"Rang Barse Bhige Chunar Wali" (

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

: रंग बरसे भीगे चूनर वाली) is a popular 1981

song from

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

movie ''

Silsila Silsila ( ar, سِلْسِلَة) is an Arabic word meaning ''chain'', ''link'', ''connection'' often used in various senses of lineage. In particular, it may be translated as "spiritual genealogy" where one Sufi Master transfers his ''khil ...

''. The song "Rang Barse Bhige Chunarwali" which

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

sings during the film is said to be one of India's best known folk songs. The music director was Shiv-Hari, both also noted classical musicians. The taal (rhythm) of the song is ''

Keherwa Keharwa or Kaharva is a tala of Hindustani music. Keherwa has many variations including dhumaali, "bhajani", and qawwali. Beats = 8 Division = 2 Arrangement Keharwa is an 8-beat pattern used in ragas. It has eight beats in two equal divisions (v ...

'' (''

Kaharva Keharwa or Kaharva is a tala of Hindustani music. Keherwa has many variations including dhumaali, "bhajani", and qawwali. Beats = 8 Division = 2 Arrangement Keharwa is an 8-beat pattern used in ragas. It has eight beats in two equal divisions (v ...

'') of

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...

, while the lyrics were by poet

Harivansh Rai Bachchan Harivansh Rai Bachchan (; 27 November 1907 19 December 2002) was an Indian poet and writer of the Nayi Kavita literary movement (romantic upsurge) of early 20th century Hindi literature. He was also a poet of the Hindi Kavi Sammelan. He is be ...

, based on a traditional

bhajan Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root word ''bhaj'' ...

, by 15th-century mystic poet

Meera Meera, better known as Mirabai and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition. Mirabai was born into a Rathore ...

. The song was featured in a film sequence showing a community

Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...

celebration with film's cast, and hence got link with Holi festivities.

Origins

It is believed that the tune and lyrics of this song are taken from a

Rajasthani Rajasthani may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Rajasthan, a state of India * Rajasthani languages, a group of languages spoken there * Rajasthani people, the native inhabitants of the region * Rajasthani architecture * Rajasthani art ...

and

Haryanvi Haryanvi ( ' or '), also known as Bangru, is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the state of Haryana in India, and to a lesser extent in Delhi. Haryanvi is considered to be part of the dialect group of Western Hindi, which also includes Kharibo ...

folk

about

. However the lyrics are slightly altered into the

Awadhi Awadhi (; ), also known as Audhi (), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in northern India and Nepal. It is primarily spoken in the Awadh region of present-day Uttar Pradesh, India. The name ''Awadh'' is connected to Ayodhya, the ancient city, w ...

dialect of

to mould the song into appropriate context of the movie script. First few lines of the original bhajan are: Rang barse o meeran, bhawan main rang barse.. Kun e meera tero mandir chinayo, kun chinyo tero devro... Rang barse o meeran, bhawan main rang barse''

In popular culture

Even after three decades of its release, 'Rang Barse' remains one of the most popular songs played on the occasion of festival

north India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

References

Rang Barse Bheege Chunarwali Song
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* {{YouTube, iZNTbobkg-I, Rang Barse Bheege Chunar Wali (Video) 1981 songs Holi Indian folk songs Hindi film songs Culture of Uttar Pradesh

Origins

In popular culture

See also

References