Pt. Bhimsen Joshi

A few days back, the world of Hindustani classical music lost a giant pillar by the passing away of 89 year old Bharatratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. Although there are many sources where one can learn about Pt. Joshi, I'd like to mention my personal relation with his music. His soulful Marathi abhangas on Vitthala or Sant Jnaneshwar have been my source of bhakti rasa for a long time. On hearing the sad news of Pt. Joshi, I got lost in his melodious voice where he still lives on and perhaps always will. Pt. Joshi's singing spreads across several languages and one can delve into one's own spirituality be it through his bhajans or alaps. Some of his noted performances are Jo bhaje Hari ko sada, Jaya Jagadeeshwari Mata Saraswati, Sun bhai sadho dohes of Sant Kabir in Hindi and Pandharicha vasa Chandrabhagya snana, Tirtha Vitthala Kshetra Vitthala, Arambhi Vandina Ayodhyecha Raja, Dnyaniyancha Raja in Marathi.

In the past couple of days, I also came across his bhajans and awesome rendition of Dasara bhaktigeete in Kannada. Some of these are Bhagyadalakshmi baramma, Deva banda namma, Sada yenna hridayadalli vasa mado Shri Hari and Kailasa vasa Gaurisha Isha. I'm trying to dearly hold on to the spiritual depth that the last two have taken me to. When Pt. Joshi sings Sada enna hridayadalli, it feels as if my heart cries out to Hari to reside within and with Kailasavasa, the dvaita bhakti rasa itself results in advaita bhakti for me! The lyrics to the last two bhaktigeete are below.


sadA enna hRRidayadalli
sadA enna hRRidayadalli vAsamADo shrI hari
nAdamurti ninna pAda mOdadinda bhajisuvE
 
j~nAnavembo navaratnada maNTapada madhyadalli
veNulOlane kuLLirisi dhyAnadinda bhajisuvE
 
bhakti rasavembo muddu mANikyada harivANadi
muktanAga bEku endu muttinArati ettuvE
 
ninna nAnu biDuvanalla enna nInu bidalusallA
ghanna mahima vijayaviThala ninna bhakutara keLusolla
(ghanna muruti vijayaviThala keLo ninna bhakutara solla)

kailAsavAsa gaurIsha Isha

kailAsavAsa gaurIsha Isha
tailadhAreyante manasu koDo hariyalli shambhO

ahorAtriyali nAnu anujarAgraNiyAgi
mahiyoLage carisidenO mahAdEvanE
ahibhUShaNane enna avaguNagaLa eNisadale
vihita dharmadi viShNu bhakutiyanu koDo shambhO

manasu kAraNavalla pApapuNyakkella
analAkSha ninna preraNe illade
danuja gajamada hAri danDa praNAmamAlpe
maNisO I shirava sajjana caraNa kamaladali

bhAgIrathIdharane bhayava pariharisayyA
lEsAgi nI salahO santata sarvadevA
bhAgavatajana priya vijaya viThalananghri
jAgu mADade bhajipa bhAgyavanu koDo shambhO

The simplicity of this great man reflects in his interview: Pt.Bhimsen Joshi in conversation, a master who taught his students to develop their own style instead of imitating him or anyone else. Although an era ends with passing away of Bharatratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, he is sure to live on in his legendary voice for eras to come.

Justuju jiski thhi

While going through some old backed up data, I found the song Justuju jiski thhi from Umrao Jaan. I don't remember having heard this song at all earlier, but I liked it so much as to listen to it over and over again. For some reason, I feel this song also talks of my wasted life in the past 2-3 years. There's a difference in how I listen to songs versus the way others do, perhaps, wherein I see the philosophical depth of the song even where it doesn't belong. Bilgi, a friend of mine, once said that he listens even the love songs as if they were dedicated to Sai! This is akin to the Sufi culture where the Lord is perceived as the beloved.

Justuju jiski thhi usko toh na paayaa humne
Is bahaane se magar dekh li duniyaa humne
Justuju jiski thhi...
Tujhko rusvaa na kiyaa khud bhi pashemaan hue
Ishq ki rasm ko is taraah nibhaayaa humne
Justuju jiski thhi...
Kab mili thhi kahaan bichdi thhi hume yaad nahi
Zindagi tujhko toh bas khwaab mein dekhaa humne
Justuju jiski thhi...
Ae adaa aur sunaaye bhi toh kyaa haal apnaa
Umra kaa lambaa safar tay kiyaa tanhaa humne
Justuju jiski thhi...

Strange and contradictory as it may seem to the above song, I also came across another song that stands for the ray of hope for each and every individual on his journey. I came across this song, Woh subah kabhi toh ayegi, first in the movie Sangharsh (where the villain sings it) and didn't know that it originally belongs to Phir Subah Hogi. The song goes as:

Woh subah kabhi toh aayegi
Woh subah kabhi toh aayegi
In kaali sadiyon ke sar se
Jab raat ka aanchal dhalkegaa
Jab dukh ke baadal pighlenge
Jab sukh ka saagar chalkegaa
Jab ambar jhuumke naachegaa
Jab dharti nagme gaayegi
Woh subah kabhi toh aayegi
Woh subah kabhi toh aayegi

Jis subah ki khaatir jug jug se
Hum sab mar markar jeete hai
Jis subah ke amrit ki dhun mein
Hum jeher ke pyaale peete hai
In bhuuki pyaasi ruuhon par
Ek din toh karam farmaaegi
Woh subah kabhi toh aayegi
Woh subah kabhi toh aayegi

Maana ke abhi tere mere
Armaano ki keemat kuch bhi nahi
Mitti kaa bhi hai kuch mol magar
Insaano ki keemat kuch bhi nahi
Insaano ki izzat jab jhuute
Sikko mein na toli jaayegi
Woh subah kabhi toh ayegi
Woh subah kabhi toh ayegi

guru AgyA

Here's one of Pandit Jasraj's renderings that I liked: guru AgyA.
Raga: Sindh Bhairavi

guru AgyA mein nisa dina rahiye
guru AgyA mein nisa dina rahiye
jo guru cAhe jo guru cAhe so hi so hi kariye
guru AgyA mein nisa dina rahiye...

guru ki mahimA aparamapAra
akshara om mein karata vihAra
guru caranana vraja mastaka dhariye
bhavasAgara hasa-hasake tariye
guru AgyA mein nisa dina rahiye...

Shauk hai

Some months back, I think way back in Jan, Smita-di had sent me a song. I'd heard it back then once and I didn't particularly give attention to the lyrics. Or maybe the mood was quite different to notice those lyrics. However, while backing up some data off the laptop today, I came across this song. And I think I heard it some 6 times back to back already! So here's thanking di for the song yet again. AFAIK, the song is from the movie Guru, try it some time.

raat kaa shauk hai
raat ki saundhi si
khamoshi kaa shauk hai
O shauk hai O shauk hai
subah ki roshani
bejubaan subah ki O gungunaati
roshani kaa shauk hai
O shauk hai O shauk hai
sansani naavalon kaa
ishq ke baavalon kaa
sansani naavalon ishq ke baavalon
barf se khelte
baadalon kaa shauk hai
kaash ye zindagi khel hi khel mein kho gayi hoti
raat kaa shauk hai
O shauk hai O shauk hai

neend ki goliyon kaa
khwaab ki loriyon kaa
neend ki goliyan khaab ki loriyan
bejubaan O uski
boliyon kaa shauk hai
kaash ye zindagi bin kahe bin sune so gayi hoti
subah ki roshani bejubaan subah ki O gungunaati
roshni kaa shauk hai
O shauk hai O shauk hai

Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi

For a while now, I've been staying indoors and trying to do nothing much at all that I intended to do. Instead I'm even taking a break from this journey that hasn't begun yet! In this break, I intend to continue as long as I can set a discipline of putting the entire past behind me and begin a new schedule of things. This plan is going to be untied to any of the plans anyone made. Getting back to the break... I've been watching a lot of movies, those that I had in a bunch of DVDs that I carried while wandering in the over past two wasted years and those that I collected during the time from various sources. These make up the reruns. Add to that the new ones that I find every few days. Anyways, today I reran Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, a movie that left a mixed impression on me the first time I saw it. Other than known reasons for which the movie received critical acclaim, that I liked as well, I hated it for the unnecessary carnal relations painted onto the character of the female lead. Today too, it left back a similar feeling. But apart from that a new thing came to my mind: most of the lives are screwed up by circumstances and wrong decisions that one regrets in life, having no way of going back. Thats the saddest part for some. For others, like me, for example, the saddest part is that they don't regret the past, but a future that is bleak based on a wasted present! In their hands lies the future, but they can't work on it due to circumstances that they are tied to, bound by and responsible for, themselves! So what are they to do then? I wish I'd answers. Some I know feel that I do have all the answers. Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Till I find and act on my own answers, here's a lovely song Bawra mann from the movie... (I just read this while publishing and I realize that I sounded like an RJ there) :)


Bawra Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna
Bawra Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna

Bawre Se Mann Ki Dekho Bawri Hain Baatein
Bawre Se Mann Ki Dekho Bawri Hain Baatein
Bawri Si Dhadkaane Hain, Bawri Hain Saansen
Bawri Si Karwaton Se, Nindiya Door Bhaage
Bawre Se Nain Chaahe, Bawre Jharokhon Se, Bawre Nazaron Ko Takna
Bawra Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna

Bawre Se Is Jahan Main Bawra Ek Saath Ho
Is Sayani Bheed Main Bas Haathon Mein Tera Haath Ho
Bawri Si Dhun Ho Koi, Bawra Ek Raag Ho
O, Bawri Si Dhun Ho Koi, Bawra Ek Raag Ho
Bawre Se Pair Chahen, Bawre Tarano Ke, Bawre Se Bol Pe Thirakna
Bawra Mann, Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna

Bawra Sa Ho Andhera, Bawri Khamoshiyan
Bawra Sa Ho Andhera, Bawri Khamoshiyan
Thartharati Lo Ho Maddham, Bawri Madhoshiyan
Bawra Ek Ghoonghta Chahe, Haule Haule Bin Bataye, Bawre Se Mukhde Se Sarakana
Bawra Mann, Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna