Lankadahan Sarang

With the passing of Ustad Vilayat Khan, luminary of the Imdadkhani Gharana, precious musical knowledge of religious significance is lost to us. For instance, he was one of the few musicians who could plumb that rare raga, Lankadahan Sarang. This small mid-day raga is one of the popular seven-member-family some say more of Sarang ragas. Popular film songs in the main Sarang raga are Jadugar saiyyan from Nagin 1954, Lata and Hai re hai from Kashmir ki Kali 1964, Asha-Rafi. Lankadahan Sarang is known to be available only in two rare instrumental recordings: Ustad Vilayat Khan8217;s and that of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan of the Maihar Gharana. Otherwise, the vocalist best known to have sung it, is Shubha Mudgal8217;s guru, Pandit Ramashray Jha. It seems only very senior and/or insightful musicians are able to enter and explore this raga meaningfully.

It was Ali Akbar Khan Sahib8217;s pupil, sarodiya Rajeev Taranath music composer for Girish Karnad8217;s films, who told me this wonderful story about Lankadahan Sarang, which he played in Delhi last year. Just as old Hindu temples each have a sthala puranam, or founding legend, most classical ragas have an 8216;aithihyam8217; or creation history. This raga8217;s aithihyam is that after Sri Hanuman set fire to Lanka, he fell into a mood of great embarrassment at having behaved so wildly, that too with Devi Sita in the vicinity. Since he was a highly educated and divinely gifted person, he was moved to express his remorse through the composition of a somberly beautiful raga, full of reflection and tranquility. 8216;Lankadahan Sarang8217; means 8216;The Sarang Scale Composed After the Burning of Lanka8217;.

One interesting place where Lankadahan Sarang pops up is in Nazrul-Geeti the songs of the great Bengali poet of Hindu-Muslim unity, Kazi Nazrul Islam. The song set in this raga is Agnigiri ghumonto uthilo jagiya The sleeping volcano is now awake. And the notion of remorseful appeasement is curiously echoed in the Carnatic system, where Raga Madhyamavati corresponds to Raga Madhmadh Sarang. Carnatic concerts usually end with a few strains of Madhyamavati. The musician sends off the audience with this caring 8216;back gift8217;, for Madhyamavati is said to confer 8216;parihaaram8217; relief from bad karma. Another marvel: Madhyamavati is a 8216;janya raga8217; or derivative of that hoary scale, Raga Kharaharapriya, which approximates to the primordial Hindu scale, 8216;shadjagrama8217;. It is said to evoke 8216;kaarunya rasa8217; Divine compassion and means 8216;Favourite of the Slayer of the Demon Khara8217;: Sri Ramachandra! So, fittingly, Hanuman8217;s raga of remorse is related to Rama8217;s raga of mercy.