Mystic

The man says to her- I composed a poem.

The lady replies- I gave you a gift for that.

A cursory glance at these two lines would suggest nothing. To some it would seem ludicrous while to some others it would even seem absurd.

But what is this all about?

Let me give the original lyrics in Tamizh – Naan Kaadalenum Kavithai sonnen kattiline mele/ Andha KaruNaikku Naan parisu Thandhen Thottiline Mele.

People who know Tamizh are a little lucky now as they can understand the lines. Unfortunately, the language of English cannot bring out the import of what the lines convey(I am a lover of English language and yet I understand the limitations each language has).

Literally translated the lines would mean-

I composed a poem on the bed/ I gave you a prize –on the cradle- for that KaruNa.

(sorry, no equivalent word for KaruNa in English.Can we say ‘compassion’?).

Ok, this is not a love duet. It is a lullaby sung by the father and mother to their two daughters. However, I can say with conviction that I have not seen any line from any other form of poetry which depicts ‘that act’ so subtly, so succinctly and so beautifully.

And to think that the same poet wrote ‘Life is just a Business/Birth is Income/Death is Expense’(Vaazhkkai Enbathu Vyapaaram/Adhil Jananam Enbathu Varavaagum/MaraNam Enbathu Selavaagum) or Ask the one who went and he will say ‘Come here’/Ask the one who came and he will say ‘Go there’(Sendravanai Kettaal Vandhu Vidu Enbaan/Vandhavanai Kettaal SendRu Vidu Enbaan).

In fact, in the second song quoted, there is a line which says ‘One gets wisdom after getting spoilt’(Ketta Pinbu Gnaani) and this one line is enough to define/depict/describe the poet who wrote all these.

Though this might sound controversial, my firm belief is that No other lyricist in Indian Cinema can come close to KaNNadasan . By saying this I don’t intend to denigrate other legends; nor do I want to sound chauvinistic.

I can back that statement of mine with thousands of examples, but let me focus on today’s song.

Whenever I even think of ‘ILamai Enum Poongaatru’ from ‘Pagalil Oru Iravu’(1979), I can’t help getting a feeling that on the day of composing, the Divine Power must have thought ‘This is the right time to give an immortal composition, a composition which would be termed as ‘eternal’ by generations to come.So I am blessing the three extraordinary souls to give their best’.

Man proposes. God disposes? No, here it was proposed by God himself!

As per the situation in the movie, it is a random meeting between a man and a woman and the inevitable happens. In simple terms, it is PMS between two strangers who were driven by that ‘L’ word and the ‘L’ here is not ‘Love’. At the end of it all, both walk away.

This situation may not be uncommon in the present day movies, but one must understand that this was a movie of the ‘70s during which misplaced Victorian morals-yes, applicable only to women - were ruling the roost in Tamizh Cinema(now don’t ask me if moral policing is not on now , but that is a different story).

But what makes this song unique is that except for the last stanza where the poet says ‘Oh the one who is left with dishevelled hair,is this your fate?’, there is nothing to suggest ‘victimisation’ or ‘immorality’. One is surely reminded of erotic poems of the sangam era , and the ‘Geeta Govindam’.

The poet starts his description calling youth as a gentle breeze and that it sings a song. What kind of a song? A melodious song of desire played by the VeeNa..

The first stanza is a simple and graphic description with the bee and the flower being used as symbols.

It is the second one which really stands out in my opinion. Now see this:

‘She forgot her question even before the question arose/And she fell..’

(Ketka NinaiththaaL MaRanthaaL/Kelvi Ezhumun VizhunthaaL).

The third stanza reminds me of the ‘KuRunthogai’ poem(from the Tamizh Sangam Literature)  which says,

‘Who am I to you? Who are you to me’?

Well, as I said earlier three extraordinary souls were blessed to give us this song.

If only it was not for SPB, I am not sure if the lyrics and tune would have attained the kind of eternity it has attained now. I can’t say anything more about the rendering as it speaks for itself.

This applies to the music as well, but I will fail in my duty if I don’t say a few words about the tune, the orchestration and the arrangement.

But first I would like to talk about an aspect which is very subtle and yet adds that beauty to the entire composition.

Quite often I talk about silence in his compositions. In ‘ILamai Enum..’, this factor is presented brilliantly and cleverly.

First of all, the Pallavi starts after the beginning of the taaLa cycle(and this is called as ‘anaagata eduppu’ in carnatic music parlance!). If one looks at the count, it is exactly after 3 micro-beats. Listen to the pause before SPB sings ‘ILamai enum’ after the prelude.

This is quite normal. But what is ‘abnormal’ is that the same no. of counts is left after two phrases in the first line of the Pallavi- that is after ‘PoongatRu’ and after ‘Or Paattu’- and then again after the next line- Sugam Sugam Athile Ore Sugam- and after ‘Or VeeNai’. This continues in the CharaNams as well with pauses for 3 micro-beats after phrases- say in the first CharaNam after ‘ILamai Malarin Meedhu’, after ‘KaNNai Izhandha VaNdu’, after ‘Dega Sugaththil Gavanam’ and after ‘Kaattu Vazhiyil PayaNam’. And the pattern continues in the other two CharaNams.

Phenomenal!

It is an undeniable fact that the addition of chorus voice almost throughout the song, creates a unique atmosphere.

It is also undeniable that the orchestration and arrangement-always his speciality anyway- are in line with the entire mood of the song whose tune –set in the minor scale-sounds very simple and yet sounds complex when one attempts to sing.

If the santoor in the beginning sounds like rain drops, the keys which follow give us a feeling of petrichor while the strings in mid-octave shows us a steady drizzle.

The higher - octave strings in the first interlude sound like a constant shower with the chorus and the flute showing us the dark sky-indicating things which are to follow.

What makes me go wild and calm at the same time is the guitar piece and the sound from the keys in the second interlude. It is like getting drenched in the rain wantonly throwing all caution to the wind. The higher- octave strings make it more intense while the santoor seems to give a mysterious smile.

Beautiful pure white water falls. This is how I can describe the higher-octave strings in the third interlude. What does the chorus voice indicate?

Fulfilment?

Ecstasy?

Completeness?

Well, the entire composition gives us a sense of joy, hitherto not experienced.

It seems as if the poet told the music composer

I gave you a Poem

And the music composer replied

I gave a Gift.

An Eternal Gift to the mankind as a whole!

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