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Cracked Open - The Nats! (Page 1/2) By- Rajan P. Parrikar Rajan P. Parrikar is a recognized expert on Indian Classical music and shares his knowledge freely with those interested in the subject. He has written a series of articles on Classical Indian Music some of which have been archived on Sawf. Click here to read Rajan's earlier articles.

Rajan P. Parrikar at the Hoover Dam, Arizona (1989)

Namashkar.

The saga of Raga continues. The primary focus in this series of features has been on the structure and contemporary practice of rAgas. Their fons et origo, the associated lore and legend, insofar as we can say something with any degree of certainty - and there's not a great deal we can say with a high degree of certainty in matters of Indian history - lie outside the ambit of our present discussions. The ladies at Sawf invite you to join them this week on a safari to those regions of the Hindustani space inhabited by "The Nats." Expect a smooth ride but in the event we run into any unforeseen turbulence we ask that you hold on to your, er, Nats.

Raganga Nat

Raga Nat - pronounced "naT" - is an old melody and sometimes also goes by "nAT"; the latter denomination bears no resemblance to its Carnatic namesake. A stand-alone display of the rAga is very rare nowadays. Instead, Nat is singular for its unabashed promiscuity, for its numerous, across the board liaisons. Its musical behaviour has been consolidated into a Raganga which serves as source material for synthesis of newer, usually hybrid, rAgas.

Throughout the causerie M=shuddha and m=teevra madhyam.

Nat is an M-centric rAga; the rishab and pancham are also strong in their nyAsa bahutva role. The crucial clusters belong to the poorvAnga region:

S, S R, R G, G M..., M P..., S (G)R, R G M P, G G M, P

S G (R)G M, M, M P, P M, G M R S

The uttarAnga is less busy, the highlight being the frequent P-S"-P interval put to good effect. The shuddha nishAd is typically rendered durbal (weak) whereas the komal nishAd is admitted occasionally via S" D n P. A sample uttarAnga chalan is:

PDPP S", S" P, P S", S" R" S"S" (N)D P M

That, in a 'Natshell,' is the basic topology of the Raganga. Mallikarjun Mansur surveys the Nat terrain in this tonal briefing: bairana nanandiyA -

<-- Mohammad Rafi

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/mansur_nat.ram

With this propaedeutic behind us we are now enabled to investigate l'amours de Nat.

Raga Chhayanat

Few rAgas in the Hindustani community measure up to Chhayanat in popularity. The union of its two constituents - Chhaya and Nat - is so good as to leave virtually no trace of any suture.

Chhaya, like Nat, rarely strikes out on its own. There is some overlap with Nat and although differences of opinion prevail on the details, there's a meeting of minds that the meeND-laden swoop P->R is Chhaya's signpost. The curvature of this P->R trajectory is subject to variation. It must be underscored that that ucchAraNa here is distinct from the Kalyanic P-R. Some other features set Chhaya apart from Nat: de-emphasis of the madhyam and rishab, shades of Bilawal and Bihag and so on. These ideas are succinctly developed by Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" in a didactic monologue recorded during the course of a telephone conversation last week. He concludes by reciting an old composition in Chhaya -

Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" in Goa -->

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/jha_chhayaspeak.ram

The bandish in the foregoing clip, bendiyA gira jAyagi, is credited to Ramzan Khan "Rangile" of Sikandarabad. 'Aftab-e-Mausiqui' Faiyyaz Khan was born into the Rangile tradition and although he came into his own later under the auspices of Agra, his samskArAs are said to have been derived from the Rangile clan. This Rangile is not to be confused with Mohammad Shah "Rangile" who was contemporaneous with Sadarang.

Chhayanat's poorvAnga is assembled from Nat, leading to a dominant rishab and madhyam. R is the lifeblood of Chhayanat, its treatment vital to the realization of the rAga's swaroopa. The tug on R with a kaN of G, the repose following the Chhaya-esque swoop P->R - all these advance the rishab's credentials. Several forays are either initiated from or conclude on that swara.

Although the pancham is strong it lives in the shadow of R and M. The uttarAnga is typically launched from the pancham as in PDPP S" or PP S". Some few take to P N S" or even D S". The illumination of the dhaivat - R G M D, D, P - adds a piquant effect. The gandhAr, although necessary, is relatively low key; the shuddha nishAd gets to eat the humble pie. A soupcon of teevra madhyam registers but that swara is not essential: m has no independent existence and is chained to the pancham through kaNs or quick trills such as PDmP or PmP or RGMDmP. Finally, there remains the case of the komal nishAd. In Arohi passages, it shows up in R G M n D P and in avarohi through D n P.

A precis of the foregoing discussion is presented in notation:

S, RGMP, P-->R, RG, GM, M R, S

S, D' n' P', P' S, N' S (G)R, R G M D, D P

P-->R G M R S, S R, R G, R G M n D P, PDPP S"

S" (N)R" S", D P M, G M n D P-->R, R G, G M R S

S S M G P, DNS", S" D P-->R, GMP G M R S

At various points in Chhayanat there obtain AvirbhAvas of rAgas such as Kedar (P M), Kamod (G M P G M R S), Hameer (R G M D, P) and Bilawal (S" D n P).

Coming up, some choice cuts of Chhayanat. Arrayed in the flotilla are almost all the traditional Khayal compositions and their elaboration by the masters. Although it boasts a high and refined musical stature, Chhayanat is no caviar to the general. The lay Indian listener is well-acquainted with its genius loci for the elementals of Nat are pervasive in the musical memory of India. The first few exhibits are drawn from the popular sphere where the rAga-swaroopa may not present itself in full flower. Nevertheless, there are compelling vista points en route. From ZIDDI (1948) comes this gem by Lata Mangeshkar, for composer Khemchand Prakash: chandA re jA re jA re -

Lata Mangeshkar and Madan Mohan

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/ziddi.ram

S.D. Burman's baton directs Mohammad Rafi to some Nat phrases in this classic from KALA PANI (1958): hum bekHudi meN -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/kalapani.ram

S.D. Burman again, in this stylish number from TALAASH (1969), delivered by Manna Dey: tere nainA talAsh kara -

Lata Mangeshkar and Sachin Dev Burman -->

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/talash.ram

Madan Mohan was peerless in wrapping tune around verse as witness this beautiful creation from JAHAN ARA (1964) delivered by Mohammad Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur. The mukhDA is textbook Chhayanat: bAd muddat ke yeh ghaDi Ayi -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/jahanara.ram

Over three decades later we find Madam Mohan re-cycled by composer Rajesh Roshan (he first did so in LOOTMAAR but nobody noticed) in PAPA KEHTE HAIN (1996). Sonu Nigam: mujhse nArAz ho to -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/papakehtehain.ram

A very subtle flavour of Nat comes to us from Khandwa's Pandit Kishore Kumar. Panditji's interpretation retains the appropriate ingredients of Nat although you may have to look long and hard for them to register. In BOMBAY TO GOA (1972) set to R.D. Burman's music, Panditji coos with Lata Mangeshkar: tum meri zingadi meN -

<-- Prof. Kishore Kumar explains the subtleties of Raganga Nat

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/bombaytogoa.ram

The classical parade opens with a zesty Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" hitting his stride in this superb mehfil recording. Both are traditional compositions and come in for unalloyed praise from Jha-sahab. The vilambit kHayAl, Eri ab gundalA'o, and the druta, jhanana jhanana, are definitive Chhayanat, the latter a celebrated creation of Sahaswan's Inayat Hussain Khan. Ramrang -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/jha_chhayanat.ram

D.V. Paluskar's engaging rendition presses the canonical Nat bandish, E karata ho mose nehA ki jhoothi batiyAN, into Chhayanat's service (thus in a manner certifying Nat's de facto demise as an independent operator). Observe that the catchy mukhDA points to its Nat antecedents -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/dvp_chhayanat.ram

The same composition is treated by Omkarnath Thakur and his theatrics come along for the ride -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/ot_chhayanat.ram

The Atrauli-Jaipur Chhayanat by Mallikarjun Mansur places its sam on the madhyam, at once illuminating the mukhDA -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/mansur_chhayanat.ram

A prized hearing of the Rampur heavyweight of yesteryear, Mushtaq Hussain Khan. Notice the uttarAnga launch via GMP N S" or PP N S". Eri ab gundalA'o -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/mhk_chhayanat.ram

Kumar Gandharva's Vesuvian tAns delight in this mehfil recording. He chooses another popular traditional kHayAl: nevara ki jhankAra in jhoomrA tAla -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/kg_chhayanat.ram

K.G. Ginde -->

K.G. Ginde's is the lone Dhrupad rendition in this collection. The traditional chhAyA paRi Jamuna jala meN is set to chautAla -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/ginde_chhayanat.ram

A vignette of Kashinath Bodas's private mehfil in Berkeley in 1995, a couple of weeks before his passing away in Canada. On the harmonium is yours truly and on the tabla is Pranesh Khan. He sings the traditional cheez: sandeshwA piyA se morA kaiyyo jA -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/bodas_chhayanat.ram

I understand that Shri Bodas's sister, the middle-aged, middle-class, mid-sized vocalist Ms. Sahashrabuddhe, has been recently having "thoughts." These "thoughts" have never been visible to the naked eye but their alleged occurence and the recent increase in the levels of global warming may not be entirely random, unrelated events.

Enter Mr. Khan, the dark and dimunitive (naked) Emperor of San Rafael. It is given to only a few to personify rAga. Alumeister is one such -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/alubhai_chhayanat.ram

<-- Bade Ghulam Ali Khan

One wonders why anyone would ever give Amjad Ali Khan or Buddhadeb Dasgupta the time of day. Amjad Ali and his silk kurta are urged to repair to the catwalk to tend to his true calling: modeling. As for Buds, may we interest him in a box of Lego blocks? It would be terrible to let all that gold-medalist engineering talent go to pot.

We now come to the best clip in this feature, perhaps the greatest Chhayanat on record. Time spent listening to Bade Ghulam Ali Khan is time spent in the company of a supreme musical intelligence. His gift for _expression beggars description. There is nothing for us to do but kneel down and praise the Lord for depositing Ghulam Ali on this planet if only for a brief while. He settles into an old kHayAl describing a well-known prasanga from the Ramayana: Sugreeva Rama-krupA. It is followed by another chestnut, nevara bAjo. (This latter cheez is sometimes played as a gat on the Sarod by our soon-to-be-Lego-expert.) Bade Ghulam's spontaneous shoptalk adds to our delight The segment after about 7 minutes into the clip should not go unnoticed. Hint: On which swara do the tAns terminate? Chhayanat can't get any better than this -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/bgak_chhayanat.ram

The selfsame Sugreeva Rama-krupA from Rampur-Sahaswan's Nissar Hussain Khan. In the druta segment he rolls out his Gharana patent, Inayat Hussain's jhanana jhanana -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/nhk_chhayanat.ram Faiyyaz Khan's composition, pavana chalata, takes after Inayat - http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/faiyyaz_chhayanat.ram	Nissar Hussain Khan -->
	The section concludes with a rendition of Chhaya by Bhimsen Joshi. The Nat component is de-emphasized and the role of madhyam diminished. There is no hint of the komal nishAd whereas the shuddha nishAd hews to the Bihag line. Bhimsen's is a splendid take on an old bandish. This composition and several other traditional chestnuts encountered earlier have been documented by Bhatkhande under "Chhayanat" in his Kramika Pustaka Malika: tana-mana-dhana saba un par vAra DAruN -
Bhimsen Joshi

http://www.sawf.org/audio/nat/bhimsen_chhaya.ram

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