Raag Hem-Bihag: Nikhil Banerjee

[@dhrubabiswas4604]

He was the best and even today none could reach the beauty of his renditions and degree of the perfection. I wonder as to why he was never considered for Bharat Ratna!

[@kariaudar]

Even at 82 minutes, this performance is far too short. Nikhil Banerjee truly was the greatest. :)

[@koulickchakraborty8498]

What did I just hear? Does it what heaven sound like?

[@rajeevbadve5055]

A spiritual experience: the vibrations in the aalaap are a highlight of Nikhil Bannerjee's style. I have heard his interviews: he believed music was a gateway to supreme consciousness!

[@bibekgupta]

Hi Rajeev, Thanks for your very true description of this legend who lead his life like a saint, never beating his own trumpet and always shunning away from self publicity. His music is divine and unique and can be picked up distinguished from others!

[@Jodugulas1]

What a wonderful music. Cannot be compared to anything.

[@pritthijitbiswas9975]

Such music can restore the hearing ability of the deaf! I don't know why tears come to my eyes every time I listen to Bihag. The World is blessed to have heard the Music of Pandit Nikhil Banerjee.

[@Scarlett0Black]

simply beautiful

[@gautamsen6423]

Hem Bihag is a Raga of Maihar Gharana ,created by Ustad Alauddin Khan Saheb, the Official Guru of Pandit Nikhil Banerjee ,to whom he was bound by Ganda as a disciple and learnt from him initially. But ,later on he got his training from Ustad Ali Akhbar Khan and Annapurna Devi . In his rendering the beuaty of this blended Raga, a mixture of Hemant and Behag, in the style of Vinna Sarja,sung by Kishori Amonkar, has got its proper treatment ,slowly through Alap initially and through jor ,Bilambit and Drut Gats ,followed by Jhala ,melodiously . Even the duet of ustad Ali Akhbar Khan and Pandit Ravishankar could not express the melody of this peculiar Raga in their rendition. Nikhil Babu was unique in his rendition of music through the instrment of Sitar ,very different in nature and style in his own way,so beautiful to hear always. His was purely devotional style of playing and portraying the inner beauty of a Raga,specially a Raga, like this ,a creation of his own Guru.

[@johncosgrave4957]

I have tried to make a friendly reply to you at another page but my comment was removed. I tried a second time and it too was also removed. Search for 'NIkhil Banerjee' and 'John Cosgrave' and you will find me.

[@sajidullah]

Amazing. even as 1/2 deaf, i can appreciate it.

[@koulickchakraborty8498]

It makes me deaf for the rest ugly voices. Nikhil babu is great

[@AuraRascon]

ah beautiful composition in mattataal... He's simply unique

[@banirbn]

This is an amazing recording. Thanks for sharing.

[@aristata]

I think I saw him at a recital in San Francisco, mid-60s, it was my first exposure to live raga and I loved it.

[@sabuj258m]

Speechless admirer......ultimate level of endless pleasure

[@anindyab143]

Spiritual bliss & eternal peace

[@tommaxwell3469]

The work of a Master.

[@rileyhanne]

Incredible, such sweet subtle melodies…Than You

[@GraceComet3417]

“A GRACE of The Infinite☝🏻 - To Have Heard Such a Wondrous Master of Sound… This is Musical PRANA…”

[@davidwillettsmusic4529]

The master, blessing us with his gifts And you can hear his devotion and love to a. Khansahib deep in this profound rendition

[@v.m.bobhate1064]

Look forward to more such gems from you.

[@debabrataghosh4066]

Ignored this one as I have two full lengths incl one he played at kalamandir direct from stage since 1989/90( yes I had been collecting from twenty years back). This upload is a treasure. Besides Nikhil’s introspective style one could hear some unique craftsmanship unbelievable clear krintans resonance of taraf booming base strokes and sudden excursions into high taar saptak etc. which even in a lossy you tube recording my Dali towers could pick up. Recording too is of high quality. Seems gat has been taken from another recital. Has Nikhil B ever left you without hunger for more? Thanks for uploading one of his best. 🙏

[@DebarghaSarkar.]

Why not share your collections with us too?

[@BrisaChacon333]

lovely

[@farrukabad]

Fantastic!!! Thanks for sharing.

[@treebenie]

The most lyric of all. The best.

[@rommyluv]

[@MithuMukherjee612]

Excellent clear notes

[@nasreennoori7441]

Waw

[@soumyadeepchakrabarti9435]

Transcendental !

[@Ahura1980]

Sublime.

[@sukantidutta]

Simply incomparable! Nikhil Banerjee laid special emphasis on the 'Bihag Ang' with a very mild stress on 'rishav' which Ali Akbar Khan sahib used more prominently in the 'abrohi'.

[@sumansaurav71]

Tabla?

[@user-bc4ry2ei2d]

So it’s two raga’s perform?

[@ayan849]

nope it's a single raga :)

[@debabrataghosh4066]

In Indian music there r 7 main notes and 5 sub notes. A raga parameter prescribes use of a number of notes out of the 12. Now by adding one or two notes two ragas can be combined thereby creating a new raga which will have different character. A simple example raga Yaman Kalyan in which by adding one note from Kalyan in Yaman a new raga was created. In this case it’s a combination of ragas Hemant and Behag given a new name Hembehag. It’s a complete and new raga by itself. It’s not a simple task only great musicians cum scholars can do it successfully

[@reijoturtiainen5067]

Sielu lepää, tänään minulla ei ole muita vaatimuksia.

[@randycalifornia]

what does Hem Bihag mean?

[@kiyoto123]

+Javier Berjon its combination of two raaga -hem and bihag ,,,and this hem bihag created by the great guru ALLAUDIN BABA KHAN

[@randycalifornia]

Oh, thanks a lot! so those are two ragas? i didn't know that. but i was actually asking for the meaning of the words "hem" and "bihag"

[@kiyoto123]

there is no meaning .just combination of two rega -hem and bihag .very few pla RAGA HEM ,AND BIHAG VERY POPULAR RAGA ,.THATS IT :)

[@asamvav]

+Javier Berjon Hem is a sanskrit word meaning gold and bihag is also a sanskrit word meaning bird. Literally the joining would mean Golden bird.

[@randycalifornia]

Thank you so muuuuuch!!!

[@GraceComet3417]

“A GRACE of The Infinite☝🏻 - To Have Heard Such a Wondrous Master of Sound… This is Musical PRANA…”