When the first monsoon showers fall on the parched earth, it stirs a restless longing in the lover's heart. In Mithila's Malaar (Malhaar) songs—also known as Kajri—this ache of separation (viraha) finds its most poignant voice. The tender refrain "Sakhi re"—"O friend"—is their hallmark, for only with a friend can a woman lay her heart bare.