Tone

What gives the right mood?

I know I have asked this question before albeit in a different form and have also discussed about this at length, but since I am now in a mood to talk about this again, I am trying to create the mood for the topic again so that I can influence and affect your mood.

The word itself gives some very different connotations. It is a ‘temporary state of mind’, ‘a distinctive emotional quality’, ‘general attitude’.

How many times would we have come across this statement or how many times would we have told others this- I am not in a mood now-?

At the same time, don’t we also say, ‘I am in a good mood’?

And generally, if we say somebody is ‘moody’, don’t we always say it in a negative context?

At the same time, we also say ‘this sets the mood’. This expression of course means that ‘we have the right atmosphere’.

If a simple four letter word (I meant only this word!) can give so many moods, then it surely must be very special.

This ‘mood’ applies to music as well. It is said that certain ragas have some specific moods and can be used only in specific instances-that is to create the mood a raga is meant to create.

Hindustani Music follows the ‘time concept’ strictly. A particular raag is to be sung only during a particular time of the day (or night). However, I have seen musicians render ‘Todi’(carnatic equivalent- SubhapantuvaraLi) during the evening though it is to be sung during late mornings only, but that is a different issue(and can be taken up in one of my forthcoming posts, as usual ).

But apart from the ‘time concept’, there is also the ‘mood’ created (supposedly) by a particular raag. A raag like Ahir Bhairav gives a pathos mood(in fact this applies to most of the raags in Bhairav thaat).  ‘Poorvi’, ‘Poorya Dhanashri’, ‘Lalit’ always sound plaintive. ‘Malkauns’ on the other hand(don’t ask me which hand) gives shringar rasa(or a romantic mood).

In Carnatic Music too, one often comes across this ‘mood factor’. One of the most popular ‘beliefs’ is about Mukhari, which is supposed to be a ‘crying raga’. That this ‘belief’ is just a myth will be taken up by me soon. However, I feel many theories about on the mood of the raags  are just myths. Or at least, that is what ILaiyaraaja has proved.

Though film music is a genre by itself and cannot be compared strictly with Classical music(isn’t this a myth as well?), ILaiyaraaja has time and again challenged this through his compositions and has come up trumps in such exercises.

For example, he has used SubhapantuvaraLi, which is considered to be a raga full of melancholy in a humorous situation (Kandupidichchen KaNdupidichchen- Guru Sishyan), in romantic situations( Porapattadhi- Ladies’ Tailor), and even in a sensuous situation(AlaigaLil Midhakkudhu-Andha Oru Nimidam).

Same is the case with Shivaranjani, Chakravagam etc., He has done the reverse too making happy ragas like KalyaNi, Mohanam etc., sound plaintive (no, I am not going to list the songs now).

That brings me to the basic question (at last...) – How does he create the mood for a song?

In other words- What makes him decide on a particular raga for a particular song?

It is of course complicated and can be answered only by him (really not sure about this too!).

 I was talking about him challenging the mood concept. But there have also been cases where he has stuck to the concept. Today’s Rare Gem is an example.

Jog is a raag which is supposed to give enchantment.

‘Podu Thanthaana tham’ from ‘Nalla NaaL’(1984) is based on this raag. If one looks at the mood evoked by the song, it is romantically sensuous. But what makes this gem shine with a special radiance is not just the raag and the way it has been used, but also the kind of instruments used and the way these have been used.

Take the prelude. The shrill flute in the beginning is somewhat deceptive as gives a folksy feel. But the bass sound from the keys, which backs it, gives us an indication of what could be in store. The fact that both play different sets of notes, makes it even more interesting and intriguing. Enter the sax in its unique tenor and the intrigue factor goes up. In fact, this sax plays a very significant role in the composition and can as well be called as the X factor. Raag Jog could then be the ‘Y’ factor and the percussion could be the ‘Z’ factor.

That ‘Z’ which starts along with the sax, plays 1 2 3/ 1 2 3/ 1 2 in two different sets, with one set  sounding only the first, the fourth and the seventh with resonance and the other set sounding all the syllables, though some are sounded subtly. The composer whose love for variety is well –known, changes this pattern when the sax stops playing and sounds only for one beat on the drums followed by one beat on the more resonant percussion. This goes on for one cycle of chatushram. In the next cycle, the same pattern continues but this time, the flute plays a short melody and takes us to the Pallavi.

The original pattern (the one played during the sax melody) continues but this time a synth sound is added on the 7^th micro beat once per cycle. That is, the chatushram cycle is divided into 16(I have explained this many times in many of my posts) with 1 2 3/ 1 2 3/ 1 2 occurring twice and the synth sound is played only during the first 7^th micro beat. But this synth sound occurs only in the Pallavi with the CharaNams and the first interlude following the pattern of the prelude. We shall come back to this ‘Z’ factor soon when the second interlude is discussed.

Now, for the ‘A’ factor - the vocals. If only I had the stamina, I would climb atop Mount Everest and would shout at the top of my voice that no other two singers would have done justice to this song except SPB and Janaki. Rather than my explaining this, it will be nice if you all listen to the vocals (especially in the second charaNam and in the end) and make your own judgement.

The ‘X’ factor comes into play in the first segment of the first interlude and in the last segment of the second interlude. If it is smooth in the former, it is rousing in the latter. But in both occasions, it gives a very special feeling which can be at best described as musically romantically sensuous.

There are other factors too and since I am not here to list out the English alphabets, I would refrain from naming these factors. One is the violin in the first interlude which gives the melancholic feel of the raag and two is the flute which follows, which sounds plaintive. If you wonder what these feelings play in a ‘romantically sensuous’ song, my answer is ‘Contrasts are poetic and show the genius of a composer’.

Then there is that wonderful instrument called as the guitar which suddenly appears in the second interlude elegantly and gives an exemplary display of brilliance etching some beautiful patterns.

That ‘Z’ factor comes into play again here keeping quiet when the guitar starts and playing 4 beats at the end of the cycle. After two cycles, it plays continuously. Note that that it is totally a different percussion instrument from the guitar section. When the sax(the ‘X’ factor) enters, the pattern changes again with the drums playing only the first and the third syllable and the sharp percussion playing all the 4 syllables as response. At the end of the interlude, the drums play 16 in faster mode (mel kaalam).

‘XYZ ABC’- Are these the ones which create the mood?

Or is the mood created in the mind of the composer with all the factors racing with and against each other?

Let me think when I have the right mood.

Until then, let me listen to songs like this one without bothering about any factor.

After all, Mood is a Mood is a Mood!

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Standpoint

Recently, an advertisement in the newspaper affected me a lot.

No, it was not an ad for an alcoholic brand, nor was it for a tobacco product. It was an ad for ‘audio books’- classics to be more precise. Do I hate books or do I hate sound? I am sure most of you know that I love both. The cause for my consternation was something else.

‘Reading’ matters a lot to me- ‘Reading’ as in reading ‘mentally’. What happens when we read to ourselves? First, we can read at our own pace. Second, we can pause when a word or a sentence or a passage is beautiful and brilliant. We can close our eyes and savour that moment. We can go back to that line, re-read, and therefore relive that moment. If we come across a new word or a tough word, we can stop and either make a mental note or note it down on a paper. At times, we can also refer to the dictionary instantly to understand the word, the context and the usage. We can visualise the sequence, letting our imagination free. Most importantly, we can feel the pages. We can smell the pages. The aroma and the feeling are enough to give us an unique experience which cannot be put in words(or one may have to write a separate book for this, yes a ‘written book’!).

Tell me if any of these is possible in an audio book. However eloquent the reader in the audio book is, however beautiful his/her diction is, however expressive his/her tone is, can we get the same experience of reading a physical book?

Of course, I have listened to some ‘reading sessions’ but these were limited to some select passages and not the entire book. These kindle an interest for the book and make one ‘acquire’ the book. Well, that second word in the previous sentence got me reminded of ‘e-books’. These in my opinion, are acceptable to a certain extent but cannot replace the joy of reading a physical book.

I am writing all these for a reason.

Though music cannot be compared with books, I got reminded of my views on ‘listening to a song’. Well, here I solely mean a film song and not a classical song. Experience with the latter will be described soon in some other post. People who know me well, know that I prefer ‘listening’ to ‘watching’ and that precisely for that reason, You Tube videos are not given as links in posts. Since I have covered this aspect in the past, I am not getting into further details.

But the reason for my aversion for ‘watching’ a song- a beautiful gem at that- can be easily understood if one listens to the Rare Gem of the day and then ‘watches’ it.

I have said many times that it indeed is next to impossible to find out what runs in his mind while composing a song. I have also suggested that scientists should invent a special machine, connect it to his brain and monitor the creative thought process. 

While it is a fact that he composes the tune and subsequently the prelude and the interlude(s) after the Director explains the situation, it is also a fact that a majority of the directors are musically illiterate. So, his imagination runs riot while composing the tune on the harmonium and more so while writing the notes for the orchestra. It is here that he starts experimenting not to get appreciation from anyone concerned but purely for self-actualisation. Otherwise, how can one explain his playing with the rhythm, his use of master techniques like cross-rhythm, usi, gati bhedam, graha bedam etc..?

But this has a flip side too. Since our directors are musically illiterate(a majority of them), neither do they understand the nuances and the techniques nor do they appreciate the subtleties. Because of this, there is a mismatch between the music and the visuals. But he cannot be blamed for this, though I wonder how he would have felt each time he watched the visuals for his music on screen.

‘NenjukkuL Poo Manjam’ (Saattai Illadha Pambaram-1983) falls in this category without a trace of doubt. In fact, one of the most significant features of this song is the rhythm and the sharp percussion in the beginning which was totally chopped off while picturising.

But without worrying about all that, let us look at the song.

It starts with the percussion playing sharp beats, but that is not all. The composition is set in tisram(3-beat cycle). The Master divides 3 into 6 micro-beats- as ta ka dhi mi ta ka- and makes the percussion play only the first, third and the fourth leaving others blank. See (listen) as to how it sets the mood for a romantic song.

After four repetitions, the trumpets and the bass guitar join even as the percussion continues in the same pattern in the background. The bass guitar sounds sharp too, albeit in its own inimitable style, and acts as an additional rhythm. After a while, the guitar joins, indulges in a brief call and response with the piped instruments with the flute joining later and charting its own path. The guitar family finally plays the melody of the first line with the percussion sounding sharp once as if to signal the end of the grand prelude!

The Pallavi which starts with the humming of Janaki is yet another rhythmic feast. There are three (at least) sets of percussion. The first one plays ta ka dhi mi(1 2 3 4) twice in mel kaalam(fast pace). The second one starts after a gap of 4 beats(it is left blank!) and plays ta ka dhi mi twice. The third one plays ta ka dhi mi once. This pattern continues in both the CharaNams.

But the composer, who is known for giving variegated patterns, thinks differently in the interludes. Let us see this as we go along.

The first interlude starts with the guitar sounding the bass, giving that Spanish feel. Then, just one string of another guitar for every first beat of Tisram. Mind you, no percussion is used here and just  one string of the guitar acts as percussion. This is followed by a melody by the same guitar with a different sound(from the keys?) accompanying it. The piped instruments make an entry and only now do the drums(percussion) sound. The friendly banter between the bass guitar and the piped instruments makes it more exciting. The excitement continues in the next segment too when the flute plays a beautiful melody.

The lines in the CharaNams call for an interesting study too. The first two lines rendered by Malaysia Vasudevan have a touch of nonchalance. The next two lines of Janaki suddenly touch the higher octave. The scale changes in the next two lines of Malaysia Vasudevan while Janaki continues in the higher octave in the original scale in the next line. The last line continues in the male voice almost sounding similar to the previous line but is wound up with the ‘pa pa pa pa pa’ giving a feeling of completeness.

To be honest, the entire CharaNam is a tight rope walk and all the three come up trumps.

There is more in store in the second interlude.

The trumpet sounds in higher octave giving a pause in between. The team of piped instruments joins and until now there is no percussion. The trumpet gathers steam and as if to add more spice, the bass guitar joins. So do the drums. It is a jazzy feel with the guitar and the bass guitar taking over. The flute appears in the end again, playing a rather unusual and different melody.

The sensuous ‘pa pa’ towards the end of the song makes it even more special.

Books are to be read by the individual.

Songs (like this) are to be listened to and are not to be watched.

The first statement could be subjective. But not the second one..If you have any doubts, go, watch and then decide.

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VIBGYOR

Do swaras and ragas have colours?

This may sound abstract or even absurd but I feel it is a valid question. Long back, two very popular carnatic musicians (sisters in fact) raised this question to another musician. This was part of an item in a Tamizh magazine (yes, those days Tamizh magazines had more aesthetic sense and sensibilities) in which musicians interacted. One musician would ask a question to a fellow musician, who after answering the question would ask a question to another fellow musician. This chain was as interesting as the questions and answers and revealed a lot to a layman like me who wanted to learn more and more about music.

The duo who asked the question even named some ragas and the colours associated with those. What they meant was this- Whenever they played a particular raga, they visualised a particular colour. They wanted to know if other- musicians that is- too had similar experience. Though I don’t remember who answered this question, I found this to be very interesting. Nearly 15 years after this, I happened to interact with a musician- a child prodigy who plays a very beautiful instrument- in a Dance camp and asked him this question. He paused for a moment, looked at me and said ‘It is a very interesting question. Why don’t you ask me in the forum after I finish my lecture?’

Unfortunately, I couldn’t due to reasons I don’t want to get into now. But I have always related colours with music and vice versa.  Coming to think of it, the basic swaras are seven and the rainbow has seven colours. I don’t mean to say that each colour corresponds to one swara but this coincidence (or is it?) is striking.  Colours are dynamic, full of energy, and at the same time give a sense of calmness. Music does the same.

Let us now celebrate Colours and Music with a song. Surprisingly enough, the word ‘colour’ appears only in the first line and yet I feel the song is very colourful.

I really don’t know as to ‘Rangulalo kalavai’ from ‘Abhinandana’(1987) giving me visions of various colours and I am sure the reason has to do more with the whole composition and just a little with the first word. It is a composition with many specialities.

1.Janaki- In some of my earlier posts, I had mentioned as to how he has used Janaki’s voice as an instrument. In ‘Rangulalo..’, Janaki renders only the Pallavi and that too only twice-after the first charaNam and in the end. Otherwise, she just hums. Indeed, this ‘just humming’ has the capacity to take us to the heaven. The composition starts with her humming. To start with it seems like a plaintive cry of a bird. But this is just an illusion. The moment the next part of the humming starts, we spot the romance in that voice. The final ‘akaaram’ makes it classic and classical.

The ‘akaaram’ appears in the second part of charanams too and the rolling of the voice…isn’t it amazing and mind blowing?

2.SPB- That this gentleman can change the voice to suit the occasion is a known fact. Here, his voice is shrill and gets shriller in the higher octave making it a thrilling experience.

3.Acharya Athreya- Not many in Tamizh Nadu know about this genius. Known for his aesthetic sense and his word plays, this legend shows yet again that he is a romantic at heart. Look at these words- ‘Colourful dream’, ‘Art inside the heart’, ‘Sculpture’, ‘Embodiment of art’ ‘Swinging imagination’, ‘Beauty like the blooming spring’, ‘Honeyed arrow’ ..

This is how he describes the Lady Love. He even calls her as his ‘viraha taapam’.

Height of beautiful imagination (or is it swinging imagination?).

What he does in the end is a masterstroke. Throughout the song, he asks questions- ‘Are you this/that’. But at the end-when the Pallavi is rendered, he affirms that ‘yes, you are that’. Not many songs end like this.

I am also told that generally Athreya gaaru wrote the lyrics and these were later set to tune by the music composer. I believe this song also was written first. That brings us to the gentleman who set this to tune.

4.ILaiyaraaja- What can one say about this tune in Hindolam? Sorry, can’t find a suitable adjective. Even the accidental note in the CharaNams enhances the appeal. The structure of the CharaNams is a lesson for all aspiring music composers. Look at the last line where he splits the chatushram into 16 maatras as ta ki ta/ ta ki  ta/ ta ki  ta/ ta ki  ta/ta ka dhi mi almost like a pure classical composition.

Ah yes, the rhythmic pattern almost throughout the song is a kind of leitmotif. One set of percussion sounds the first 4(ta ka dhi mi) and then sounds only the first syllable(ta) thrice while the second set(vamping of guitar) sounds all the 16 albeit subtly. Both these happen simultaneously!

If I say that the orchestration is beautiful, it is like saying ‘The moon is beautiful’ or ‘the flowers give beautiful fragrance’. Stating the obvious may sound clichéd but in the case of Raaja sir, this cannot be helped.

The Prelude has the rhythm guitar backing Janaki’s humming. The ankle bells follow during the second part of the humming with the tabla tarang and jalatarangam showing subtle shades of Hindolam. The bass guitar winds up the Prelude in its own style.

The sitar responds to the first two lines of SPB with elan.

The first interlude starts with the call and response between the strings and the tabla tarang. The strings then go up the stream to the backing of the percussion(playing in the pattern explained before 3 paragraphs). The percussion decides to take a break with the strings taking a straight path and the flute that follows blows with joy. The keys sounding like a stringed instrument guide us to the first CharaNam.

The flute now follows SPB in the first section of the CharaNam(the following sections of course have that original instrument called Janaki’s voice as explained earlier!).

The second interlude is a class by itself and has some variegated patterns which can be conceived only by one gentleman in film music. It starts with the flute-sans percussion- which plays an amazing piece in Hindolam to the backing of the bass guitar with brief repartee by the tabla tarang. We then see the western contours of Hindolam with the strings showing some glistening strands. The harmony between the violins and the cello has to be heard to be believed. After drenching us with honey, the sitar and tabla tarang take us on a blissful journey to the backing of the percussion.

It is indeed a spiritual journey. Don’t I see the white colour now?

And after all, what is white?

Probably, this answers my question..

https://soundcloud.com/raja4376/rangulalo

As you like it

Are events and happenings in this world preordained?

Is it true that things happen as per the congregation or combination of planets?

Well, I am a novice and surely not qualified enough to answer the aforementioned questions. Then why do I ask these? By asking these questions, will I be branded as a superstitious person and by brushing aside these questions terming them as silly, will I be considered as somebody who is rational?

I know questions lead to questions just like one lie leads to a hundred lies, but let me tell you that the reason for this series of questions has to do with what happened last Sunday-not in my personal life, but on this earth under the bright and not so bright sun.

Traditionally, the second Monday of the Wimbledon Championships is known by the name ‘Manic Monday’ and this is because of many reasons prominent among these being the fact that the Men’s and Women’s quarter finals happen on that day and since so many leading players (aka stars or to put it simply seeds) are part of thick action on different courts, it is inevitable that some of the stars/seeds are shown the door by lesser known players who in all probability will become future stars.

If you find the previous paragraph complex and somewhat difficult to comprehend, I must tell you that it was not written with the objective of confounding or confusing you and that it just happened.

Could this also be the handiwork of some planet or its conjunction with some other planet which resulted in my writing that paragraph in one single breath?

Oh, I am back to square one now. So, before the square becomes a circle- or rather a vicious circle-, let me give the reason for those 2 questions. In a way, it is not that difficult to guess in case you are a sports lover and in case that ‘lover’ is replaced with the word ‘fanatic’ and that ‘sports’ is filtered to mean just two sports-Cricket and Tennis.

Reams and reams have been written ad nauseam about the two Events-more about the one involving the bat and the ball-  which happened at a place called London last Sunday and therefore I am not getting too much into that. But what I will get into are what those two Events convey and what these teach about Life.

Firstly, what was common between the two Events?

See-saw battle with the game swinging from one extreme to the other, Winner(s) decided by ‘tie-breakers’(thankfully I didn’t spot anybody in the audience with a tie) and by a new rule, the one who was vanquished having more support across the globe than the one who emerged victorious, the vanquished missing their opportunities with bizarre tactics and rash shots(in the case of cricket it was a rash throw!)...

In more than one way, luck played a major role and that precisely is the reason for the first two questions.

Despite playing so well, why did the two lose? Was it because of the new rules or was it because of complacency? Or better still, was it because of ‘fate’?

That brings me to one very interesting video which was being widely circulated in social media in which a person who claims  he can predict the future, ‘predicts’ that the one who finally lost would lift the World Cup..At the top of the video blink these words- ‘recorded on the 1^st of Jan 2019’.

Now, if it is a fact that everything in this world has already been decided and that it follows a prepared script and that the planets are responsible for all actions, how is it that this ‘prediction’ turned out to be false?

By saying this, does it mean that I am a rational person?

I don’t know. But all I can say is that the beauty of life lies in its unpredictability and it is but natural for things to be uncertain. We just need to observe all these like an outsider and ‘just enjoy’.

Easily said than done?

Well, listen to this piece from ‘Sila SamayangaLil’(2018).

This piece, in my opinion gives the crux of life.

It is of course a pure western classical piece, but I find strains of Shanmukhapriya. This may have to either do with my familiarity with both forms of music or the composer’s propensity to meld the forms or both. But again, what do we achieve by breaking our heads with questions? Is it not KaNNadasan who said ‘Happiness or sadness, finally aren’t the questions which remain in a man’s life?’( ஏன் என்ற கேள்வி ஒன்று என்றைக்கும் தங்கும்/மனிதன் இன்ப துன்பம் எதிலும் கேள்விதான் மிஞ்சும்)

There are four layers to the first bit of the piece. There is that solo violin, the strings, the chorus and the guitar. How many layers does a human life have?

The chorus slowly raises its voice from 0.19 and start sounding prominent. How many people raise their voice in Life?

The music flows like a stream till 0.36. Life itself is a stream.

It is the chorus which dominates with its humming from 0.37. How many people have dominated/have tried to dominate/ us? How many times have we dominated/have striven to dominate/others in our Life?

An eerie sound appears at 1.13. Life is full of fear and dreadful things. Or is it?

The cello and horn follow (1.16) and give us a melange of feelings. Life is a mixture of all emotions and at times we are unable to define the emotion neither are we able to define the reason for that particular emotion.

The group of strings move again like a stream with the horn joining them. How we wish life was as smooth a river!

There is a sudden percussion sound at 1.58 and at 2.02. Sudden jerks do happen in our life and how we balance ourselves is in our hands.

The strings move back and forth from 2.02. Does it denote the sudden twists and turns in our life? Or is it the competition from others? Probably, it is the need to be more alert and active?

The music in the beginning repeats itself, albeit with some changes from 2.39. Life has come a full circle? Wheels of life changing?

Predictable or unpredictable, life is beautiful...

..whether it is the overthrow or the overhead smash.

All the world is a stage and all men and women merely players, said the Bard of Avon.

Yes, it is true..But the only difference is that the players (pun intended) script the play.

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Essence

‘Appa, I am not able to sleep’, said the young boy.

‘Dont’t worry. I will sleep only after you sleep’, replied the father.

‘How will you know if I have fallen asleep or not’, asked the nervous boy.

Pat came the reply-‘I know. That is why I am your father’.

 Do fathers know everything?

Not really. However, when it comes to conversing with his child and when it comes to comforting his child, a father does seem to know everything. At least, in my case, it is true.

Needless to say the conversation mentioned in the beginning happened between me and my father when I was just around 6 or 7. I was timid, shy and was scared of darkness then.

Somehow in India, the relationship between a father and a son is not as widely written or discussed as the one between a mother and a son or the one between a mother and a daughter or even the one between a father and a daughter.

My relationship with my father was somewhat special, intriguing and even weird. Being the only son, I was ‘protected’ by my mother who would not even let me go out and play without her monitoring and supervision. My father would be away at his workplace but whenever he was at home, he would ‘protect’ me too, and this continued even when I went to school. Probably, this explains the reason for my timidity when I was young.

However, once I started growing up and once I was in my formative years, I started developing independent thinking and was slowly shedding the conservative outlook , much to the chagrin of my mother. But my father encouraged my independent thinking.

There are many things a son can pick up from his father. I essentially picked up two things- Reading habit and appreciation of music. When I was a child, I would wonder what he was up to when he would literally burn the midnight oil to be engrossed in a book. After watching him do this for many years (‘many’ here would be about 8 years), one fine day I went to the cup- board where some old books were stocked, picked up the one with a glossy cover, dusted it and started reading it. On top of the front cover there were these wordings- ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’.  

Thus began my tryst with books and it still continues.

He would also tune in to ‘Madras A’ radio station at 8.20 am everyday even as he was getting ready for work. Carnatic music would fill the air. Honestly, this was not music to the ears of Yours Truly then, a fact which would surprise many now. I found it to be boring and even irritating. How my perspective changed after the entry of one gentleman in 1976 and how it transformed me, are all known to people who have been following my posts here. However, in hindsight, I feel if I was able to appreciate the music of that gentleman right from the beginning and was also quick to identify and appreciate the intricacies, it was because of the musical environment I grew up in and the influence it had on my subconscious.

It is not that I have not had difference of opinion with my father. In fact, there were many. However, he respected my views and opinions. During the later years, he even went to the extent of saying, ‘the amount of knowledge my son has, is hard to fathom’.

Cut now to Circa 2019.

The gentleman who pacified and put his little son to comfort long ago, was lying down on the hospital bed struggling to breathe and this time he was calling out his son’s name repeatedly. Is it a case of role reversal? However, the son could not do much as he was already briefed on his father’s medical condition. Unable to see his father suffer like this, the son also started praying for his suffering to end. This is another case of ‘reversal’, for obvious reasons, reasons which are better left undisclosed.

Finally, on the 21^st of June- which is celebrated as World Music Day, a connoisseur of music, a gentleman who believed in and who practised giving unconditional love, a father who guided his son to the right path, left this mortal world peacefully with his son by his side.

The only song which came to my mind instantly that time was a song which without a doubt, is part of my Top 25, and the reason is not far to seek.

In life, simple things are always beautiful and the most beautiful things are simple. If someone were to ask me an example, I would cite ‘Kaattuvazhi Kaalnadiyaa Pora Thambi’ from ‘Adhu Oru Kanaakkaalam’(2005), without batting an eyelid.

Now, see this.

The third and fourth lines of the Pallavi are a replica of the first two lines. The CharaNams are almost mirror images of the Pallavi. Both the interludes are the same. Coming as it does from a composer who is known for his dislike for ‘repetitions’ and who is known for his proclivity for ‘variety’, this is a huge surprise.

And yet, even repeated hearing of this song is unlikely to tire anybody. On the other hand, it can only soothe the pain, soothe the senses and soothe the soul. This is made possible not just by the tune but also by the lyrics and most importantly by the singing style and quality. What is more special is the fact that all these three are done by the same gentleman.

Based on the major scale (ShankarabharaNam), the composition has the flavour of an Irish folk song. The two sets of strings(one in lower octave and the other in middle- octave) playing simultaneously, depicts life itself, in my opinion.

The parallel drawn between river and life conveys layers and layers of meanings albeit in very simple terms.

Life is neither a dream nor a reality. It is Truth itself, says the last term.

For a person who was scared of darkness when he was a child, for a person whose father was an inspiration, for a person who turned more philosophical after the recent episode, can anything be truer than this?

After all, doesn't Truth drive away darkness?

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