The Charm of Raga Ahir Bhairav
"I woke up to the sound of Raga Ahir Bhairav, the legendary voice of Ustad Amir Khan rendering the morning raga as a variant of the original Raga Bhairav. I looked at my watch. It was four in the morning. I could visualize the scene in the living room. Keya would be sitting by the window, waiting for the first glimpse of dawn. The window would be open and the white lace curtains would be swaying in the cool breeze to the accompaniment of the wind chimes hanging in the corner. They sounded like the cowbells used by the Ahirs, which was what had supposedly inspired the creation of the raga, according to Keya.
Ahir Bhairav, she told me, keeps the musical framework of Raga Bhairav but adds a few notes that are reminiscent of cowbells." - From the novel Married But Available. There is an unspoken divide between the musical cognoscenti in India who appreciate the various Ragas of classical music and the masses whose musical staple is the music used in mainstream cinema. There is a historical reason for this. The royalty in India had patronized many musicians. For instance the patronage of the royalty led to the legendary classical musician Baba Allauddin Khan forming the Maihar band. Another patron of classical music was the Nawab of Awadh (the present Lucknow) Wajid Ali Shah who wrote under the pen-name Qaisar. (His famous thumri Babul Mora Naihar Chhuto Hi Jaye is set in Raga Bhairavi) <see this post for more> His palace in Lucknow is also called Qaisarbagh Palace. Since very few commoners had access to the palaces, it created a divide between those who knew about Hindustani Classical music and those who didn't. People who compose music that has mass appeal can then leverage their knowledge of the Ragas and give the masses a taste of what lies behind these closed doors.
Classical music needs to be democratized. Given the popularity of Bollywood music in India, the raga based songs in film music deserve special respect because they are bringing royal treasures to the masses.
My father used to teach me Ragas by playing film songs and getting me to associate the names of the raga that was the base of the composition. I want to introduce you to a morning raga - Ahir Bhairav. This is different from Raga Bhairav - another morning Raga I wrote about <click here> The Ahir are a caste of cowherds, milkers, and cattle breeders widely dispersed across the Gangetic Plain. According to musical folklore, the melody of their cowbells is supposed to be behind this raga. Thank you for giving us this beautiful raga. Ahir Bhairav is a late morning raga and can be sung from 8am up to 10 am. In my second novel Married But Available, the enigmatic Keya is listening to it at 4am. That only shows that it is possible to enjoy a Raga even if the time is not a hundred percent accurate. Puchho Na Kaise Maine Rain Bitayi written by lyricist Shailendra and set to Raga Ahir Bhairav by SD Burman and sung by Manna Dey for the film Meri Surat Teri Ankhen ('63) will always remain the best example of this raga being used in Bollywood.https://youtu.be/0vh8_1ruoRo
Salil Chowdhury used Raga Ahir Bhairav in the film Swami Vivekananda in 1994. The lyrics Chalo Man Jaiyein Ghar Mein Apne is a translation from Vivekanand's original composition Chalo Mon Nije Niketane. There is a certain pathos in Ahir Bhairav that is common to this song as well as the one you just heard above. This song reminds me of my father. When he passed away, I came back to his room and found a cassette recorder with this song cued. That must have been what he was listening to last ... or may be .. https://youtu.be/d5oOvxcff0g I will now play the same raga sung by Ustad Rashid Khan. You have to try and see if you can spot the notes of Puchho Na Kaise when you hear the classical version of Raga Ahir Bhairav. https://youtu.be/sM5WYDieMQ8
Finally I leave you to listen to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan singing Raga Ahir Bhairav.https://youtu.be/sRqmkFmGcBo Look at the Samay Chakra and see when a raga will sound the most magical.