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Lata Mangeshkar was personified sweetest version of the Sounds of Divinity, a voice that conveyed with a profoundness far beyond the scope of any words to describe. In response to an urge that has been lingering within for quite a long time now, I wrote this article about her presence in my life ...
The one and only - Lata Mangeshkar ....
Lata Mangeshkar(28th September, 1929 to 06th February, 2022) - is not just a name known to every music lover and every student of Music. She was personified sweetest version of the Sounds of Divinity, a voice that conveyed with a profoundness far beyond the scope of any words to describe.
Lata Mangeshkar resides in the hearts of millions and millions of Indian households and music lovers all across the globe, even though she left her earthly existence a little more than a year ago, on 06th February, 2022.
Much is available on Lata Mangeshkar online as well as offline - to know about her life, her singing and songs, her works .... her legendary personality.
In response to an urge that has been lingering and lingering within for quite a long time now, I would like to write in this article about her presence in my life - as the greatest of legendary singers who inspired and influenced the music lover and singer in me and my entire being.
Lata Mangeshkar - the little girl, young lady and veteran ....
My First Music Lessons ....
Lata Mangeshkar was the first singer I remember having heard.
I used to listen to my father singing his daily prayers and my mother singing hymns every morning at home. There were :
Bhajan (Hymns) by another Gujarati Poet-Saint Kavi Dulaa Bhaayaa Kaag such as - Dhovaa Dyo Raghuraay ....
and so on ....
I used to sing them, especially with my father.
As a five year old girl who was yet to start going to school at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bongaigaon, Assam, I was introduced to the Radio and the songs being played in it. Lata Mangeshkar was one of the most frequently heard names in the answers to the queries popping out of my aroused curiosity. There were unanswered puzzles as well, like the one described in my poem - Motherhood .... Needless to say, I was much drawn to Lata Mangeshkar's singing. The mind of the little kid in me was exploring Life in her songs and music and even beyond them, in the realms they opened up in my innocent curiosity, imagination and experiences ....
The first film song I remember having heard is still one of my most favourite songs, the title song of the film - Raajkumar .... Aajaa Aayee Bahaar Dil Hai Bekaraar ...., most beautifully sung by Lata Mangeshkar .... It was broadcast almost everyday afternoon on All India Radio, Guwahati. I listened to it with great pleasure and admiration during my lunch break at home. Our school was at a walking distance and my brother and I used to come home for lunch. I started singing along, sometimes, even while eating, to the great annoyance of my brother (ha, ha ....).
These were my first music lessons.
Video link to the song - Aajaa Aai Bahaar .... (Singer : Lata Mangeshkar)
My Father - Music Lover, Singer, Poet, Composer ....
My Grandfather's Legacy
My grandfather - Late Shree Dalsukhbhai Khushalbhai Thakkar - owned and managed a small business in the sub-divisional town - Amod - in the Bharuch District of Gujarat. It is about 62 km to the South-West of Vadodara. Our family originally belongs to Sarsa ( pronounced as Saarasaa), a village in the Anand District, about 35 km to the North-West of Vadodara.
My grandfather was a well-known Bhajanik (Bhajan singer) of our region. He and his troop of Bhajan singers and musicians regularly attended and participated in the music sessions conducted by Pandit Omkarnath Thakur at Bharuch. They also had regular Bhajan sessions every weekend which my father describes as truly engrossing and elevating. My grandfather, though formally untrained and not a professional singer, had a very sound knowledge of Indian classical music and its intricacies and he was much respected for this.
My father was drawn and inspired towards music by his father's love for music. However, my Grandpa discouraged Pappa's pursuit of music, in the interests of a better career option for him. Pappa went on to become a Mechanical Engineer, but his love for music remained and bloomed. As a college student, he wrote and composed several songs. He would sing them before my Grandpa on his visits to Amod. Grandpa would immediately tell him about the Raaga / Raagaanga and give his expert comments and elaborations / advice.
Pappa's Music Training ....
During our stay in Bongaigaon, Assam, Pappa decided to take formal training in music. He came across a Bengali gentleman who would teach him basics of music and Ravindra Sangeet. He brought a harmonium for himself, which is still there, more than forty-five years old. I use it to teach music to my students.
I would sit with my father as he practised music. One evening, as we sat in the living room, he composed an English song for me - Once I was sleeping, I had a dream .... He has written and composed three such songs in English for me, which I have loved presenting before my audiences. He was playing on the harmonium and singing it to me. Amused and happy, I was listening to him, watching him play and singing along .... Just then, he had to go inside for some work. I crossed over to the other side of the harmonium and started playing what I has seen him play. Pappa heard the sound of harmonium and hurried back to the living room. He was so delightfully surprised to see me play !! He asked me to play it again. Yes !! I still remember his joy and pride !!
My Music Lessons Begin at Bongaigaon, Assam .... The Role of Radio and Tape Recorder In Continued Learning During Scattered Schooling ....
Music Lessons in Bongaigaon ....
Pappa decided that I should be given training in music. And my formal music lessons started. I learnt singing, playing on harmonium and kathak at the club house of our BRPL Township for some months, till our teacher stopped coming.
At school, I used to perform regularly in all programmes as our music teacher, Mrs. Maya Saha was very fond of my voice and my singing.
During the last year of our stay at BRPL, in 1981-82, when I was nine years old, I learnt playing on Hawaiian Guitar from one of my Bengali neighbours, Mrs. Ruma Mitra. She was a musical genius. She had a very sweet, melodious voice and could play on several musical instruments, including harmonium, guitar and tabla. She was extremely fond of me and loved my singing and my talking to her in Bengali. She taught me some songs and took me for stage performances.
Radio and Tape Recorder - Gave Uninterrupted Music Lessons ....
During those days, in the late 1970s, tape recorder was becoming popular. We got one. Recorded cassettes were not available easily. So, recording sessions on blank cassettes from disc records in noise-free atmosphere were favourite weekend projects for Pappa and me. We had made a great collection of a large number of songs in Gujarati, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, English and so on, which were proudly played in social gatherings and parties.
Due to Pappa's transferable job, throughout my scattered schooling, my formal music lessons were intermittent. But learning on radio and for some time, till we had it, on our tape recorder, continued uninterrupted. And here, the teachers were - Lata Mangeshkar - most favourite always, Asha Bhosale, Geeta Dutt, Mohammad Rafi, Kishor Kumar, Mukesh and so on .... This list is a long one.
My obsession for radio was known among family and friends. Radio was my constant companion throughout the day - whether I was solving / practicing mathematics problems or was helping mummy with routine chores or even while I was going to sleep. My brother would be annoyed to spot me sleeping with the radio on, which happened pretty more often than he could tolerate (ha, ha ....). My radio would accompany me even in the bathroom (ha, ha ....). My good academic performance was probably a great shield for my madness for music.
Opportunities ....
My talent got discovered at every place we went to, in different parts of India - Assam, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and so on.
I kept learning songs from different regions.
I got opportunities to perform on All India Radio at Vishakhapatnam. I also performed in many a prestigious and important programmes like the Navy Mela Programme at Vishakhapatnam in 1983-84, and at various local, zonal, regional, state and national level events and at a couple of international ones as well, at different places across the country during my school days.
However, I wanted to get properly trained in music, in classical music, which could not happen till I was in school. I was a science student and was supposed to fully concentrate on my higher secondary studies.
So, I had decided to start my classical music training after finishing my schooling.
Learning Music and Experiences of Real World Complexities ....
I had understood that Music is essential to my existence.
My family advised me that I should pursue a full-fledged career in Music, totally devoted to Music. I was fully in agreement with the ideal as well as practical genuineness of their advice. However, that could not happen.
I was denied Admission in Full-time Degree Course in Music ....
I filled up the admission form for a graduation in vocal music at the Faculty of Performing Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. I went for the interview. I fared well on the questions asked, performed well in the singing test .... There was no reason for rejection. My admission was about to be confirmed when suddenly, one of the examiners - a Professor of Music in the college - was drawn to my Higher Secondary result. He took my mark-sheet in his hand and read aloud all the marks.
"Oh !! You have scored so well in every subject !! You are a brilliant science student !! Why do you want to waste your talent in science and pursue music full-time ?"
"Sir, I love Music ...."
"You are likely to get admission into any stream you wish to take up - Medicine, Engineering .... Why do you want to waste your hard-work in full-time pursuit of music ? ...."
Apparently, the Professor was taken over by my performance in Higher Secondary. He advised me to pursue the five year evening Diploma course in Music and join a regular graduation programme in a suitable science stream. I tried in vain to convince him that I wanted to devote exclusively to Music ....
The admission was denied and the Professor who did so, Professor Bhonsle, asked me to meet him for admission in the evening course. When I went to see him, he simply walked away saying that the evening diploma admissions were over and that I would have to apply for it next year. I took personal coaching for music from a lady for one year, applied for the evening course next year and joined the five-year Diploma course in Indian Classical Music in 1990. I pursued Graduation in Mechanical Engineering in the morning and Diploma in Indian Classical Music (Vocal) - in the evening.
Chain Reaction of Denials .... Unfolding of Facts and Realities, Realizations and Learnings ....
Later on, as I came across many, many who appreciated my hard work, abilities and achievements in different fields, I also came across those who nagged and nagged over my involvement in multiple fields. Ironically, they were the ones who got maximum advantage of my abilities in various fields. Needless to say, they were operating in a "denial mode". They wanted to escape the responsibility of acknowledging good performances and the rewards they rightfully deserved.
The denials were based on all kinds of reasons, most of them targeting or revolving around identity and labels - a lady, a Gujarati, a Lohana (my caste, as a Hindu), an Engineer, a Singer, an Artist, a perfectionist, an idealist .... Whereas there were / are those who are unhappy on my being a Gujarati, there were / are also those who look upon me as a "Lesser Gujarati" ....
The Head of the Department of Vocal Music in the college where I appeared for my Masters Final Examination later met me and urged me to continue with my music, with apologies for being helpless about the cooked up results of my practical examination. She told me that I was denied the deserving result because I am a Gujarati in a Marathi-dominated arena ….
I started finding myself among people who find me lesser or more as one type of identity or label to be included in their domain of inclusivity. The chain reaction of denials continues .... and so does the unfolding of facts and realities of life, realizations and learnings ....
After Lataji passed away, there was a flood of videos of her performances and interviews in social media. In one interview which caught specific attention, she was asked if she would like to be reborn as Lata Mangeshkar and she replied, choked in sadness, that she would not like to be Lata Mangeshkar again. She also had expressed with much humility and emotion in one of her interviews that, her only means of service was her singing ....
Probably, we live in a world that just refuses to feel satisfied and happy. Even the sweetest music appears to be helpless before clamours of complains ravaging sensibility within human minds.
In The Name of Lata Mangeshkar ....
There is no need to speak about admiration towards Lata Mangeshkar and her influence in singing. People can sense it.
I have met several people who have met or known Lataji. Not that I did not want to meet her, but I hardly remember any of them speaking in high terms about her. Even if all the talks about her faults and flaws were true, they had the least possible merit to overshadow her greatness as a singer. The most common complaint was that she did not let the careers of many a singers flourish. Such talks demonstrate the futility of comparisons more than anything else. There is abundant room for excellence. There is vast scope and space for varieties. The mindset of degrading someone to enhance one’s own self or someone else has to be overcome. People have astonishingly high appetite for “Sour Grapes Psychology“ !! There is a saying in Gujarati which conveys that one who is necessitous, doesn’t have a brain.
One of my mentors showed a remarkable eagerness of speaking against Lataji. He would try to inspire me by saying, "You have to go far ahead of Lata Mangeshkar ...." I could never understand what scales of comparison were steering such lines of thoughts and why they were needed ??!! Ironically, he compiled a collection of articles on Lata Mangeshkar and presented it to me. While giving it, again he reminded that I had to go much ahead of Lata Mangeshkar .... Those were his last words to me - in the end of January, 2020. He passed away due to old age during the lockdown. In his compilation of articles, there are several such incidents which describe how Lataji had helped her contemporary singers and artists and how she had struggled for her own rights, rights of women and artists and so on.
On the brighter side of this fact is that, being compared to such a legend is an invaluable complement in itself. I am extremely happy that my singing reminded so many people of none other than the great Lata Mangeshkar herself. I feel truly humbled. Along with the cautions such comments triggered within, they inspired me to be more responsible towards my performances and my dealings.
If I sit down to list her songs which I love listening to and singing, it would just go on and on .... I might do that in separate article(s).
The life and works of a legend like Lata Mangeshkar go far beyond her field of activity in influencing people from all walks of life.
Lataji was deeply devoted to her family. She had supported her family financially through her career in playback singing and helped her mother raise her younger siblings after the passing away of her father when she was merely a teenager.
Lataji had established organizations that serve the field of music and healthcare through commendable initiatives.
I could never meet Lataji ....
The Late Maharaja of Vadodara Shrimant Ranjitsinghji Gaekwad was a great music lover and artist. I was blessed with his generous appreciation and encouragement. I had done quite a few programmes with him and he had graced many programmes and events organized by me with his benign presence.
Every time we met, he would first inquire if my Riyaaz is going on or not.
“Never give up music.” He always told me.
He had told my father that his day begins with listening to my Bhajans from my album - Soor Vandana (released in April, 2008) ….
In the first week of June, 2012, I called him to request his permission for some upcoming event. He told me that he was remembering me. I jested, saying, "Sir, I thought you had forgotten me."
He replied, "Oh, no, no !! I would never forget you. You have to sing in our forthcoming event. I am planning a music programme as a part of centenary celebrations of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad. We are inviting Latadidi ...."
Oh great !! I was so happy !!
As I talked to the Maharaja, I was not aware of the fact that he wasn't keeping well. Nor had I imagined that this was the last time I talked to him. Within a week, the news of his sad demise came along .... The programme he was planning could never materialize. And my dream of meeting Lataji also never materialized.
Though I could never meet her, I very clearly sense her love and blessings in my life.
Here are some more quotes from Lata Mangeshkar which speak volumes about her insight and experiences ....
This is one of my old poems, written in school days. I had written this poem when my English class was going on. My friend sitting next to me was anxious that I would get caught. Fortunately, I wrote it without getting caught and both - my friend and I, were happy.
Holi is the Indian Spring Festival of Colours, full of Joy, Fun, Festivities, Devotion, Hope, Love, Harmony and Music celebrated by Indians and lovers of Indian culture all across the world .... A glimpse of the background, essence and ways of celebrating Holi ....
Introduction to Holi ....
Holi is the ancient Hindu festival / Indian festival celebrated on the Poornima (full-mon day) of the month of Faagun in the Indian / Hindu Lunar calendar that falls during Spring season. It is often called the Festival of Love, the Festival of Colours or the Festival of Spring. The time, the background and the ways of celebrating the festival makes it clear that every name given to the festival is true in its own ride, while also being inclusive of the domains of festivities that the other names highlight.
Holi is celebrated all over India and Nepal, as also in several other countries world-wide among people of Indian origin and lovers of Hindu / Indian traditions, including the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the West Indies, Mauritius, Fiji, Pakistan, Guyana, Indonesia, Surinam and so on.
At most places, Holi is celebrated for two days. However, it is celebrated for five to seven days or even for a fortnight in some places. While several different traditions of celebrating Holi have evolved, lighting the Holi pyre and offering pooja / prayers to it, playing with colours, preparing special Holi delicacies, merriment to the tunes of Holi songs and dances are common everywhere.
The Background - Why is Holi Celebrated ?
To Commemorate Victory of Prahlad's Faith and Unwavering Devotion : Victory of Good over evil ....
According to Shreemad Bhaagavatam or the Bhaagavata Puraana, Prahlad, the son of the demon king Hiranyakashyapa (also called Hiranyakashyapu) and Kayaadhuwas a great devotee of Lord Vishnu (the Hindu Deity of Protection, Preservation and Sustainability of Creation), much to the dislike and disapproval of his father.
Hiranyakashyapa tries hard to dissuade Prahlad from worshiping Lord Vishnu, but in vain. So, he imprisons Prahlad. His attempts to poison Prahlad could not succeed, as Vishnuprotects his little devotee. He tries to get Prahlad run over by mad elephants, but again Prahlad escapes.
Then, Hiranyakashyapa plans to burn Prahlad alive. Hiranyakashyapa's sister, Holika had received a boon as a result of a penance that fire would not burn her. Hiranyakashyapa asks Holika to sit on a pyre with Prahlad in her lap, so that the fire set to the pyre could burn Prahladoff to death. On the night of Poornimaa (full moon night) in the month of Faagun, Holika sits on a pyre with little Prahladsitting in her lap and the pyre is set ablaze. Much against the plan, it so happens that Holika burns down to ashes and Prahlad remains unaffected by the fire.
Thus, the pure, innocent devotion of the little devotee stands victorious before the crooked conspiracies of his evil-minded father.
Then onwards, every year, on the Poornimaa (full moon night) of the month of Faagun , Holi is celebrated to commemorate this victory of devotion, love, faith and hope over evil.
A pyre is lighted and worshipped to commemorate the victory of little Prahlad's devotion. On the next day, people play with colours, eat various sweet delicacies and dance and sing to celebrate further.
Holika Dahan - In Memory of the Great Victory of Devotion - Prahlad survives, while his aunt, Holika burns down to ashes in spite of the boon that fire would not burn her ....
A Typical Holi Bonfire with people offering prayers and pooja ....
Another Reason for Holi Celebration : The God of Love comes back to life ....
On the fifth day of the Shukla Paksha (brighter fortnight, meaning from new moon to full moon day) of the month of Maaghaas per the Indian / Hindu Lunar calendar, that falls around the end of January to middle of February as per Gregorian calendar, the festival of Vasanta Panchami is celebrated to mark the beginning of Spring - the season of Love and Joy. It is also the day of Saraswati Pooja, as the Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom, Maa Saraswatiis worshipped on this day to begin the season of Love - Spring - with prayers to be guided by Knowledge and Wisdom on the path of Love ....
According to some ancient Indian scriptures, called the Puraanas dedicated to Lord Shiva, such as the Shiva Puraana, Lord Shiva had burnt the Lord of Love, Kaamadeva on the day of Vasanta Panchami. The story goes like this -
Sati, the daughter of Daksha Prajaapati, was the consort of Lord Shiva.
Once, Daksha Prajaapati arranges a big Yagya (Pooja / festivity) in which he does not invite Shiva and Sati, as he was not pleased with their marriage.
Sati could not hold herself from going to her father's place. When Shiva tries to stop her, she argues that a daughter has the right and responsibility to be at her father's place and does not require a formal invitation to remain present in festivities at her parents' place .... Shiva sends her with some of his Ganas (attendants).
During the celebrations, Sati finds herself and her husband's honour being avoided / ignored and insulted. Furious, she immolates herself from the fire that sparks out of her Yogic powers, in protest ....
The celebrations turn into destruction .... Shiva, maddened by the grief of the loss of Sati, moves around with Sati's burnt dead body in hands .... It was as if the whole Creation was immersed in grief and darkness ....
To bring Shiva back to Himself, Lord Vishnu sends his Chakra (Discus), which disintegrates Sati's dead body into 51 pieces that fall at different places all across the land below. These 51 places are the 51 Shakti Peethas (the significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the Goddess-focused Hindu tradition).
Distressed Shiva slips into deep meditation after this incident. Sati reincarnates as the daughter of Himaalaya and Mainaa named Paarvati. Inspired by Sage Naarada, she performs penance to win Shiva over as her husband.
On the other side, a demon named Taarakaasur who had performed very severe penance to receive a boon that he could be killed only the son of Shiva, started wrecking havoc on innocent lives on the Earth.
The Devas (Divine Beings or Gods) get worried and see that it is imperative to awaken Shiva from his deep meditation, so that His much needed marriage with Paarvati materializes.They request the Lord of Love, Kaamadeva to awaken Shiva. Kaamadev, with his wife Devi Rati and his team of Spring and its beautiful creations cast spells on Shiva. Finally, Kaamadeva shoots his arrow of Love into Shiva's heart and a startled, angry Shiva opens His eyes. The flames from his Third eye (at the center of his forehead, between his eyebrows) burn Kaamadeva to ashes.
The other Devas come to the spot and explain Shiva about the urgencies of the situation. Shiva agrees to marry Paarvati. An aggrieved Rati pleads for bringing her husband Kaamadeva back to life and prays for forty days. It is said that on the full moon night of the succeeding month of Faagun, forty days after Vasanta Panchami, when Kaamadeva was burnt to ashes, Shiva, moved to compassion by Rati's prayers, brings Kaamadeva back to life (or promises his reincarnation and their reunion, as per some texts / scriptures). That was the day of Holi. So, Holi is the festival of Love.
This belief is popular especially in the Southern parts of India (in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh), among devotees of Shiva and Shakti. Here, the lighting of the Holi bonfire is called "Kaamadahanam", meaning incineration of Kaamadeva .... The sacrifice of Kaamadeva is thus prayerfully commemorated.
Aroused from His Deep Meditation, the flames from Lord Shiva's opened up Third Eye burn Kaamadeva ....
The Symbolism behind incinerating Kaamadeva - Kaamadahanam:
Love is the fundamental and one of the most misunderstood aspects of Life. There are several loopholes all around - mistaking lust for love, infatuation, considering "love" as a means of fulfilling ambitions beyond one's capacity or worthiness or out of a crazy sense of possessiveness or egotism or honour .... Much of this is due to ignorance borne of desires that branch out as lust, greed, hatred, anger, jealousy and so on ....
Kaamadeva is the God of Love, as also of human love and desire ....
Incinerating Kaama symbolizes getting rid of such ignorance, such worldliness as most of us call it, in the name of love.
Fire is considered as the ultimate purifier in almost every religion. Burning to ashes - incineration - symbolizes complete purification. Such an incineration - complete purification - happens due to the opening of the Third Eye of Shiva. The Third Eye is symbolic of Inner Vision, Insight, Wisdom and Knowledge. When this Eye opens, ignorance vanishes, as if flashed away into nothing by a purifying fire ....
A life, a relationship based on pure Love, free of undue worldliness makes for a well-lived, true Life.
On the other side is the genuineness of Love that gets mistaken as lust. That is also a fact of life. Fiery ordeals, gratifying realizations, loving revivals and added strength carve the path of Love and Truth.
Holi Celebrations ....
Lighting the Holi Pyre ....
Wood and cow-dung cakes are used for preparing the Holi pyre.
Offerings into the Holi fire - Abeer, Gulaal, Kumkum, Akshat (rice grains), Haldi (turmeric powder), kapoor (camphor), Ghee(clarified butter used in Indian cuisine), Shree Fala(coconut), pop jowar (sorghum), pop corn, khajoor (date fruit), roasted gram, groundnuts and so on. Up to coconut, the list would be common at most places. The rest of the items may be vary regionally.
A Typical Holi Pyre ...
A Typical Holi Pyre ....
A Typical Holi Pyre ....
Playing with Colours ....
Traditionally, the colours are made from natural ingredients from plants - flowers, leaves and so on. Powdered colours, coloured water or even plain water are used for playing Holi.
Water - coloured or plain - filled in beautiful spray guns of various shapes and sizes called Pichakaaree that are available especially during Holi is sprinkled / sprayed over each other.
Pink and white coloured powders are considered necessary and auspicious for Holi celebrations. Pink coloured powder is called Gulaal and white coloured powder is called Abeer. They are also used as offerings, in general, in Pooja.
People happily apply colours as Tilak (a distinctive spot of colored powder or paste worn on the forehead by Hindu men and women as an ornament or religious symbol) to one another or apply colours on cheeks or sprinkle them on each other.
Abeer-Gulaal and other colours are respectfully offered to the feet of elders / Gurujanas (Guru, parents, teachers, experts and such other revered people) to seek their blessings on Holi.
Overflowing enthusiasm and zeal get expressed as throwing of colours on each other. Scenes of throwing / pouring bucket full of water are also seen at many places. Playing Holi in groups in big shallow tanks full of coloured water have been common at many places.
Holi - the Festival of Colours ....
Holi Celebrations in Vrajbhoomi - Krishna's Birthplace ....
Any talk about Holi celebrations remains incomplete without the mention of Shree Krishna's Holi celebrations in Vrajbhoomiduring his childhood and adolescence. Vrajboomi(also called Vraj or Brajor Brijor Brajbhoomi or Brijbhoomi) is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state.
The Holi celebrations in many parts of this region continue for around a fortnight.
Most of the Holi songs called HoriGeet describe celebrations of Holi in Vrajbhoomi by Raadhaa-Krishna and the Gopa-Gopis. There are many types of HoliSongs popular all over India, in various languages and in Indian Classical, Semi-classical and Folk Music styles. Most of them have as there central theme, the Holicelebrations by Raadhaa-Krishna and the Gopa-Gopis in Vrajbhoomi.
Picture of Holi Celebrations by Raadhaa-Krishna and Gopa-Gopis in Vrajbhoomi ....
Holi Songs ....
Holi celebrations invariably include Music - singing and dancing to the tunes of Holi Songs, typically called Hori Geet.
There are folk songs in various regions of North India in local dialects, like Vraj Bhaashaa, Bhojpuri, Maithili, etc. that are specially for Holi celebrations, most of them devoted to Krishna. In the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, very musical celebrations of Holi take place in the form of the Baithki Holi(singing of Raaga Based classical songs in temples, essentially spiritual in tone and feel), the Khari Holi (folk form, popular in rural areas) and the Mahila Holi(ladies special celebrations). In Punjab, theatrical performances called Swang or Nautanki are popular during Holi. Some areas also celebrate Holi with Wrestling matches. Wrestling is a very popular sport in the states of Punjab and Haryana.
In the Northeast of India, in Assam, Holi and Bihu Songs for the occasion, which is called Fakuwa / Doulhere, are performed in groups. Most of them are in praise of / about Krishna. In another Northeastern state Manipur, during Holi celebrations that last for around six days, the youth perform a fold dance called Thabal chongba at night.
In Bengal, melodious songs for Dola Jatraa (Swing Festival) are sung along with dancing and playing with colours, as the procession carrying idols of Raadhaa and Krishna in a decorated palanquin move around the village / town / city areas. In Odisha also, Holi is celebrated with Dola Jatraa (Swing Festival) of Lord Jagannatha.
In the Southern state of Karnataka, at a place called Sirsi, Holi is celebrated with a special folk dance called Bedara Vesha. In Telangana, children sing folk songs called Jajiri during the ten days long Holi celebrations. In Tamil Nadu, Holi is celebrated as Panguni Uthiram, the celebration of blossoming of Love and Marriage.
In Gujarat, folk music and comedy festivals called Dayaro are organized to celebrate Holi, especially at locations where shrines of Shree Krishna are located, such as the famous pilgrim place Dwarka.
Dancing is spontaneous during Holi Celebrations ....
Holi Songs from Hindi movies ....
Holi is a very popular festival in the Hindi (and in general Indian) film and entertainment community. The message of harmony and love, forgetting all differences of cast, status and other discriminations prevailing in the society, complaints / vengeance among equals and reuniting is very prominently expressed in most Holi songs.
There are several very beautiful, melodious songs on Holi in Hindi films. Some of them are listed below (links given) :
A very famous Holi song from the superhit Hindi film "Sholay" : Holi Ke Din Dil Khil Jaate Hein ....Singers - Lata Mangeshkar, Kishor Kumar and chorus.
Holi song from the film "Mashaal" : Holi Aayee, Holi Aayee Re .... : Singers - Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Mahendra Kapoor and chorus.
A very popular Holi song from the film "Silsila" starring superstar Amitabh Bachchan and his wife Jaya Bachchan, Rekha and Sanjeev Kumar .... : Rang Barase Bheege Chunarwaalee .... : Singer - Amitabh Bachchan and chorus
A beautiful Holi song with good combinations of folk forms - touches of North Indian, Gujarati and Marathi folk styles, beautiful dance by actress Sandhya (two in one presentation - one side of the costume for lady and the other for a man, worth seeing), with elephant in it .... from the classic film "Navarang" : Are Ja Re Hat Natkhat ....Singers: Chitalkar Ramachandran (also the Music Director), Asha Bhosale, Mahendra Kapoor and chorus
Holi song from the classic superhit "Mother India" : Holi Aayee Re Kanhaaee .... Singers - Shamshad Begum, Lata Mangeshkar and chorus
A Holi song with Rajasthani background - lyrics, costumes, place and music showing a beautiful glimpse of the colourful brightness of that state from the film ": Aayo Phaganio ....Singers - Vinod Rathod, Udit Narayan, Sadhana Sargam and chorus
Holi song showing celebrations in the mountain regions of the North India from the 1971 film "Paraayaa Dhan": Holi Re Holi ....
An old Hindi Film song describing Holi celebrations in Vraj by Nandalaalaa (the son of Nand) Krishna .... the message of harmony also conveyed in the song : Nandalaalaa Holi Khele .... Singers - Mukesh, Mohd. Rafi and Asha Bhosle and chorus
Holi celebrations in rural North India shown in this song from the film "Nadiyaa Ke Paar" : Jogiji Haan .... Singers - Chandrani Mukherjee, Hemlata, Jaspal Singh and chorus
Modern Holi celebrations in urban India shown in this song (a couple of lines in the second paragraph in Punjabi) from the film "Aakhir Kyon" : Saat Rang Mein Khel Rahi Hai Dilwalon Kee Tolee .... Singers: Anuradha Paudwal, Amit Kumar and chorus
A Holi song that has Gujarati Garba rhythm in it from the film "Kaamchor" : Mal De Gulaal Mohe .... Singer : Lata Mangeshkar, Kishor Kurmar and chorus
A very beautiful Holi song - touches of Marathi (from Maharashtra state) folk music are there in this song, costume and dance performance by the actress are also of Marathi style - from the film "Phagun" : Piya Sang Khelo Holi Phagun Aayo Re .... Singer - Lata Mangeshkar and chorus.
Holisong mentioning the Holi celebrations by Shree Raama in Avadh from the movie "Baghban" : Hori Khele Raghuveera Avadh Mein .... Singers - Amitabh Bachchan, Alka Yagnik, Sukhwinder Singh, Udit Narayan
Picture of Holi song from the movie "Sholay" ....
Holi Delicacies ....
Different Holi delicacies are prepared in different regions. I am touching upon some popular ones here ....
In North India, Gujia- a crescent shaped deep fried Indian sweet stuffed with Mawa(a coagulated milk solid) and nuts - is the most famous Holi Delicacy : Gujia Recipe
Thandai is a Holi drink prepared in a variety of ways. It is a chilled almond-flavoured beverage and is most sought after when the temperatures soar. Here is a typical popular recipe - Thandai Recipe
In Maharashtra, Puran Poli- the most famous Maharashtrian treat – that has Chanadal (split chickpeas) stuffing in wheat flour rotis is prepared to celebrate Holi : Puran Poli
Dahi Wada - Popular Urad dal (split black lentils) Wadas served with chilled yogurt, sprinkled with Cumin powder, Chilli powder and sweet Chutney: Dahi Wada Recipe
Malpua - A traditional Indian sweet – pancake like dessert, cooked in Ghee and often served soaked in sugar syrup : Malpua Recipe
Kachori - is a deep-fried dumpling which is a very popular street food. It can be filled with a variety of stuffing : Chana Dal Kachori Recipe
Holi Delicacies ....
Summing it up ....
Thus, Holi is a joyous festival celebrated during Spring in India that spreads ....
H - Happiness and Hope
O - Oneness and Optimism
L - Love and Laughter
I - Inspiration and Inclusivity
I wrote this article in response to the suggestions received from my friends authors and poets on HubPages - Brother Manatita and Brenda Arledge - to write about the festival of Holi. I thank both of them for inspiring me to write this. I hope you all enjoy reading this article.
- Vanita Thakkar (09th April, 2021)
Happy Holi !!
Did you know about Holi and why and how it is celebrated ?
