Basant means ‘spring’, the season of hope, rejuvenation and mirth. Apart from being a seasonal raga that conveys these emotions, Basant is also associated with love and romance that inevitably arouses feelings of longing, pain and devotion.

Sameehan Kashalkar’s stunning performance of Raag Basant is replete with waves of pathos of a heart that is pining for love. In his mellowed and mellifluous voice, he paints the vignettes of this raga in a soul-stirring rendition.

The composition, ‘Kanha rang baan daara’ is set to Adhya taal (a variant of the 16-beat teental). This song was composed by the prolific singer and composer Pandit Dinkar Kaikini (1927-2010). He elucidates the raga with an array of spectacular vistaar and taans, displaying the impressive grooming and rich exposure to the raga he has received from his father and guru, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar. A beautiful tarana follows this composition with which he brings the concert to an end.

Manjeet rasiya (tabla) and Chinmay Kolhatkar (harmonium) give a pleasing accompaniment to this young artist, adding several notches of sweet flavour to the recital.

The season of spring is called Basant or Vasant. In Indian ritu-chakra (cycle of seasons), this season is as powerful and popular as the monsoons. Just as the rains have inspired the invention of several ragas, the spring season too has several ragas accredited to its beauty. Basant is one such raga. The parent scale of Basant is Poorvi. The raga uses all the notes with the upper Sa (upper octave 1st) as the dominant and Pa (5th) as the sub-dominant notes. It uses komal Re, komal Dha (flat 2nd, flat 6th) and teevra Ma (sharp 4th). Some musicians also include shudh Ma (pure 4th) to enhance its beauty.

Musicians
Sameehan Kashalkar (khayal)
Manjeet Singh Rasiya (tabla)
Chinmay Kolhatkar (harmonium)
Shobhana Patel & Gunwant Kaur (tanpuras)

Raag: Basant (seasonal raga), Thaat: Poorvi, Samay: anytime during Spring