music is one of the most ancient performing arts which can set your mood to a particular tone with mathematical precision with its rāgās. The mastery over the rāgās is achieved after years of practice and dedication. In this article, we will be delving into the melodious world of night rāgās keeping this introductory background in mind.

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Late Night Rāgās and Associated Songs

Rageshree

   A song is nothing but a dance of the words, words which have come alive with feelings. And when do words come alive with feelings? That is when you try to describe something extraordinary which has happened to you. It is impossible for you to describe your phenomenal experience in plain words. That would be an insult to Venus, the Goddess of love. Rāgā Rageshree is all about honoring your excitement in a melodious fashion. The charm of Rageshree wraps you under its veil by the sincerity and depth of the feelings it projects. As you lend your curious ear to the impatient narrator and become one with his experience, you will feel the candles of delight being lit in your mind. You will be surprised to see how the simplest of the words soaked with the notes of this rāgā can lighten your stressed heart as if touched by a magic wand, without being stretched, twisted and at a price which is not at all outrageous.

Shivaranjani

   There are things made just for each other - dreams are made for the eyes, memories for the heart, tears for the eyes, innocence for the childhood...... and rāgā Shivaranjani for Lata Mangeshkar. Lataji has stolen the whole show here. There is no voice in the world which is capable of giving full justice and due credit to this rāgā except Lataji's voice. Anguished cries of a broken heart is the hallmark of the rāgā Shivaranjani. The abysmal notes of the rāgā challenge themselves to be found out from the unfathomable depths and heights, and the far-reaching Lataji's voice plucks them from any corner of the universe and presents them for our pleasure. After conquering all the boundaries this voice has remained humble and after touching a million hearts this voice has still remained virgin, that's the beauty of Lataji's voice. In her voice, we have seen a mother, a wife, sister, a sweetheart, a daughter and eminently, a deity. Flowers find the fulfillment of the purpose of their life in their offering to God, the notes of rāgā Shivaranjani find their culmination in Lataji's voice.

Adana

   Rāgā Adana chips in when it comes to describing the lightness of romantic mood. The two beating hearts are no longer the two cardiac pumps beating inside the body of flesh and bones but they are flying balloons rollicking over the biggest gamble and the greatest suspense of life - romance. Not all the balloons reach the moon, as most of them end up in thorny bushes, but that's another story of another moment. Surprisingly, these animated moments have brought all their pristine virtues to the fore with unprecedented honesty, sacrifice, fairness, patience, tolerance, honor, humor, optimism, loyalty and a great companionship. Adana comes equipped with a perfect combination of notes to paint these qualities. Raising it to a higher platform of eternal spiritual love, its notes imbue one with the nectar of divine past times of Radha and Krishna. Naughty Krishna has pestered Radha until she goes away in a huff and he is trying all the measures to win her back by pursuing her, imploring her to come out of her petulant mood. Radha won't mind if Krishna is ready to atone for his mischief and the divine drama goes on. 

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Darbari Kanada

   Have you ever gone inside yourself? If you don't do it regularly and if your cellphone allows you to, there are certain situations in the life of everyone of us which will force you to go inside and ponder over the circumstances, some of which have messed with your inner peace. There you will find an enhearted city teeming with lights or clouded with pathos. Unexpected rains or unfulfilled harvest - both such situations can turn you meditative and start off a conversation with yourself. Rāgā Darbari Kanada is a laureate example of this expression. The undulations of this rāgā veritably incarnate such pensive moods. We talked about rāgās (e.g. Sivaranjani) inaccessible to common souls, but Darbari Kanada is a kind of rāgā you and I can sing. Its scales could be adjusted along the lower range of the octave and our vocal cords can easily attune themselves with it. Another notable point is, the singers of Darbari Kanada exhibit male dominance. So, next time when you are downcast and despair consumes you, let your malady pour out drop by drop with the melody of Darbari Kanada! 

Malkauns

   Rāgā Malkauns reminds me of those cars which can touch a speed of 0 - 100 km/hr in just 3 seconds. Malkauns is a passionate celebration of joy, grief and fervor. It is the melodious embellishment of feelings of tenderness with the feelings of vigor. These intermittent eruptions of ebullience is the heart of this rāgā. This is attributed to the sharp ascents complemented by lingering descents this rāgā exhibits, like a giant wheel. Malkauns is a late night rāgā and it will rob you of your sleep. This rāgā evokes the cry of a restless heart. The all-pervasive note of Malkauns gallops from the heart, reaches every nook and corner of the universe and finding no response, shrinks back to be enclosed in the restive heart again. Too much joy and too much pain, both make a human heart restless and night is the time when this uneasiness reaches its acme on the backdrop of prevailing quietude which is a natural prelude for this rāgā.

Malhar

   This beautifully named rāgā is a loving tribute to one of the most paramount graces bestowed on humankind by the good God - the rains. Without rain, all physical and emotional life would come to a standstill. Rāgā Malhar will knock on the doors of your heart just like elephants knock on the doors of a fort and open them. Ancient texts mention that when Tansen sang Malhar, it rained. We can't discern this primeval verity (or co-incidence?!) with our finite intellect. I don't know whether it rains if a seasoned vocalist sings Malhar, but one thing I can assure, when it rains, Malhar himself appears on your lips in the form of your favorite song. It comes floating like an impatient cloud, thunders like a lightning and ends, leaving you in the dreamy sunshine. Rain fills up the gap between two valleys, Malhar bridges the gap between two hearts and connects them with a rainbow! The intensity with which a million raindrops leave the thundering clouds to embrace the earth or the stirring and zestful notes of Malhar unleash to call the beloved, is the same. The constellation of rāgās is incomplete without Malhar.

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