The symbols of love suddenly turn hostile - the night that unites lovers turns unfriendly, the moon that is compared to Her face is chided, the shyness that was once endearing is now admonished!
In most Indian art forms, the emotion of love is, probably, the most explored. With it come a number of other emotions of longing, separation, bewilderment, and compassion. And so, it may seem only natural for the despairing lover to blame those that come in the way.
Love has it’s flavours and so do words, that complete that expression. 'Bair’, along with it’s grammatical derivatives ‘bairi’ and ‘bairan’, is one such example from the Hindi language (and it’s dialects) that describes hostility in love. Lyrically, it creates a visualisation of the inimical influences in love.
I recollect a bandish that I had learnt, composed in Raga Bhupali. I share here a very rudimentary recording of the same by my guru Smt. Soudamini Venkatesh...
‘Bairan bhayee, raat sakhiyan,
man laagi re;
Mohammed Shah piya Sadarangile,
baatein karat re…’
The night has turned hostile and my mind is aroused…
In this post, I do not intend discussing technical aspects of the ragas of the compositions that I have chosen to share. I wish to take you along in my experience of this facet of love through a few pieces of music, which portray the anguish faced by a lover.
‘….who has poisoned your mind against me….’
Raga Darbari, Ustad Amir Khan
‘Kin bairan kaan bhare…’
Meera’s love for Krishna is legendary.
But her shyness played spoilsport here!
‘Sakhi ri laaj bairan bhayee…’ , Lata Mangeshkar
A mind that faces turbulence in love perceives the clouds gathering in the dark sky; the moon is hidden and so is it’s light. And a good night’s sleep remains elusive…
‘Megha chaye aadhi raat, bairan ban gayi nindiya…’, from the Hindi film ‘Sharmilee’, beautifully sung by Lata Mangeshkar. This song is based on Raga Patdeep.
And sometimes, it is the ‘other woman’ who comes in the way!
‘ …humse bairan, sabatiya is ras bas….’ - ‘Deewana kiye Shyam…’, by Smt. Girija Devi
The Radha – Krishna association has kindled many an imagination. Poetry, music and dance forms have tried to explore the facets of this endearing relationship.
Much to Radha’s chagrin, her mother-in-law, or sisters- in-law would prevent her from following her heart as it is drawn to the notes of Krishna’s flute!
‘Mohe cheddo na Giridhari….bairan mori saas-nanadiya….’, Raga Ahir Bhairav, Begum Parveen Sultana
‘Don’t tease me, Krishna….my mother-in-law and sister-in-law wouldn’t let me come to you…’
‘Barakha bairi bhayo, sajanava, jaane na deti mohe pi ki nagariya…’, Kishori Amonkar, Raga Gaud Malhar
While the rains bring in a feeling of sheer romanticism, they also thwart the desire to unite with the lover.
This thumri rendered in Raga Des, by Ustad Rashid Khan, paints a very vivid picture of a lady wanting to meet her lover and the hurdles that she must cross to do so – dead of midnight, the fury of a deep river, an old boat to get her across and a very reluctant boatsman.
‘mora saiyyan bulave aadhi raat ko, nadiya bairi bhayi…’ , Ustad Rashid Khan, Raga Des
I leave the reader of this post with the poignancy of the piece and the space to ponder over the philosophical interpretation that it subtly carries along…
3 comments:
Wonderful observation! Must have taken a while to compile that list. Good work!!
Very interesting compilation .... looking at the inimical side of love. The mood is very well developed, though most of the music pieces dwell on obstacles to union rather than inimical to love as such. You should consider doing a write up on the lines of 'meri bheegi bheegi se' from the film, "Anamika", based on, I think, Raag Kirwani.
Thanks for your comment, Sabyasachi. But in this post I have only attempted at showcasing the use of the word 'bairi' in compositions in Indian music. :)
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