Musical Thoughts, A Surreal Experience, A Folk Song

A Surreal ExperienceThe bhajan in raag Bhairagi Bhairav stopped me in my tracks. I'd just walked into the Birla Mandir at the BHU campus. It was a walk down memory lane for my husband (BHU being his alma mater.) As I stood entranced by the singer's rendition, my host invited me to sing too. I began singing Mahadeva Shiva Shambho in raga Revathi—the corrresponding carnatic raga. Singing in the marble hall of the mandir was a surreal experience. Though I never met the bhajan singer again, the experience is still with me this Shivaratri. One of my favourite renditions of this carnatic song is by D.K.Jayaraman.