Malhar - THE SAVAAN SPECIAL

Malhar is an old raga in
Indian classical music . [1]
Malhar is associated with
the atmosphere of
torrential rains. [2] Besides
the basic Shuddha Malhar,
which was the original
Malhar, there are several
Malhar-related ragas that
use the Malhar signature
phrase m (m)R (m)R P,
including Miyan Malhar,
Ramdasi Malhar, Gaud
Malhar, Sur Malhar, Des
Malhar, Nat Malhar, and
Meera ki Malhar.
Legend
According to the legend,
Malhar is so powerful that
when sung, rain falls from
the sky.
There are many written
accounts of Raga Malhar.
Many great artists of
medieval period and much
earlier period used to sing
this raga. Tansen , Baiju
Bawra, Baba Ramdas,
Nayak Charju, Miyan
Bakhshu, Tantarang,
Tanras Khan, Bilas Khan
(son of Tansen), Hammer
Sen, Surat Sen, and Meera
are among the singers who
are said to have been
capable of starting rains
using various kinds of Raga
Malhar.
According to a legend, once
the Mughal emperor Akbar
asked his court musician
Tansen to sing Raga
Deepak, the raga of fire.
The effect was such that all
the lamps in the courtyard
lit up themselves, and
Tansen's body became so
hot that he had to sit in the
nearby river to cool
himself. However, the river
began to boil, and it
became apparent that
Tansen would soon boil to
death. He set out on a
search to find someone
who could sing Raga
Malhar to cure him. In due
course he reached
Vadnagar, in Gujarat,
where he found two sisters,
Tana and Riri , whom he
asked for help. They agreed
to sing Raga Malhar to cure
him. When they sang the
Raga, rains came down in
torrents, which cooled
Tansen's body immediately.

THE SAVAAN SPECIAL