One song at a time - 7. Muthuswami Dikshitar and Rabindranath Tagore
The transfer of musical ideas between the North and South India is well documented. Muthuswami Dikshitar had visited Kasi and brought along with him lot of Hindustani ragas to the South. The North Indian musicians turned Muthuswami Dikshitar's 'Vatapi Ganapatim Bhaje' into a khayal. (Wonderfully sung by Amir Khan.) Many such transfers have happened. I was aware of many of them but not about the one which inspired Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
One of my good friends had once sent me a link to a Rabindra Sangeeth song, which was actually Tagore's homage to that monumental krithi of Muthuswami Dikshitar, 'meenakshi me mudam dehi'. Tagore had taken this krithi and had made minor modifications to it and had written the Bengali lyrics to it. The song starts as 'basanthi o bhubhanamohini'. Very nice words. Gurudev must have been very impressed by the krithi. And what is there not to be impressed by it? 'meenakshi me mudam Dehi' stands as a testimony to the genius of Muthuswamy Dikshitar. The intensity, the slow unfolding of the raga, the majestic movement and the sancharas of unmatched beauty. It touches your intellect and it touches your heart. Rarely has Poorvi Kalyani flowered so well. Tagore seems to be so smitten by the beauty of Dikshitar's language s well that he takes some of words as it is. The madhyamakalam in Tagore's song also starts 'madhumata modita hrudaye'. It looks like everyone who knows Rabindra Sangeeth knows this is an adaptation of 'Meenakshi', since I have heard this being said in different program before the song starts.
It is well known to many people that when Muthuswami Dikshitar was on his death bed, he asked his disciples to sing this song and he shed his mortal coils when they were singing, 'meenalocani paashamochani'. Gowri Ramanarayan, when she gave a lecture on MS Subbulakshmi, played an excerpt of this song, sung by MS in the Meenakshi temple Madurai. You will be excused if you feel that giving up your mortal coil hearing this rendition is as good a way to depart from this earth as any. Such is the intensity and the devotion in MS's voice.
Let us now listen to the homage paid by one great master to another. Sincere thanks to my friend who sent me the song link.
Here is a dance program, in which this song is sung.
Click the link below and you can make out the resemblance between the two songs even better. This is an audio only version.
Basanthi O Buhanamohini
For those who have not heard 'meenakshi me mudam dehi', here it is in M.S.'s voice .
Comments
Cheers,
Ramki.
I too wish I could understand Bengali!! The start itself is fascinating. 'basonthi o bhuvana mohini'. This is straight Sanskrit of course. But what a word, 'bhuvanamohini'!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pscT0nh3hEM
Cheers,
Ramki.
Thanks. Also check out the video that Ramki has posted in the comments. A lovely piece from 'Teen Kanya'. Seems to be based on Simhendramadhyamam.
Nice post and enjoyed both the renditions. The dance choreography for the Rabindra Sangeeth version was also quite good which was an added bonus. Not sure what form of classical dance it was.. Is it Bharathanatyam?
Cheers,
Ramesh N R
No clue on the exact dance form. Looks like Bharatanatyam to me. I am no expert on dance forms and hence could be mistaken.
I missed noticing your link to Baje Koruno Sure and ended up re-discovering it (really? :-) ) myself and wrote a post about it on my blog www.musicmavericks.blogspot.com. Very interesting that a not-so-often-heard raaga like Simhendramadhyamam traveled to Rabindra Sangeet.
Note: X-e means "in X", X stands for dik, praantar, teer, neer etc.
Basanti He Bhuvan-mohini
Dik-prant-e bon-e bonant-e
Shyam praantar-e amra-chhaay-e
Sarovar-teer-e nadi-neer-e
Neel aakaash-e malaya baataas-e
Vyapil tavo ananta maadhuri
Nagar-e graam-e kaanan-e
Din-e nisheeth-e
Pik-sangeet-e nritya-geet-kalan-e
Vishwa aamodita
Bhavan-e bhavan-e
Veenaa-taana rana-rana jhankrita
Madh-mada-modita hriday-e hriday-e re
Nava-praan uchhasil aaji
Vichalita chita ucchhali unmaadana
Jhana-jhana jhanil manjeer-e manjeer-e.
Here bon is of course woods, praantar means an open field. Amra-chhaay is the shade of the mango tree, pik is the cuckoo, baataas is wind, unmaadana means excitement/enthusiasm, vichalit chit is the stirred heart. Manjeer is the (sound of) ankle-bells. Rana-rana & jhana-jhana are onomatopoeic.
Thanks a lot for the lyrics. And for the explanation. This made my day. I wish you had left your name in the comment so that I could thank you for the lyrics and the translation.
Even without knowing the language, it sounds so nice. Now knowing the words, I am enjoying the poem even more.
Sincere thanks once again.
BTW, the Dance form is called 'Rabeendra Nritya' created in shanthi Niketan as an amalgam of different Indian Dance forms,including Bharatha Natyam.