Megh Malhar

Legend has it that when the great musician Tansen played Rag Megh Malhar, it used to bring rain and when he played Rag Deepak, lamps got lighted!

Rain is special in many ways; it supports life in the form of water. Monsoon has always been associated with romantic feelings. A splash of rain stirs the imagination of artists through the ages. Over the years, the magic of monsoon and its myriad colours have been depicted in India by poets, musicians and artists, epitomized by Kalidasa’s celebrated creation, Meghadutam. Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi, Odisha Sahitya Akademi and Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi jointly organized, on the 9^th, 10^th and 11^th August, 2012, Megh Utsav, a celebration of the monsoon through literature, painting, music and dance. It had 3 parts, viz. Recitation of poems & Literary Meet, Artists’ Camp and Music & Dance Festival. The wife and I had the good fortune of attending the Music & Dance Festival.

The events were organized with a lot of thoughtful planning. On all the 3 days, people who came to attend, were greeted at the entrance by two petite young ladies; one presented to each, a small garland of Rajanigandha, and the other applied a tika of sandalwood-paste on our foreheads. As we entered the well-planned auditorium with very good acoustics, flashes of light and a roaring sound, creating the effect of lightening and thunder, greeted us. The backdrop of the stage had pictures of rain, clouds and enchanting rainbow. As we took our seats, droplets of water fell on us, startling us a little. (This was repeated on the second and third days.) We soon realised that this was for creating a perfect atmosphere of monsoon. This complemented the torrential rain lashing the earth outside the hall. So, even before the actual programme began, we were overwhelmed, to say the least. These created a perfect mood to savour the festival.

The programme began with Odissi songs by Guru Ramahari Das. The lyrics, the singing and the accompanying instrumental music were heavenly. He started with a song from Kalidas’s Ritu Samhar and followed it up with songs by the legendary Odia poet Jaydev of Geet Govind fame, songs from Odia Bhagabat by the great poet Jagannath Das and songs by more recent lyricists. This was followed by presentations by Kolkata’s Pramita Mallick, a leading exponent of Rabindra Sangeet. She enthralled the audience by her melodious singing.The last presentations of that evening were by the internationally famed Hindustani classical singer Shubha Mudgal from Mumbai. She presented a repertoire of Thumri, Chaiti, Kajri and Dadra. The common thread that bound all the presentations, were the theme of monsoon, its romance, its pathos and even its devastations.

The second evening started with vocal presentations of Odissi Raganga, Chhanda and compositions of the 19^th Century Odia poet Upendra Bhanja by the well-known Odissi singer Guru Bijay Kumar Jena. This was followed by vocal presentations of Odissi songs, and Chhanda compositions of Gopalakrishna and Upendra Bhanja by the eminent singer Mohapatra Minati Bhanj.. We were simply enthralled by the divine music. The third item consisted of two Odissi dance numbers, Barsha Varnali (different shades of monsoon) and Barsha Abhisar (celebration of the arrival of monsoon), by artists from Odisha Dance Academy. Barsha Varnali depicted the cycle of rain. Like the first faltering steps by a child, rain arrives hesitantly. The rushing brook or the little stream does not know where she is going. After that she creates her own impulsive passage of flowing water. Barsha Abhisar depicted the arrival of the rains and the parched soil eagerly welcomes its arrival. The cooling drops of the first rain arouses myriad sensations in the mind. The last presentation was Bhojpuri Songs and Dance by Ajay Dubey and Group from Patna. The underlying theme was again celebration of monsoon.

The presentations on the concluding evening were Carnatic Music by T M Krishna from Chennai, contemporary dance ‘Saawan’ by Padatik Dance Centre, Kolkata and folk dance ‘Jhoomer’ by Sajan Bal Group from Mayurbhanj, Odisha. The joys and sorrows, the customs and daily rituals of the people featured in those songs and dance-numbers. All the presentations were superb and transported us to an ethereal world.

The whole programme was a delight to the soul. I had read somewhere that 'sound' is not to be confused with noise. The two are qualitatively different as are 'Prana' and mere air. Music is based on sound but all sound is not music. After enjoying the Megh Utsav, one felt like jumping out and getting drenched in pouring rain. :)))))))))))))))))))

The intoxication continued over me for days.

TAIL PIECE:

It never rains, it always pours!

It was Shakespeare who said, "If music be the food for love, give me more of it."
This evening, Indian Council For Cultural Relations is organising a Programme titled 'Malhar ke Rang .... Kalyan ke Sang' at Bhubaneswar. Wah... Wah!!!