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Charukeshi

from Puja by Mustafa Bhagat

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about

Charukeshi • I still remember the day David pulled me out of retirement. My band had recently broken up and I pretty much laid down all my instruments - content with focusing on my new passion for filmmaking. And then the call from David came in.

He was just back from India and wanted to play music. I figured I would humor him a bit and play with him. He would see I was not serious and then he would go away. We gathered in my cold floored basement in Bay Ridge and had a blast. David introduced me to a man named Prasanna Kumar - who would become my most important teacher in the US and a dear dear friend.

Every week I would schlepp out to Jersey City to sit with Prasannaji - sometimes David would meet me and we would sit, practice, cook dal and potato mash; eat, play, eat some more and do a little more riyaz (practice).

It was Prasanna who fixed my hand from my early years of mis-instruction and poor technique. It was Prasanna who taught me Charukeshi. A beautiful morning raga, popular in Southern India. A piece of music that would re-awaken my love for this music and this instrument. It was also Prasanna who introduced me to my guruji, Pandit Manilal Nag.

When I first met guruji, I paid my respect by touching his feet. There were 3 or 4 other students sitting in his large music room. After giving some instruction to the other students he asked me to play something. The only raga that came to mind: Charukeshi. Unimpressed with my presentation - he said “I will teach you as a beginner”. We started with Raga Charukeshi. I was thrilled.

This composition is fundamentally composed by Prasanna and was performed as part of a sitar orchestra called “Achannak”. A few of the tihai’s (rhythmic cadence made up of 3 equal phrases) were given to me by David’s guru, Ustad Shabbir Nisar, at one of the many late night practice sessions at Prasanna’s house.

Raga: Charukeshi
Tal: Khartal Ki Sawari (11 beats)
Time: Early Morning

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from Puja, released May 26, 2023

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Mustafa Bhagat image

Mustafa Bhagat New Paltz, New York

Mustafa Bhagat is an Emmy award winning producer, editor and cinematographer. He runs his production company, Flicker Filmworks, with his partner Laura da Ney. When not making films he can be found strumming sweet melodies on his sitar.
He also performs with David Freeman as The Biryani Boys, and as Arranged Marriage NP with Jerry Adler.
Puja is an offering to his guruji, Pandit Manilal Nag. ... more

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