Somewhere before I had turned ten, I had learnt Asha-tai’s beautiful bhavgeet ‘Jivalagaa raahile re’. I had every sargam, murki and meend of hers pat down, and absolutely loved singing it. I knew early on that there was a mood to this melody unlike any other. Jivalagaa became my trump card and I brought many a trophy home from local music competitions on its strength and virtue.
Years later, when I formally learnt PuriyaDhanashree and repeated the pakad…P, md~P, mPmGmrG…I remarked wisely to my teacher–Oh, they made a raga out of that song!
Childhood innocence and foot-in-the-mouth remarks apart, PuriyaDhanashree places among the top five ragas that attracted me to Ragadari music in the first place. It truly embodies the definition of a raga (ranjayati it raagah. that which colors the mind is a raga) and is a perfect companion to watch the sun go down in the hills.
Puriya Dhanashree/ Addha Teental:
aali ri mora man har liino, shyamsundar banwaari
jabse dekhi madhuri moorat, bisarat naahi chhabi pyaari main vaari
आली री मोरा मन हर लीनो, श्यामसुन्दर बनवारी
जबसे देखी माधुरी मूरत, बिसरत नाही छबि प्यारी मैं वारी
(O friend, ever since I beheld the beautiful form of Shyam, he seems to have taken over my mind completely. I can’t think of anything else now!)
The colors were just right for this raga as I hiked down the Navajo loop from Sunset Point in Bryce Canyon recently. Hope you enjoy the ambience this evening, wherever you are!
(c) Srivani Jade, 2018. Audio/Video All Rights Reserved.