MONSOON RAGAS

Nature and music have always carried a deep connection with humanity.

- Hema Rajaraman

From the song of the koel to the whistling of the winds, the lashing of the waves to the gurgling of a spring, the rustling of the leaves to the pitter-patter of rains - every sound in nature has its unique rhythm. Likewise, the changing colors of the sky, the dazzling sunrises, the dazzling sunsets, and the dark monsoon clouds bring along with them, their own special moods and emotions. These sounds and colors along with the changing seasons have inspired innumerable music composers and poets to pour out their hearts and souls into brilliant compositions. The eagerly awaited monsoon showers, after the scorching heat of summer, have been a recurring theme for romance and celebration.

Our ancient Vedic culture believed in the propitiation of the Rain Gods to bring life to the parched plains of India. The Parjanya Sukta and the Aap sukta (Rig Veda) and the Varuna Sukta (Yajur Veda) were chanted in rhythmic rhetoric meters, set to specific musical notes to bring in the annual onset of rains.

Somewhere, along the way, these musical notes paved the way for a new trend of Monsoon Ragas in the Classical music system of India. Musical composers of ancient India believed that specific notes sung in certain phrases would herald the dark clouds and bring down the showers. The onslaught of the rainy season has inspired a family of at least 36 ragas, classified as Raag Malhaar. Malhar is derived from the Sanskrit words ‘mal’ and ‘haar’ (remover of impurity).