Swaravanshi - Music for the heart from the soul

Happy Ganesh Chathurthi to one and all! Wishing a very Happy Ganesh Chathurthi to all those who celebrate. May the Lord Vighna Vinayaka remove all obstacles in your paths and shower you with peace, happiness and prosperity. Growing up in Mumbai, Ganpati festival has had a special significance to me.  Enjoying the day with Ganesh pooja performed by my father, lovely sweet and salty modaks (Vella Thengai and Kadalaparuppu kozhakattais) prepared by my mom, and visiting every possible Ganpati - Chembur, Dukes, Tilak Nagar, Matunga, Dadar, Siddhivinayak Mandir, Lalbaugcha Raja, GSB Seva Mandal in Kings Circle : this is a memory captured in the heart and etched in the mind of every true Mumbaikar. That combined with listens of Aartis and Ganpati bhajans by Lata Mangeshkar makes it a memorable treat. I would like to share with you my cover rendition of a traditional Marathi Aarti, popularised in Lataji's mellifluous sweet voice.  My musician friend, Adwait Ranade, h...

Marathi Abhang : Ya Pandhariche Sukha  Sorry for the long absence from my side on blogging and sharing my work.   I lost my beloved father in January 2015. He was my solid rock and support for all my musical endeavors and experiments and always encouraged me with all my work. He was one of my most avid followers on the blogworld. It is back to basics these days, as I have rekindled my love for Yaman, listening to stalwarts like Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Kishori Amonkar, Basavaraj Rajguru, and attending workshops in several Gharanas like Jaipur, Agra etc.  Coming to today's share, My love for this Sant Eknath Abhang is immense.  I listened to KishoriTai Amonkar's rendition on a loop.  Eknath was the grandson of Sant Bhanudas. Vitthal (Lord Vishnu who was established in Pandharpur, also known as Pandhari) was their family deity; Eknath also worshiped Vitthal from childhood. As Eknath was born in a family of saints he inherited bhakthi towards Vitthal ...

Further to my classical post on Raag Bhoop, I would like to share a lovely light composition on Raag Bhoop, by Late Bhupen Hazarikaji.  This is a beautiful song called "Dil Hoom Hoom Kare" from the 1993 Hindi movie, Rudaali. Its a very dark movie, about "Rudaali",  a custom in certain areas of Rajasthan where women of a lower caste are hired as professional mourners upon the death of upper-caste males. These women are referred to as a "rudaali" (roo-dah-lee), literally translated as "female weeper" or "weeping woman".   Their job is to publicly express grief of family members who are not permitted to display emotion due to social status.  The film is set in a small village in Rajasthan, India.  It tells the story of a woman named Shanichari, who was abandoned by her mother shortly after her father's death. Bad fortune follows as she marries an alcoholic, who leaves her with little hope of a brighter future for herself and her m...

Meera Bhajan - Mharo Pranaam, Banke Bihari ji This is a very pristine composition in Raag Yaman Kalyan, based on Meerabai's beautiful poetry in Braj bhasha.  I was mesmerized when I heard the soulful rendition of Gaansaraswati Smt. Kishori Amonkar. Truly an amazing composition in praise of Mohan, and a clean rendition that lingers in the heart for days on. Please check out my humble attempt. I performed this for a Diwali party and it was very well received. Bhajan: Mharo Pranaam Poet: Mirabai    Language: Braj bhasha Based on performance by: Kishori Amonkar Raag: Yaman Kalyan     Taal : Keherwa, Madhyalaya Translator: Animesh Kumar (from Internet) Words and interpretation: Mharo pranaam Banke Bihari ji Mharo pranaam Mor mukut mathya tilak biraja Kundal alaka kari ji Mharo pranaam Banke Bihari ji Adhar madhur dhar bansi bajav Ri jhiri jhawa braj nari ji Mharo pranaam Banke Bihari ji Ya chhab dekhya mohya Meera Mohan giriwar...

Raag Bhimpalasi  I have to admit, like many a music lover, I have also fallen in love with this naturally sweet raag. As Rajan ParrikarJi quotes in his music site, "The ati-madhur and ati-priya Raga Bhimpalasi has the penetrating power to infect the human mind and control it for days and weeks on end. There is as yet no known antidote to the Bhimpalasi contagion." It is a raag we have been quite attuned to, Thanks to the many light music compositions extensively employed in Indian cinema. I first learnt the simpler Drut composition, Jaa Ja re Apne Mandirwa, but it was an absolute pleasure to learn a beautiful khayal - Akhiyan Mori laag rahi, in Vilambit ektaal from my Guru. I have a long way to go mastering this raaga, but I can say learning it made me immensely happy, and helped shape my vocal skills as well. This raaga sounds very similar to Abheri ragam of Carnatic (derived, janya of Karaharapriya) The structure of Raag Bhimpalasi is as follows: Aroha: n' S g M P...

This is a beautiful bhajan in reverence to Goddess Bhavani - the giver of Life. This was originally sung by Smt. Ashwini Bhide. In wake of all the devastating news we have heard recently, it was my honor to learn this song from my Guru and perform it for a Bhajan Sandhya organized by her.  I hope Mata Bhavani gives us all the strength and courage to face all the vicissitudes in life. So many of us have lost our loved ones, or are facing some major difficulties. This is a humble prayer from me to the Lord to give us strength and relentless energy to face Life. God also save those who have ill thoughts and bad notions of people. Let’s please think positive… Love Begets Love – our actions are a mirror of what we think. Bhajan : Tero Chakar Kare Pukar Scale: G# Taal : Dadra (on iTablaPro) Lyrics: Tero chaakar kare pukaar bhavani beig padhaaro na Aisi bhool bhayi kya karni sankat taaro na bigad gayi kachhu rahi na baaki beg sudharo na Bhavani beig padhhaaro na Aiso sa...

I am presenting an Abhang (Marathi devotional) from Marathi drama Sant Kanhopatra (1931). The abhang was written in 14th century by saint-poet Sant Chokhamela, a Mahar devotee of Vithoba. The era was when the “Mahars” (an outcaste, based on the caste system) used to be forcibly kept outside city limits and only allowed to perform tasks deemed too lowly for uppercastes. The poet Chokhamela was a Dalit Mahar devotee of Vitthala living in Pandharpur, and they used to refer to their social superiors as “Johar”… In this Abhang, Sant Chokhamela pays obeisance, in all humility, to Vitthala, (referring to him as his Johar parent) offering himself as a servant of his servants and pleads that he be given any left overs of food other bhaktas have consumed… Forced to work as an indentured servant to build a wall, Chokhamela was buried under the rubble as the wall collapsed. Sant Namdev picked up his remains and buried him outside the Vitthala temple in Pandharpur where he used to worship. H...