The Magic of Indian Ragas - Favourite Hindi Songs !

Music gives character and energy to the film. There are people who watch movies only for its songs even though the film script, its casts and director would be not be of their liking. The songs in the movie resonate various moods, stir emotions, and most importantly play a pivotal role in the narrative. It’s not just the song but even the background score that adds to the narrative. Although few directors have experimented and have been fairly successful to showcase movies without songs, but watching a Bollywood movie without good songs is akin to eating food without salt!

Often film songs get popular even before the film is released. There was a time when people would walk humming these songs in theatres and as soon as the song was being played on the screen, people would whistle and sing loudly. But these days you hardly get to see such acts and unfortunately even the film songs albeit released early are seldom alluring and interesting.

But have you ever wondered why the songs composed before 90’s still appeal to us?

Well most of these songs had amazing lyrics, and were sung by legends. Even the lip sync by great actors on the screen appeared surrealistic. These songs were composed by legendary music directors and many of them were based on Indian Ragas. Although there are cases of few music directors plagiarising music from other cultures, but most of their songs were original and continue to remain etched in our memory forever.

While there are many raga based songs sung by the inimitable Talat Mahmood, Manna Dey, Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Suresh Wadkar and other male singers, I have endeavoured to list below some of my favourite songs sung by female singers along with their ragas. These ragas have been borrowed from various blogs. Most of these songs convey various emotions of love, happiness, tranquility, sorrow, lust, longing, devotion, separation, dream etc. These songs transcend not just gender but even generations. Indeed a good song is infectious regardless of language, age, religion, gender, caste and creed.

Before I enumerate the list, let me confess that I know very little about ragas and of course I haven’t even received any formal training in Hindustani classical music. My mother and wife are trained classical singers and whatever little information not knowledge I have gained is through my discussions with them. When I was in primary school, my mother did attempt to teach me harmonium and even introduced me to a Guru who tried his best to teach me classical singing however as a child I preferred the cricket bat and soccer rather than playing with the Tanpura and Tabla. Over the period of time and thanks to Radio and films, I managed to develop a profound liking and appreciation for music including Hindustani classical.

Perhaps one of the reasons why the old songs are still popular is because they tend to liven your mood and this is only possible if the songs are based on Ragas. Whilst the songs are made on many ragas, the most common ragas used in Hindi films are the following:
Pahadi, Khamaj , Pilu, Kirwani, Bhairavi, Yaman , Shivaranjani, , Kedar, Lalit, Jhinjhinoti, Charukeshi, Darbari Kannada, 7. Malkauns, Bihag, Bageshree, Des & Darbari Kanada

Typically Classical music comprises of ‘Sur’, ‘Taal’ and ‘Laya’, based on appropriate 'Raag'. In its simplest form, the Tabla renders ‘Taal’, harmonium/ other instruments - ‘Laya’, while the singer resonates ‘Sur’- meticulously and melodiously bringing the language or expressions to life.

Indian classical music is based on 'Raga' which is a rhythmic expression of a mood. Raga is not a scale or a tune or a mode. It is more like a framework that binds all these things together. Each raga has a name and generally has an associated time of day when it is best performed, depending on the mood it projects. Ragas ‘induce an emotion’ in the song and can be recognised through patterns.

Identifying or appreciating a raga does not require any formal training. The best way to identify a raag is to listen to a song and ask someone to identify its Raga. Learn this raga, by listening to the song and try humming along with it. Then turn off the song, and try humming along the same tune, but with variations. After some practice, you must start searching for songs that may appear similar or have similar pattern to the song whose Raga you have just learnt. The other method is to listen to the instrumental music.

Pakaad or bandish are the most dominating notes of a given raga. Each raga has its own bandish. If two songs sound similar then they would have same bandish and thus belong to the same raga. It is also said that you can recognize the raga of a song while listening to it from a farther distance rather than by listening to it closer. This is because as you go farther from the source of vocal sound, you do not listen to any words from the song, but you only hear the dominating notes or bandish of the song. Once you hear the bandish, you can easily recognize the raga of the song.

Every Raga is derived from some Thaat or Scale. The ten thaats are Bilawal, Kalyan, Khamaj, Bhairav, Poorvi, Marwa, Kafi, Asavari, Bhairavi and Todi. All the thaats mentioned above are also ragas; and yet a thaat is a very different musical entity from a raga.

Khamaj - Raga Khamaj belongs to Khamaj Thaat and rendered in the late evening.
Bhairav - Raga Bhairav is an early morning Raga and belongs to Bhairav Thaat.
Todi - Raga Todi is a morning Raga and belongs to Todi Thaat.
Bilawal - Raga Bilawal is also a morning Raga and derived from Bilawal Thaat.
Asavari - Raga Asavari is a late morning Raga and belongs to Asavari Thaat.
Poorvi - Raga Poorvi belongs to Poorvi Thaat. It is a Sandhiprakash Raga, and is rendered at dusk, that is the time when the day ends.
Marwa - Raga Marwa is a dusk/ early evening Raga and derived from Marwa Thaat.
Kalyan - Raga Kalyan is an evening Raga and belongs to Kalyan Thaat.
Kafi - Raga Kafi belongs to Kafi Thaat and usually rendered in the late evening.
Bhairavi - Raag Bhairavi belongs to Bhairavi Thaat and is a morning raga.

Exponents of Indian classical music say that an entire life span is too short to learn about Indian classical music. Perhaps that is the beauty of this music. Nonetheless lets not stop ourselves from delving into it and the best way to immerse and appreciate is by listening to film songs based on ragas. Here’s my favourite list of raga based film songs:

1. Piya Banwari - Raaga Bihagda - sung by one of my all time favourite singer Asha Bhosle, Gulzhar’s lyrics, Panchamda’s melliflous music and filmed on the irrestible Diva and Queen of Bollywood- Rekha.
2. Jaise Radha Ne Mala Japi – Raag Bhairavi - Lata’s honeyed voice and Mumtaz looks incredibly beautiful and sensous.
3. Ajeeb dastan Hai Yeh – Raag Puria dhanshree
4. Zulmi Sangh aakh ladi – Raag Pahadi need to be verified
5. Aaj kaal Paaon Zameen Par Nahi Padte Mere – Raag Lalit
6. Rim Jhim Gire Sawan – Raag Pilu
7. Silli Hawa Choo Gayi – Raag Puria Dhanshree
8. Raina Biti Jaye, Shyam Na Aye - Raag Lalit
9. O Sajna, Barakha Bahara Ayi – Raag Khammaj
10. Naa, Jiyaa Laage Naa Tere Bina Mera Kahin - Raag Malgunji – sung by Lata didi in Hindi and Bengali. Salil Choudhary’s masterful composition in both the language.

11. Jaa Re, Jaa Re Ud Jaa Re Panchhi- Raag Bhairavi – Lata Mangeshkar soulful singing. Another Salil Choudhary masterpiece. Also check out original composition sung by Lata in Bengali
12. Tujhse Naaraj Nahi Zindagi Hairan hu main – Lata – Raag Pilu…Although the male version of Anup Ghosal is more soothing.
13. Aja Re, Paradesi - Raag Bageshri
14. Bainya Na Dharo- Raag Charukesi
15. Tu jahan jahan chalega, mera saya saath hoga - Raga Nand (or Anandi)
16. Is Mod Se Jate Hai - Raag Kalyan
17. Jane Kya Baat Hai – Lata – Raag Bhairav
18. Aur Kya Ehde Wafa Hote Hain – no idea about the Raga
19. Roz Roz Daali Daali Kya Likh Jaye.... Raag Kalyan.
20. Prabhu tero nam jo gae phal - Hum Dono Raga: Dhani
21. Tere Bina Jiya Jaaye na- Ghar – Raag Kalyani – Duet but Kishore only sings one stanza
22. Mose chal kiye jaye hai re hai hai dekho saiyan beiman – Raga: Jhinjhoti
23. Chura liya hai tum ne jo dil ko, nazar nahin churana sanam........Raag Pilu
24. Ye Dil Aur Unki – Raag Pahadi
25. Bada Natkhat Hai Re Krishna Kahaiya – Raag Khammaj
26. Jhoothay naina bolay - Raga: Bilaskhani Todi
27. Mora Gora Ang Lai ley – Raga – you should tell me ?


Each song mentioned above is incredibly beautiful. Whilst everyone will have their own favourites, there is a possibility that some of these songs will be part of your favourites as well. There will be many good songs which I may have inadvertently missed but please do let me know so as to add in the list. While it has been little challenging to list down which is the best song amongst all, however based on the some combination like the quality of rendition, the degree of semi classical / classical music, lyrics, singer, the ragas and variations used including the actors on whom the song is screened, I have been able to identify my preference. The main purpose of listing these songs is merely to listen to them again and again ...so as to enhance my knowledge on ragas.

Like movies and books, music is one of those enriching, expensive trans-generational tools that anybody can appreciate. So next time you hear a song, try and hum it and search for a similar song so as to identify its raga.


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