There’s an inexplicable tension in the skies when day crosses over into the night and Raag Märwä personifies this ambience...
As retreating sun makes way for dark skies, even migratory birds take a break for a while to make sure of their bearings. There is an unmistakable apprehension about the uncertainty that darkness may bring. Added to it are leftover feelings of strain, stress and anxieties from the day that was and then your heart yearns for comfort zone. Even these minor comforts are denied to man at times and your mind goes into a self-denial mode – what we Indians call ‘vairägya’! This, precisely, is the ethos of Raag Märwä!
Technically speaking, Märwä is the main raag of Märwä Thät and also shares the same pentatonic scale with two other raags in its close proximity, namely Puriyä and Sohni. Märwä is typical in its emphasis on Komal Rishabh and Dhaivat (second and sixth notes). With the absence of Pancham, the other stable note in the scale, and base note Sä being used very sparingly, Märwä heightens tension palpably!
An interesting anecdote merits mention here – Late Pt Vasanträo Deshpände learned Bhendibazär Gäyaki from Ustäd Asadali Khänsaheb at Lähore. The reclusive Ustäd, who for six months taught only Märwä to Vasanträo, told him to sing this matrix with base note firmly in mind but employ phrases using all other notes in the scale. Vasanträo’s rendition of Märwä is truly electrifying and an independent interpretation of this matrix. Also memorable is the bandish ‘Piyä more anant des’ sung by Ustäd Amir Khänsäheb, founder of Indore gharänä. This raag has also been rendered magnificently by instrumentalists whose instruments allow meend (unbroken passage from one note to another) and khichäv (progression from one note to another by pulling the string in an instrument), most notable examples being Pt Ravi Shankar, Pt Nikhil Bänerjee (both sitar) and Pt Hariprasäd Chauräsiyä (flute).
Märwä excels in the upper ranges of the octave and compositions from popular music also bear out its potential to build tension. ‘Jo tum todo piyä’ (Film: Silsilä) sung by Lata Mangeshkar under Shiv-Hari’s baton comes to mind as the top recall. The melody-queen has also sung a number of memorable songs such as ‘Känhä re känhä re’ (Film: Taxi Driver), ‘Päyaliyä bäwari’ (Film: Säj Aur Aäwäj) in Märwä. Maräthi bhäv-sangeet also boasts of some sparkling gems in this matrix, the most notable being Arun Däte’s ‘Swar gangechyä käthävarati’, Suman Kalyanpur’s ‘Shabd-shabd japun thev’ and Lata-didi’s ‘Mävalatyä dinakarä’. Märwä never fails to evoke emotions that portray shades of self-denial, disappointment and devotion. The other two sister melodies that share the same scale are, however, entirely different in their nature. But more about them in future episodes of Music-Fundaaz. Right now, dig out a recording of Ustäd Amir Khänsäheb or Vasanträo Deshpande, sit back and let the magic of Märwä wash over you…
