Let New Flowers Bloom..

Recently I was on a short vacation to a Hill station.What attracted me-more than the mountains, breathtaking views and the weather- the most were the flowers in different colours in the garden close to the place we stayed, and in two Botanical Gardens.

Strobilanthus,Orchids,Cyanotis,Rhododendran,Justicia Simplex,Dahliya,Rose..

How beautiful are the flowers..How Fresh they look..Don't they teach a lesson or two to us-the morose human beings..

Today is the Birthday of the greatest living film music composer and what better way to celebrate than taking up a beautiful gem of his that literally breathes freshness?

It is ‘Madhu MalaragaLe’ from ‘Magane Magane’(1982).

It is a beautiful amalgam of sorts as we hear a folksy tune with western interludes in a carnatic ragam.

We feel the breezy air as the folk string instrument and the Bass Guitar welcome us.The breezy air now becomes effervescent as the Flute joins. The single violin followed by a group of violins give a gentle and feathery touch to the entire atmosphere.

The pallavi-that gives shades of Kalyani- is full of suspense.

First, the female voice and the male voice sing only the first part of their lines.
‘Madhu MalargaLe’-Female
‘Pudhu Rasanaiyil’-Male

Both give a tonge-in-cheek ‘la la la la’.
The string that is juxtaposed between the lines add to the suspense.

Then, we get the answer.

At the same time, there is one more suspense-the Tala pattern.

The lines are rendered in 4 beats while the percussion is played very differently.Is it 7?or is it 5?We are confused just for a moment.

But finally, it turns out to be a 8-beat cycle with a division of 3, 2 and 3 with the last 3 being played in faster pace(mel kaalam).
So, it is 1 2 3 1 2 (1 2 3 4 5 6)-the last one in the brackets being 1 2 3 in faster pace.

The third and the fourth line are again short and are soaked in melody.

The first part of the first interlude is in western style with the violins playing within a well defined grid.The Bass guitar and the lead guitar that appear now and then rather subtly add to the beauty.

Suddenly, the gait changes and the flute moves rather fleetingly.The reverberating percussion beats-that now follow the normal division of 4/4- are appealing and revealing.

The CharaNam is different with the first 2 lines repeated and the last line being very short.But it succeeds in giving a sparkling melody with sustained vibrancy.

The entire Pallavi being repeated before the second interlude is another innovation by the Maestro!

In the second interlude, the guitar and the vibrant bass guitar followed by the needle sharp flute give a very sublime feeling. The vivifying strings give a feathery touch.

The mesmerizing tone of Janaki and the rather rustic tone of Malaysia Vasudevan lend impetus to the marvel.

Let new flowers bloom ..
Let the taste for good music and aesthetics grow ..