Barsha Ritu Aai (Raga Megh - Bilampat)

Barsha Ritu Aai (Raga Megh - Bilampat) is a khayal composition performed by Ustad Amir Khan in the Raga Megh with elements of Bilampat. The track appears as side A of the 1968 album Khayal By Ustad Amir Khan, released by His Master’s Voice on a 12\" vinyl format. The recording exemplifies Khan’s interpretation of the Indore gharana, characterized by slow, meditative alap and intricate taan patterns.

The album captures Khan’s mature vocal style, marked by controlled phrasing and emphasis on swara purity. The composition aligns with the monsoon (barsha ritu) theme, a traditional subject in Hindustani classical music. The accompanying instrumental support includes tanpura and tabla, though specific artist credits for accompanists remain undocumented in available sources. The vinyl release reflects the production standards of late 1960s Indian classical recordings, with analog mastering typical of the era.

Khayal By Ustad Amir Khan serves as one of several commercial releases by His Master’s Voice featuring the artist during his career. The label, a subsidiary of EMI, distributed classical music extensively in South Asia during the mid-20th century. The 1968 pressing includes no additional metadata on recording location or session dates, though Khan’s live and studio performances from this period often occurred in Mumbai or Kolkata. The track duration and exact runtime are not specified in archival references.

Khan’s rendition of Raga Megh adheres to the raga’s shadj-madhyam structure, with a focus on the komal re and komal dha notes. The composition’s lyrical content follows classical bandish conventions, though no published transcriptions of the text exist in widely accessible sources. The album remains a reference for students of the Indore gharana and collectors of mid-century Hindustani vocal music.