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One of the most colourful, rhythmic songs of the Bhatiali
group is Sari, sung during boat-race in East Bengal. The song
is initiated by a leader standing in the midst of a party
of boatmen pulling the oar on the water with beats. Series
of sounds in water with rhythmic strokes on the flanks of
the boat in a quick tempo. They repeat the leader’s
loud song in chorus along with beats. Series of sounds in
water and on the boat-side get mixed up with occasional yelling.
The subject-matter of Sari is a down-to-the earth thing.
As regards the structure of Bhatiali tune, it may be explained
in terms of two modes; firstly, it is in Bilawal That. This
means the music starts from the note F (m) of the higher octave
with address or exclamination and gradually descends to the
lower notes in a drawl. Secondly, the tune starts from the
top C (Sa) and D (Re) and gradually descends over the notes
of the middle octave in a similar manner to the tonic C (Sa)
and then it gradually goes down to the lower octave below
tonic C and finally, touching B flat (n) the tune would stop
at A (Da) of the lower octave. In the latter case the tune
belongs to Khamaj That. For use of the notes below C (Sa)
and for some other characteristics the tune is considered
to be Raga Jhinjhoti familiar in Bengal. Suresh Chandra Chakraborty
refers to the latter as raga Kasauli-jhinjhit.
Thus, the tune on the medium and top octaves represent feature
of composition of basic notes of Bilwal and appears to be
a blending of ragas like Behag-Pahadi-Jhinjhoti etc. On the
whole, it does not satisfy the condition of the structure
of a raga. Therefore, Bhatiali maintains an individuality
of its own in tune pattern. The alankara-s (graces) include
a few groups of trembling notes which look like Taans, may
be these are in tune conformity with certain Tappa Taans,
spontaneously developed. Sources of these are not known. If
the old run of the tune and its local peculiarities are examined,
then it would be conceded that Bhatiali was not influenced
by Tappa or vice versa. A Geetkari, as used in most medieval
music, is used in many types of songs as the only decorative
element.
Bhatiali has extended its influence on all types of songs
of East and North Bengal. Further, its influence on the rhythmic-patterns
of various music-types of those regions is manifest. Some
rhythmic patterns and stray fragments of tunes are combined
to build songs in full. Occasional break in the voice and
in syllables of words, pronounced with rhythmic break in tune,
make these songs colourful. Bhatiali was brought to the metropolis
roughly by 1930s and some songs were composed in the same
mould. Later Abbasuddin Ahmed, Sachin Deb Burman, Girin Chakraborty
and some other folk singers introduced Bhatiali - Bhaoaia
tunes in popular music. After 1947 singers from East Bengal
have stationed themselves in Calcutta. All sections of Bhatiali
have been widely popularised through commercial records and
radio. But personal touch-up on the original tunes by artistes
produces distortion in the form. Singers often lack the sense
of the need to preserve original of local colour. This is
no doubt harmful to the form of music.
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