Tarana is known to have evolved from the patient and earnest efforts of the legend himself, Amir Khusro. Khusro is himself credited to have initiated several other Hindustani classical musical forms, and tarana is always counted under it. It is also believed that he had heavily borrowed from the dhrupad and Sufi mystical bols, the predominant forms during those times. Tarana relies solely on rhythm, tabla bols and tries to maintain a balanced pattern. It can thus be understood that the tempo or laya is bound to be fast, and not slow like khayal bandishes. The words of the bols are referred to as `meaningless`, unlike the verbal quality of khayal. It induces a sprightly mood and resembles Kathak bols of the Indian classical dance form.
Tarana is a classical form sung in middle to fast tempo (generally in the later) by using `meaningless` words, vocables like ta, nom, na, da, re, odani, tanom, yalali, yalalom. Rhythmic bols used in pakhawaj, tabla like dha, tir kit tak, sitar bols such as dirdir tom and sargams are used to craft a composition in a raaga. While khayal uses a meaningful verbal text or bandish to elaborate a raaga, tarana wholly relies on rhythmically set `meaningless` bols to develop a raaga.
There are a few dubious stories and some intelligent possibilities offered to account for its origin. According to one version, the legendary Amir Khusro, who is credited by certain schools of thought with having created innumerable major forms of Hindustani music, alongside fashioning the sitar and the tabla, is alleged to have engendered this musical offspring too. The story goes that Khusro, on hearing the celebrated dhrupad singer Nayak Gopal sing a very appealing raga, managed to memorise its notes. As he had not received any formal training in dhrupad - the dominant classical musical form of the time, he decided to replicate the raga using pakhawaj and sitar bols, thus `siring` one more musical form in the process. Another version of the same story adds that Khusro added elements of Sufi mystical poetry to the bols. Several modern exponents of the from, such as Ustad Amir Khan, who sincerely believed in the Persian origins of this form, intermingled Persian couplets with a mystical aim into the bols. Whether the claim is true or not, his tarana renditions have the rare sheen that comes from the distinguishing incorporation of the right bols and apt couplets that further animate the sparkling mood he creates.
The tradition of using meaningless bols to create music is not new to Indian musical traditions, given that a form similar to tarana, called Thillana, which is closely allied to dance patterns, exists in the Karnatic tradition. The eminent vocalist Veena Sahasrabuddhe, who has done extensive work in this field, holds that tarana originates from such diverse ancient forms as nibaddha and the nom tom dhrupad alaap. Further, she also finds evidence of its existence in the padas composed by the 16th century Maharashtrian bhakti saint, Dasopant. The use of Kathak bols also points to yet another stream of influence. Its inherent rhythmicity and tempting sprightliness, point to its connection with Kathak. In any event, the form is not of recent origin and has most definitely evolved over a significant period of time.
Pt. Krishnarao Pandit, Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan and Ustad Amir Khna have been some of the greatest singers of tarana in the 20th century. Other contemporary singers like Malini Rajurkar, Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Ulhas Kashalkar and Padma Talwalkar have made it a part of their concert inventory and give excellent renditions. Several singers and many gharanas have readily adopted this form as part of their repertoire. However, the singers of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana possess a special ability to sing spirited and beautifully patterned taranas, as clearly evidenced by its finest contemporary exponent, Rashid Khan.
