Beauty of the Raag Gaud Malhar — ‘Seeing’ is believing
By J.V. Yakhmi
Indian classical music is based on a large number of Raags. For centuries, the music-lovers have been enthralled by vocal or instrumental classical music set to the tune of a raag appropriate for the occasion, the mood, the time and the season. The impact of Indian classical music on a listener is same whether one hears its recorded version or live on stage, or among private audiences. But going beyond the listening pleasure, has anyone seen a raag? After watching a documentary based on visual representation of Raag Gaud Malhar, on which this article is based, I was tempted to believe that, yes, I could see it!
The visuality of the Raag Gaud Malhar, or its visual representation for the audiences, has been conceptualised by the music guru, Pandit Paresh Jana ji — an attempt made perhaps for the first time ever to present a classical raag visually, as it is sung and enacted, simultaneously, on the screen. Sponsored by Shankar Natha Pratishthan, in association with Anusaya Arts, this short documentary, lasting 22 minutes, named ‘MooratSwarup Raag Gaud Malhar’, was released by the legendary gazal maestro Pankaj Udhas in May 2023 in Mumbai, when I was in the audience. Its music (bandish) is composed by Pandit Paresh Jana, the music guru of Pankaj Udhas.
Accompanying Pandit Jana on the screen in this documentary is his disciple, Ms. Roopali Ambure, who not only sings the bandish ‘O kaahe badariya ghir ghir aave’ (O dark clouds, why are you surrounding, engulfing me), alongwith Pandit Jana, but she also enacts the role, presenting the emotions that the raag conveys, visually. Incidentally, Roopali Ambure is a Deputy Commissioner of Police, posted currently at Headquarters-1, at Thane (Maharashtra), a suburb of Mumbai. Most people are overawed when they learn about her police background, but Roopali is able to balance both her passions, a police job and classical music, which is commendable.
First half of the documentary shows Roopali Ambure interviewing Pandit Paresh Jana about the Raag Gaud Malhar, its typicality befitting the rainy season and how Pandit Paresh Jana has drawn on Nature for its visuality.
Paresh ji explains that a raga, to put simply, is a musical expression of human emotions. When asked about the origin of Raag Gaud Malhar, he says it was introduced first by Tansen, nearly 500 years ago. “There is a raag called ‘Gaud’ from which many other raags, such as Gaud Sarang and Gaud Malhar have evolved. Whenever the notes ‘Ga Ma Re Sa’ are used, the raag gets a flavor of Malhar. Tansen used these notes with Gaud Raag creating a new raag which he named as Gaud Malhar. It is sung in 2 Thaat, and all its notes belong to Bilawal Thaat. When Gaud exhibits shades of Malhar raag, it is called ‘Gaud Malhar’.
Paresh ji also described that raag Malhar always brings out a romantic mood. For example, when one sings “Sa Ga Re Ma Ga Pa Ga Ma Sa Re Sa”, it brings out divine love, i.e., spiritual feelings which connect us to the Nature, Earth, and the Universe. Same is true if it evokes physical love.
When one starts singing notes of Malhar, “Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Dha Pa, Ma Pa Ni Ni Sa”, sitting alone in the company of Nature, such as a stream of flowing water, the vibrations of this raag start creating colors, mainly blue and green, gradually and you can establish the divine connection with universe. These colors become prominent as the vibrations and the emotions of this raag progress!
After this introductory discussion between the Guru and the Shishya, the documentary goes on to present the feelings of this raag through the following ‘bandish’, sung and enacted by Roopali Ambure, as a romantic story woven around the sudden departure of her lover, enacted by Sh. Manoj Ravindra:
O kaahe badariya ghir ghir aave, (O dark clouds, why are you surrounding, engulfing me),
Kahin ja piya se kaho ghar aave. (Please go and convey to my beloved to return home soon).
Malhar has a strong connect with Nature as it is a monsoon raag, sung during rains. Towards the end, the documentary shows a rainfall with drops falling first over the forest leaves, then a downpour.
No wonder, this documentary has made a bold attempt in luring the viewer to ‘see’ the ‘MooratSwarup Raag Gaud Malhar’
Our planet sings. Just look at the birds calling, bats echolocating, tree leaves fluttering in the breeze, frogs croaking and bush crickets stridulating. We live in a soothing theatre of life. Listening to the appropriate vibrations or sounds of the soil helps us in monitoring the health of a forest and restoring it. Even the life underground, i.e., the creatures in the top soil, emit unique vibrations as they navigate through the earth underneath to feed, hunt, commute, and mate, which can be monitored by ecological acoustic survey, i.e., ‘ecoacoustics’ an emerging science, used to study biodiversity in soil.
Little is known about how the human brain computes the perceived aesthetic value of complex stimuli such as visual art. In visual arts like paintings, or even in music, the interpretation works only if one brings it as close to reality, as possible.
All through the documentary, Roopali Ambure comes out as an artist driven by passion, with expert help from her Guru, Pandit Paresh Jana ji. She was ably supported by Bhanuprakash Barot on Tabla, Jagdish Barot on Sarangi, and Mushtaq Ali on Sitar, and by Swapnil Kedare and Satish Ambekar as DoPs.
Practicing any creative art needs grit. This documentary amply demonstrates the grit and devotion towards classical music of the music guru Sh. Paresh Jana, as well as the DCP Roopali Ambure, who has the tenacity to do vocal riyaz daily to follow her passion of music and also go to the gym daily to stay fit for her job of a senior police officer.
After the screening of this documentary, Sh. Pankaj Udhas said that by making this documentary film the artists in it have done a great service to the society, because the classical music in the form of Raag Gaud Malhar would now reach the larger audiences who can now not only listen to the magic of this raag but would also be able to ‘see’ it!
