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Hamari Tumhari Raajan - Raag Charukeshi
Pt Ramashreya Jha's (Ramrang/Raamrang) beautiful composition in Raag Charkeshi broken down and explained for musicians and the musically curious.
While exploring Charukeshi, I came across this Bandish (song) by Pt Ramashreya Jha, popularly known as Raamrang or Ramrang. It uniquely showcases the raag, with the Ma (madhyam) being prominent compositionally. I’ve not come across any videos or audio of this outside of Ramrang’s own version here, so I decided to learn how to sing it and recorded myself singing it.
Charukeshi evokes Shringar (romance) and Bhakti (devotion) easily and you’ll notice this as you listen to the composition. Here’s the notation for the song.
Bol & Swar (lyrics & notations)
R'nS GRG MGRS
Hamari tumhari raajan
(S'd'nRS) GMP PD S'dP MG~S
jata pata kevat ki binati mani y(j)e
d~M Pd~S' S' S' G'M'R'S' d ----( variation S'ndS')
Hama tumha naatha ek biraadari ke
GMM PP S' ~d P ~G R S
utarayi de jaat na bigaadiye
*Capital letters indicate Shuddha (major) notes except for Ma (Tonic 4th).
Meaning - Raamrang personifies a boatman talking to the Lord, and calls him a boatman. One responsible for taking people across the “river of life”, similar to the boatman who takes people across the river. Commenting further Raamrang says, “the caste of the boatman is immaterial. what matters is their responsibility towards their people”
I’ve also transcribed this into sheet music to the best of my abilities. This is set to the tonic/pitch of C.
I hope you enjoy this song. Happy Thanksgiving if you’re in the US.
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Notes about Indian classical music. I write about the Raagas and artists, share short (<5 mins) pieces, and break them down. Premium content includes Podcasts and other exclusive material. Subscribe for free now!