The lady sings ‘Saamajavaragamana’. Just towards the end, as the swaras are sung, an alien swara peeps in in the akaaram. Her father yells and asks her to say the arohanam/avarohanam of Hindolam. He then asks as to how ‘rishabham’ entered Hindolam. That night, he lights the camphor on his palm and shows it around the deities at home. The lady -his daughter- massages the palm with a cloth soaked in cold water and sings -sa ga ma dha ni Sa.
As I was watching the
afore-mentioned sequence in the cinema hall, my eyes were moist. Involuntarily,
tears started welling up.
People familiar with old
movies/musicals would have easily identified the movie I am referring to. For
the benefit of others, let me say that the name of the movie is
‘Shankarabharanam’. It is an undeniable fact that this movie created
waves-literally and figuratively- and even people who were not classical music
aficionados, thronged the theatres.
Personally speaking, ‘yours
truly’ was just then getting into music, courtesy- a gentleman whose name is
known to all here. ‘Getting into’ can be interpreted in different ways, and
therefore I am not getting deep into that now. All I can say is that I was
trying to understand the basics of music though the sense of appreciation was
already in place. Honestly, I did not know even ‘akaaram’ had swaras and that alien notes can creep in
there too. But the sequence left an indelible mark in me, a mark which still
continues to exist and which shows up its head, dancing on its hood whenever I
watch the movie (I have watched it several times after this, thanks to that
word called ‘technology’).
Though there are many reasons
for that indelible mark, the most prominent one is the gentleman who conceived
and executed the film.
K.Viswanath!
A name that reverberated in
every nook and corner in South India those days. What made this film maker
unique was not just his affinity for fine arts-music and dance in particular-
but the way he showcased these in his films with a special sense of aesthetics,
blending emotions and intellect, which elevated the audience to a different
level. He stood out for his eye for detail.
Let me quote one more sequence
from the same movie. The chief protagonist, Shankara Sastri gets down at a
railway station along with the lady who considers him as her Guru. His
accompanying artistes frown, put up a long face and keep walking with
bewilderment. The Tyagaraja kriti- Enta nerchina in Suddha Dhanyasi is played
in the background. The Pallavi when translated means – Even erudite scholars
are slaves of women. That the relationship between the two is as pure as gold
is known to the audience. Yet, the kriti reflects the perception of others,
that is ‘from another angle’. When Shri.K.V.Mahadevan (the composer of the
movie) was asked about the different kritis played in the background to suit
the sequence, he humbly credited it to Viswanath saying it was he who suggested
all that!
After watching
Shankarabharanam, I started fantasising about this director working with the
gentleman I adore the most in music. Let me hasten to add that the music of
Shankarabharanam is outstanding and that I have nothing against KVM.
My dream came true after 3
years when that magic combination happened. I am not going to talk much about
this now. The number of posts I have written about the music which oozed out
and flowed like the Krishna and the Godavari, stands testimony to the
Viswanath-Raaja combination. In fact, it was Viswanath gaaru who first coined
the term ‘ee laya raaja’. Regular attendees of Raaja Deepam may recall that the
June 2nd 2021 session was totally dedicated to one movie, with
special posts in Tamizh and English on a particular song followed by discussion
and explanation on the entire background score.
Today’s song is from that
movie as well.
The speciality of ‘Kottaga
Rekkalochana’ (Swarna Kamalam) is its simplicity. Based on Mohanam-with a dash
of alien notes here and there- the song is classically folksy. The akaaram of
SPB to the backing of the single-stringed instrument, gently sways in the air
making it seem as if everything in the world is floating. Unmatched in spirit,
the flute goes around with glee. The strings move like the waves and even as we
get immersed in this spectacle, the Pallavi starts.
The Pallavi is charming as
well as haunting, the former because of the tune and the latter because of the
interspersing flute melody.
The santoor caresses. The
flute blushes. This romance between the two seemingly different instruments
marks the beginning of the first interlude. As if goaded by this, the strings
gush and move with gay abandon. The subtle sound of a stringed instrument in
the background makes one feel the breeze which blows on the river banks. With
sensitivity and intensity, the santoor smiles while the strings grin with
friendly ferocity.
The finely etched lines in the
CharaNams shimmer with grace, with the voice of Janaki enhancing the
experience. The sudden dash of alien notes towards the end, gives a soothing
touch.
It is the Shehnai in the
second interlude which steals the show/heart. With alluring depth, the instrument
shows the hidden ecstasy giving a dazzling delineation in the process. The
repetitive sets of notes from a different instrument which is replicated now
and then, albeit subtly by the flute, seems like short glints of colourful
sparks. The Shehnai and the flute engage themselves in short musical
conversations, but as if to show that nothing ends in this world, the strings
move with coherency and fluidity.
Yes, there is no end…
…to/for art and artistes!
Ps: This post was written in Feb 2023 in the group on Facebook, when the legend left this world.
