Kuhu Kuhu Bole Koyaliya - Raag Maalika with Sohani at its center
My father M R Rao passed at from a cardiac event on the morning of June 21st of 2025. In his honor, I thought I'd write about this song which was one of his favorites.
He saw it for what it was. That the world was everything that was the case. Being a city cat, he understood and enjoyed serendipity. Of the many cities he called home, he had favorites, like Indore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, of course. He was a Connoisseur of the moment, and too often of trivial things. He realized that products are a reflection of society, and enjoyed the transformation of the auto & agricultural industry across his lifetime - from pre-independence India to 2025.
He grew up in a different era, one where the world was more auditory with fewer distractions. Through his friends and Bhajan culture in Mangalore and at home, he picked up and played cassettes of Pt Bhimsenji, Pt U Bhat, Narasimha Nayak, and the like every morning. More of a Hindustani buff than a Carnatic fan, he encouraged my music and got me singing early Saigal and Mukesh songs. I’ll definitely make a Dad’s favorites list at some point.
He loved Bollywood songs from legends like Mohd Rafi & Lata Mangeshkar, such as "Kuhu Kuhu Bole Koyaliya" in 4 separate raags. He called it a Raaga maalika (carnatic term popularized for mixed melodic mode songs), and was also familiar with the Ghantasala version of it, which Mohd Rafi later reinterpreted. Full credit due to Jikki for doing a fab job inspiring Lataji.
Lyrics and translation
Raag Sohini section
कुहू कुहू बोले कोयलिया
Kuhū kuhū bole koyaliyā
The cuckoo sings kuhū kuhū
कुंज-कुंज में भंवरे डोले, गुन-गुन बोले
Kuñj-kuñj meṅ bhaṅvare ḍole, gun-gun bole
In every grove the bees sway, humming sweetly
सज सिंगार ऋतु आई बसंती
Saja siṅgāra ṛitu āyī basantī
The spring season has arrived in all its splendor
जैसे नार कोई हो रस्वंती
Jaise nāra koī ho rasvatī
Like a woman filled with divine essence
Sargam: Sā nī dha ma dha nī sā ga ma ga ma dha nī sā
Re sā nī dha nī sā re sā nī sā re sā nī
Dha nī nī dha nī nī dha nī ma dha dha ma dha dha ma dha
Sā re ga ma dha ni
डाली-डाली कलियों को तितलियाँ चूमें
Ḍālī-ḍālī kaliyoṅ ko titaliyāṅ chūmeṅ
On every branch, butterflies kiss the buds
फूल-फूल पंखड़ियाँ खोलें अमृत घोलें
Phūl-phūl paṅkhaṛiyāṅ kholeṅ amṛita gholeṅ
Every flower opens its petals, mixing nectar
Raag Bahaar section
काहे घटा में बिजुरी चमके
Kāhe ghaṭā meṅ bijurī chamke
Why does lightning flash in the clouds?
हो सकता है मेघराज ने बादरिया का श्याम-श्याम मुख चूम लिया हो
Ho sakatā hai megharāja ne bādariyā kā śyāma-śyāma mukha chūma liyā ho
Perhaps the cloud king has kissed the dark face of the little clouds
चोरी-चोरी मन पंछी उड़े नैना जुड़े
Chorī-chorī mana pañchī uṛe nainā juṛe
Secretly the heart's bird flies, and the eyes unite
Raag Jaunpuri section
चंद्रिका देख छाई पिया चंद्रिका देख छाई
Chandrikā dekha chāyī piyā chandrikā dekha chāyī
See how the moonlight spreads, beloved, see how the moonlight spreads
चंदा से मिलके मन ही मन में मुस्कायी
Chandā se milake mana hī mana meṅ muskāyī
Meeting with the moon, she smiled within her heart
छाई चंद्रिका देख छायी
Chāyī chandrikā dekha chāyī
See how the moonlight has spread
शरद सुहावन मधु मन भावन
Śarada suhāvana madhu mana bhāvana
Autumn is delightful, sweet and pleasing to the heart
विरही जनों का सुख सरसावन
Virahī janoṅ kā sukha sarasāvana
The joy of separated lovers flows like a stream
Raag Sohini again
छायी-छायी पूनम की घटा घूंघट हटा
Chāyī-chāyī pūnama kī ghaṭā ghūṅghaṭa haṭā
The full moon's clouds have spread, lift the veil
Raag Yaman Kalyan
सरस रात मन भाये प्रियतमा कमल-कमलनी मिले
Sarasa rāta mana bhāye priyatamā kamala-kamalanī mile
The delightful night pleases the heart, beloved, as lotus meets lotus
किरण हार दमके जल में चाँद चमके
Kiraṇa hāra damake jala meṅ chāṅda chamake
Rays of light sparkle like garlands, the moon shimmers in water
मन सानंद-आनंद डोले रे
Mana sānanda-ānanda ḍole re
The heart sways in bliss and joy
Sargam: नी रे ग म ध नी सां ध नी सां
सां नी सां गं रें गं सां रें नी सां ध नी म ध नी सां
नी रें नी रें ध नी ध नी म ध म ध ग म ग म
ग म ध नी सां ग म ध नी सां ध नी सां
The Hindi version has a cult following of its own, so that is the one I transcribed. The composition stands supreme, regardless of which language you hear the song in. 4 different raags, including a high-energy one like Sohani, which ties it all together. It deserves every bit of national fame and acclaim that it has gotten in the last few decades.
Don’t ever stop singing.
Everyone remembers my father as someone who always carried a smile on his face, no matter the time. He was always only seconds away from breaking into a song or vedic verse and would always sing it loud and proud, despite not being a trained singer.
Take a minute to recall how many people you come across in your life who spontaneously burst out into song? He stood out for more reasons than that. Life was dull and meaningless to him without music. It was something that my mother and he shared. This meant there was always music in our home, and because we moved so much, home eventually meant where there was music. Strange how that works.
He taught me many things, but I have subconsciously picked up the trait of bursting into song. He passed that on to many people he spent time with or mentored. Reflecting on it, I think it’s the best gift one can give. I picked this song because he would always sing this in his signature style, and that’s how I will remember him.
