"Kesariya Balam... Padharo Mhare Des" is a beautiful, lilting melody that immediately conjures up the image of a lone traveller traversing the sand dunes of a vast desert in Rajasthan, of a woman in bright clothing and eye catching jewellery waiting expectantly for her lover to return, of palaces, princes and proud moustaches of turbaned Rajasthani men smoking a hookah in the hot afternoon sun while drinking strong, sweet tea.
For me, that is.
The song itself, while it is described as a traditional Rajasthani welcome song, is for me more a song of longing. A plea that is sent out across the sands, carried by the dust in the hope that it shall land on the ears of the one being waited for. The melody is slow and seems deliberately prolonged, as if mimicking the lament of a lone bird, hoping that it will pull at the heart strings of the beloved 'other' who feels so painfully far away.
I had the glorious fortune of listening to a street performer play this melody at the entrance of the Jaisalmer fort. He played it on Sarangi and it was a moment of loveliness.
I wish I could recreate that experience in memory but it is partly lost to me.
