BhimaPaLasi

Rarely can anything compare to the maestro in his element. Pt Bhimsen Joshi performing Raag BhimaPaLasi is par compare. C’est Magnifique. The soaring swaras take me on a flying carpet tour of the musical valleys and mountains. The sublime P' n' S M... S g M, M g M g R S capture the soaring ambition of the human spirit. Listening to it with eyes closed, concentrating on the melodic nuances, I am transported into a transcendental state of complete serenity. I can glimpse the undulating landscape of sound stretching into nothingness. That is one of the few times when I am at peace with myself, one with the world. How can a medley of swaras create such lofty feelings, you may ask. But I cannot answer that. It has to be experienced to be believed. And the strenous initiation is reminiscent more of St. Simeon, The Stylite than the Dummies Guides

Here is how Rajan Parrikar goes ga-ga over this gem of a Raaga
“The ati-madhur and ati-priya Raga Bhimpalasi has the penetrating power to infect the human mind and control it for days and weeks on end. There is as yet no known antidote to the Bhimpalasi contagion. Fortunately, it strikes only those with a mind and so the damage is restricted to a very small fraction of humanity. My first memories of this expansive, orphic rAga hark back to the many bhajani utsavs in Goa I had the good fortune to be part of as a lad in shorts.”