Stream

 ‘SiRuponmaNi asaiyum’ from 'KallukkuL Eeram'(1980) is a song which gives me so much of joy and happiness. The tune which beautifully alternates between Suddha Dhanyasi and Madhukauns, the rendering of ILaiyaraaja and Janaki, the sound of ‘maNi’ in the Pallavi, the strings, flute, veena, accordion, keys and the guitar…and of course the Tisram beats.

Ah, that reminds me! Once when the song was playing on the TV, I told my son ‘Listen to the guitar work in the second interlude and you will know why your father is mad after his music right from his formative years!’ The speciality of that piece is that it sounds as if the gentleman who composed it did not want to say ‘Enough! That's it’. Listen to the guitar piece till the end and you will know the reason for my saying this. Notes kept flowing to him that he wanted to immerse himself in that.

Immersed we are in this mesmerising mega composition!!

Motifs

 Quite often I say ‘This song is surely in my Top-10 list/Top-20 list/Top-50’. But then if I start listing out my top favourites, it would exceed 1000. Most importantly, I would find it next to impossible to rank the songs.  First of all, will ‘ranking’ be justified? Would it not be a gross injustice?

So, rather than listing out and giving ranks to his songs, I would prefer to just write about the song(s) and explain (briefly or in detail) as to why I like the particular song. This too is a tough call because his compositions are packed with so many details that it is difficult to bring out everything in one single post. But the fact remains that every time I start writing about his compositions, I learn something new.

At the same time, there have also been times when I just sit back, relax and listen to the song(s) like a small child. What matters more, is the musical imagery created by the song. But here too, I can’t help thinking about the instruments used and about the raga/taaLa/scale.

Like many songs of his, ‘PoonthaLairaada..’ from ‘Panneer PushpangaL’(1981) gives some imageries, most of which are indescribable.

Take the sudden transition in the beginning of the second interlude. Piano keys, lead guitar and the bass guitar play different melodies simultaneously making me imagine a mountain, a beach with white sand and azure blue water and paddy fields-all appearing simultaneously. But the silly mind also says ‘it is playing KeervaNi scale while the Pallavi and the CharaNams play Abheri’. The chorus that follows, shows me the clear sky while the resounding bass guitar shows me the twinkling stars. The strings give me a vision of a meandering river and the subtle flute piece show the water birds with the bass guitar drawing the pattern created by the fluttering of the wings of the birds on the surface of the water.

I see the birds in the prelude too though these are different kinds of birds, tiny ones going here and there with gay abandon.

Birds again in the first interlude, which could be due to the sound of the bird call(made by the flute). Flight of the birds in the strings section and romance of the birds when the flute plays..

Ah, yes.. The Pallavi and the CharaNams are soaked in romance and somehow give me a mix of blue, green and orange colours.

Well, all these happened now when I listened to the song before writing the post. It could be an entirely different experience when I listen to the song again later.

After all, music is subjective...

And that is why, I am taking an objective view.

If you find this contradictory, so be it. That is what enjoying music is all about!

Faraday

 At times when I read novels and stories that are set in the 19^th century and the early part of the 20^th century, I would be thinking as to how Life would have been after sunset, not least because of lines like ‘It was dark and he lit the lamp’.

Are you able to make the connection now?

Oh yes, even the word ‘connection’ is connected to what I am talking about! It is electricity, a.k.a. ‘power’. I wonder as to how people would have reacted everyday as dusk approached. Would they have started feeling dull, negative, and even scared?

It is tough to say because only when humans get used to something do they start wanting that. For example, when I grew up, there was no internet, no cell phone, and even TV was a luxury. In fact, we did not have even a landline connection until much later. So, did I feel deprived? Not really!

But what I am going to say, is something different and I am sure people in that place would have felt deprived of something, which has become an ‘essential commodity’ in every household in the world.

Buriga and China Konela are two villages- which would hardly find a place in any normal Indian Map- in ASR district in the state of AP. These two villages were without power( I mean ‘electricity’ and not any other power!) until Feb 2025. The villages were finally electrified on the 13^th of Feb 2025, after 77 and half years of Independence!

Tough to believe, but it is true.

The people in these villages- mainly tribals- celebrated the electrification by performing a tribal dance. Freedom from darkness!

If this information about villages not having the privilege of being electrified for so many years, surprised you, read on and you will be in with more surprises.

There is a village called Kurma – again in AP- where people have opted for ‘no electricity’. People here believe in using ancient methods. Houses are constructed with lime and mud with the floors being plastered with a mixture of mud and cow dung. Even the cabinets (wardrobes) in the bed rooms are made of mud. And yes, wood-fire stoves are used for cooking.

Sounds interesting?

Well, that is the beauty of contrasts!

The song of the day, Punnagaiyil Minsaaram from Bharathan (1992), also is pregnant with contrasts. And yes, it has ‘electricity’ as well.

Why do I say ‘contrasts’? Listen to the vocals carefully and you will know the reason. The female voice (Janaki) sounds sober throughout while the male voice (the Master himself) sounds as if he is intoxicated or even inebriated. Isn’t it tough to believe that it is the same voice that rendered ‘Janani Janani’ and ‘Idayam oru Kovil’?

But if you are a follower of this great genius, probably you may not be surprised.

The icing on the cake is the ending of the song where he does a ‘SPB’ albeit in his own style!

Let us look at the beginning first, though the end is always the beginning when it comes to great artistic works.

The bass guitar sounds 1 2 3/ 1 2 3/ 1 2/ 1 2 3 4/ 1 2 3 4, with the different sets of percussion backing it. If I do not mention the pattern of one of the sets, which goes by the name ‘drums’, I will be cursed by the electricity to be without power for the next 2 days and since I do not want to face the wrath of that essential commodity, let me explain that.

The drums appear only in the last ‘1 2 3 4’. These sound with vigour playing only the ‘1’ and ‘3’. In the next cycle, these sound ‘1 - 3 4’ but with less intensity. This may not be a contrast in the literal sense, but the fact that two different sets play differently makes it an eligible candidate for ‘contrast’.

After the strings and the guitar family indulge in a friendly banter, the Prelude gives way to the Pallavi where the same pattern is followed. The ending is rather interesting with the winding up of the drums.

The keys play a melody in the beginning of the first interlude, but a trained ear would listen to the bass guitar playing the same pattern repeatedly with a sense of purpose. It changes the pattern the moment the strings join. The acoustic guitar sounds as if it is bound by a spell!

The bass guitar continues its journey in the CharaNams as well with the drums following the same pattern as that of the prelude.

The guitar plays a melody in the beginning of the second interlude. The bass guitar listens to it with utmost attention. Now, it recites the same melody subtly as the small group of violins take over. It goes on and on with the same lines even as the violins expand their melody. In between, the ‘teacher’ guitar appears again playing that original melody as if to monitor its student (bass guitar) and then moves away. Just towards the end, the guitars play. It seems as if these are jumping and dancing.

Is Electricity good or bad? Do we need it or not?

But do we have to care as long as we listen to such electrifying songs?

Innate trait

 Is music inherent in all beings or is it acquired over a period of time?

Well, while framing this question I got reminded of Kaviyarasar and his immortal lines (which line of his is not immortal?) – ‘Bhavam vandhdhum Ragam vandhadha/Ragam vandhadhum Bhavam vandhadha’(Did raga/melody come before expression/feelings or is it the other way around?). Isn’t this tough to answer just like the many other questions he raised in that song?

However, truth is stranger than fiction (or should I say poetry?). Recently, I read that dolphins communicate with each other by making a whistle sound. This whistle sound is unique and is not the same for all dolphins. One can even call it as a signature tune specific to each dolphin. But there is something more to this too which I am sure will startle many. Dolphins name each other with a unique tune. So, a particular dolphin say A has a signature tune as its name and other dolphins whistle that tune to address A. The same applies to B, C and so on.

But there is more in store and the one I am going to say now pertains to humans. There is a village called Kongthong in Meghalaya and here people do name their children. However, they seldom address them by their names. Instead they compose a unique tune and whistle it. It is said that a mother thinks of a tune when she is pregnant, constantly practises it and whistles it after the child is born. Since it is whistled constantly, the child recognises the tune and responds to it just like how he/she responds to the name. And yes, each tune is unique!

Does this answer the question?

I shall leave it for the time being and move on to a song which reminds me of sounds from the nature.

No, there are no bird calls or animal calls or the sound of the branches or the wind in the song. But every time I listen to this song – ‘KuLiraadunnu maanaththu’ from ‘OlangaL ‘(1982)- I feel I am in the midst of a forest, all alone with only the birds, trees, waterfalls, and occasional drizzles being my companions.

In fact I have this feeling despite the chorus voice in the beginning. At the same time, doesn’t the flute which follows remind one of the birds? Surprisingly enough, the lead guitar backed by the rhythm guitar accentuate this feeling. The reason for my surprise should be obvious to the readers. Even if it is not, I shall simply justify it by saying ‘Music is subjective’.

The flute appears along with its paraphernalia confirms my belief by sounding like birds.

The Pallavi in the voice of Yesudass is as melodious as the rustling of trees on a calm night. The bass guitar and the lead guitar (which is plucked in a distinct way) make me feel the swaying of the branches with the dark green leaves smiling like Mona Lisa.

The beginning of the first interlude is as different as my feelings. A unique sound from an unknown instrument (honestly, I do not know the name of this instrument though he has used it in many songs during the early ‘80s) is responded to by the bass guitar and the keys with a stress on the even beats(and seasoned readers of the Group know this by the name ‘usi’). This ‘off-beat’ experience revs me up and makes me explore more. As if to help me in my exploration, the flute carries me along with its melody and makes me have an aerial view with the chorus acting as birds.

A journey through the wilderness – This is how I can describe the lines in the CharaNams.

Do I see a river there meandering its way through a meadow? This is what the  Santoor along with keys and the lone female voice seem to suggest in the beginning of the second interlude. Lo and behold! Do I see the lions and the deer drinking water together when the guitar is backed by the tabla?

Unusual? Or even impossible?

Well, with music anything is possible, whether it is from the dolphins or from the tribes..

Music – Isn’t it inherent in all beings- living and non-living?

Paradox

The concept of Time is both interesting and intriguing, the former because of the role it plays in our life and the latter because of the absence of the concept itself. The second part of the previous statement is sure to confuse you.  It must be noted that scientists from the West and philosophers from the East have said that Time is just an illusion. If Albert Einstein said it is relative, a scientist by name Carlo Rovelli said our perception of the flow of time doesn’t correspond to physical reality. As per Indian Philosophy, Time is manifestation of God who is timeless. So Time ceases to exist in the Absolute.

At the same time, we also feel the Time and nothing moves in the absence of Time. So is Time real or illusory?

Let me stop being scientific and philosophical and start talking like a commoner (which I am, anyway!). Talking about Time, it baffles me when people say they ‘don’t have the Time ‘. And these are people who are not philosophers. In my view, ‘Not having Time’ is a statement made ubiquitously by people who believe in giving excuses. How can you not ‘have time’ when you carry a pocket sized gadget which you keep checking every 10 seconds and which always displays time?

Another interesting aspect of Time is the way it forms the of fulcrum of all activities in the world. Take Sports for example. In Cricket, ‘timing’ of a shot is very important. In Music, the rhythm follows a ‘time signature’. At work we are given tasks that are time bound.

Then there is this blame game. If things do not go the way we want them to be, we say, 'Bad time’. We don’t hesitate to even blame a particular year for all the bad things. ‘2020 and the pandemic’ is a clear example of this.

Amidst all this, Time keeps moving like a karma yogi. Or does it move at all?

Before I get philosophical again, let me focus on a song in which time plays a significant role. ‘IraNdum OndRodu OndRu Serndhadhu’ from ‘PaNakkaran’ (1990) is a timeless song indeed. But what makes it brilliant is the way the composer has made Time as the leitmotif of the song.

Long ago, he composed Oru naaL unnodu oru naaL in which Time ran as an undercurrent. But that had to do with the story of the movie. In ‘IraNdum’ the different sounds of the clock appear because the director wanted it the song to be shot with hero and heroine ‘playing’ with time.

It starts with a kind of March Music in which the footsteps move with military precision. Then there is the sound of the key turning. Remember that before the electronic and digital days, there was a something called ‘’key’’ which had to be given for a clock or a watch to work. This is followed by the ‘tic tic’ sound. The trumpets sound with different sets of percussion in the background and then there is that sound which reminds one of the Big Ben with the tic tic sound backing it!

Can Time be depicted musically in a better way than this?

The tic tic and the Big Ben continue even as SPB renders the first line. The bass guitar acts as a lead guitar with one more bass guitar sounding just one syllable now and then.

Time!

The piped instruments romance with the strings in the beginning of the first interlude but even this is overshadowed by the guitar –strings combination which follows in which the guitar moves like the seconds hand in a clock and the strings play in higher octave with a touch of intrigue. The same melody is repeated twice as if to show the inevitability of Time.

The lines in the CharaNams in the voices of Chitra and SPB move with grace with the strings and the rumbling sound of the percussion making it more exciting.

Does Time stop? Or is it just an illusion? The composer makes us think by playing the melodic instruments (trumpets and strings) in higher octave and then giving a pause for the rhythmic instruments to play. This ‘on and off’ in the first half of the second interlude and the movements of guitar and the strings in the second half raise questions in our mind about the existence of Time.

Does it really exist? If it doesn’t, then how are we able to listen to this music or how am I able to write this or how are you able to read this?

Enrichment

 ''In Indian Classical Music, notes/swaras are not treated as orphan'', said the Maestro when Paul Mauriat asked him about the basic difference between Western Classical Music and Indian Classical Music.

Paul Mauriat (pronounced as ‘Mariya’) was a well-known composer, conductor and arranger. This happened in Paris in the year 1983 when ILaiyaraaja went on a tour to Europe for the first time. In fact, the objective of the tour was to explore the places which reverberate with music and not to visit places as a ‘tourist’. The way he knelt down and prayed at the Church in Leipzig in Germany where the remains of his idol, Johann Sebastian Bach is kept, was a treat to the visitors that day. This story needs further elaboration and therefore will be part of one of the forthcoming posts.

Going back to the statement quoted above, it must be understood that though the words sound simple, the statement is profound and carries a lot of weight. By making the statement, he did not belittle WCM. That he loves and respects that form and that he himself is an exponent of WCM are facts known to people who know him well. But his intention was to tell a westerner as to how the Indian Classical System reveres each and every swara.  This ‘reverence’ has to do with the way the swaras are oscillated in 10 different ways and how each and every swara moves with panache, at times superimposing itself on the next swara.

This in fact reminds me of an incident which happened sometime ago in my son’s music class where his teacher taught him a kriti in a raga called ‘Easamanohari’ in which some phrases glide without oscillation. So, the swaras in Indian Classical Music are not just flat. They oscillate, they glide, and they slide. At times are also flat. That is why, ragas are different from scales.

I know I am getting somewhat technical, but these inputs are needed if one has to understand the import of what the Maestro mentioned to the French composer 43 years ago. He quoted this again in 2019 while inaugurating a Football tournament. In fact, he even quoted the popular Tyagaraja kriti ‘Endaro Mahanubhavulu’ to the genius composer from France to prove the fact that Tyagaraja was aware of the existence of other legends across the globe!

Coming to think of it, the beauty of Raaja’s music lies in the free flowing swaras, which flow like a torrent, be it in the tunes and in the preludes/interludes. Though there are some stand alone notes at times, the connection between these notes and the other notes is well established.

Take ‘Manasil Nirainjavane’ from ‘Muththuramalingam’(2017) as an example. Though there are thousands of compositions, I am quoting this as an example because

1. Despite being one of his most recent songs, not many are aware of this song,

2. Many say his music has lost its charm,

3.It is full of synth sounds and yet it doesn’t act as an hindrance.

I do not want to elaborate point wise, but (3.) needs a brief elaboration. It is a fact that there is that heavy dose of synth sound in his 21^st Century music, but unlike many others’ synth, his synth does carry his unique stamp. If by saying this I get branded as being ‘biased’, it does not matter to me. Music after all, is subjective like many other things in this world.

What strikes one in ‘Manasil Niranjavane’ is the pleasing tune. Note the oscillation after ‘Nirainjavane’ the first time it is rendered and see how it is flat when it is rendered the next time. Also note how the notes glide in the lines that follow. This ‘gliding’ is intentional to give that touch of sensuousness. NSK Ramya does full justice with her different voice. The way the Master renders the same set of notes, teaches us a lesson or two on variation and variety.

The Pallavi and the CharaNam have almost the same sets of notes and yet don’t these sound different?

The most remarkable feature is the free flowing synth guitar and the bass which occur ubiquitously in the song.

The music in the beginning and the humming that follows too flow smoothly like a single entity. Same is the case with the keys in the first interlude; or for that matter, the melody in the second interlude where the percussion moves with ebullience and passion.

Shruti and Laya.. How will the swaras ever feel let down?

 

Honey (unfiltered)

 Many songs make me listen again and again. Whatever be the occasion, I listen to such songs without any inhibitions whatsoever. At the same time, there are also some songs which I may choose not to listen to despite these being great compositions.

 ‘Thaene thenpaaNdi meene’ from ‘Udaya Geetam’(1985) falls in the latter category. It twinges my heart so much that I shall listen to it only when my two kids are around. In case the song is played on the radio/tv in their absence, I do not hesitate to switch it off! 

The lullaby in ShankarabharaNam, the flute piece in the first interlude, the bells, that sound like ‘kiNkiNi’ and the violin in the second interlude, the dash of alien notes in the last three lines of the charaNams- making it Gowrimanohari and then Charukesi- , ‘isaiththene’ appearing twice with different meanings (one an adjective and the other a verb) and most importantly the lilting voice of SPB… are these not enough to twinge my heart?

Beatific

 Of the three great composers who have graced Carnatic Music, Shyama Sastri was different. Unlike Tyagaraja and Muttuswami Dikshitar, he did not travel much. He was mostly confined to his home where he worshipped Bangaaru Kamakshi idol believed to have been handed over to his family by Adi Shankara himself.

Secondly, he composed just around 300 kritis. Compare this with the thousands of kritis composed by the other two. Thirdly, he had a unique Laya Gnaana and his compositions stand testimony to this (not that Tyagaraja’s and Dikshitar’s Laya Gnaana was inferior but Shyama Sastri’s kritis had some intricate taaLas). Fourthly, he did not have any ‘Group kritis’(except one) on the lines of ‘Pancharatna’ or ‘NavaavarNa’. Fifthly, he did not have too many disciples.

And yet, if many of his kritis are still rendered by musicians today, it is because of the musicality and most importantly, the ‘Bhakti Bhava’.

As mentioned, he did not travel much. But it is said that once an old man approached him in Pudukkottai and to go to Madurai and sing on Meenakshi. After a while, the same old man is said to have appeared in his dream. He obliged and sang what is called as the ‘Navaratnamaalika’. Of the nine krits, only seven are available now and apart from being sung regularly in concerts, these are rendered during the Navaraatri as these shimmer with special musicality radiating spirituality and spreading serenity.

Though all the 7 are equally great, ‘Nannu Brova Lalita’ is significant because as far as I know this is the only kriti of this composer in which the name of the raga appears. In this kriti, he addresses Meenakshi as ‘Kalpakalata’, which is unique as well. The uniqueness is because of  the word ‘lata’, which means a creeper. As per mythology, there existed a tree-Kalpataru- which would fulfil one’s wishes if one stood under it (there is an interesting story about this too, but I am not getting into that now!). But Shyama Sastri preferred Her to be depicted as a creeper than a tree (isn’t a creeper more beautiful than a tree?).

He also addresses Her as ‘Janani’ in the anu pallavi. In Sanskrit, ‘Janani’ means ‘Universal Mother’. It also means ‘Very beautiful’. In Arabic, it means ‘Heart and Soul’.

 It is indeed a very powerful word which spreads happiness.

Of course, the moment this particular word is pronounced/heard/read, people who admire the music of ILaiyaraaja would think of one particular song and immediately be drenched with devotion(even if he/she is an atheist!).

Like Shyama Sastri, ILaiyaraaja too is a staunch devotee of Shakti and his songs too shine with a unique spirituality-whether film or non-film. He has used the word ‘Janani’ in a couple of other songs too and needless to say this has a huge impact on the listener not least because of the power that word carries.

‘Amma Janani’(ILaiyaraajavin Geetanjali) is one of those compositions which take us literally to a new level. Like ‘Nannu Brova’, this too is based on Lalita.

The sympathetic strings in the beginning give us a feeling of dawn (strictly speaking Lalita is not a morning raga, though the Hindustani counterpart of its parent raga-Mayamalavagowla- Bhairav, is a morning raag in the Hindustani system).

The bass string of the VeeNa plays the swaras of Lalita and one can’t help feeling the Saama Veda here. The guitar replies in Veda Sangeetam. After 4 aavartanaas , the VeeNa plays with its other strings with the guitar backing it and one sees the divinity of Lalita.

The Pallavi is in ‘ateeta eduppu’ with the ‘samam’ in ‘ma’ of ‘amma’. The meditative voice of the Master radiates a unique charm which cannot be described in words and even if described, may not do full justice to the kind of feeling one experiences.

The VeeNa follows the voice after the first line and plays with grace for a full aavartana.

VeeNa’s grace and elegance continue in the interludes with the veda mantram surrounding us. There is a sudden twist here (what is life without twists and turns) with the flute entering and playing some unknown dimensions of Lalita, sans percussion. In fact, the VeeNa plays a couple of repetitive swaras repeatedly, the rhythm guitar sounds at an interval of 2 beats and these two act as the percussion. The flute is soft, sensitive and powerful. The guitar and a S.E.Asian instrument then combine together and the effect is stupendous. It goes very deep into our heart and moves the veins rhythmically.

The heart is filled with joy during the ‘akaaram’ after ‘darisanangaL’. This ‘akaaram’ which lasts for one and half aavartanas, also touches the mandra stayee(lower octave) swaras giving a practical definition of meditation.

‘Give me Your Darshan everyday Oh Soundarya Lahari of Adi Shankara’ says the first CharaNam.

The brilliance of the Vaaggeyakaara (note that Raaja sir himself wrote this song) is seen in the second CharaNam where the word ‘ViLakku’ is used to convey two meanings in two different lines- ‘Light’ which dispels the darkness and ‘to explain’ the ‘Iyal and Isai’(literature and music)!

‘The waxing Moon which never wanes’ continues the CharaNam, ‘The one who is worshipped by one and all’.

You are my refuge. You are the Music of my Soul. You are Lalita.

You are Janani.

Lateral

 Do different things differently.

Do same things differently.

In a nutshell this is what is Creativity. But again, is it that easy to be creative? Moreover, the Devil’s advocate inside us will say, ‘Ok, let me walk in the reverse direction. Can I then be called as a creative person?’

Though this might bring peals of laughter, the question as such cannot be brushed aside. Recently I read an article/interview in the newspaper in which a prominent person revealed his secret of success. And guess what it could be...It was ‘Making stupid decisions’. He went a step ahead and said all of us-especially the students- should be encouraged to make stupid decisions. I know this sounds a tad farfetched and even outlandish, but one has to go deeper to understand and appreciate this and not just be stuck at the surface.

What sounds stupid today might sound novel tomorrow. When the Wright Brothers expressed their desire to fly, the elders said ‘Are you stupid? Only angels can fly and not humans’. What would have happened if they too believed that it was a ‘stupid idea’ and had not listened to their heart? Examples galore..

It all boils down to just two questions- Why? and Why Not?

A young man sat under an apple tree and saw the apple fall. He thought, ‘Why is it falling down and why is it not going up?.

Gravity was discovered.

A gentleman heard the echo of his own voice. He thought,’ Why should it be heard only here? Why not in other cities/town/countries?’

Radio was invented.

A star batsman thought ‘Why should the bat be held only facing one direction while playing a shot. Why cannot it face the other direction as well?’

Reverse Sweep was invented.

What was common among all these people?

‘Why’, ‘Why not’ and most importantly ‘Stupid thinking’.

If stupidity is used as a euphemism for creativity, I am sure the word ‘creativity’ won’t mind that!

During the late ‘70s when a gentleman from an obscure village in Tamizh Nadu wanted to do ‘same things differently’, ‘different things differently’ and asked ‘why’ and ‘why not’, he was ridiculed and mocked at by many. But undeterred he went ahead and invented new idioms and even syntax for the language called music.

As an example ( I can quote at least 3000 examples but for obvious reasons, am taking up just one song), see this song . Eppudu Eppudu from Aakhari Porattam (1988). It is just a romantic duet in a commercial movie and the situation is a normal situation (normal in movies and abnormal in real life). But this gentleman thought differently. ‘Why should the pallavi be normal, why not do something different?’, he thought and composed a first line which when decoded in the taaLa parlance goes something like ‘’ta ka dhi mi/ta ka dhi mi/ ta ka dhi mi/ ta ka dhi mi/ta ka dhi mi/ta ka dhi mi /ta ka dhi mi/ta ka dhi mi’’. That is, divide each beat into 4 micro-beats and fill them up with words.

 The line that continues follows the same design but the pattern changes with gaps called as kaarvais- in between.

I am not dwelling deep into that as that would amount to technical details, which in more than one way would spoil the aesthetics if analysed at least in this context.

The same kind of design with some variations in the pattern is seen in the second half of each Charnam too. In fact, even the beginning of the song is different with only the percussion sounding for a while and the guitar joining and sounding at a very odd place. At the same time, what should not be lost is the fact that the pattern followed by a host of the percussion instruments in the Prelude, is a precursor to what is in store in the Pallavi and CharaNams.

As if to show how beautiful creativity and innovation could be, the bass guitar sounds so different when it appears in the Pallavi. So does the family of guitars in the rest of the Pallavi.

The ebullient streak of creativity continues in the first interlude as well with the guitar and the strings having a friendly banter-with the former even playing alien notes with a palpable sense of joy- and the brass flute joining in the latter half even as the strings play in the higher octave.

If the taaLa pattern is all about ‘doing different things differently’, the raga/scale pattern is ‘about doing same things differently’. ShankarabharaNam is a raga which has been used ubiquitously by the composer. Needless to say ‘Eppudu Eppudu’ follows this raga/scale. The guitar piece in the first interlude and even the first part of the CharaNams might remind listeners of some of his other songs. But how subtly different these are from the other known compositions is a fact which will be deciphered by the trained ear. In any case, the classical shades in the first half of the CharaNams cannot missed by the cognoscenti as well as the uninitiated.

 The second interlude is an yet another example of innovation. If the first segment has the vocals(SPB) just saying ‘Ha’ and the drums and the claps responding, the next segment has the piped instruments moving with gusto to the backing of a host of percussion instruments. The last segment sees the playful romance between the guitar and the percussion which plays a different pattern for the ‘n’th time.

Do same things differently.

Do different things differently.

You will know why you should do it and then ask why not.

Esoteric

 One of the often repeated questions in the minds of people who know the theory of classical music is –‘Why does he mix alien notes in a song which tends to follow a particular raga pattern?’

I remember reading a blog long long ago(that is in about 15 years ago) in which a person who seemed to know classical music and the ragas made a statement something like this- I really don’t know why he brings in alien note(s) in a song. He even went on to suggest that Raaja sir does not know pure classical music and that is why, he does this!

First of all, people should realise that film songs form a genre by itself, say something like ghazals, qawwalis etc., In fact, the Hindustani system allows the usage of alien notes in any raga with a prefix ‘Misra’ added to the raga. There is also a form called Tumri which is performed in a Hindustani music concert and the composition has a dash of alien notes.

Secondly, I have often wondered as to why people break their heads on ragas. Once when my father-in-law was in a concert of a popular Hindustani vocalist, he couldn’t place the raag from the aalaap. Note that in Hindustani music, there are too many allied raags with similar structures and the only differentiating factor is the way the raag is sung. So, he checked with the person sitting next to him - Bhaisaab, it sounds like Shree, but also like Poorvi and Maarwa, so what raag is it? The reply he got was unforgettable not just for him but for yours truly too. The person said- ‘I am here to appreciate the beauty of music in its entirety and I care the least for the name of the raag’.

Sadly, a majority (read this as 95% ) of concert goers in South India do not follow this, scratching their heads the moment the musician starts singing-or playing- a raga, making the company selling ‘Head and Shoulders’ richer in the process , checking with the person seated next-who would either scratch his/her head again prompting the usage of ‘Head and Shoulders’ later or give a random name. Only at times, some people are lucky with erudite people sitting next to them, people who would recite the arohanam/avarohanam of the raga, and the name of the mother raga, if it is a derived raga or the number of the melakarta if it is a mother raga. The cynical face also can be seen in some cases with these erudite scholars giving their own comment like – I feel the note which is non-existent in this raga appeared fleetingly or You must hear ....... sing this raga, nothing can equal that!

Well, these people are no different from the other ‘film song musicologists’ who tend to find ragas in all songs, at times even in every phrase. For example, about a couple of years ago, there was this person who would ask me the raga of every song and who once went to the extent of saying ‘the first four phrases in Oru naaL Unnodu oru NaaL is Madhyamavati’ while in reality the song is in the diatonic minor scale!

All these thoughts crossed my mind when I was listening to ‘Devan Kovil Deepam OndRu’ last night. I must have listened to this song from ‘Naan Paadum Paadal’(1984) umpteen times but only last night did it occur to me that he used both the variants of the note ‘dha’s one after the other in the CharaNams, which should actually be considered as vivadi but it cannot be due to some other reason about which I am not getting into right now as I have already breached the ‘thread dharma’ by talking about the technical details in this thread.

Let us focus on the song.

Right from the time this song was released and right from the time I listened to it for the first time (both are same anyway!), this song has always given me a mélange of feelings, though I am unable to pinpoint the exact reasons. But things which are beyond any reason have a charm of their own, a classic example being the Divine Force.

The brief akaaram of Janaki with the superimposed chorus voices singing a different melody in a different octave, gives us a spate of things to come. The unmistakable mystic tone in this makes one expect something. What it is, is again something which is unexplainable.

The beauty of contrast is shown in the prelude itself. If the lead vocals and the chorus singing in different melodies in different octaves is a beautiful contrast, no less inferior is the contrast between the flute melody and the guitar melody and the one between the tabla and the drums.

The structure of the Pallavi is simple and magical. The sympathetic strings which follow the lead vocals in the Pallavi reminds one of the moon which quickly passes through a cloud only to emerge instantly and pass through another cloud.

The guitar family backs the flute in the beginning of the first interlude and this indeed is a treat. Somehow, the flute decides to move on its own and extricating itself from the dominant family, it floats all alone singing like a bird. But like an affectionate brother, the bass guitar holds it now and then so that it doesn’t fall a prey to the gravity. A couple of members from the Guitar family peep in too to pledge their support. It is the turn of the strings then to fly with a couple of bass instruments backing them and also sounding a very different melody. The flute reappears this time playing staccatos.

It is the first half of the CharaNams that I was referring to in the beginning. The shade of poignancy is unmatched and yes, the feelings cannot be put down in words. What make the lines even more beautiful are the strings and the flute which alternate between themselves and appear between the lines. Reading between the lines is good, at times! And am I not saying this for the ‘n’th time?

In keeping with the mood of the CharaNams, the instruments in the second interlude (the bass guitar , the brief flute, and the strings) give that mystic shade. The strings then enter again but this time with a lilting melody with brass flute following it, giving us a vision of Danube.

But as if to indicate that things-especially good ones- don’t end so quickly, the guitar-duo enters playing with a mix of flamboyance and virtuosity, even as the strings play a subtler role.

Yes, good things don’t end so soon, as long as we keep our mind open without bothering about anything and everything..

After all, there is a special beauty in things which are beyond reason!