Present moment
awareness is a deep form of relaxation to our body and mind. When the mind is
not fogged by thoughts of the past or the future, our whole being is 100%
involved in the current state and that keeps our inner self fresh. The practice
of music and dance is a state of complete awareness yet complete relaxation
making it a meditative experience. When we let go of our
inhibitions and dance for pure joy, we take our art to a level beyond that
imparted by our training. The pure uninhibited joy transcends the boundaries of
technical finesse and refined beauty making our art and our dance a divine
experience for both ourselves and anyone who is watching us.
Sound or vibration began
with the cosmic dance of Nataraja, making spirituality the seed encompassed
within the flesh of music and dance. It
is the essence of the poetry and music of Meerabai, Surdas, Amir Khusro,
Dyaneshwar, Bindadeen Maharaj and every other great poet of India who ensured
that the space between their poetic lines in infused with the soul of bhakti,
liberation and moksha. The Gods in the Indian pantheon are associated with
various musical instruments- Shiv with the Damru and Rudraveena , Ganesh with the
Mridang, Saraswati with the Veena, Sage Narada with the Thambura, Vishnu with
the Shankh and Krishna with the Bansuri, symbolizing that the pursuit of music takes
us closer to the divine.
Using a purely Newtonian description, when the
frame of reference or axis for movement becomes our body and not the Earth, the
movement becomes still with respect to the Earth. This is meditation-in-motion, which has been practiced by the swirling
dervishes of Turkey, the ghoomars of Rajasthan, dindi folk of Maharashtra and
recently part of the popular sufi repertoire of Kathak. There is also great
similarity between a number of yogic postures and the poses struck in Indian
classical dances, which is the reason why the practice of dance can be
transformative. Using the control of
breath while dancing makes riyaaz one
of great healing; for example, 20 minutes of kathak tatkaar with breath control
is an excellent cardio exercise while also being a meditative experience. Thus, music and dance is considered a sadhana, one with the capability to
transcend barriers of race and religion. The thread of spirituality connects all Indian arts into one unified
whole, bringing out the sadhak within...
The meaning is: Salutations to Gopala Who is adorned with the Sacred Marks of Kasturi (Musk) on His Forehead and Kaustubha Jewel on His Chest, His Nose is decorated with a Shining Pearl, the Palms of His Hands are gently holding a Flute, the Hands themselves are beautifully decorated with Bracelets, His Whole Body is Smeared with Sandal Paste, as if Playfully anointed, and His Neck is decorated with a Necklace of Pearls, Surrounded by the Cowherd Women, Gopala is Shining in their middle in Celebration like the centre Jewel on a crown. Gopala gave Mukti (salvation) to the Gopis (lady-cowherds) who followed him. The last line shows the contrast that while the lord is supremely ornamented, he is also the supreme ornament.
This piece of sanskrit poetry is written by Bilvamangala Thakura or Leelasukha (one who took joy in describing Leelas of Lord Krishna) who is fabled to have lived for 700 years in Vrindavan in he 13th-14th century and is credited with composing the Sri Krishna Karnamrutam, from which this poetry is taken. Originally from Kerala, his journey to Vrindavan is described in the notes below. It is possible ha a number of other composers, who may have been his discipleswrote in his name, over this period very similar to how a number of poets used to write under the pen name of Kabir. Kasturi Tilakam is popularly seen in music and dance even today. You can hear the legendary Pt Jasraj sing a celebratory version of this below:
About LeelaSukha:
"A great Vaisnava sannyasi named Bilvamangala Thakura, who is also known as Lilasuka. He intensely desired to enter into the eternal pastimes of the Lord, and he lived at Vrndavana for seven hundred years in the vicinity of Brahma-kunda, a still-existing bathing tank in Vrndavana. The history of Bilvamangala Thakura is given in a book called Sri Vallabha-digvijaya. He appeared in the eighth century of the Saka Era in the province of Dravida and was the chief disciple of Visnusvami. In a list of temples and monasteries kept in Sankaracarya's monastery in Dvaraka, Bilvamangala is mentioned as the founder of the Dvarakadhisa temple there. He entrusted the service of his Deity to Hari Brahmacari, a disciple of Vallabha Bhatta.
Bilvamangala Thakura actually entered into the transcendental pastimes of Lord Krsna. He has recorded his transcendental experiences and appreciation in the book known as Krsna-karnamrta. In the beginning of that book he has offered his obeisances to his different gurus, and it is to be noted that he has adored them all equally. The first spiritual master mentioned is Cintamani, who was one of his instructing spiritual masters because she first showed him the spiritual path. Cintamani was a prostitute with whom Bilvamangala was intimate earlier in his life. She gave him the inspiration to begin on the path of devotional service, and because she convinced him to give up material existence to try for perfection by loving Krsna, he has first offered his respects to her. Next he offers his respects to his initiating spiritual master, Somagiri, and then to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who was also his instructing spiritual master. He explicitly mentions Bhagavan, who has peacock feathers on His crown, because the Lord of Vrndavana, Krsna the cowherd boy, used to come to Bilvamangala to talk with him and supply him with milk. In his adoration of Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, he describes that Jayasri, the goddess of fortune, Srimati Radharani, takes shelter in the shade of His lotus feet to enjoy the transcendental rasa of nuptial love. The complete treatise Krsna-karnamrta is dedicated to the transcendental pastimes of Sri Krsna and Srimati Radharani. It is a book to be read and understood by the most elevated devotees of Sri Krsna."
"When Bilvamangala Thakura was going to Vrndavana, he was still attracted to women. One night he stayed at the house of a very rich merchant, and the merchant's wife told her husband that Bilvamangala Thakura was attracted to her. She asked her husband what to do, and the merchant simply said, "Serve him." Finally Bilvamangala Thakura came to his senses, and he thought, "These eyes are my enemies." When the beautiful woman approached him, Bilvamangala Thakura said, "Mother, please give me the pins out of your hair. I am very mad after the beauty of women. So let me pluck out my eyes." In this way, he blinded himself. Although he could not see, in Vrndavana he was supplied milk by Krsna Himself. Thus he personally realized Krsna through bhakti and wrote of his personal experience. He wrote, "Mukti is not a very important thing. She is always at my service with folded hands, saying, 'My dear sir, what can I do for you?' " Thus a devotee is not very anxious for mukti because he is already liberated. If a man has a million dollars, why should he hanker after ten rupees?" (from http://www.harekrsna.com/)
The Mughal period in India lead to confluences between the prominent culture in the Indian subcontinent at that time and the incoming influence of the persian culture. This is seen in the development of Hindustani Music as well as Kathak, both of which became more detailed and appealing as a result of this confluence. Though it surprised me initially to hear Urdu words in very traditionally sung Khyals, I understand now that a number of composers seemlessly blended persian, arabic, sanskrit and other langages of the indo-aryan palate. The hindavi-urdu blend leading to the hindustani language is a beautiful outcome of a beneficial cross-cultural confluence.
Sharing a new take on one such traditional Khyal in Raag Bhimpalasi 'ja ja re apne mandirwa' (जा जा रे अपने मंदिरवा), rendered by Nirali Kartik, Amit Mishra and Shankar Tucker
About the composer Sadarang :
Niyamat Khan (pen name - Sadarang) and Firoz Khan (pen name - Adarang) are considered the pioneers of Khayal form of Hindustani music. They not only composed hundreds of khayal bandish-es still in use today, they are also credited with formulating the structure of khayal and getting royal patronage for it, establishing it firmly as a form of Hindustani music. They are probably the most famous names in the history of Hindustani music, after Amir Khusro and Tansen.Niyamat Khan (1670-1748) and his nephew Firoz Khan, were originally from Gwalior. They were Dhrupad Beenkars (i.e. played Veena) and vocalists. Their fame took them to the court of music loving Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah Rangile (ruled 1719-1748). When serving in his court they developed leasurely form of Dhrupad that was named Khayal for its leisely, wishful mood. Many of the compositions are in praise of the emperor, Mohammed Shah (like Tu Hai Muhammad Shah - Raag Suha).Sadarang and Adarang, with their disciples and followers established the kawal gharana specializing in khayal form of singing. With the fall of Muhammad Shah Rangile and disintegration of Mughal empire, disciples and discendants of Sadarang and Adarang spread out to royal courts in various parts of India - Agra, Jaiput, Gwalior, Lucknow, Benaras, Rampur etc and evolved the various gharanas of Khayal that we recognize today.Musicologists warn that not all compositions with pen names Sadarang or Adarang can be definitely attributed to these composers. It is possible that many a later composer, used the same pen name to enhance the standing of the composition (from http://www.musicalnirvana.com)
A Circle Has No Beginning... The oriental concept of time is cyclical unlike the occidental belief in the linearity of time.In a cultural sense, in the Indian subcontinent, there is a need for reference to history in order to understand the current time reference. The modern western mind views time as linear with a beginning and end (Concepts in Time ,Jeff A. Benner).
The linearity of Time
Our concept of time being cyclical, it means that the beginning is also the end as reflected in the spiritual belief in human reincarnation. Death is but the beginning of the souls return to the next life. Looking at it from a scientific perspective, both space and time exist as circles. Throughout the universe there are an infinite number of circles, some small and some large. The most obvious of these extremes are the orbits of atoms and solar systems. The repeating intervals of time, whether seconds or billions of years can also be represented by a circle.
Time and space cycles
The spiritual, scientific and social beliefs held by a culture are reflected in the music and the philosophy of music developed in the culture . In western classical music, there is a beginning and end to musical compositions and the body of the music marks the progression from start to end. In Indian classical music, there is an underlying rhythmic time keeping on which is superimposed the start and end of a composition. This time-cycle is known as the Lehera or the Nagma, which is described by a certain sequence of musical notes.
An example of a 11 beat time cycle called 'Asthamangal' in numbers, tabla bols or rhythmic syllables and accompanying notes
Dhi Na |Dhi Dhi
Na | Dhi Dhi
Na |Tuna
Kata Tirakita | Dhi
1 2 |3 4 5 |
6 7
8 |9 10 11 | 1
Sa Ga |Sa Re Ga | SaRe Ga |SaRe ReGa GaMa | Sa
The most well known taal-cycle or time-cycle is of course the Teentaal or 16 beat time cycle, which you can listen below
Listening to the Lehera is a very mediative experience for me. Just as each wave hits the shore, to recede again, the sam or the first beat of the taal-cycle makes us feel that we are once more at the beginning. I feel as though the sam is a safe haven, akin to a home where we have safely reached. Listening to the Lehera and doing Tatkaar is an experience that can take us within ourselves and make us one with time and space. For a kathak dancer, becoming one with the Nagma is the first step towards understanding rhythm....
"Nothing spurs the creative mind more than a tragedy
that breaks the heart..." - Raheel Shah, Writer
It
is often said that great pain leads to great beauty in the expression of an
artist. Begum Akhtar, The Mallika-e-Ghazal of India is am embodiment of this
thought. Though trained in
classical music by the greatest exponents, she chose ghazal, thumri, daadra and
light classical for her expression, because these forms gave her the
opportunity to explore the poetry and the words and convey emotions. Her
training and inner empathy elevated her ghazal singing to the level of high art
at par with classical concerts. Besides the renowned poets, the lesser known
poets became famous when she chose their ghazal to sing.She gave joy to millions of
listeners of many generations, including doyens like Mehdi Hasan, Talat
Mahmood, Madan Mohan, Pt. Jasraj and Pt. Ravi Shankar, Begum Akhtar’s own life
seems to be full of sorrow, pain, abusive relationships, betrayal by people she
loved and a deep melancholy. Her voice had an
unmatched pathos, and her perfect enunciation of chaste Urdu poetry made her a
role model. In fact, even Hindustani classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj says he
decided to become a singer as a six-year-old only after hearing her sing
“Deewana banana hai toh” on a gramophone at a tea shop.
The ghazal "Mere hamnafas mere humnawaan mere dost banke dagaa na de " , which is popular even today, may be reflective of her marriage in 1945
to a reputed Barrister of Lucknow, Ishtiaq Ahmed Abbasi, Nawab of Kakoli. Though, this transformed her from Akhtaribai to Begum Akhtar, it came at a great price
to her. Whether it was on her own volition to lead a life of quiet domesticity,
or demanded by the barrister, or implicitly expected by his aristocratic
family, her singing career stopped completely. In five years, she felt stifled
and suffered serious bouts of depression. Doctors convinced the family that
only music could cure her. When she returned to AIR for a recording she could
not hold back her tears.
Music remained in
her life till her very end, even when she was in poor health. The lonely Ghazal queen had a third heart attack while in concert in Ahmedabad in Oct 1974 and passed away a few days later. Born on Oct 7 1914, this is her centennial year.
Leaving you with my favourite Begum Thumri -"Hamari Atariya Pe ...
Prem Ki Bhiksha Maange Bhikaran, Laaj Hamari Rakhiyo Saajan, Aao Sajan Tum Hamare Dware saara jhagada khatam hui jaave"...a thumri in Raag Bhairavi that takes us into the sufi realm....
I am a mixed breed half-telugu half-tamil, second generation south indian born and brought up in Mumbai, making my psyche a bhelpuri of many cultures. As a by product of this lingual confusion-funcusion the language I think in is English mixed with a bunch of other languages, which is what I use to understand many compositions and texts.
The first time I wanted to sing Bhaja Govindam I had to use a transliteration as I had never really learnt sanskrit. At the same time I had to be given a translation to understand exactly what I am singing about. Funnily, I had heard the song so many times, I knew it by rote, just like so many other songs, but didnt really understand fully what it meant. The translation made me fonder of the composition and made me want to learn sanskrit. I realized that while understanding a composition makes it beautiful for you, knowing the language it was composed in takes you to a different level.
This happened again when i was exposed to Ravindranath Tagores compositions. Beautiful sounding lyrics and Music scores, when i understood the meaning I fell in love with the compositions. I felt I should learn Bengali to be able to grasp the soul of these compositions better.
And thus I think is the journey of wanting to learn a language ...in todays times I think translations and transliterations really bring us closer to languages and give us that first taste, which may later make us an addict for the language itself...
I tried to bring these thoughts together is a sculpture of mine , a table book, where i touch upon transliteration..Lost in Transliteration orLost, in Transliteration ?
Last year, when Guru Sri Sri Ravishankar graced Mumbai with a much awaited visit, I had gone for a Maha Satsang organized by the Art of Living Foundation at Thane. It was conducted in a stadium, and I had a birds eye view of the entire stadium from where I was sitting.
As the satsang progressed, everyone became more and more joyous with each passing moment and suddenly I found myself surrounded by some 10000 odd people all of whom were dancing away with complete joy, enthusiasm and abandon. It was a moment I will never forget, as all I could do then was stop dancing and look at thousands of people around me all dancing away abandoning all their inhibitions. The joy that was on their faces made their dance beautiful to watch, even though it did not fall into the generally perceived norms of beauty in dance. It did not matter to them who was watching and how they were dancing, because it was an expression of great happiness...
Art has the ability convert great pain into an object of great beauty. When we let go of our inhibitions and dance for pure joy, we take our art to a level beyond that imparted by our training. The pure uninhibited joy transcends the boundaries of technical finesse and refined beauty making our art and our dance a divine experience for both ourselves and anyone who is watching us.
