• Tours
• Events Calendar
• Education
  • Asian Music Centre
  • Summer Schools
  • Outreach
• Artists
• News and Comment
• Shop
• Membership
• Links
• Press Releases

The roots of Indian culture are deeply inspired by the Natural world, in which Man has lived from time immemorial, and continues to depend on today. Not only temples but Nature herself reflects Divinity. Millions bathe in holy rivers, worshipping their waters, and performing religious ceremonies with their consent. Eastern philosophical thought has always idolised Nature, gaining inspiration from the harmonious ways of her lifestyle, and accepting her as a guru, a teacher of life. One has only to look at the clear waters of a freely flowing stream, overcoming every barrier through the path of least resistance, to know the essence of the non-violent way. What could be a clearer expression of the beauty of humility than water, giving over its life and form, by assuming the shape of its container; and who could not gain inspiration from the fierce extrovert sun, humbly giving way to the monsoon cloud, as the sole protector of the Earth, seeking permission before returning to its duty ?

Man's deep bond with Nature is demonstrated by the mutual urge both share, to express their moods and emotions. Just as the violent rages of a thundering clouds are appeased by the downpours that follow, so the mind clouded by the worries of life, finds its expression in tears. Man has refined and perfected over the ages, the various expressive arts, only to allow expression to the finest subtleties of his feelings. The highly sophisticated raga-centred art of Indian Classical music, in particular, enables the fullest expression of the emotions. Indian Classical music is centred around the concept of "vistaar", meaning expansion, whereby the seed of an emotion is nurtured, and allowed to flower, not only partially, as in the release of a cry or a burst of laughter, but completely and wholistically. This is achieved through the note by note unfolding of a raga. Each note adds a new dimension to the mood already created by the musician, feeding his emotions, and allowing his feelings to blossom. By meditating on each and every note and phrase, characteristic to the raga, the musician strives to foster his own emotion from its very bud, through every stage of its development, until the emotion blooms in its fullness, only to whither naturally, and pass away with dignity and satisfaction.

Human feelings have always been closely linked to the moods and expressions of Nature, simply because all life depends entirely on the smooth workings of the Natural world. Take away the rains, and the greatest civilisation falls. Yet, when the heavens pour for days, Man fears his own fate. The expressions of Nature therefore, have come to instil various moods and emotions in people. To some, the rains bring life, to others, they bring the threat of death. To some, the coming of the hot season brings a feeling of relief from the cold, yet to others, it brings unbearable heat, a low harvest, and so forth.

Perhaps no other season is so rich in emotional diversity, as the Indian monsoon. From the arrival of the first monsoon showers, announced by the cry of the peacock, the birds begin their songs. The smells of the damp soils roam the air, and the Earth turns an immodest green. The trees full and green, become heavy with fruits and flowers, washed of all dirt, and the rivers become alive and abundant, washing away clean the filth of the Earth. The distinct silences before great rainstorms give a feeling of excitement, and the immeasurable peace following them leave a feeling of satisfaction and contentment, as though a great pent-up pressure had been released. For those whose livelihood depends on the rains, there is the feeling of relief, knowing that their food stocks for that year are assured. The mood of romance and joy fill the hearts of the animal world as the mating season arrives.

Ironically however, the monsoon season may also bring with it a completely different set of moods and emotions. Like the Hindu deity Shiva, the God of Creation as well as Destruction, every monsoon cloud brings with it not only the promise of life, but also, the threat of death. To some, the monsoon season brings the feeling of fear, perhaps of flooding. There is also a feeling of isolation, not only from the outside world, but also, inwardly, the desire to introspect and self-absorb. The feeling of longing, anticipation and anxiety, for those whose lives depend on the rain, and the feeling of disappointment, if the rains do not come. The monsoon also has a very terrifying side, and legends speak of rainstorms as representing the violent rages of Indra, the God of Rain. The menacing clouds represent his great prides, and the lightening bolts express his ferocious temper. Ragamala paintings sometimes depict the story of Krishna lifting the mountain of Govardhan over his people, protecting them from the torrents induced by Indra, through his anger.

While ragamala paintings depict various myths and legends associated with the monsoon, many are also directly related to the ragas themselves. It is believed that a sensitive musician or listener, when meditating on the notes of a raga, can have not only an insight into the "bhava" or emotions held within notes, but also, the colours associated with those notes. Therefore, for one who has experienced a raga in its physical form, that is, in colours, the depiction of a raga need not be restricted to music, but may be expressed in paintings. Similarly, poems are composed describing what, to the poet, is the essence of a raga. Poems often focus on the love between Krishna and his gopis, and bring out the various moods of the monsoon, through facets of their love affair. Monsoon clouds are often likened to Krishna, finally arriving to quench the thirst of his lovers. The dry lands symbolise the lover awaiting the arrival of the beloved, and so the arrival of the monsoon is symbolic for the uniting of lovers, while the anticipation of the rains symbolise the pangs of their separation. For many, this is also symbolic for Man's longing for God.

The sophisticated expression of the moods of the monsoon, in Indian classical music, have no doubt evolved from the unrefined expressions of the monsoon moods, existing in India's folk music tradition. Villagers sing to the rain Gods, begging them to come and shower their lands with rain, so that their crops may grow. Joyful songs celebrating the coming of the rains are sung, as well as songs of mourning, during times of drought, grieving Nature's dismissal of her children. The melodic movements of many such folk songs have formed the foundation of what has now become a repertoire of rainy season ragas. What India's classical music tradition has brought to these simple folk songs however, is the vast repertoire of techniques, enabling the fullest expression of the rains and the emotions that they bring with them.

Gentle showers inspire their imitations in the elegant glissandos of the monsoon ragas, while the rumbling clouds find their parallel in thundering "tans" (scale-runs), and "gamaks" (vocal shakes). The monsoon ragas are defined by various characteristics, all inspired by the personality of the rain. One is reminded of the slow and dignified meandering of a deep river yet not without its tensions when listening to the subtle weaving of the natural and flattened seventh or "Ni", a primary characteristic of the "Malhar" family of monsoon ragas. The "vakr" movements may reflect the rolling clouds through the broad and expansive phrases of Dhrupad , while the fine and fast "tans" of khyal are indicative of falling rain .The long glides or "meends" between notes are also characteristic of the rainy season ragas, and echo the elegant fluidity of water. However, just as water may be joyful and alive in a trickling mountain stream, but sorrowful and lifeless in a stale pond, so the same characteristic phrases of the monsoon ragas may be sombre or bright, depending on the particular raga in which they appear. For example, the natural second (Re) and the fifth (Pa) notes of raga Megh and Miya ki Malhar, two common monsoon ragas, have a strong relationship to each other, and typically form part of a single phrase. Yet, the feelings that arise from the two ragas, when the "Re" and "Pa" are played, are completely different. In raga Megh, the glide Re-Pa is typically followed by the descending glide Ma-Re, and has a brighter mood than the parallel phrase in Miya ki Malhar. In Miya ki Malhar, the glide Re-Pa tends to be deeper, more sombre, and is followed typically by the descending glide Ma-Ga (flat), before the descent back to "Re" in the phrase Ga-Ma-Re. The flattened third or "Ga" is played with a deeper undulation or "andolan", giving the phrase a distinct feeling of uncertainty, insecurity and dissatisfaction, unlike the direct and confident yet tender articulation of the notes of Megh.

While it is generally believed that the ragas are a vehicle for self-expression, the process of unfolding the notes and phrases of a raga are rather, an unfolding of the heart and soul of both the raga as well as the musician. The process of vistaar is an active dialogue between the raga and the musician, with the audience as witness. The raga reveals little of its own nature to a musician whose main concern is to express him or herself. However, to the musician who approaches a raga without a trace of the Self, it is the unfolding of the raga itself that is witnessed by both the audience as well as the musician. It is then, the musician who is the vehicle of expression, and not the raga. Great musicians of the past and the present have shown us, through their revelations of the monsoon ragas, that each note and phrase of these ragas captures a distinct flavour of the monsoon season. Not only that, but that each of the monsoon ragas hold within it, a distinct flavour of the monsoon.

Man has sought to be in such perfect tune with Nature that his own heart is consumed with its beauty, moods, and expressions. It is only when the gap between himself as an entity, and his world, ceases to exist, that the music of his own ego begins to fade, leaving only the essence or "rasa" of that which is. The true song of the monsoon.

top