Wings

We Indians have always been fascinated by the colour blue. This surely is not a colonial hangover (as you know, the British are known for their obsession with this colour!). And this surely is not just because our Indian Cricketers wear Blue jerseys while playing in the shortened version of the game.

This passion for blue dates back to our mythological days. Lord VishNu is blue-hued and is lying down on the sea which is of course blue. Lord Shiva is known by the name ‘Neelakanta’, the one with the blue neck, as it is believed that when the Ocean was churned to get the amrita, poison came out first (there is a philosophy here too which will be taken up later on in some other post) and Shiva consumed it to save the lives of all around and Parvati caught His neck fearing that if it went inside Shiva would die and therefore the poison got struck in his neck.

Then there is Sani-aka Saturn- who is depicted in blue colour with his gem as per Indian astrology is the Sapphire which is blue in colour.

If we look at the modern days, it was a youngster in Madras, who was so enchanted by the colour of the sea and the sky that he started wondering as to why these are blue which led to one of the most famous discoveries called the ‘Raman Effect’.

English language too loves the colour blue. When something happens suddenly, we say, ‘out of the blue’. When it is a shocking news, we say ‘bolt from the blue’. If somebody is very loyal, we call them ‘true blue’, while if somebody is a favourite of a particular person, we call him a ‘blue-eyed boy’. A detailed plan is called a ‘blue print’. When it is a very rare occurrence, we say ‘once in a blue moon’ and if we feel sad or depressed, we say ‘ feeling blue’. The last two mentioned have a lot of relevance to today’s post, but before that let me share two things.

One of course is a book titled Blue Highways written by an American author William Least Heat-Moon. Hailed by many as a masterpiece in travel writing, the book talks about the adventures of the author even as he travels not on inter-state highways but on back roads marked in blue on the old maps covering every nook and corner of America.

The second is personal. This is just to tell you that Yours Truly loves Blue and that he has dresses in different shades of blue(yes, ‘blue’ and not ‘grey’!).

With this ‘priceless information’ about my personal likes, let me move on to the topic of the day and then to the song of the day. Now, the ‘topic of the day’ is not what the real topic of the day, but there is a connection and we shall see that at the end. It surely is as depressing as that topic provided you care not just for the mankind but for the other species that inhabit the Universe and which have equal right to live with freedom.

Yesterday was ‘World Sparrow Day’ and the idea to observe this day was conceived exactly 10 years ago by an Indian, Mohammed Dilawar, who founded something called ‘Nature Forever Society’. Why is a day dedicated to the sparrow? It is because this beautiful bird species is dying a slow death and though some have disputed this, it is fact that the dwindling population of sparrows is because of the technological advancement and the radiation from the gadgets.

So, what can be done to prevent this-stop using all these gadgets? Well, even if God appears and requests humans to give up modern gadgets, it will fall on deaf ears (deaf ears, as our ears will be plugged with earphones with the eyes focussed on screens!). The simplest way to help sparrows breed is to make Birdhouses made of cardboards/terracotta /discarded wood and keep it on the balcony. Also to be kept is a small bowl of water. Try this and see the magic!

When I was listening to Aananda Kuyilin Paattu from Kaadalukku Mariyadai (1997)  a few days ago when I was walking around my apartment building, what struck me the most of the sudden shift after the first CharaNam. A baby voice (Deepika) sings the basic dance jatis followed by ‘skies are grey and cloudy/we are feeling blue’  This is followed by the lines which go like ‘You come to us like sunlight and make our dreams come true’. My thoughts of course went to the current situation and then moved to the poor sparrows. ‘How gloomy they must be feeling!’, I thought and decided to dedicate this song to the beautiful species. Though it is ‘Aananda Kuyilin Paattu’, ‘Kuyil’ (koel) is just one of the cousins of ‘kuruvi’(sparrow). That I cannot spot the koels too of late, is another story.

This song, in fact can pep up anybody’s spirit. Listen to the beginning and the peculiar words ( no, it is not ‘kiliki’ as Kattappa and company were non-existent in 1997!). The words and the way it is sung are rib-tickling and without a doubt evoke peals of laughter. The strumming of the guitar brings sanity and the Pallavi in the voice of Arunmozhi gives a sense of joy and happiness. So does the guitar piece which follows. The Suddha Dhanyasi tune turns poignant in the second half with the alien notes peeping in but this makes us feel joyous and surely not sombre. Chitra’s voice which enters now, is a like whiff of fresh air and makes the atmosphere cooler.

The guitar goes around in a circle and the flute takes a flight just like a tiny bird, full of vigour and energy. A very peculiar sounding instrument follows, probably to indicate the hardship the bird might have to encounter on its way. The strings play the strains of Suddha Dhanyasi making us see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The first charaNam in the voices of Malaysia Vasudevan, S.N.Surendar, Chitra and Arunmozhi is full of compassion with that poignant shade appearing towards the end. And then it is that baby voice and the lines in English about which we shall see again very soon. What follows these lines is exciting too with the percussion playing to the count of 3(tisram) and the guitar moving in a circle again playing the leitmotif.

And now for those lines again..

What is amazing here is the seamless transition. What is also amazing is the harmony with one set of vocals in the lower octave and the other one in the higher octave.

Skies are grey and cloudy and we are feeling Blue
You come to us like Sunlight
And make our Dreams come True
Love is always there with us together
Feelings are forever and forever.

Doesn’t this apply to the Sparrows?
And doesn’t this apply to the mankind too now?

Tough times never last..But tough people do!
Blues will disappear and the Blue will emerge stronger!!



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