Law of Thermodynamics

 Why do we keep Kolu?

First of all, for the uninitiated, kolu is the arrangement of dolls on steps ( not staircase!) during Navaratri. While the number of steps could vary depending on the space and resources available, the number should always be odd- though this may sound odd! The period of Navaratri, which is nine days (and nights) after the new moon in the Tamizh month of PurattAsi, is considered to be very auspicious, as it is dedicated to Shakti and the three forms of Shakti- Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati. Shakti is Energy and it is believed that the spiritual energy is at its peak during this period.

So, what is the significance of Kolu (a.k.a.Golu) which is kept essentially in South India and how is it related to spiritual energy?

It is a proven fact that one's energy levels go up while indulging in any form of art. This indulgence could be performing could be performing or watching or listening to others' performances. Secondly, when like-minded people gather for and with a purpose, the level of energy goes up. Therefore, keeping Kolu, inviting others to their homes and make them sing, make people more vibrant and positive. Thirdly, arranging the dolls itself is an art and is a form of expression. Fourthly, it is said that those days, clay was a by-product obtained while desilting the irrigation canals and dolls were made of this clay. These dolls became popular and the process continued. Note that the desilting of canals happened during the months of Aadi and AavaNi - the months preceding Purattaasi.

Whatever it is, Kolu has come to stay though with a lot of innovation. Let us celebrate Kolu and Navaratri, with a song.

Recently, my son and I were discussing the Raga Shree and the use of 'padhanipama' in the raga. Just to deviate slightly by getting a little technical, let me tell you that quite a few ragas in the Carnatic system of music, has what is called 'prayoga', which is the same group of swaras appearing ubiquitously in the raga. In fact, this is loosely and equivalent of leitmotif  and this gives a particular raga, its identity. As far as my knowledge goes, 'padhanipama' prayoga is a later addition. 

I told my son, "Even Tyagaraja did not use it" adding "because he did not like it". I went on to add "ILaiyaraaja does not like it too". When he asked how I knew this(the second one), I told him in jest that he himself mentioned it to me. 

My thoughts veered to this song based on Shree and my fingers clicked on the song stored in my system. I decided to write about that song instantly and the reason is obvious. In fact, I had elaborately written about this song in my other blog long ago (https://rajamanjari.blogspot.com/2008/11/ilaiyaraajas-music-is-rich.html). But revisiting a song and writing about it again, gives me pleasure, a kind of pleasure not easy to put in words.

Starting with the drone of the tanpura followed by a sloka on Vinayaka, the beginning of 'Devi Durga Devi' (Sankeerthana- 1986), is auspicious with the very brief dance jatis ( Madurai Srinivasan) enhancing the divine feeling.

Energy flows in the voice of SPB and Vani Jayaram. Backed by the mrudangam and the subtle sound of the ankle bells, the Pallavi brims with energy. Even before one bats an eyelid, one feels the raga.

Is this potential energy or kinetic energy?

The veeNa and veNu reverberate with powerful phrasings of the raga in the beginning of the first interlude. As if being challenged, the mrudangam, which dashed off syllables with pulsating weight in the Pallavi, enters again and plays with intensity. It is of course a friendly banter with the veeNa- veNu blowing like a gentle sea breeze.

It is beauty personified as the mrudangam reverberates with different patterns in chatushram in the CharaNams.

The second interlude has a volley of swaras rendered with lucidity and grace even as one gets to see the shimmering beauty of the raga(yes, without 'padhanipama'!). The mrudangam and the tabla alternate between the lines, the former being sounded when the female voice renders the swaras and the latter being played when the male voice renders the saahitya.

Creativity + Innovation = Energy.

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but can be transformed!

Does this answer the question asked in the beginning?

Mystique

Why I do what I do is a question which is both difficult and easy to answer.

Let me take writing here as an example. As mentioned many times ad nuaseam, what drives me is the passion for music in general and his music in particular and my yearning to share with others what I observe, feel and enjoy. The logical question which would follow is, how I decide what to write. This ‘what’ encompasses many things and these include the song, the introduction, the topic, the flow and the caption.

Though it is a process, it would not be that easy to describe this as many factors are involved. I would have listened to a particular song that day and would wonder as to why I had not written about that song. If I had already written, I would then have the incline to write about it again taking totally a different perspective. At times, I would note down in my note book and take up that song months (or even years!) after that. At times, I would read about something- not necessarily on music- and immediately would think of a song which according to me matched with that item. There have also been cases where I have related my personal stories and real life incidents with the song.

There are many more things as well which go into this, but let me stop here as of now. As regards the flow, I do not plan anything and just ‘go with the flow’, that is, I write what strikes me at that particular moment. The caption is one area which I pay a lot of attention to. I see to it that the caption gives the essence of the post/song. Most importantly I avoid using the word(s) used in the caption in the posts. For example, if the caption of a post is ‘Rose and Thorns’, you will not find those two words anywhere in the post. I do this to challenge my creativity.

Now, what made me write about the song of the day?

During the December music season, a musician sang a Ragam Taanam Pallavi in two different ragas. What is this RTP is a question which is beyond the scope of this post. Suffice to say that it is a composition where a musician takes up just one line in a particular raga, expands the raga before singing that line by singing an aalapana followed by taanam and then sings swaras in that ragam.

The particular musician took up two ragas instead of one(this too is done sometimes) and within seconds of her first aalapana, yours truly could make out that it was a rare vivadi raga not commonly sung in the concert circuits, but used by the Maestro long ago in a film. I had also written a detailed post more than 11 years ago in the Orkut community which was reproduced in my blog (https://rajamanjari.blogspot.com/2008/11/ilaiyaraaja-musician-par-excellence.html) soon. This raga called as ‘Chitrambari’ hold a special place in my heart, a fact known to regular attendees of Geetanjali, and since I have mentioned about this several times, I would refrain from giving the reason yet again.

I keep humming this song whenever I feel like it. And somehow, since this morning I have been having a strong desire to write about this song again. And this post was born...

‘Sangeetam En Degam AndRo’ from Bala Nagamma(1981) is a gem not known to even many die-hard fans of his. What makes this song unique is of course the raga. But as I have been saying, the beauty in any composition is enhanced not just by the raga but by the way it is used. And this is what makes Sangeetam great (pun intended!).

Though this may not be a blog for technical details, it is incumbent on me to say a word or two about the raga as this would help in appreciating this song more. Even a person not too familiar with Carnatic Music, knows that there is a raga called KalyaNi (Can any Raaja fan or even people who are neutral, forget that song which goes something like ‘Janani Janani’?). What separates KalyaNi and Chitrambari is just a variant of one note and this note is a vivadi note. Now, let me stop here lest this goes into a classification called ‘out of syllabus’. The concept of vivadi has been covered in some of my posts in  my other blog and it has also been discussed in detail during ‘Geetanjali-2019’. Simply put, vivadi note is one which is very close to another note (getting too close to anyone is dangerous?).

In ‘Sangeetam..’, there are phrases with that distinct vivadi note and there are also phrases without that vivadi note. If the latter dances in KalyaNi, the former prances and smiles in Chitrambari, albeit mischievously. Take the beginning for example. Till the flute melody, it is in pure KalyaNi. It is the VeeNa- which follows the flute - which first gives the shade of Chitrambari by playing the vivadi note. And as if to make everything clear and candid, the violins, flute and tabla tarang  combine together playing the ascending notes with that vivadi note appearing without fail towards the end.

The first half of the Pallavi has that vivadi note, while the second half(from ‘aalilai meloru’) is in KalyaNi.

Chitrambari dances with elan in the first and the second segments of the first interlude what with the veena, flute, and the violins moving with ebullience combined with enthusiasm.

As if to challenge Chitrambari, the tabla tarang(backed by morsing) and the flute show some mudras of/in KalyaNi. Not used to being passive, the vivadi Chitrambari jumps into the fray yet again with the veena, tabla tarang and jalatarangam coming to its rescue.

The first CharaNam is dominated by vivadi and the akaaram in the honey-soaked voice of VaNi Jayaram makes one feel how beautiful and distinct vivadi is despite giving that eerie feeling.

The second interlude is a connoisseur’s delight. The VeeNa sounds a melody. The Jalatarangam repeats it. The flute repeats it. The violins repeat it.

Aren’t parrots musical too?

It is then tharangam all the way with the Jalatarangam and the Tabla tarang combining together to bring out the beauty of Chitrambari. This is followed by the veena-venu and then the violins. Just towards the end, we see glimpses of  laya-natana raaja when the mridangam  is joined by the ankle bells.

Dance of sound!

The second CharaNam is structured differently from that of the first one and don’t we know that one should expect the unexpected while listening to this composer?

In a way, this answers the question I raised in the beginning. Doesn’t it?

Check this out on Chirbit

Elementary..

‘It is elementary Watson’ is one of the most popular quotes in English. Though this quote itself would sound elementary to some, I feel it conveys a lot to us. In fact, it guides me to do things in a better and efficient way.


To solve anything, one needs to understand the basics. Even the most complex things in this world are simple if we make it simpler.

The song I am going to take up today ‘En KalayaaNa Vaibhogam Unnoduthaan’ from ‘Azhage unnai aaradhikkiRen’(1979) in my all-time favourite list simply because it is a very simple song. Simple in terms of the way it sounds. But there are of course a lot of intricacies and nuanced beauties in the composition and I would prefer to mention these later..

When I was a school-going boy, one of the most fascinating things for me was the sound coming out of that instrument called Flute. I was so mesmerized by this instrument that when any flute concert was played on the radio, I would listen to the entire concert despite the fact that I was not a great lover of classical music then. It did not matter to me whether I knew the name of the ragam or if the composition was by Tyagaraja or by Dikshithar.

Therefore, any film song with a flute piece was my favourite. That Raaja sir gave a new dimension to flute is a well-known fact. Most of his compositions during his early years had a flute bit.

Is it then a surprise that ‘En KalyaNa’ with the rather elaborate Flute piece in the first interlude, the lucid bit in the second interlude (though I would have given a blank expression if somebody had mentioned these terms word to me then) and the sizzling piece after the first line in the CharaNam(s) instantly attracted me?

Next is the beginning of the song. The first line is sung straight without any prelude (again a term which I learnt much later) and the next line is sung after a host of instruments play the ‘welcome notes’..

VaNi Jayaram’s honey-soaked voice with clear diction was another reason for me to rush to the radio whenever the song was played.

Then, the tune. ‘How simple it sounds’, I used to wonder.


Is the composition that simple?

It is based on Madhyamavati, a very deep and classical ragam. It is set in Misram, the 7-beat cycle. It has the ateeta eduppu with the taLa cycle starting before the Pallavi

In the first interlude during the flute bit, the Misram beats ‘ta ki ta ta’ is played by one instrument, there is a gap for one beat and then the ‘dhi mi’ is palyed by another percussion instrument. No percussion is used in the piece before this or after this. In the one that follows this piece, the strings show the western contours of Madhyamavati with the guitar in the background. The very brief solo violin piece in the end draws a beautiful sketch of the raga.
The strings and the sitar, and the strings and the flute play with each other in the second interlude while the gleeful keys play the same set of notes twice- after the first flute piece and then just before the end of interlude.

The CharaNam ends in ‘Sa ni pa’ with the Pallavi starting with ‘pa Sa’ adhering to the concept of ‘poruththam’ in Carnatic music.

The meaningful lyrics that typify the thoughts of a young girl in love, too need a special mention- ‘Malar kooottam edhir paarkkum iLavenil kaalam, poovaiyum oru poovinam adhai naan sollavo’ , uRangaamal nenjam uruvaakkum ragam unakkallavo ketpayo maattayo’.

Now these 5 paragraphs that have gone some what into the depth of the composition would not have been possible without what I have described in the paragraphs before that.

As a boy, I was not interested in any of the technical details. I liked the song because it sounded good to me. As simple as that.. When I started exploring more, I started understanding the details.

I don’t want to get into the debate of which is better. All I can say is that I have always been like Watson trying to understand the mysteries while Raaja sir- the Sherlock Holmes- smiles and says ‘It is elementary Watson. Can’t you understand even this?”

The Power of Music

‘Bol re Pappihara..’.During early ‘70s(extending to mid ‘70s), if there was one song that held almost the entire nation hostage, it was this song.

Of course, there were also peppy songs like ‘Roop Tera Mastana’, ‘Dam maro Dam’ etc., but ‘Bol re..’ was unique.Unique because it was purely based on a Hindustani Raag.Unique because it was plain and simple.Unique because it was rendered by a hitherto unknown female singer.Unique because despite being a south Indian , her diction was impeccable.

This female singer created ripples (melodic ones of course!) and also tremors. I shall come to the last mentioned a little later.

The female singer is none other than VaNi Jeyaram.

‘Bol re Pappihara’ based on Raag Miya ki Malhar and ‘Humko manki Shakti Dena’ based on Raag Kedar (again sung by VaNi) were composed by Vasant Desai for the Hrishikesh Mukherjee directed film ‘Guddi’. The film was about a teenager (played with aplomb by Jaya Baduri) who is obsessed with actor Dharmendra. How she is made to distinguish between the real and the reel was shown poetically by the director. It is an undeniable fact that the songs played a great role in the success of the film.

It is not a surprise that this voice which was as fresh as early morning dew and as sweet as the honey attracted all leading Hindi film music composers and offers started pouring in for Vani Jeyaram. What happened after this is very interesting..or is it?

Let us now go back to the‘tremors’ part.

Unable to stomach the success of the new comer, the ‘leading female singers’ did the unthinkable.. The two sisters (I do not want to name them since it is obvious whom I am referring to. Moreover, both of them are legends in their own ways and I respect that!) requested, cajoled and finally threatened the Music Directors. The ‘threat’ was a kind of Satyagraha and they said they would never sing again. The final ‘assault’ worked. Music Directors budged. Hindi Film music lost one of the most beautiful and melodious voices.

Looking at it objectively, it is a case of jealousy getting the better of aesthetic sense. After all, aren’t musicians connoisseurs first? Should they not appreciate anything that is good? And most importantly, if only they are confident and feel good about themselves, can the feeling of insecurity ever creep in at all?

Questions that can be easily answered..

But in a way, it was a blessing in disguise since VaNi Jeyaram became a household name in the South. Hindi Films’ loss was South Indian Films’ gain.

What stands out in VaNi Jeyaram’s voice(apart from the sweetness) is the clear diction. In fact, I have found it easier to remember lyrics of her songs and I am sure this has to do with her crystal clear rendering and pronounciation.With a very strong foundation in classical music (Gurus-Cuddalore Srinivasa Iyengar-Carnatic and Ustad Abdul Rahman Khan-Hindustani) , her adherence to Shruti is perfect.

Not many know that her family itself is full of artistes.N.Rajam, -a very famous Hindustani Violinist and sister of the legendary T.N.Krishnan –is married to one of the brothers of Mr.Jeyaram while Gayatri, a Bhratanatyam artiste from Kalakshetra is married to the other brother.

Though she is classically trained, she renders even dabbankuththu songs with consummate ease.

Her association with ILaiyaraaja is rather interesting. Though she did not sing too many(compared to Janaki and Suseela) in his music, almost all her songs in his music are gems.Can one forget the peppy duet ‘Poonthendrale’(Bhuvana Oru KeLvikkuri-1977), the folksy ‘Niththam Niththam Nellu Soru’(Mullum Malarum-1978), the intriguing ‘Ennullil Engo’(Rosappoo Ravikkaikari-1979), the beautiful Vivadi Ragam Chitrambari ‘Sangeetam En Degam Andro’(Bala Nagamma-1981), the romantic duet with Yesudass ‘ABC Nee Vaasi’(Oru Kaidhiyin Dairy-1985)?

When Raaja sir introduced the superimposing technique for the first time in ‘Kaatrinile Varum Geetam’(1977), he gave similar songs to Janaki and VaNi Jeyaram(of course different orchestrations). In fact, until the records were out, the singers were not even aware that the song had two versions!

In the song ‘Vizhiyil Vizhudu’( ‘AlaigaL Oyvadhillai’), VaNi Jeyaram’s humming in Sudhdha Dhanyasi in the telugu version- ‘Alalu Kalalu’(Sitakoka Chiluka) was retained in the movie though the Tamizh version was not rendered by her.This humming appears only in the movie(wish she had sung the Tamizh version as well!).

The Sridhar(whose wife Devasena was a classmate and a close friend of VaNi) directed ‘Azhage Unnai AaradikkiRen’(1979) saw VaNi Jeyaram crooning 5 songs-each sounding so different. ’Naane Naana’ was a rage those days.

Today’s rare gem is a song that can also be classified as a ‘disco song’.I have taken this song because it is relatively unknown and also to show as to how versatile the singer is.

The song is ‘Mayakkama oru Thayakkama’ from ‘Naan Potta Savaal’(1980).

It has contours of jazz with a unique mix of rhythms, trumpets, saxophone and guitar.

The prelude is dazzling.The bass guitar throbs while the trumpets are intoxicating.But the most beautiful thing here is the way the saxophone emerges.
Dizzyingly beautiful!

The Pallavi gives ripples of melody in the sparkling voice of VaNi Jeyaram.The way it reaches a crescendo towards the end is remarkable. The flute bits interspersed between the lines carry the stamp of the Emperor.

In the first interlude, the drums thrum with life and the trumpets come up trumps. The Sax which is sandwiched between the two, roar with blazing intensity. The enthralling electric guitar sparkles.What is to be noted here is the synthesizers and other electronic instruments.

It is believed by the present generation that the synth and other techno sounds came into existence in Indian films in ‘90s.Such people must listen to this song (and ‘Vaalibame Vaa Vaa’-Ram Laxman).In any case, is there any use in waking up people who pretend to be sleeping?

The CharaNams are marked by lively touches with notes jumping suddenly and unobtrusively.The flute bits are elegant while the sax just at the end is euphonic.

The second interlude rocks us.It is agog with excitement moving at a fleeting pace.It is enticing and intoxicating. The harmony makes it quite irresistible.
Makes one forget everything.

Anger, Jealousy, Sorrow, Hatred,Enmity..
That is the power of Music!