Winter songs: Meditative, quiet, beautiful

Editor’s note: It’s a shame that Indian classical music often feels inaccessible to so many of us. Even if we enjoy listening to a performance or an artist as a layperson, we rarely understand the rich tapestry of tradition that gives them meaning. So we are delighted that Harini Calamur—who is a writer, veteran journalist and also a classical music aficionado—has put together this series on Hindustani music. Each instalment of this beginner's guide comes with its own delightful playlist:) Harini introduces us to the meditative beauty of ragas such as Shree and Malkauns—their deep notes perfect for the peaceful, thoughtful mood of winter.

PS: If you missed them, previous instalments of this series include guides to Raga Bhairavi, Raga Puriya Dhanashree, Raga Lalit, Ragas of Spring, Raga Darbari, Ragas of Indian freedom, Raga Shree, Raga Hamsadhwani and Indian poet-saint’s in classical ragas.

Lead image: is a 1660 painting inspired by Raga Bhairav and depicts Krishna and lady.

Written by: Harini Calamur works at the intersection of digital content, technology, and audiences. She is a writer, columnist, visiting faculty and filmmaker. Her work has appeared in DNA, Free Press Journal, CNBC TV 18 and more.

In the northern parts of India, where Hindustani Classical Music became a tradition both in the temple and the court, summer disappears soon after the festivities of Diwali.  As summer fades and the chilly months arrive, Hindustani music too takes on a distinct character to reflect the mood of the season change—shifts gears to evoke the tones of autumn (Hemant)  and winter (Shishir). 

Gone are the playful exuberance of spring and the fiery passion of summer; instead, introspective contemplation, stillness, and even a touch of melancholic resignation seep into the musical tapestry. Ragas, like Hemant and Bhairav, are gentle and thoughtful. They sound like the quiet beauty of trees changing colours. 

When winter comes, bringing cold and quiet days, winter ragas such as Shree and Malkauns take centre stage. Their deep tunes are perfect for the peaceful, thoughtful mood of winter. These ragas help us feel the calm and quiet of nature during these seasons, making us think and feel at peace as we hear the gentle strains of the ragas. 

Raga Hemant: The new kid on the block

In the Pantheon of Hindustani Classical Music, where some ragas trace their origin to the Gods, Raga Hemant is a relative newcomer. Composed as a tribute to Autumn (or Sharad Ritu) the raga is also performed during dusk. Alternatively credited to Sitar Maestro Ravi Shankar, and his Guru, Allaudin Khan, the raga is considered one of the most charming ragas to have evolved in the last half century. In this incredible performance, Ravi Shankar lays out the versatility of the Raga.  

Raga Hemant lends itself to stringed instruments — the sitar, the veena, the sarod — simply because those are able to capture the sense of longing and yearning. This is a rendition by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan on the sarod, that captures the melancholy of separation, and maybe the separation the leaf feels when it falls from the tree. Below is a vocal performance by Veena Sahasrabuddhe — but the vilambit (slow) and the faster thumri, evokes longing. 

Purvi Thaat: Where autumn and dusk ragas overlap

Both autumn and dusk have similar properties. There is the sense of separation from the brightness of the sun—the lover—and the pangs of longing that strike. And therefore there is a tremendous overlap between dusk ragas and autumn ragas. For example, it is not uncommon to hear Raga Puriya Dhanashree, that we visited earlier in this Advisory edition—to be referred to as an autumn raga. It is a member of the Purvi Thaat, which is a group of ragas that are associated with the autumn season. 

In Hindustani Classical Music, a thaat is a family of ragas sharing the same basic notes, offering different flavours of the same musical landscape. Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkande, one of the most prominent musicologists, identified and categorised ragas in the Hindustani Classical Music tradition into 10 major thaats—Bilawal, Kafi, Bhairav, Bhairavi, Kalyan, Marwa, Poorvi, Asavari, Todi, Khamaj. Each of them has its own ragas and raginis. And sometimes they combine together to produce even better music. 

Purvi Thaat holds a unique position in Hindustani Classical Music, serving as the foundation for a collection of ragas that evoke the essence of autumn and early winter. These ragas, imbued with a sense of introspective stillness and quiet contemplation, make you feel as one with the season. This lovely performance by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi — one of my favourites — in Raga Purvi evokes a cool night in autumn, as one waits with yearning for their lover. 

Here Begum Akhtar takes this longing one step further with the heartbreaking ‘Mori Toot Gayi Aas’, in raga Purvi. 

If you are looking for a Hindi film composition loosely based on the raga, then this lovely song ‘Bahut Shukriya Badi Meherbani’ by Mohammed Rafi & Asha Bhonsle may please you. 

Raga Bhairav: The raga of the cool crisp autumn morning 

Raga Bhairav is part of the larger Bhairav Thaat, with ragas like Lalit, Bhairavi, Aahir Bhairav, Simavat Bhairav and others. 

If Puriya and Puriya Dhanashree are associated with evenings in autumn, Raga Bhairav is associated with the cool crisp autumn morning. Often played in the serene early hours of the morning, ragas belonging to this thaat evoke a sense of calm and spiritual awakening that mirrors the tranquil beauty of autumn mornings. One of my favourite bhajans is ‘Jago Mohan Pyaare’ — rendered in raga Bhairav by the incomparable Venkatesh Kumar.

Powerful and majestic, with a touch of melancholic introspection, the raga creates a sense of awe and grandeur. This lovely song sung by the legendary Kishore Kumar from the film ‘Gautam Govinda’—‘Ek Ritu Aaye, Ek Ritu Jaaye’—is a fine adaptation of the raga. 

But if you really want to experience Bhairav, as opposed to hearing it, this rendition of the raga by the legendary Bismillah Khan on the shehnai should be on the playlist. 

Ragas of the peak winters  

Shishir Ritu is the peak winter season, occurring from mid-December to mid-February. It is characterised by the coldest temperatures of the year, early nightfall, with foggy mornings and chilly nights. And the music reflects the kind of melancholy that one associates with the sun disappearing in the middle of the day. 

Raga Malkauns—that is sung both late at night, and during winters—represents this sense of longing for the light. One of the most popular songs from the last century, in Raga Malkauns, was the song from the film ‘Baiju Bawra’ — ‘Man Tadapat Hari Darshan ko Aaj’. 

We will end this exploration of winter ragas with one of my favourite ragas—Shree, that we have explored earlier in the series. Just as Malkauns explores the melancholy of the season, Shree, in its quiet majesty, mirrors winter's hushed stillness and explores the hope of spring and regeneration after a long winter. This lovely performance by Niladhari Kumar brings the yearning for spring, as well as the hope of the soul for warmth and light. 

Shree’s grace is like the quietness of a winter’s evening. Deeply contemplative. But unlike the belak coldness of winter, Shree holds a glimmer of warmth, like embers glowing beneath frost. It reminds us that even in the heart of winter, the hope of renewal remains. This evocation of Raga Shree by Uday Bhawalkar reminds us of this promise. 

As the seasons change from the colourful autumn to the quiet winter, the ragas in Hindustani Classical Music change too, matching the mood of each season with their tunes. These ragas are more than just music; they are like stories that reflect the feelings and beauty of nature's changes. In this blend of music and seasons, each raga tells its own timeless story, connecting tradition, nature, and the powerful language of music.

We have created a handy playlist with all the tracks mentioned on splainer’s Youtube channel. ICYMI, you can check out Harini’s playlist on Raga Bhairavi here, Raga Puriya Dhanashree here, Raga Lalit here, Ragas of Spring here, Raga Darbari here, Ragas of Indian freedom here, Raga Shree here, Raga Hamsadhwani here and Indian poet-saint’s in classical ragas here.

PS: If you need a list of all the amazing music shared by Harini:

• Sitar rendition of Raga Hemant by Ravi Shankar   
• Raga Hemant by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan 
• Raga Hemant by Veena Sahsrabuddhe
• Raga Purvi by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi 
• Raga Purvi by Begum Akhtar 
• ‘Bahut Shukriya Badi Meherbani’ in Raga Purvi by Mohammed Rafi & Asha Bhonsle 
• Raga Bhairav by Pandit Venkatesh Kumar 
• ‘Ek Ritu Aaye Ek Ritu Jaaye’ in Raga Bhairav by Kishore Kumar 
• Raga Bhairav by Bismillah Khan 
• ‘Man Tarpat Hari Darsan Ko Aaj’ in Raga Malkauns by Mohammed Rafi 
• Raga Shree by Niladhari Kumar 
• Raga Shree by Uday Bhawalkar