Culture
The Ethereal Beauty Of Yaman Kalyan
- With the onset of Hemant Ritu, it’s time to explore Raag Yaman Kalyan, one of the first taught to aspiring students of Hindustani classical music due to its simplicity and popularity.
Hemant Ritu.
It’s a new day, a new beginning and a new season. According to the Indian calendar, we have now entered the Hemant Ritu. Soon, temperatures will dip, but hopefully our spirits won’t; not if you stay with us and the music we have lined up for you.
We are often asked why we end up taking up such uncommon and unheard of ragas. Well, it’s great to explore unchartered territories, isn’t it? Having said that, today, on the onset of Hemant Ritu, we would like to bring to you the raga that is probably the most commonly sung, performed, rendered in the Hindustani classical arena: Raag Yaman Kalyan.
The Hindustani classical fraternity recently suffered a massive loss. On 24 October 2017, we lost the legendary Girija Devi, who was the flag-bearer of the Benaras Gharana. She had shifted to Kolkata after the demise of her husband. Girija Devi was known for her fearless, yet loving style of presenting Thumris, Dadras and Tappas; apart from traditional classical Khayal gayaki (singing). The fluidity and ingenuity in her singing was unparalleled. Girija Devi was, and still remains an inspiration to thousands of singers across the globe. The link below is one of her earlier recordings, estimated to be around mid-80s. While the recording is two whole hours of sheer gold, she performs Raag Yaman Kalyan only for the first 40 minutes. After that she slips into Thumris in other ragas.
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