HE PLAYS WITH HIS MUSIC AND HE PLAYS WITH HIS MATES AS THE LAND OF HIS DREAMS PLAYS FIELD FOR HIS SPORT

HE PLAYS WITH HIS MUSIC AND HE PLAYS WITH HIS MATES AS THE LAND OF HIS DREAMS PLAYS FIELD FOR HIS SPORT

When the eternal flautist returns with his flock at the cow-dust hour, crossing the Yamuna, the raag Yaman floats through the air, thrilling the divine damsels who are breathlessly in love with the boy beloved of their dreams. Then is the music of the soul set to its tune perfect for ages to come as India comes to life with it. What follows is the bandish of the original alaap, here in vilambit ektaal, there in madhyalaya and there again in drut teentaal as wave after wave of cyclical progression gives shape to the unfolding raag of Indian civilisation. But the original impetus given by the boy from Vrindavan forever holds the scale, the scope and the nature of the revealing raag.

Written by Sugata Bose