The Charm of Raga Khamaj
In Hindustani Classical music, there is an elite group of Ragas which get picked routinely for the more austere and certainly more complex forms of singing like Dhrupad, Dhamaar or Khayaal. Clearly dhrupad or khayaal is not for everyone. It is for the discerning listeners and accomplished artistes. Then there are several ragas relegated to the Kshudra Prakriti (trans: Lighter Nature) which is usually far more intertwined in the folk traditions of singing. These ragas are used more frequently while singing Thumri or its lighter form Daadra - both of which are romantic compositions. The seasonal song forms of Chaiti, Hori, Sawani are from UP, Kajri (songs of longing sung during monsoon). The form called Tappa is usually from Punjab, while Tarana is usually sung at the end of a concert, Geet and Bhajans are purely devotional.
Mahatma Gandhi made the devotional song Vaishnava Janato based on Raga Khamaj, almost synonymous with his own name. This bhajan gets a modern interpretation from Pandit Jasraj, Shankar Mahadevan and Jaspinder Narula in this video.
Raga Khamaj is a late evening raga and is brought out rather elegantly in the light classical form of thumri. It has been a popular choice for film music as well. The romantic nature of the raga is brought out by this delightful composition of Salil Chowdhury O Sajna Barkha Bahar Aayi. This song is supposed to have been set to the swishing of the wipers of an Ambassador car when the composer was caught in a torrential downpour. The original version done in Bengali called Na Jeona was also sung by Lata Mangeshkar. She is said to have chosen this song when asked what is the ONE song she will take with her to a desert island. I suppose that question was asked before the age of the iPod.
Shubha Mudgal sings a soul stirring version of Raga Khamaj in her song Babul Jiya Mora Ghabraaye. In the song the little girl tells her father not to marry her off to riches but instead to a blacksmith. He is the one who can melt my chains, she implores.
The composer RD Burman had used Raga Khamaj in the film Buddha Mil Gaya for the song Aayo Kahan Se Ghanshyam. He used Khamaj twice in the same film to compose two brilliant songs for the film Amar Prem. One of which was Bada Natkhat Hai Re and the other was the song immortalised by Kishore Kumar – Kuchh Toh Log Kahenge. While all the songs of the film are timeless classics, I am sharing with you Kuchh Toh Log Kahenge in Raga Khamaj.
One last flavor of Raga Khamaj lies in this piece from the film Kaala Paani made in 1958 starring Dev Anand and Madhubala. The film was based on AJ Cronin’s Beyond This Place. Sung by Asha Bhosle to the tune of SD Burman, this is a song that brings in an element of flirtation and mischief all within the light treatment afford by a Kshudra Prakriti raga 
!! Couldn’t help that jibe. The song is Nazar Laagi Raja Torey Bangley Par.
Now to give you a flavor of the classical form, Kaushiki Chakraborty, daughter of the classical singer Ajoy Chakraborty sings Raga Khamaj in drut teentaal (16 beats, allegro)
Finally, here is a Ustad Abdul Karim Khan singing Khamaj in a recording that is supposed to have been done in 1906 – more than a 100 years old ! Click to hear
Other Songs Based On Raga Khamaj
Aa dilse dil mila le – Navrang (1959) Music by C Ramchandra, singer Asha Bhosle
Ab kya misal doon - Aarti (1962) Music by Roshan, singer Mohd Rafi
Ayo kahanse ghanashyam - Buddha Mil Gaya (1971) Music RD Burman, Singer Manna Dey
Bada natkhat hai…ka kare yashoda maiya – Lata – Amar Prem (1971) RD Burman
Bata do sakhi kaun gali gayo shyam – Music by Naushad Ali
Bidhir bandhon kaatbe tum – Film Ghare Baire (Satyajit Ray), Lyrics and Music by Tagore, singer Kishore Kumar
Chunariya katati jaye – Mother India (1957) Music: Naushad, Singer Manna Dey
Dhal chuki shaam e gam - Kohinoor (1960), Music Naushad Singer Mohd Rafi
Hum Apna Unhe Bana Na Sake – Bhanwara (1944) Music by Khemchand Prakash singer KL Saigal
Khat likha de savariyake nam babu - Aaye Din Bahar Ke (1966), Music Laxmikant Pyarelal, Singer Asha Bhosle
Mere to giridharagopala - Meera, Music Pt Ravi Shankar, Singer Vani Jayaram
Sakhi Re Suun Bole Papiha – Miss Mary (1957) Music: Hemant Kumar, Singer Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle
Sham Dhale Jamna Kinare – Pushpanjali (197o) Music by Laxmikan Pyarelal, Singer Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey
Tere bina sajna lage na jiya hamar – Aarti (1962), Music by Roshan
Woh na aayenge palatkar – Devdaas (1957), Music SD Burman, Singer Mubarak Begum
If you enjoyed reading this then check out a similar article on Raga Desh on my website http://abhijitbhaduri.com/2009/03/the-charm-of-raga-desh/
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