Remember how on August 15, 1989, raag Desh brought together the nation? As the legendary Pt. Bhimsen Joshi sang ‘Lab pe jaage geet aisa, Goonje bankar des raag’ surrounded by a lush landscape, his deep voice echoed (goonj) in our hearts. The song ‘Baje sargam har taraf se’, made during the Doordarshan days to spread the message of unity in diversity, also featured other iconic musicians such as Pt. Ravi Shankar, Lalgudi Jayaraman, Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, M. Balamuralikrishna, Ustad Alla Rakha and Zakir Hussain.
During an interview to The Hindu in 2011, Balamuralikrishna, the celebrated Carnatic musician, had recalled how much he enjoyed being part of both ‘Mile sur mera tumhara’ and ‘Baje Sargam’. “Having been born in the pre-Independence era, I became emotional when singing the lines filled with patriotic fervour. Being a composer myself, I could imagine the joy of creating these songs with diverse artistes, art forms and instruments. I was excited to play the violin and also sing.”
An extremely melodic late evening raag, Desh is associated with the monsoon and often sung to convey the romance of the rain. Though called Desh, it was not created to arouse patriotic sentiments. It acquired this characteristic when it was chosen to compose the national song Vande Mataram, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. It has since been used by musicians and composers to create national integration melodies.
‘Baje Sargam’ featured a galaxy of artistes.
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This August 15, to celebrate India’s 78th Independence Day, ITC has come up with a soul-stirring composition titled ‘Desh Ek Raag’. Apart from young musicians. it features maestros and eminent gurus such as Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty, Subhra Guha, and Omkar Dadarkar, along with the creators of the composition, Abir Hossain and Brajeswar Mukherjee of the Kolkata-based ITC Sangeet Research Academy (ITC-SRA). The song celebrates the sounds of various instruments and voices. While the violin, sitar, piano, guitar, sarangi, sarod, drums, mridangam and flute blend strings, keys and percussion to present the beauty of Desh, the singers clad in green, saffron and white render a traditional bandish, ‘Beet jaat barkha rut’, in the raag.
“This musical masterpiece stirs a profound sense of pride and admiration for our great nation,” says Sanjiv Puri, chairman, ITC.
The Sangeet Research Academy, which was launched in 1978, trains young enthusiasts in Hindustani music. Renowned vocalist and Patiala-Kasur gharana exponent Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty is the chief mentor and guru.
Inside the Sangeet Research Academy, where the song was created.
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Says the veteran, “We all know about CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), but the Academy is a unique example of what I would like to term as — corporate cultural responsibility. And through ‘Desh Ek Raag’ we wanted to show our gratitude to the country, whose cultural heritage is a strong binding force.”
Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty with sishyas.
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According to sarod artiste Abir Hossain, who teaches at SRA, “The song was created for multiple purposes, of course, the most important being the message of oneness.“ Belonging to the Senia-Shahjahanpur gharana, Abir trained for several years under sarod maestro Pt. Buddhadev Das Gupta, and is currently being guided by Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty.
Sarod artiste Abir Hussain.
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‘Desh Ek Raag’ is also attempt to project India’s cultural values, particularly the guru-sishya parampara. “Hence the song features both teachers and students. Through this initiative, we were keen to turn the spotlight on young talent. We need to prepare them to take forward the legacy. A few artistes seen in the video are just in their teens.”
The recording was done at SRA’s in-house studio. “Singing or playing an instrument in a studio is completely different from performing live. ‘Desh Ek Raag exposed our young musicians to this challenge, and see how they have lived up to it!” says Abir.
In India, where we have songs for every occasion, it’s not surprising that a raag has become a symbol of freedom.
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