Ras Rang Thumri Songs of Love and Longing (Audio CD)

Thumri, Dadra, Kajri, Chaiti, Jhoola, Sawani…these are the timeless songs of the lives and loves of the Indian folk stylized into performing genre. It is believed that Thumri originated in the court of Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow in the mind-nineteenth century (1822-1887, ruled 1847-1857). It is one of the North Indian vocal forms and is inspired by the bhakti movement. The text is usually derived from the Radha-Krishna theme, based on the romantic-devotional literature.

Song…which point the myriad colours of romance, longing, separation and union…under the rain washed shies, on harvested fields and swinging jhoolas. In it’s most stylized contemporary form, thumri developed around abhinaya.

Abhinaya being the soul of Indian dance forms thumri developed on the gangetic soils with the court dances of Lucknow to give the world an exquisite music genre where Vachika abhinaya (a form of abhinaya in India dances) became the soul of the performance.

The themes of the thumri are essentially romantic and based on the ‘shringar rasa’. The compositions were written in the dialect Braj-Bhasha, spoken in the Agra-Mathwa regions of the Uttar Pradesh. On account of its lyrical and lilting quality the thumri is often renderved in lighter ragas like Piloo, Pahadi or Kali.

The Thumri genre is multiplex. The bol banoo thumri set on Vilambit talas provides the singer an extensive convas for reposeful improvisation. The pacy bol baant thumri, popular in Kathak, allows rhythmic play.

The Dadra is a coquettish song with a metric cadence, the Kajri extols the romantic moments of the monsoons and the Chaiti the trauma of separation in the post harvest season.

Ustad Barkat Ali Khan
Born : 1905
Died: 1962
Ustad Barkat Ali Khan left a lasting impression on various genres of Hindustani light classical music. He was younger brother of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.

Barkat Ali Khan took his initial training from his father Ali Baksh Khan and later from his elder brother Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. After partition, Barkat Ali Khan migrated to Pakistan and concentrated on the lighter aspects of Hindustani classical. Ustad Barkat Ali Khan has made a great contribution to North Indian light classical music. He was acknowledged as one of the great thumri, dadra, geet and ghazal artists. His outstanding murkis,

Ustad Barkat Ali Khan
Ab na manoon tori batiyaan, 6.42
Tum Radhe Bano, 7.02
More saiyan Tanak dhun laye, 8.16
Jao kadar nahin bolo, 09.20