Malhar

Malhar is an old raga in Indian classical music. Malhar is associated with the atmosphere of torrential rains. Besides the basic Shuddha Malhar, which was the original Malhar, there are several Malhar-related ragas that use the Malhar signature phrase m (m)R (m)R P, including Miyan Malhar, Ramdasi Malhar, Gaud Malhar, Sur Malhar, Des Malhar, Nat Malhar, and Meera ki Malhar. AROHAN: S,R,g,M,P,DHA,n,SA AVAHORAN: SA,N,DHA,P,M,g,R,S chalan: N(KHAD) SA RE dha MA(SLAR)

Legend

According to legend, raga Malhar is so powerful that when sung, it can induce rainfall. It is possible that the rainfall that the legends speak of is in fact metaphorical of the state of mind brought about by the recital of the raga.

There are many written accounts of Raga Malhar. Many great artists of the medieval period and much earlier periods used to sing this raga. Tansen, Baiju Bawra, Baba Ramdas, Nayak Charju, Miyan Bakhshu, Tantarang, Tanras Khan, Bilas Khan (son of Tansen), Hammer Sen, Surat Sen, and Meera are among the singers who are said to have been capable of starting rains using various kinds of Raga Malhar.

Malhar (festival)

Malhar is the second largest inter-collegiate youth festival in Asia, hosted annually by the students of St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, India.

Malhar began in 1979. The festival includes events cultural contests in literary, performing arts and fine arts categories, along with a number of workshops on different themes.

The festival is completely managed, organized and run by the workforce which consists of 1200 volunteers and 130 people in the organizing committee.

Theme

Each year, the festival follows a specific theme. The theme for the year 2011 was "Labyrinth". The theme for the year 2012 was "Malhar Local", which is a play on the city of Mumbai's backbone - the railways. The theme for Malhar 2013 was "Zara Hatke", which is a popular phrase that encourages people to think outside the box and try something new or in a different way. For 2014 the theme was "A renaissance", the era of revival in the new age. In 2015, the theme of the festival is 'Malhar: A Chronicle', with an aim to serve as a perfect platform for thousands of people to voice their untold stories.