Kesarbai Kerkar | Khokar / Bihagda * | आज आनंद मुख चन्द्र | aaj aanand mukh chandra – 3

To celebrate the birth anniversary of Kesarbai Kerkar (July 13, 1892 – Sept 16, 1977)

00:00 Prelude and humming
02:00 "बिहागड़ा गाऊँगी – बिहाग नहीं, बिहागड़ा' ['I shall sing BihagRaa – not bihaag, but bihaagRaa']
02:10 The proper rendition starts

आज आनंद मुख चन्द्र
जैसे पिया करत मीठे बैन
पिया गरे लागन को ।

बाला जोबन मद की भरी अखिया
मोतियन माँग सुहात सुहागन को ॥

The above is what is given in Swarganga. Need to check the text against delivery yet. And this is what is given in Sangiit ke Jawaharaat:

आज आनंद मुख चंद्र
ऐसी त्रीया नेह करे करे बैन
पिया गर लागन को
बलपन जोबन की भरी मधु भरी अंखीयां
मोतीयन मांग सूहात सूहागन को

There are of course many stories about how the Jaipur-Atrauli bandishes came to be associated with "Khokhar". In one version, Alladiya Khan while demonstrating Bihagda is said to have used a few taans that are not specific to the raag but were pleasing to the ears. When one of his students asked him about it, Alladiya Khan is said to have responded that he was singing Bihagda "kho-kar" – that he was lost in singing Bihagda.

But let us not allow the Khokhar / Bihagda debate to detain us too long.

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In popular misconception, Bihagda has come to be identified with the bandish “Pyari pag haule”, while Khokar is identified with a different bandish “Aaj ananda mukhachandra”. This distinction remains unsupported either by logic or by evidence. A melodic analysis of Jaipur-Atrauli’s so-called Khokar confirms its identity with Bihagda. There exists a recording of Kesarbai’s with the so-called Khokar bandish (Aaj anada mukhachandra), which she announces as Bihagda.

[Note: She announces it as such, as noted above, and also in:    • Kesarbai Kerkar | Khokar / Bihagda * ...  ]

Dhondutai Kulkarni, who has studied with five Jaipur-Atrauli maestros, confirms that both the bandishes cited above have been taught to her in Bihagda.

The available documentation of Khokar/ Khokhar (Subbaro, B. Raga Nidhi, Vol. III, 4th impression, 1996, Music Academy, Madras), probably from a different gharana, bears no resemblance whatsoever to either Bihagda or the so-called Khokar performed by Jaipur-Atrauli vocalists. The Khokar nomenclature for a Bihagda clone in the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana is, therefore, mysterious, and pregnant with avoidable confusion.

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For more edification, read here: http://swaratala.blogspot.com/2011/03...

NB: This is from her Hyderabad concert where she sang Bhimpalasi and Patmanjari before this, followed by Holi.

See two other performances of her singing this bandish:

1.    • Kesarbai Kerkar | Khokar / Bihagda * ...  
2.    • Kesarbai Kerkar | Khokar / Bihagda * ...   [where also, as noted above, she announces it very clearly as Bihagda]

And also listen to her sing: "ए प्यारी पग होले धर | ae pyaarii pag haule haule dhar"
   • Kesarbai Kerkar | Bihagda | ए प्यारी ...