Apogee

The mind!

One of the most enigmatic and mysterious things in the world. Conquer the mind and you will conquer the Universe. After all, aren’t these two related?

Why am I talking about this now? Though there are varied reasons, the prime one is the significance of the day. It is the 176^th aaradhana of Tyagaraja, one of the most prolific and genius composers the world has ever seen and whose name itself is enough to define music. Let me give just two samples of his genius.

The 7^th CharaNam of the first Pancharatna(these 5 kritis are considered to be the pinnacle) goes something like this – Omkaara panjara keerapura- which means – You are the parrot who lives in the cage of PraNavaa-, the swaras in ‘Omkaara’, being ‘Sa..sa…..’, that is, the upper Sa for Om and then just the sustenance on the lower sa, giving the sound of the PraNavaa(Om).

In the 1^st CharaNam of the 5^th Pancharatna, which goes like ‘Saama gaana lola’, he has composed in such a way that it just sounds like the Saama veda, the veda known for its musicality.

I know these are some advanced details and I have tried to simplify it as much as possible so that the intricacies are brought to light and the nuances are appreciated.

In the beginning, I spoke about the mind. Let us see a kriti of his which was used by ILaiyaraaja- who happens to be an ardent devotee of Tyagaraja. In fact, this kriti was used by him twice in two different movies. The one I am posting now is in the voice of Yesudass and Janaki from ‘Isai Paadum ThendRal’(1986).

For a change, I am not going to keep the description brief. But before that, I must tell you all that there are two versions to this kriti, ‘Manasuloni Marmamulu Telusuko’, one in Hindolam and the other in a raga called Varamu, which has the other variant of the ‘ga’. Raaja sir however has used only the Hindolam version in both the movies.

The bird call in the beginning sets the tone ideally. After all, isn’t our mind too like a bird? With pulsating weight, Janaki sings the akaaram. It is a beautiful sketch of that grand raga called Hindolam, whose Hindustani counterpart Malkauns is sung during the small hours in the morning after midnight, as per theory. The raga then moves with coherence and fluency, unfolding with great zeal, unravelling the beauty with grace and sensitivity. The overlapping of the swaras and the superimposition are like a rapier cut. Only difference is that this is soft and soothing.

Yesudass joins and continues the akaaram in his inimitable way. The brief rhythmic ensemble towards the end is the jewel in the crown.

‘Understand the inner yearning of my mind, Oh the One with the hues of the Emerald and whose heart if always filled with bliss!! In the past You protected me with your immense affection. Hold my hand now as I need You the most now’.

Applies to all, irrespective of caste, creed and religion.

Mind is the Universe. Universe is the Divine.

Check this out on Chirbit

Mind-The Unravelled Mystery!

Human Mind is a mystery.

It is indeed very difficult to unravel this mystery. How does the thinking process take place? What happens when we think?How and why do we get negative thoughts? If somebody is a criminal, is it because of his/her mind? If so, should we blame that person or should we blame the mind?

Our ancestors have thought a lot about this and that is why we are told to think of good things and channelise our thoughts.

But is there a link between our body language and the mind?

Bharata’s Natyashastra says,

Yatho Hasta Thatho Drishti
Yatho Drishti Thatho Mana:
Yatho Mana: Thatho Bhaavo
Yatho Bhaavo Thatho Rasa:

‘The eyes follow the hand
The mind follows the eyes
The expressions reflect the state of your mind that leads to the enjoyment of the same’.

This obviously means that the body and the mind are interdependent and therefore there is a direct link between the two.

If the body language is positive, our thinking is healthy.

If the mind is free from negative thoughts, we look positive and our face glows.
Kannadasan sang ‘Manam oru Kurangu’(Mind is a monkey).

As per the principle of Transcendental meditation, our mind is like a river and the thoughts are like ripples. In fact, Zen Buddhism also follows the same principle.

Saint Thyagaraja-who according to me was a great thinker- often spoke about the mind.

In his Malayamarutam kriti, ‘Manasa Etulo’, he asks ‘Oh mind! Why do you refuse to listen to me’?

In another Kriti in Abhogi, he says, ‘What is the use if we do not even know to control our mind?’(Manasu Nilpa Sakthi Lekhapothe).

He talks about how smart and crazy the mind is in ‘Manasa Mana Saamarthiyamemi’(Ragam-Vardhini) where he also quotes examples from Ramayana and talks about the minds of Kaikeyi-who was very fond of Rama until her friend sowed poisonous seeds in her mind- and Sugreeva-who was so selfish that he forgot the quid pro quo agreement with Rama after regaining Kishkinta.

In that blissful Sankarabharanam Kriti, ‘Manasu Swadheenamai’,he says ‘if one conquers the mind, does he need anything else in this world? Is it not the ultimate?’

His mind was so pure that he had the audacity to ask Rama to understand his mind,his innermost yearning.
The Kriti is ‘Manasuloni Marmamunu Telusuko’.

There is a very interesting fact about this Kriti.

As per history and authentic sources, Tyagaraja composed this in Hindolam.But some present day musicians choose to sing this composition in Varamu(Hindolam with the Chatusruti Dhaivatam) for reasons better known to them.

ILaiyaraaja, a great admirer and devotee of Saint Tyagaraja has used Tyagaraja Kritis in movies whenever possible.

Today’s rare gem is this kriti that was used in ‘Thanthu Vitten Ennai’(1991).

If Janaki’s voice infuses joy, the accompaniment of Tabla adds lustre to this composition.

The liberal sangatis strewn all over is unusual for a film song.

The pallavi and the anu pallavi have an evocative grandeur.
The short violin piece is like a pleasant drizzle.

The Charanam throbs with joy with smooth glides.

The Swara singing that lasts two-and- half minutes leaves us mesmerised.

It is subtle and powerful.
It is enticing and is peaceful.
It is a Rhapsody but is assiduous.
It disturbs us and it makes us calm.
It is magnificent and is simple.
It is immaculate…

…just like the human mind!

Lullaby of the Breeze!

Tamizh Cinema Music has seen very different male voices.

Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, Chinnappa,Dandapani Desigar,Gantasala,Trichy Loganathan,T M Soundararajan, Seergazhi Govindarajan,S P Balasubramaniam,Yesudass,Jeyachandran, Malaysia Vasudevan....It is a huge list.

One of the most unique voices was that of Chidambaram S.Jayaraman's. Not only was the voice very deep and resonant but also that it was melodious.It also has the rare distinction of Sivaji Ganesan's 'First Voice' in films.

A little known fact is that C.S.Jayaraman was a very close relative of the present Chief Minister of Tamizh Nadu.

Now let us look at a very contrasting voice. This voice was not 'pure' in the classical sense and had its own weaknesses. But the best part was that the singer knew his strengths and his weaknesses and added beauty to the compositions of Raja right from the beginning until the mid '80s.

An interesting fact is that his voice was found suitable for Sivaji later on and he lent his voice for some of the super hits in the Sivaji-Raja combination.

'Muthal Mariyathai' is a classic example.

Yes..I am referring to Malaysia Vasudevan.

Now why am I comparing the two?

It is because Malaysia Vasu has rendered a wonderful song imitating C S Jayaraman.

This song is one of my personal favourites.

It is 'Aananda Thaen Kaatru Thaalaatuthe..' from 'Manipur Maamiyaar'(1980).

‘Manipur Maamiyaar?’ Yes..Don’t know if it had to do anything with the N.E. issues now because this film was never released.

In fact the comedy song ‘Samayal Paadame’(the original of ‘Enna Samayalo’) is also from the same movie.

‘Aananda Thaen Kaatru’ is based on Hindolam and starts with a lovely humming of Shailaja. The Violin Orchestra takes over and the Flute bits at the end are enchanting.

Guitar, Flute and the Violins are in full form in the first interlude but my most favourite bit here is the end(is it piano?)..

The variations of Tisram beats sound wonderful in the Charanams.

Listen to the Bass notes in the second interlude and the modulation towards the end where the Raga changes.

Truly Amazing!

Yes, it is the lullaby of the Breeze!!

http://music.cooltoad.com/music/song.php?id=296916