Piya Basanti by Ustad Sultan Khan and Chitra

Living through these long years of life, I’ve experienced a lot of drama, emotion and music. And I’ve realized that somehow the music that you listen to during the phases, periods and times of life gets ingrained into those moments and memories.

I purchased this melodious music album in the cloudy days of the year 2000. This is one of my favorite albums at these times of the year. It reminds me of the nostalgic, depressed, gloomy days with cloud-covered dark skies. Depressing yet pleasing. the world turns into a never imagined dreamland with the contrast of dark clouds against the clear blue skies, the playful rays of the sun and the momentary rainbow, the clarity of the water in the puddles reflecting the clear skies.

Piya Basanti is an album which reflects all this and much more. It reflects the blooming love and the lovely virtue nature is. Incidentally, the title video of the album to a large extent portrays the exact feel of the music. The vocals have been beautifully rendered by two famous artists viz. Ustad Sultan Khan – a renowned classical musician and a sarangi exponent and Chitra -the nightingale and melody queen of the south.

Piya Basanti :-

The title song Piya Basanti feels of the lush greenery, of the finesse of the rain showers accentuating the feeling of love.

Teri Yeh Surmayi Aankhen:-

Ustad Sultan than has blended the song with a unique combination of his relaxed sargams and his distinct voice to the effect of a folk song while Chitra’s trained flawless voice has complimented with the accuracy, softness and melody. The song is in appreciation of his lover’s eyes.

Koi Pyaar Se Mujhe :-

The song is relatively not very impressive because of several features (or their lack thereof). First, the melody is subtle or unnoticeable since it is a sad and solo song depicting lonliness of the lover. Secondly, the music has less articulation, a monotonous feel to it.

Shaam Dhale:-

This is my favorite song from this album. The song has a deep, lovely, haunting, lovelorn feeling of love creating a strong sense of nostalgia, an urge, craving of love. It has a deep sinking feeling that has an everlasting effect on mortals. One song that stands out among the masses – there are few songs made like this one.

Chale Re Kahar:-

This peppy number brings a welcome change of mood. Punctuated by some fine “Murkis” by Chitra, the song has a distinct acoustic echo which only accentuates the impression of the rainy season.

Saawan Rut Aayi:-

A slow song with beautiful articulation, it describes the onset of the rains and the dark clouds. It narrates of the sound of the rain drops falling on the leaves and the music that emanates from it. The metaphorical depiction of the rainbow as if they were the two arms of Mother Nature. as if awakened from sleep is marvelous as is the musical expression.

Dhee Morae (“More” ):-

This is a sad song expressing the separation from the beloved and how the lover consoles his heart telling it to feel the breeze that comes from the direction of his separated lover in the lands far-off.

Rangilo Rut :-

Another peppy number that concludes the album; it sober’s up the mood to a more lively state. The background score in the beginning is punctuated by the thundering of clouds and the sounds of the rain. A fast paced number with the pleasant feeling of a carnival or celebration – the onset of the rains – saawan.