Gayati. Live. Breathe. Sing! Informal singing by Gauri Varma

My attempt at the powerful ancient Sanskrit hymn in praise of Lord Shiv, composed by Raavan, ruler of Lanka. Raavan was a scholar, expert in many disciplines and a devout devotee of Lord Shiv. In this hymn, sung through the centuries, Lord Shiv is vividly described dancing his creative/transformative Tandav dance, the vibrations from which fill his devotees' hearts with joy. His dancing figure is...

My rendition of a charming, traditional Punjabi bridal song or 'चू‌ड़ा' (Chooda: bangle). The Chooda ceremony is a ritual of great cultural significance in Punjabi weddings. On the morning of the wedding day, red and white bangles are placed on the wrists of the bride with a havan/puja. These bangles symbolize blessings of the Divine on the bride-to-be, for strengthening the conjugal bond, fertili...

I have attempted a traditional North Indian wedding song in colloquial Hindi. This charming, lively song is addressed to the bride-to-be by her maid -companion. She teasingly urges the beloved, pampered daughter of the house ('laado') to go and comb her hair, as her groom has already entered the gardens of their residence. She also laughingly warns the bride that she will charge her in gold coins...

On the occasion of India's Republic Day 2022, I have attempted one of the favourite Bhajans of Mahatma Gandhi, Bapuji, Father of the Nation. Written in the 15th century in mediaeval Gujarati vernacular by the Vaishnav saint Narsinh Mehta of Junagadh, this bhajan has endured because of its wonderful simple expression of what lies at the core of Hindu spiritual philosophy: the saint explains who is...

I have attempted a favourite Geet-numa-Ghazal (Ghazal rendered in song format) from the classic Indian film 'Umrao Jaan' (1981). The ghazal is preceded by some introductory comments by me to set the context of the lyrics. The ghazal, in simple Hindi-Urdu, expresses the intense mixed feelings of both joy and sorrow as 19th century courtesan Umrao Jaan, uprooted from her base in Lucknow, glimpses he...

I have attempted a medley of some favourite Vaishnav bhajans or devotional songs dedicated to Lord Krishna, also invoking hin at points as another prominent Vishnu Avatar, Lord Ram. Sung to a brisk traditional Indian devotional beat, these age old bhajans/chants in Sanskritic and colloquial Hindi invoke the Divine Spirit in joyous mood. To be 'in God' in His Krishna form, is to suspend ego and rea...

I have attempted the beautiful love ballad from the famous English film 'Titanic'. Sung unforgettably by Celine Dion with haunting music by James Horner amd lyrics by Will Jennings, the song's inspiration clearly goes back to medieval traditional European folk and operatic ballads as reinterpreted in 1970s rock music. The vocals mix and merge with the enveloping music that uses the tin whistle alo...

This feisty, passionate, folk-inspired love song in Punjabi-Urdu from film 'Dhoom 3', successfully merges traditional Indian melody and lyrics with a Western fusion rendition. Originally sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, the lyrics are inspired by traditional Heer-Ranjha poetry of Punjab, and have a deeper mystic meaning: they evoke a love that is both physically and spiritually deep, that causes the singe...

This is my devotional attempt at the centuries-old hymn 'Rudrashtakam Stotram' composed by 16th century Bhakti saint, poet and scholar Shri Tulsidas, as part of his sacred epic Ramcharitmanas. In eight stanzas (ashtakam) the prayer invokes Lord Shiv, praising His beautiful form, qualities and deeds in lyrical Sanskrit.

This is my attempt at a gentle country ballad written and sung by the famous English pop singer Sting in 1993. It was inspired by the beautiful sensuous movement of the wind as it moved over rippling golden barley fields around the country home of the writer/singer. Its lyrics and melody are in the Old English folksy style, telling of a love that was enacted in barley fields in the bright summer,...

This is my raw attempt at a hauntingly beautiful song from the famous Hindi film 'Rang de Basanti' (2006). The poignant lyrics expressing a mother's love for a lost son, who has sacrificed his young life in the pursuit of noble goals of social and political revolution, are by Prasoon Joshi and the unusual, intricate musical composition is a fine example of A.R. Rahman's eclectically harmonious sty...

This beautiful wedding song in Hindi has been sung traditionally amongst both Hindus and Muslims of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and belongs to the Banna-Banni genre of weding songs of Uttar Pradesh. I learnt this song from older women relatives in Patna, Bihar. They in turn had heard this song sung decades ago by an unknown Muslim woman singer from the Old City of Patna, who had been invited to sing...

I have attempted a lively, traditional wedding song from my home state of Uttar Pradesh. In colloquial Hindi, it is of the genre of 'Banna-Banni' wedding songs, which are typical of Uttar Pradesh, though also sung in Bihar, and have been sung for centuries into the present. 'Banna-Banni' are words used to lovingly address and describe a to-be groom and bride or a just-married groom/bride respectiv...

This is my attempt at a ghazal rendered simply in a lilting song format, without semi-classical embellishments. A well known version has been sung by Pakistani singer Munni Begum. The lyrics tell how the path of life is marked with carnivals of unhappiness. One is surrounded by crowds of calamities and yet, is always ultimately alone. Separated from the beloved by conspiracies of this world or the...

These sacred verses from Goswami Tulsidas' epic Ramcharitmanas are regarded as very auspicious. They describe the revelation experienced by Queen Kaushalya prior to the birth of Lord Ram. Vishnu appeared in his magnificent, all-powerful form to the Queen and conveyed to her his desire to enter her womb and be born as a human being. Unbelieving and overwhelmed initially, Kaushalya was then overjoye...

This classic bhajan in Sanskrit with a mix of mediaeval Awadhi (Hindi dialect of the Ayodhya area of Uttar Pradesh) was written in praise of Lord Ram Chandra by 16th century Bhakti poet and saint Goswami Tulsidas. It describes the beauty, valour and grace of Shri Ram as a young man in his prime. The last two stanzas describe how Princess Sita prays to Goddess Bhavaani to grant her Lord Ram as her...

This beautiful bhajan was written in Awadhi (Hindi dialect of the Ayodhya area of Uttar Pradesh), by 16th century Bhakti poet and saint Goswami Tulsidas. Full of maternal love (Vaatsalya Bhaav), it adores Shri Ram in his toddler form. The Supreme Lord Vishnu, creator of the Universe, in his baby Ram Avatar, attempts to walk and stumbles and falls onto the earth. His doting mother Rani Kaushalya ru...

My atttempt at a favourite Ghazal by acclaimed Pakistani Shaayar Late Ahmad Faraaz. Sung by many iconic artists including Mehdi Hasan. The ghazal is steeped in romantic pathos: a lover pleads with his beloved to come to him even if she is angry or indifferent. So great is his longing to see the beloved, that he is willing to accept any reason for such a meeting, and presents various heartrending j...

My amateur rendition of a heart-achingly sweet song from Pakistani film 'Jatt Mirza' (1982). Originally sung by Noor Jahan, composed by Master Abdullah with lyrics by Ghulam Ahmed Chishti, this love song, is rooted in the traditional folk music of Punjab: a woman yearns for her beloved, calling out to him, saying that she has been defeated looking out for him to come to her, with the doors of her...

My attempt at a popular Bengali song composed by the versatile genius Salil Chowdhury in the 1950s, and perhaps most famously sung by Hemanta Mukherjee. This song, imbued with patriotic fervour and joie de vivre, is a fine example of Chowdhury's masterly blending of Indian and Western musical traditions. The song's lyrics, melody and rhythm, all demonstrate the deep influence of folk music, love f...

This is an amateur attempt at a popular Hori (traditional folk song sung in Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, in the month of Phalgun, especially on and around the harvest festival of Holi). The singing of Hori is intrinsic to the celebration of Holi in villages of the Banaras area and Bihar. The traditional lyrics are in Purabi dialects associated with this region, particularly Bhojpuri. The rusti...

This is my amateur rendition of a lovely Sufi-inspired film song. The lyrics written by Irshad Kamil include traditional Sufi invocations to Pir Bulle Shah and chanting of 'dum', the mystic connotation of which is the sacred vital life force or 'prana', channelized through the breath and its rhythms. The music by Vishal-Shekhar also draws on traditional Indian devotional melodies. The song's lyric...

This poignant geet-numa-ghazal written by Maqdoom Mohiuddin features in the popular Hindi film 'Gaman' (1978). The music director Jaidev has set the ghazal words into a haunting song format. The words and melody express such intense loneliness in the absence of the beloved that I felt they stand effectively on their own, and so my amateur attempt is unaccompanied by any instrument.

My attempt at this beautiful, folk-inspired, poignant song in colloquial Gujarati, from Shyam Benegal's award winning Hindi film 'Manthan', based on the revolutionary Amul story. Apologies in advance for imperfections in my pronunciation. The film was presented by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.

The lyrics of this composition (by Guru Randhawa and Santanu Ghatak) have the characteristics of poetry that is truly beautiful: simple yet profound in the emotions and philosophical approach to life that they reflect. And the melody complements them perfectly.