Intoxicating and heady…..

I must warn you that the post and the clip included might just get you intoxicated.

This is in a beautiful late night raag. Malkauns (sometimes referred to as Malkosh as well) is meant to be sung immediately after midnight. According to the Legendary Pandit Jasraj ji, Malkauns is a raga that is “sung during small hours of the morning, just after midnight.” He always said that the raga has a soothing and intoxicating effect. One of oldest ragas of Indian classical music, it is equivalent to the raag in Carnatic music called Hindolam, not to be confused with the Hindustani Hindol, which is an entirely different raag. Malkauns is an audav-audav raag of the Bhairavi thaat, with Rishabh and Pancham left out of both Aaroha and Avaroha.

The name Malkaush is said to be derived from the combination of Mal and Kaushik, which means he who wears serpents like a garland– the God Shiv. However, the Malav-Kaushik mentioned in classical texts does not appear to be the same as the Malkauns raag we know today.

The raag is believed to have been created by Goddess Parvati to calm Lord Shiv, when he was outraged and refused to calm down after a Tandav after hearing of Sati’s sacrifice.

In Jainism, it is also stated that the Raga Malkauns is used by the Tirthankaras when they gave their Deshna (Lectures) in the Samavasarana (in the Ardhamāgadhi Language).

Malkauns comes to us from the Shaivite musical school; in fact most pentatonic ragas belong to this school.

I was reminded of this raag after hearing this amazing rendition by my favourite singer, and a great human, who found a beautiful way of sublimating his pain through music. A rare recording by the man who came from Rajasthan and has become immortal through his amazing ouevre, Jagjit Singh ji. https://youtu.be/TjejpcNB9-o

The verse is beautiful, even poignant, capturing the pain so beautifully.

इस दुनिया में अपना क्या है

इस दुनिया में अपना क्या है
कहने को सब कुछ अपना है

मुँह देखे की बातें है सब
किसने किसको याद किया है

तेरे साथ गयी वो रौनक
अब इस शहर में रखा क्या है

बात ना कर सूरत तो दिखा दे
तेरा इस में जाता क्या है

भूल भी जाओ बीती बातें
इन बातों में रखा क्या है

इस नगरी के कुछ लोगों ने
दुःख का नाम दवा रखा है

-नसीर काज़मी

I am touched by the beauty of the verse as much as I am enchanted by the beauty of the singing.

What better way to present a calming raag than on the flute? Although the raag was said to be created by Parvati to calm down an enraged Shiv, the instrument that comes in most handy for conveying this pacific, hypnotic mood is Krishna’s favourite instrument, the Baansuri. Who better to render this beautiful raag than Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia? No better artist born in my lifetime than he that touched the instrument. https://youtu.be/ivUt1A4kb58

Stay becalmed and at peace. Enjoy your Sunday and stay healthy. I will chill (pun intended) & return with a lungful of oxygen.

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