Sixth Sense

 

Quite often we come across statements like ‘I have a gut feeling that this is surely going to happen’, or even questions like ‘Do you have the guts to do that?’

What exactly do we mean by this ‘gut’? It is the gastrointestinal tract involved in digestion.

 It would surprise some (or even many) that this gut is inextricably linked to our feelings and emotions. The brain and the gut keep sending constant signals to each other from time to time. In fact, it is said that 90% of serotonin- the neurotransmitter which transmits nerve impulses between nerve cells, which contributes to well being and happiness, which is responsible for mood balance and whose deficit leads to depression- is produced in the gut. That is why, whenever we are emotionally disturbed, we instantly feel the pain in the abdomen; our digestion gets affected and in severe cases, the acid reflux is felt which in turn creates a burning sensation in the heart. We also feel ‘butterflies in stomach’ when we are tensed.

Now, this gut is also responsible for our intuition and that instinctive feeling which occurs to us suddenly without any logical reasoning. Interestingly enough, the solar plexus, which as per the KuNdalini theory is the third chakra and which is responsible for our self-esteem, ego and our personality as a whole is located in the same region. It is said that telepathy happens in the solar plexus. This explains as to why we get sudden strange feelings, thoughts and emotions. Though the connection between the brain and the gut exists, this is limited only to the neurotransmitters. There is a school of thought who believes that most of the times, the gut is independent of the brain and research on this is still on.

So, the next time if you want to take a major decision, should you listen to the head or the gut?

I can’t answer this as I am not qualified enough. But based on these studies and based on my following a music composer for the last 48 years, I can say one thing with guts:

ILaiyaraaja’s gut feel is mainly responsible for the beauty in his music.

By ‘beauty’ I mean the suddenness with which certain things appear in his compositions. It could be a guitar piece in ‘SiRu ponmaNi asaiyum’ or the flute piece in ‘Vedam nee’. It could be the transition from Mohanam to Shanmukhapriya in ‘KaalangaL MazhaikkaalangaL’ or the quick change of ragas from Rasika Ranjani to Revagupti to Sunaadavinodini to Lalit to Hamsaanandi, all in a matter of just around 10 seconds in ‘Neela kuyile’. Or it could be the graha bedam on a very rare raga like Lavangi to give Mandaari in ‘KaNgaLukkuL unnai ezhudhu’.

If these are just some samples of his intuition, the Rare Gem of the day is yet another example of the same. The difference between a sample and an example of course lies in the fact that while the former is mentioned in passing (these have been elaborately discussed in the Group), the latter is discussed rather elaborately.

‘Alai alaiyaayi pala aasaigaLe’ from ‘NaaLai Unadhu NaaL’(1984) is a fast paced composition. If I am not wrong, it is sung by a young woman, with her friends dancing with her on the beach. The situation is not that challenging and yet he has come out with a beautiful tune in Pahaadi. But there is nothing great about this as he has done this in many obscure movies directed by obscure directors.

However, the reason for my considering him as one of the greatest composers in the history of world cinema music is shown in the last segment of the second interlude.

The composition follows the 4-beat chatushram cycle. Now, there is a scale change at 2.34 and this is not uncommon in a film composition. But what happens after 5 seconds is surely uncommon, that is if one takes film music in general. The pattern suddenly changes to the 3-beat cycle tisram with the tempo being the same. Let me clarify that the 4 to 3 change occurs in a typical carnatic concert when the percussionist does the ‘vistaaram’ with the tempo undergoing a change. However, in the case of ‘Alai alaiyaai’, the 3 is made to fit in 4. In carnatic music parlance, this is called ‘gati bedam’ and as far as my knowledge goes, no other composer has even tried this in film music(the other song which immediately comes to my mind- where Raaja sir has done this- is ‘Pallaviye CharaNam’).

Most importantly, he has not used any percussion instrument here and it is the ‘clap sound’ which sounds the 3(ta ki ta) even as the saxophone plays a joyful melody with the bass guitar-as usual- playing a counter melody.

If this is not intuitive and instinctive, what else is?

The composition as such is great with the South East Asian flavour in the prelude and in both the interludes. The guitar, flute, trumpets and a host of instruments add glory to the composition (not to forget the ubiquitous bass guitar) while the voice of Uma RamaNan is unique in its own way.

But with geniuses who are intuitive, you must always expect the unexpected. And this is what happens in the end after the Pallavi is rendered again. Uma RamaNan hums ‘la laa la laa’ and the gati bedam happens again , this time without the backing of the sax. What we have are the vocals with the guitar responding now and then!

Guts at its Best!!

Waves of Music..Waves of Strokes..

In this world which is full of superstitions, it would be hard to believe that some of the greatest things have started with an anti climax.

Amitabh Bacchan- whose baritone voice charms even a kid now- was rejected by AIR way back in late ‘60s when he applied for the post of Newsreader. Reason? ‘Your voice is not good and not suitable for this position’.

Albert Einstein was branded as a slow learner and a boy with low IQ in school.

When Rajinikanth  first appeared on the screen, the sub-title card carried the words ‘Shruti Bedam’.

I can quote many more from history but let me stop here and focus on what happened today.

The batsman, who was making his debut was at the non-striker’s end.As the bowler delivered the ball, the shining red cherry slipped from his hand and disturbed the bails with the non-striker being out of the crease. Technically, he was out. But the ‘sportive’ Aussies did not appeal and all the players on the field had a hearty laugh. What a ominous start to a career of an opening batsman!

This young lad then massacred the bowling striking the ball to all the corners and making the Aussies chase leather. At the end of the day (literally and figuratively), Stark and Clarke must be really wondering as to why they did not appeal when ‘technically’ he was run out.

All left handers have an innate grace and elegance. In fact, that is why I love left handers. Shikhar Dhawan is no exception. All his shots today were classic cricketing shots. What one liked the most was the way he fearlessly stepped out showing absolutely no signs of any nervousness. The single he took to complete his hundred showed his adventurous streak.

No doubt it is a great day for Indian cricket and I, on behalf of this community congratulate Dhawan on his stupendous achievement and  wish that he surpasses the 287 scored by the Englishman Reginald Foster and even records his triple century, a record which will surely remain undisturbed for centuries to come (pun intended!).

  Now, go back to the first line in the post. Most of you know that the career of the greatest film music composer too also started with anti climax with power going off the moment recording started and to top it all, nothing getting recorded on the tape even after the power was restored due to a technical snag. Therefore, I find it appropriate to dedicate a song of his to Shikhar Dhawan. I am sure he too will like the song, though he may not understand the language for music has no boundaries.

This rare gem ‘Alai alaiyaai’ from ‘NaaLai unadu naaL’(1984) is another beauty in Pahaadi by the Pahaadi Master.

It starts with the guitar and the claps with the keys jumping with joy. Dhawan walks to the crease.The Pallavi-in the voice of Uma RamaNan- sings about the aspiration, desire and the dream of the young lad even as he proudly wears the India Cap.

The Trumpets blow.It is like his exquisite cover drive. The bass guitar smiles.It is like his on- drive. The stringed instrument sings.It is like his leg glance.

Each and every line in CharaNam flows like the clear stream denoting his fluent straight drives.

The unusual sounds from a new instrument in the second interlude are like the reverse sweep while the shrill flute and the strings symbolise the occasional edge and the lofted shots. The sudden change in the rhythmic pattern, with chatushram changing to Tisram and playing exactly 28 Tistams, typifies the grace, elegance, class, beauty and above all the guts of the young lads.

Yes, two young lads, one who as a 32 year old made his debut in 1976 breaking all conventions and shattering all records and winning the hearts of millions of people and  the other, a 27 year old who made his debut today and who will surely break record after record and make all cricket lovers love him!

 

Music Messenger..

What were the different modes of communication of love-struck folks those days?


If one digs up literature, it is amazing to see the various messengers.

Friends(mainly the lady’s) acted as a via-media.They also went a step ahead to console the Heroine whenever she felt the pangs of separation or whenever she felt cheated by her man. In fact, there are also poems in sangam literature that talk about a friend cursing and abusing the Hero who commits debauchery or is away from the Heroine out of compulsion.

There is a danger too. The friend who carries the message, herself falling in love with the Hero. One of the ‘padams’(padam is an item performed in a Bharatanatyam recital) in Tamizh-‘Unnai thoothanippinen..’ describes the woes of the Heroine , who suspects her friend because of her demeanor after she returns from her Hero(who ironically happens to be Lord Muruga), having gone there carrying a message from her. Though this can be considered as an exception and even a form of perversion, it also shows the fickle mindedness of humans (now don’t ask me if Muruga is human).

The Bhagawatam beautifully talks about how Rukmini wrote a letter to Krishna and sent it through a brahmin. In this case, the latter happened to be an ardent devotee of Krishna and so the job was easily done.

There are also lovers who trusted the other living beings and non-living beings too.One of the greatest works of Kalidasa, ‘Megadootam’ revolves around an ‘yaksha’ who is cursed to spend sometime on the Earth, using the cloud as a messenger.

Kamban brilliantly describes how a parrot was used as a messenger by a girl. I had quoted this verse in my other blog http://rajamanjari.blogspot.in/2011/11/ilaiyaraaja-immaculate-musician.html while writing about the song ‘Manmada RaagangaLe’.

But one of the most widely used birds happens to be the pigeon. People not only used it for exchanging Love letters but also for sending all kinds of messages/letters. Pigeons were considered to be the most reliable creatures and they travelled quite a distance. It is indeed amazing to know that they knew their route perfectly and could reach the destination without the help of google maps.

Pigeons and their ‘cousins’ Doves are still in existence and since the modern day has brought in many other modes of communication- the Morse code, post, telegram, telephone, courier, e mail, SMS- mankind has stopped using these creatures rendering them jobless.

However, the poets-starting from the Sangam age- have never failed to describe the beauty of these creatures. Film lyricists are no exception and I can think of many Tamizh film songs that at least have the word ‘puRa’.

Today’s gem, ‘PuRakkaLe’ from ‘Kaadal Parisu’(1987) also has a mention about the pigeons. No, it does not praise them nor does it talk about their uniqueness. The lovers address the bird and ask them ‘to wear golden garlands, to swim on the moon and greet the lovers’. This of course stops with the Pallavi. The charaNams completely ignore these beautiful birds.

But again one cannot fault the lyricist since knowing Tamizh Cinema well, there is every likelihood of his having being told that the ‘duet’ will be shot close to a pond where the birds ( I did not mean the ‘love birds’) will be present. A clear instruction to the effect that there should be no room for any literary description and that all mundane things will have to appear in the song involving a ‘top’ hero and heroine’. Luckily, such instructions can be given only to lyricists and not to music composers. At the most, it can be said that it is a Love Duet. How many directors even have the sense of music to ask what exactly they want?

Therefore, our Maestro has gone on his musical trip while composing the tune and mainly while writing the notes for the orchestra.

The percussion in the beginning-in Tisram- shows us the short jumps of the bird while the musical piece that follows in the keys makes us imagine the flapping of the wings. The chorus symbolises the ‘group song’ of the birds, with the keys depicting their movements close to the pond.. The very brief strings take us directly to the musical pond.

The first part of the first interlude that has the strings and the flute shows the flight of the birds, the middle part with the keys shows playfulness and the last part that has a very short piece of S.E.Asian music tells us that after all music and birds are universal.

The chorus, the male voice (SPB) and the flute in the second interlude make us see the Pigeon of a typical Tamizh Nadu village.

The Pallavi in the melodious voices of SPB and Chitra is powerful while the CharaNams with a dose of alien notes, traverse some unknown beautiful territories.

The musical value of the composition should not be lost sight of. It is set in Raag Pahaadi and the Pallavi has the ateeta eduppu (with the song starting before the tala cycle).
When we have his music, do we need any other messenger now?

Musical Fragrance..

Mimusops elengi.

Ever heard of this name?
No..my intention is not to threaten you nor take any class in Botany.

But somehow, I find this name to be very interesting and musical too. Remember my post on ‘Yaar Maamano’ where I had written about the musical sound of ‘Mediterranean’.

Mi mu so pu s-sounds like ma ma sa pa sa.

Well..this is the botanical name of a lovely flower.A flower that is small, stra-shaped, yellowish white with a crown rising from the centre.This flower is better known as ‘Magizham poo’ in tamizh.

‘Magizham poo’ has a very rich fragrance and the odour lasts several days. This quality of maintaining the fragrance without any change in the intensity makes this flower a very special one.
‘Magizham poo’ is also known by the name ‘VakuLa’.

More about the musical quality of VakuLa later.

Though most of Raaja’s songs have this quality,there is something very special about today’s rare gem.

The song itself is a ‘magizham poo’.It is based on Pahadi and is set to the 7-beat misram.

The prelude is enticing with a very different bass instrument. The combination of Bass Guitar and the Flute is amazing indeed! Wonder from where he gets such ideas.

The sweet voice of Yesudass now joins with the violins following him very closely.

The first interlude is dominated by the violins and the guitar in the beginning.Suddenly, the flute takes over and plays with spry freshness.It sings like a cuckoo while the guitar and the violins then gently caress us..

The Charanam is delicately nuanced with the voice of Suseela adding luster.If the first two lines are imbued with energy, the following lines are lucid and flow like a gentle stream. We swim like a fish and jump like a deer.

The second interlude has a swirl of patterns.We feel the aromatic flavour of the village garden with the stringed folk instrument and the flute. It entices us..It mesmarises us..It hynotises us..

The soft touches of guitar make us forget ourselves.
The exquisite phrases continue in the second charanam but this time with a different orchestral arrangement in between the lines..

Mimusops elengi ..

This Magizham poo will continue to spread the fragrance even after centuries.

ma ma sa pa sa..