Kausi Kanhra

Kausi Kanhra is a 38-minute 51-second vocal performance recorded by Indian classical vocalist Sheila Dhar. The track appears as the second composition on the 1992 studio album Inde du Nord: Voyage intérieur, released by the French label Ocora on November 1992. The album presents a collection of North Indian classical music and devotional traditions, though specific raga or lyrical details for Kausi Kanhra remain undocumented in available sources.

Sheila Dhar performs the piece in a solo vocal format, accompanied by instrumental support typical of the genre. The recording captures her interpretation of a semi-classical or folk-influenced repertoire, reflecting her training under masters of the Patiala gharana. Ocora produced the album as part of its series on world music traditions, targeting international audiences with field recordings and studio sessions from the Indian subcontinent. The CD format release included liner notes in French, but no detailed track-by-track annotations survive in public archives.

The broader album Inde du Nord: Voyage intérieur compiles works by multiple artists, though Dhar’s contribution stands as one of the lengthier tracks. The label Ocora, a subsidiary of Radio France, specialized in ethnomusicological recordings during this period. No reissues or digital remasters of the album have been confirmed, and the original 1992 pressing remains the sole documented release. The track’s title translates loosely to ‘Bud of the Kausi Flower’ in Hindi, suggesting thematic ties to seasonal or nature-inspired poetry common in Hindustani semi-classical forms.

Sheila Dhar’s career spanned classical, folk, and devotional music, with collaborations ranging from All India Radio broadcasts to international festival appearances. This recording predates her later work as an author and music educator. The album’s production credits and accompanying musicians go unlisted in accessible records, limiting further technical or stylistic analysis of the performance.