The Life Lifting Light

Greetings!


Hindustani Classical Music stands on a tradition that goes back for thousands of years (perhaps even more). Some of the greatest musical minds have contemplated and honed the essential patterns (ragas), which pass through the thick-skin and dulled-mind and touch the soul.

One such raga is "Bhatiyar", that evokes the sense of trickling twilight  of early morning and gently stirs the soul from dark nothingness to the life giving light of - purpose and action! 

Over years many musicians and singers have sought refuge of this raga to create timeless melodies. 

Let us enjoy one such amazing journey of this raga that resulted into stirring of thousands of hearts - which ended up lifting millions of minds out of centuries of darkness.

It all happened suddenly and unexpectedly on one of the balmy Mumbai nights in the 1980s. 

Ace singers Suresh Wadkar, Kavita Krishnamurthy and awesome (but relatively unknown) composer Ashok Patki had been working almost non stop since 10 AM on that day. The clock showed a few minutes to 10 PM and as they were wrapping up, Piyush Pandey rushed in the studio. 

Piyush Pandey was the state television network's (Doordarshan's) man Friday. A brilliant lyricist and  deft director - called upon for taking key Government initiatives to people through Television and Radio. 

So, Piyush Pandey hurriedly caught up with Ashok Patki, pushed a paper with Piyush's own lyrics in Ashok's hand. Still huffing from his rush, Piyush asked Ashok Patki to compose music for these lyrics and get it sung by one of the available singers immediately and share recording as it was to be submitted next day. 

(Now, why does this situation sound too familiar for everyone who works anywhere !? :-) !)

Anyway, long story short, Ashok Patki tapped into "Bhatiyar" raga patterns to compose it, Kavita Krishnamurthy sang it melodiously and it touched and stirred millions of souls to bring the dawn of 'Life Lifting Light" in lives of millions!

The song became a jingle in a touching advertisement by "National Literacy Movement of India" and an anthem that echoed in hearts of volunteers who took up "Gifting the Life-Lifting Light of Literacy"  as their own mission in life.

This initiative, along with many others have resulted in literacy % of India almost doubling from the 80's till now. 

Millions have risen out of the darkness of poverty, ignorance and malice riding on the light of literacy! 

Thus the "Bhatiyar raga" that has been reverberating in enlightened souls for millennia; found its way into a masterful composition, touching lyrics, mellifluous voice, millions of radios and idiot boxes and finally entered the hearts of thousands - where the thousand "life-lifting-light-gifting" Suns were just waiting for this stirring - to arise and shine in every nook and cranny!!!

Oh, what a journey!!!
   
Sincerely Mine!
Anand Kulkarni

P.S.

Lyrics in Hindi 

पूरब से सूर्य उगा फैला उजियारा
जागी हर दिशा दिशा जागा जग सारा

Transliterated in English

In the east arose a Sun shiny, 
Sweeping off darkness uncanny.  
Waking up each nook and cranny, 
And "Waking Up" the One and Many!





Comments

Pawan S said…
Nice one. A thought came to my mind - the composition was done in such a short order, execution too. And yet the result was that of permanence and memorable forever: Then it wasn’t just the day where the composition and singing occurred. What went into the preparation was all the years the composer was in the music, the practices that singers have gone through to hone their skills and also how the raga itself was made by someone and their own inspiration etc. All that went into preparation of this a day-wonder achievement was a multi-year progress in the making. And so everything that we might do today is in the preparation of just such a moment in the future.

The present day society/culture is so focused on a narrative of a quick-found success story (wanting to match the yearning of each individual's dreams of quick success) - that they miss the whole foundation of the story.

Sorry this does not directly relate to the post - but just a thought that I wanted to share which still is congruent to our human condition.
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
APK said…
Your comment is actually relevant and it really has been in making for years (or even millennia). In fact, the foundation is in making, even this song itself has put sparks in hearts and created a number of generations who are themselves contributing to laying foundations. Some in terms of managing organisations equitably some in terms of contributing to and celebrating open source. The process continues. The eternal river keeps flowing...
Monday, October 26, 2020
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