Tansens tune

Known to be the night raga,it is generally sung and played in the dark hours. Its profound impact comes from its sonorous quality.

It acquired a different aura when a doyen like Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sang it in his resonant baritone. I first heard a bandish by him in 1949,when I was 12. That experience had a spiritual effect on me which hasnt gone away a bit even now. Sometimes,I feel it haunts me because to attain that perfection while playing it remains a target all the time since it is not an easy raga to master. The best thing about this raga is that even when people do not understand its intricate nuances,they just love it. It touches your soul in a beautiful way.

Also,I have fresh memories of admiration for two film songs based on this ragaO duniya ke rakhwale by Mohammad Rafi from the film Baiju Bawra and Mujhe tumse kuch na kehna by Mukesh from the film Chhalia.
I also remember my performance in Patna,two years back,when I played the same raga at 1 am. I dont think I have ever been more satisfied as an artiste when I saw the opulence of the raga coming alive on sitar that time.