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Journalism of Courage
Shiva as Kedar Nath is Lord of the deep silence, of serious contemplation. Raga Kedar, named after him, is among our oldest ragas sung between 9 pm and midnight. Whoever created it was clearly blessed with a superior musical intelligence and a receptive heart that beat defenselessly to the powerful vibration of Onkarnaad. Kedar, which rejoices in the beautiful name Hamir Kalyani in the Carnatic system, is a profoundly abstract raga, not easily “visualised”. The medieval Ragamala paintings depict Kedar as a young ascetic “beauteous in every limb”, his face luminous with a spiritual glow, his body smeared with ashes, doing penance before Shiva. Scholars would know better, but if ever a mudra assigns itself to Kedar it would be the “chhinn mudra”, of forefinger and thumb meeting to form a pointed antelope’s head: The mudra of cosmic search frequently depicted on Sakyamuni by sculptors and painters.
Music vidwans say that going by 17th century musical treatises, Kedar (which had a somewhat different structure in its medieval avatar) was one of the main ragas in the repertoire of Mughal musicians. Learning this, the mind leaps joyfully to appreciate composer Naushad Ali’s intelligence in Mughal-e-Azam, using Kedar for Shakeel Badayuni’s heart-melting song Bekas pe karam keejiye Sarkar-e-Madina. Perhaps one of the best-known bhajans in modern India is poet G.S. Nepali’s Darshan do Ghanshyam Nath, mori akhiyan pyaasi re, from the film Narsi Bhagat, sung by Hemantda, Manna Dey and Sudha Malhotra — and set in Kedar by composer Ravi. Other national favourites seem to include Hamko man ki shakti dena from Guddi and Aap yun hi agar humse milte rahen, dekhiye ek din pyaar ho jayega from Ek Musafir Ek Hasina: as lovesongs go, the last is very sweetly sober, isn’t it?
Kedar finds expression in just about every song form, be it dhrupad, khayal, thumri or bhajan. (Pandit Bhatkhande’s Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati seems to classify four variations on Kedar: Shuddha Kedar, Chandni Kedar, Maluha Kedar and Jaladhar Kedar).
At an another level, Kedar’s Sanskrit meanings, I’m told, are ‘Mountain Lord’ and ‘Powerful’. But I find that many Muslims instinctively say ‘Qadir’ instead of ‘Kedar’. Qadir is one of Allah’s Names. Curious as ever, I looked it up and was thrilled by the consonance. Qadir means ‘samarth’ or One Who Can Do Anything. Another way of saying ‘Powerful’? Moreover, Kedar as the silent young ascetic connects with the Beatles’ Fool on the Hill, who sees the world spinning round in total silence, who never seems to answer. But in his silence, he knows what he knows. He hears God’s voice. Many feel that Raga Kedar let us hear it, too.
