Tuka Mhane

I boarded the local train to home from Currey Road as usual - but as soon as the local left the station some hustle-bustle started in my coach. On one end of the coach, a group of people gathered into a circle and slowly I could hear someone singing. A few more voices joined in soon and slowly a drum (A special kind of drum called Dholak in India) started - and them came a rejoinder of manjeere, a musical accessory. This is also called Taayl in Marathi

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Within a few seconds the group gained tempo and started singing in unision - I could hear the word 'Tuka' and 'Vitthal' in their songs and I realised that these people were singing Abhang!!
Click the image below to know about Abhang

India by and large is a religious country - we have a illustrious history and a great culture. Religious movemements have always been the seeds of social gathering in India (the trend remains so even today when Ramdev Baba conducts Yoga sessions for 1000 people at a time). Abhang which are devotional poems by Sant Tukaram who lived in Dehu (Maharashtra) in the 17th Century can be considered a peaceful but powerful social movements of a sort by the sheer number of people it can still gather together.
Tukaram was a devotee of lord Vitthal - who is one of the many incarnations of Lord Vishnu according to mythology. He composed devotional poems called Abhang (meaning: which cannot be destroyed; bhang= destroy). These poems are sung with a particular type of musical score. This score is primarily based on rhytm and shuffles between slow and fast tempo between the title and stanza of the poem. The stanzas are usually sung by one or a few people while the others join in when the title is sung. The title is repeated many times and because of its fast pace brings in lot of 'heat' in the singing session. I myself felt energised standing there in the local train while the Abhang was being sung. Guess its difficult to describe in words the spirit an Abhang fills you with!! More Historical details of Tukaram:
http://www.poetry-enlightened.org/auteur.php?id_auteur=31

The Vari
Every year, devotees of Vitthal who are called Varkaris take a long procession from Aylandi (near Pune) to Pandharpur. Nearly a million devotees walk to Pandharpur to seek Vittthal's blessings on the auspicious day of Ashadhi Ekadashi (the eleventh day of Ashadh, a month in the Hindu calendar). This pilgrimage is called a vari and the devotees, varkaris. The vari is a highly-disciplined affair, and the spirits run high for the devotees. It is very difficult to describe the discipline and devotion of these people. The Yatra, which is a giant operation is carried out with the least trouble to the local authorities in places from where the procession passes. The locals in these places provide as much help possible for the 'Vari' in terms of food, vehicles, traffic management, pooja organisation etc. And imagine, all this is done purely by public participation/contribution - not a single penny comes from the government's pocket. The spirit of a Vari cannot be imagined unless you see it for yourself. Abhang is an integral part of the Vari. People walk through the days of the Vari singing Abhang's on the way!! A continous singing of Abhang gives people a different energy and spirit to continue their journey tirelessly day and night.

Quite appropriately while the Varkaris sing Abhang during their journey to Padharpur - these devotees in the local train sing Abhang's everyday during their journey from VT/Dadar to Kalyan/Ambarnath!! I was most heartened to see very young people (in late 30s or early 40s) being a part of the mini-Varakari-mandal in the local train. The spirit of Abhang is definitely being carried forward through the generations. Truly, an Abhang is undestructible!!!

PS: How do I know so much about the Vari / Abahang? Of Course I am a Marathi by origins but more importantly, during my childhood I used to visit my grandparents in Pune during summer vacations. The Vari used to pass through Pune during those days, every year.

PPS: There are a lot of fables and tales about Sant Tukaram - one of the most celebrated saints in Maharashtra. But little of the text is available online :(. I have tried put up some text here and tried to link up a few pages too. But guess we need a more professional approach to compile material about Tukaram, Varkari Panth and Vitthal on the net in an organised manner. I would be happy to provide tech-support to anyone who might be willing to take up this challenge!