Dear friends,
Last Friday I saw a beautiful programme called Mausiqui ek Khoj at 4:30 pm on DD Bharati.

How I wish Charulata Mani's excellent "A Raga's Journey" could take shape like this one...

The programme is presented by Ustad Shujaat Khan every week and explains the nuances of a Hindustani raga, with beautiful video examples. Last Friday it was Tilak Kamod, which he described (rightly I think!) a raga of "innocence". Shujaat is the son of Vilayat Khan, and Ustad Shahid Parvez, one of my favourites, is his cousin I think. The programme is beautiful and reminded me of the short and sweet "Sangeet Sarita" on Vivid Bharati that I used to enjoy in olden "golden" days.
I would now like to share with you a piece from my CD collection of Ustad Shahid Parvez here. It is a Thumri in Tilak Kamod... it is incredible:
http://archive.org/stream/UstadShahidParvez

Yes he is .
This program is indeed a beautiful one . Making a comeback after several years .
Another immortal tilak kamod
http://www.mediafire.com/?wozv7a3g9b7mxgy

Last Friday, it was Chchayanat. Shujaat shared clips from a movie song Baiyya naa dharO, and many classical pieces. I found a good one on You Tube, sung by Vid.Malabika Kanan :
http://is.gd/gKieAz

I also remember hearing a famous male voice singing this in a mesmerising baritone. I don't remember if it was Ustad Amir Khan or someone else...

Oh yes, now I recall. The male rendition is by Ustad Rashid Khan, It is in this excellent DVD:

http://www.induna.com/1000009772-productdetails/

Today on DD Bharati (4:30PM) Shujaat presented Shahana, a raag very different from Carnatic raga Shahana. I could relate to his description of the raag as full of royal grace and with a surprise element in Dha.
Here is a lovely piece:
http://raa.ag/t248235

Baiyya naa dharO from the film Dastak is based on Raag Charukesi .

Could have been any of these songs though .
Chanda re, ja re ja re - Ziddi
Ham bekhudi men tumko pukare chale gaye - Kaala Paani
Tere naina talash kare jise - Talaash
Baad muddat ki yeh ghadi ayi - Jahan Ara
Chaina nahin aye, kahan dil jaye - Samundar

extracted from
http://www.asavari.org/songs.html

Dear Rasikas,
Seeing your indulgence to share a link to a nice piece in Maru Behag - the raga which was covered today by Shujaat in DD Bharati (4:30 PM)..
http://raa.ag/t237422
The musicians are Praveen Godkandi and Rafique Khan.

Today on DD Bharati at 4:30 PM, Shujaat Khan presented this very poignant raga, Bilaskhani Todi. I have heard that this raga was sung by Bilas Khan, the son of Tansen in mourning after the demise of his beloved father. It is even said that Tansen's corpse moved a hand in appreciation!
Hear a fine rendition here:
http://raa.ag/t72923

more here
http://swaratala.blogspot.in/2011/02/bi ... ansen.html

Varsha, Sorry the song from Dastak doesn't sound like Charukeshi at all to me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tPeKfg_EkM&sns=em

By the way Shujaat mentioned that his father Vilayat Khan was sitting with Madan Mohan at the latter's residence in Peddar Road when they conjured up the tune for Baiyyan Naa Dharo in Chchayanat. He also said that the scale of this raga is very elusive.

Film songs composed by great masters of that period do not necessarily have to sound like a raga . Those masters created a set of values for that genre . Their creativity centred around the ability to avoid the trappings of well known phrases which make it resemble a raga , the way we know . This is where a GK Venkatesh gets different from TG Lingappa , or a Illayaraja gets different from the earlier masters in Tamil films
That is why linking up a film song and raga is such a useless affair unless buttressed with terms like based on , inspired by ....
if we listen to the Na dharo carefully we can discern this inspiration from charukesi .
But never mind , even if it appeals to you as originating from chaya nat , that would be equally acceptable to me . My point is that this song is a masterpiece - the best sung by Lata ever , in my books - and that virtue has nothing to do with an association with any raga .

Sure, Varsha, a Lata masterpiece indeed. That's why I gave that link... For easy listening.

(it wasn't me who labelled it as Chchayanat, it was Shujaat )

Dear Varsha, In a joking manner, chhaya nat seems to appeal more because the first word is chhaya!!!. best wishes .

Dear rasikas,
The raga last Friday on DD Bharati was Jaunpuri. Shujaat explained how this raga has been around for a long time and was so named as a tribute to the king of Jaunpur, a city near Benares.

Here is a track you might enjoy listening to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtKxuut3 ... ata_player

Dear Rasikas,
Today on DD Bharati, Ustad Shujaat Khan covered the raag Bhatiyaar. He presented several video clips of vocal and instrumental music... It is a very evocative raga for early morning prayer. I share with you a very fine clip from the recording Ashta Prahar, sung by Sanjeev Abhayankar. The words Hari Naam Kar Gaan resonate long afterwards in one's ears...
http://www.raaga.com/play/?id=200921

You can listen to the track on iPhone here: http://bit.ly/vMouAl

Dear Rasikas,
Today at 4:30 PM on DD Bharati, Ustad Shujaat Khan presented Raag Puriya. He made a very significant point when he said how we cannot eschew what is in our flesh and blood and defines our persona. So the modern has to emanate from and coexist with the old traditions for true vitality in our cultural development.

You can listen to the Raag Puriya by Ustad Rashid Khan:
http://raa.ag/t67247
from The Best Of Rashid Khan
For Raaga iPhone app @ http://bit.ly/vMouAl

A longer rendering here:
http://raa.ag/t67346
Raaga iPhone app @ http://bit.ly/vMouAl

Dear Rasikas,
Another very popular, hugely rich Raga, Puriya Dhanashri on DD Bharati y'day. I found the exact same clip on You Tube, and here you go!:
http://is.gd/85Yjka

I remembered the Bhimsen Joshi song Nambide Ninna Naada Devateye in the Kannada movie 'Sandhya Raga' from the '60s. The movie is based on a novel by A.Na.Kru about the life of an inspired musician. There are three different versions (the first version is Puriya Dhanashri) and you can hear them all here:
http://is.gd/MmzQFD