Moonsoon in Tagore's Songs

Rabindranath  Tagore  had  deep  love  for  nature. Monsoon  was  poet’s  most  favourite  season.  After  long  hot  summer  when  our  heart  cries out  ‘ There  is  thirst  in  my  eyes,/ My entire  being  pines  with  it’  then  monsoon  comes  down  in  the earth  like  a  ‘youthful  pride  in  her  gait’—Poet  Said,  

‘come  oh  verdurous  splendor

                                      Allaying heart,  slaking  thirst

                                      Grace  with  your  cooling  presence

                                      Gazing  longingly  at  skies

                                      Awaits  you  this  lovelorn  earth’ 

 

 Monsoons were greeted in Kabi Guru’s time in Shantiniketan with programmes termed as ‘Barsha Mongol’.   It means the blessings of rain. ‘Barsha Mongol’ was  first celebrated in Shantinikatan by Shameendranath, poet’s youngest son, in 1908 (Bengali year 1315).  Tagore himself introduced ‘Barsha Mongol’ celebrations in his ancestral home at Jorasanko on Bhadra 17, 1328 (1921). The charm and depth of those evenings with poet himself reciting and singing can very well be visualised.

The poet composed many songs on his favourite season monsoon. Classical Ragas namely Miyaki Mallhar, Megha Mallhar, Desh Mallhar, Gour Mallar, Des were extensively used in those songs. 

 

The mood of the rains as sketched by the poet having marks of different colours, reflects intricate human reactions to a season.

‘Aji  Jharo jharo mukharo badolodine’

‘Today, in drizzling rains and rumblings of a cloudy day

Know not I, know not why, why on nothing does the mind stay

With restless water laden winds, towards wondering clouds

Speeds this mind, yearns this mind, longing to know paths of a flights of gees

Time throbs to Rag Megha Mallhar all day long…..’

One is at once filled with a sense of pathos and boundless joy; Tagore caught the many glorious moods of the season of clouds and gave a lyrical and musical expressions to the innermost whispering of the clouds, the rains, the human soul. He heard and recreated the symphony of colour and music.

‘Mon mor megher sangi’

 Companion to the clouds, my heart

Soars beyond all horizins

Towards the wide open void…..’

Bel, Juhi, Kadam, Ketoki are the flowers of monsoon and poet frequently mentioned them with Sal-Piyal, Tal-Tamal trees in his songs on rainy season.

 

Abhisarika-Radha

In his musical drama ‘Bhanusingha Thakurer Padabali’  romantic poet Rabindranath depicted Radha’s secret journey for love (Abhisar) ignoring wild wind , thundering clouds and incessant fall of rain.

‘ Sawan Gagane Ghor Ghana Ghata, Nishitha Yamini Re.

  Kunjapathe  Sakhi  Kayese  Jaobo  Abalakamini Re….

‘In this difficult path of love tryst, in this drunken state of shravan, in this journey of love, thats the Raj Path. When tears flows down the eyes in sadness, then comes to the door of our heart, the Chariot of our lover. In Radha's journey of love this is the most auspicious moment and she can't wait for the call. Leaving aside all hurdles, Radha reaches the grove for union with her Shyam (Krishna) . But in this grove of love there's just rain of sadness. The Gopi's seeing Radha's condition now comes to Radha as her sisters to console her.’