Yemanja (Queen of the Ocean)

Yemanja (Queen of the Ocean) is a composition by sitar and surbahar virtuoso Baluji Shrivastav, featured as the fourth track on the album Music for Mughal India. Released on 2012 by the British Library in CD format, the piece spans 9 minutes and 40 seconds and reflects Shrivastav’s interpretation of Indo-Portuguese musical syncretism, blending North Indian classical traditions with thematic elements tied to the Afro-Brazilian orixa Yemanjá.

The album Music for Mughal India compiles recordings that explore historical and cultural intersections between Indian classical music and external influences during the Mughal era. Shrivastav employs the surbahar, a bass sitar variant, as the primary instrument in this track, accompanied by tanpura drone and subtle percussive textures. The composition adheres to a meditative, alaap-style development, emphasizing slow melodic elaboration and microtonal inflections characteristic of the dhrupad tradition.

No additional details regarding the recording location, session musicians, or specific raga framework for Yemanja (Queen of the Ocean) are publicly documented. The British Library’s release positions the work within its archival series on world music, though the album’s liner notes do not specify whether the track follows a traditional raga or an original modal structure. Shrivastav’s discography frequently bridges classical Indian forms with cross-cultural themes, and this piece exemplifies his approach to fusion without explicit lyrical or vocal components.

The track’s title references Yemanjá, a water deity venerated in Candomblé and Umbanda traditions, suggesting a conceptual link between oceanic symbolism and the fluid, improvisational nature of Indian classical music. The British Library’s edition includes annotated context for the album’s historical themes but does not provide a breakdown of the track’s structural sections or rhythmic cycles (tala).