Gayati. Live. Breathe. Sing! Informal singing by Gauri Varma

My raw rendition of this haunting song.from film 'Raat aur Din' (1967). Love the intriguing, free-thinking lyrics by Shailendra and the delicate lilting melody by Shankar-Jaikishan. Memorably enacted by iconic actress Nargis in her unconventional role as a married woman with a dual personality disorder. She urges her partner and rhe audience at a dance club to untie the knots in their hearts, to come to her and dance, as no one is an outsider there. Strangers may magically connect in such a delightful gathering, smile into each other's eyes, and create their own magical city of dreams. They can be transformed creating their own music and happiness, freeing themselves of past ties, without the need to spell out their individual life paths or destinations.

My attempt at some couplets from a tenderly nostalgic ghazal by the famous 19th century Shaayar Momin Khan Momin of Delhi. His forte was romantic poetry. In this ghazal, a neglected lover sadly reminisces as well as gently chides his beloved about the playful, loving communication they had once shared. He tells her that even though she may have forgotten those joyful romantic moments, he has not.

I have attempted this tender song from the popular Hindi film 'Silsila' (1981). I have actually combined the 2 songs sung by the male and the female subjects, The first two stanzas (sung by the male lead in the film) are in romantic, happy mood, describing a magical night when the two lovers (Rekha and Amitabh) are together, while the latter two stanzas (sung in the film by the female lead) describe the sadness of the night when the lovers are separated by a cruel fate: a night which seems withered, with the moon drowning in tears.

I have attempted thIs Sufi Bhajan, the current, popular, catchy version of which was composed by Pakistani film music director Master Ashiq Hussain in the 1960s. However, the lyrics in Saraiki (Sindhi/Multani), the refrain Damaadam Mast Qalandar and also the folksy roots of this 'Dhamaal' go back centuries. This bhajan/ dhamaal is an interesting example of the eclectic, syncretic, popular culture of medieval North-western and Western India, combining in its lyrics, devotion (bhakti) for the Sindhi Hindu deity Jhoole-Laalan (associated with the Rigvedic god of water, Varun), the Sufi saint Usman Shah Marwandi who was worshipped as a saint/divine Avatar by Hindus and Muslims alike in Sindh, and Hazrat Ali, successor of Prophet Mohammad. In this song, Usman Shah, lovingly also called Shahbaz Qalandar, is also revered as one who grants the boon of children to childless women and reunites brothers with sisters. The reference to 'dam' or breath is typical of Sufi devotional poetry, denoting the sacred mystic connection between life force, breath and spiritual energy/chanting the name of God.

This is my attempt at a gentle country ballad written and sung by the famous English pop singer Sting in 1993. It was inspired by the beautiful sensuous movement of the wind as it moved over rippling golden barley fields around the country home of the writer/singer. Its lyrics and melody are in the Old English folksy style, telling of a love that was enacted in barley fields in the bright summer, a love now long gone but never forgotten and perhaps still awaited yet again. The West Wind in classic English literature is associated with soft breezes, the harbinger of spring and summer,, of regeneration.

This is my raw attempt at a hauntingly beautiful song from the famous Hindi film 'Rang de Basanti' (2006). The poignant lyrics expressing a mother's love for a lost son, who has sacrificed his young life in the pursuit of noble goals of social and political revolution, are by Prasoon Joshi and the unusual, intricate musical composition is a fine example of A.R. Rahman's eclectically harmonious style. The song in the film is a duet, a dialogue between mother (singer Lata Mangeshkar) amd son (singer A.R. Rahman). My amateur solo rendition is a simplified version accompanied by an electronic Tanpura.

For people who enjoy India's robust folk music traditions, here is my amateur attempt at a Saawan ki Kajri. The Kajri is an ancient folk song sung in the villages of Eastern UP and Bihar, especially in the monsoons. It describes the beauty of the Indian monsoon and the wish to enjoy this beauty with the beloved, be it Krishna swinging in the 'saawan jhoola' with Radha, or rural women who sing the Kajri to express their sadness at being separated from their men, migrant labourers forced to live long periods away from their homes, to make a living in alien cities. The traditional lyrics are in Purabi dialects associated with this region, particularly Bhojpuri. The rustic Kajri with its lilting melody and catchy beat was inducted into the Purabi semi-classical music tradition over centuries. This composition is steeped in romance (Shringaar Ras pradhaan) and expresses the yearning of a woman to be held by her charming (absent) lover during this lovely season. There is a delicate yet beautifully natural expression of her desire to merge with her beloved, just like the colours of her red 'chunari' and green blouse mix and mingle as rain drops fall on them.

My rendition of a joyful devotional song in the Vaishnav tradition, by 16th century Hindu mystic poet Meera Bai, a central figure in the medieval Indian Bhakti movement. Meera's songs, composed in Brajbhasha, the sweet colloquial Hindi dialect of Lord Krishna's homeland, with a mixture of words from nascent Rajasthani, Gujarati, Punjabi, have been sung for centuries in North and West India, and are steeped in soulful Krishna-love. Meera's life story in tumultous times,and her flouting of social conventions in her spiritual journey, continue to capture the popular imagination as much as her beautiful devotional poetry.

This is my attempt at a beautiful ghazal written by noted poet Shakeel Badayuni, originally sung by Mohammad Rafi. This geet-numa-ghazal (ghazal rendered in a simple song style) has a haunting melody with a light semi-classical base, composed by talented music director Naushad.

This bhajan is composed in the form of a bandish based on Raag Yaman. It beseeches Shankar, the Great God, to appear before His devotee who is facing terrible hardships, and has taken refuge at Mahadev's sacred feet. It asks Lord Shiv to grant the devotee peace, courage and protection in the face of troubles.