How Indian Classical Instruments Capture the Spirit of Monsoon Through Ancient Ragas

Have you heard Garaj Garaj from Bandish Bandits and been mesmerised by the evocative monsoon thematic of the song? Did you know that the song is a bandish (composition) based on Raag Megh Malhar, a raga associated with monsoon like many other ragas in Indian classical music?

The arrival of the monsoon in the Indian subcontinent is not just life-giving, it has also inspired a rich musical tradition. In Hindustani classical music, monsoon is celebrated through intricate ragas that capture the season’s moods and sensations.

"The monsoon raga is not music; it is a dialogue between the musician and nature itself" says Koumolika Chatterjee, a practitioner of the sitar who performs for smaller gatherings and shows across Delhi. "As we perform these ragas, we become vessels of the very spirit of the rains."

These often intricately composed monsoon ragas, kausals, and bhavas are shaped in close partnership with Indian classical instruments, each contributing distinct tonal colours and narrative elements. The relationship between the monsoon and its corresponding ragas represents a remarkable blend of natural observation and musical innovation.

The Instrumental Foundation of Monsoon Ragas

The type of instruments has a pivotal role in the execution of monsoon ragas, as each instrument has a seasonal quality to bring to the music. The tabla is important to monsoon compositions since its smaller dayan and larger bayan create a wide variety of textures.

As Banwari Lal Ji, a repairer of classical instruments located in a small shop in Old Delhi, says: “The tabla speaks the language of rain from the lightest drop of rain on the dayan to the deepest rumble of thunder on the bayan. The tabla can speak about all kinds of moments of the monsoon."

String instruments, similar to a sitar or a veena, also feature prominently. The sympathetic strings create overtone layers that create a syllabic feel echoing the heavy density of the sheet monsoon clouds. The veena typically has four primary strings, and with its natural resonators, it vibrates without force to create a spacious feel. A defining hallmark of string instruments is their ability to slide between pitches and use microtonal shifts. This is important to express the fluidity and continuous alteration of falling rain and the gradual morphological shift of the landscape.

Raga Malhar and the Quintessential Monsoon Family

The Malhar family is the zenith of raag representational monsoon music with over 36 (and counting) representations of various aspects of the rainy season. The terminology itself is derived from 'mala' and 'hari', meaning "the remover of uncleanliness", which makes sense for a raag about the rainy season.

Miyan ki Malhar is perhaps the best-known version of the genre, and it is important that the rasikas perform the raag with instruments capable of producing heavy, thunderous tones. Like the other forms of Malhar, it employs the two different positions of the ga, both the flat one and the raised one, in a swinging, heavy tone reminiscent of thunder. The higher notes also use two different positions for the ni that incorporates speech, like patterns replicating how human beings communicate with each other.

"I think if I am playing Miyan ki Malhar on the sitar," said Koumolika, "the strings becomes raindrops themselves, the notes being each one caused to fall from the clay monsoon sky overhead."

While there are numerous tools for making this happen, the sitar and veena particularly excel in rendering these microtonal inflections while the tabla creates a heavy groove that is robust enough to feel like thunder. Similarly, lower-register instruments, like rudra veena or dilruba, can create a deep-sounding resonance that is common to thunder produced by the rainy season.

Megh Malhar looks at cloud formations, tracking the incidents and movement across the sky. Instruments that create strong placed pedals are particularly useful in presenting long, present clouds such as bansuri (bamboo flute) and harmonium. The harmonia and the bansuri can be particularly effective in demonstrating the cloud's formation, weight, and eventual dispersal when it arrives.

Seasonal Time and Instrumental Choice

Monsoon ragas are typically performed in the rainy months - Shravan and Bhadon (July to September) and they can be performed depending on the kind of climate and the time of day. The instruments used also change depending on the specific season of the monsoon as the instrument is in harmony with the essence of the sub-season.

In the early stages of the monsoon, lighter and more responsive instruments such as the harmonium and tabla are often suitable. As the rains intensify, more and more stringed instruments such as sitar and veena are typically more prominent, since the heavier sound comes to match the now thick and dense air. 

As evening performances, stringed instruments are often used for the sake of extended notes and ornamentation and the successive notes often followed the reflective moods created merely by the previous rain shower which created a sound of resonance.

Timing of a raga, samay, as discussed previously in relation to classical music theory not only pertains to when a raga is initiated, but what instruments are properly arranged. One may be able to play the raga again at a different time of day and elicit a difference.

The Increasing Commercial Possibility of Monsoon Music

"Samosas, onion pakoda, and garam chai are available all year round, but when it comes to rainy season they seem more inviting and romanticized. So when we reach monsoons yes there is an increase, in monsoon themes and concerts with classical raags," says Mr. Niladri Kumaar, Dean of Maya Somaiya School of Music and Performing Arts, which provides courses in classical music and performing arts. This suggests that there is significant commercial viability for cultural stages and music schools. Recently Travancore Palace in Delhi launched their immersive "Baarish" series with Godawan playing into this seasonal archetype, and are preparing for the next installments in a series on July 26th that includes live performance, theatre and multisensorial experience. 

"It may also be be composed of the popular stories that go with it, like the famous Tansen story. I think if there were another hundred popular stories then perhaps many more raags (along with many more seasons) would account for that same interest. The beauty of raags is all year, at all time, and at all feeling. So I encourage the listener to continue to folow raags across the seasons," Kumaar explains who also is scheduled to perform in a classical event by Godawan at Travancore Palace, on August 2nd. 

Modern Representations and Instrumental Adaptation

Nowadays musicians often infuse electronic and synthesised tones alongside actual instruments with the use of modern technology to create the atmospheric layered sound to denote the monsoon season. It allows the musician to innovate their performance as they recreate a sense of the affects of the raga, while not losing emotional connection with the raga.

When we met santoor player Rakshika Nandwana at a SPIC MACAY concert, she said, "The music of the monsoon season will never signify an instrument like a bansuri or santoor and surely not a synthesizer. The raga is flexible but needs to signify the rain soul experience."

A harmonium is a perfect example of this transition between traditional instruments and how they remain useful to signify seasonal moods. Progressions with modern recording technology allow ensembles to lay instruments creating sound textures that represent weather with the complexity of the unpredictable monsoon season.

Through the choice of instruments and how musicians perform them, monsoon ragas are still used to signify the rhythms and moods of the rain season. This indicates musical experience of season is possible through all eras and every culture.