Raag Megh-Malhaar

A sudden torrential innerburst, mind numbing

And tearful in extent. What is it? Where in 

Natures bountiful mysteries does this figure?

Overflowing inner joy but by no means peaceful,

Like a matrimony of Ghalib's pain with the joys

Of the rain!

A welcome yet unsure change between hazy days of

Self yielding grey. What mist, what silence, what

Rhythm brings about this cataclysm of overwhelming

Heaviness in the throat, skipped beats in the heart

And a rush of ecstacy in my blood? A sense of such

Seductive anticipation..

A timeless time on the clocks that remains unseen

Just so the soul can enjoy these fleeting yet strong

Lapses of unhindered selfless freedom. Inward collages

Of crashing waterfalls, stubborn rivers, golden fields

Of wheat and green valleys of flowers. The focus of a

Tiger and the suspense of a deer. Oh what is it?

This resonanting tune of the flute, the naughty string

Games of a sitar, the push of the tabla beats and the

Binding sorrow of the piano- the outburst in the inner!

Then, when I open my eyes, harness my senses ready to 

Plunge in the senseless mediocrity does my mind answer-

It's the raag Megh-Malhaar!

© Malyaban Lahiri