Where are you now..

I heard a real life story recently in a Lec-Dem at the Music Academy.

It might sound strange but it is true.

This happened long back-say 80 years ago- when stage plays drew a lot of audience. Those days, music dominated the plays and it was mandatory for a drama artiste to have singing ability.People would throng the Halls just to listen to the artistes and they hardly cared if there was any ‘acting’ at all (even story for that matter!).

It seems one day the Hero went on and on in Kamboji ragam and the audience was spell bound. After the scene was over, the Hero rushed to the Green room where his friend was sitting and asked him ‘Pacha.. Please do me a favour. Tell me what ragam I sang now’.

The ‘friend’ was Shri.T.S.Parthasarathy, erstwhile Secretary of the Madras Music Academy and the Hero was Shri.S.G.Kittapa, known for his golden voice(many people now know his wife better. She was none other than Smt.K.B.SundarambaL).

This incident throws up a lot of questions-prominent one being ‘How can somebody sing a pure classical raga with gusto and aplomb without knowing the name of the ragam?’

Now, read the second line of this post again-It might sound strange but it is true.

I have seen many people with ‘KeLvi Gnanam’ render very tough sangatis with consummate ease but if one asks them the swaras of the sangati or the ‘eduppu’ or for that matter any technical question, blank expression will be the reply.

How many of you have seen/heard pure folk songs sung by the people in the village?
To trained ears, it might sound Ananda Bhairavi(with or without the Kakali Nishadam), Sri Ragam(without the ‘pa dha ni pa’ usage), or Nadanamkriya or Neelambari.But try and say these names to the villagers and see what happens..They would only look at us with innocence.

Which brings us to a very basic question. Is it necessary for a singer to know the intricacies of music?

It is of course a debatable issue and my objective is not to get into any debate now.

All I can say is that while a classical music singer must know the intricacies of music, it is not necessary for a cine music singer to get into too much of details.

This does not mean that the cine music or light music singers need not have knowledge. It certainly helps if the singer is knowledgeable and one can give a lot of examples.At the same time, there have also been singers who were not classically trained but still were able to make a big mark in Tamizh Film Music.
One of the classic examples is Malaysia Vasudevan.

It is a fact that he had little knowledge in classical music. It is also a fact that he was not endowed with a great voice. But what he had were determination, and dedication. These qualities more than made up for what he lacked and took him to great heights.

Though his mother tongue was Malayalam, he was more inclined towards Tamizh language and Tamizh films. With an eye on acting, he came to Madras from Malaysia during the late ‘60s and also acted in a movie called ‘Raththa Pei’.But destiny took him to singing.

Many think that his singing career in movies started only after 1976.But he had sung some songs before that (including the popular ‘Indhiya naadu en naadu’ in ‘Bharata Vilas’).

However, the fact remains that it was only after that great year 1976 that people started recognizing him. It was ILaiyaraaja who recognized the immense talent and the potential of Vasudevan. He made him sing in his third movie BadraKaaLi. He also made him sing in movies like ‘URavadum Nenjam’ and ‘ThuNai IruppaL Meenakshi’.But the biggest breakthrough came about in ’16 Vayathinile’ and there was no looking back after that(how and why he sang in this movie was discussed long back in this community!).

‘Kizhakke Pogum Rail’ revealed a new dimension of Malaysia Vasudevan. For the first time, he rendered songs based purely on carnatic ragas(though the ‘Harichandran Drama song’ in ‘ThuNai IruppaL Meenakshi’ was also in based on carnatic ragas, it did not have the‘sangatis’).The two songs-‘MalargaLe NaadaswarangaL’(Hamsadhwani) and ‘Kovil MaNi Osai’(Suddha Saveri) proved that he was adept in this genre too.

But my personal favourite in this genre is ‘MalargaLile Aardhanai’(Karumbu Vil) which is purely based on Keeravani.

He has also sung in Hindolam(Aananda Thaen Katru-MaNipur Maamiyar), Lalita(Madana Moha Roopa Sundari-Indru Poi NaaLai Vaa)- both in C.S.Jayaraman’s style.

His Laya grasp came to fore in ‘Endrendrum Aanandame’(Kadal meengaL).

And how can one forget his ‘Aasai KiLiye’(Thambikku Endha Ooru) in Aarabhi and ‘Vaazhvinil un ninaival’(Pattanam Pogalam Vaa) in Charukesi?

The year 1981 saw one more dimension-ability to sing very softly.

It was a like a pleasant summer breeze.

In fact, I can go on and on discussing the various genres (many have already been discussed/will continue to be discussed in this Blog)..


But who else except Raaja sir could have even imagined giving such wonderful songs to him.

“I studied in one music school.. and all I know is only this school as far as music is concerned. The school is called as ‘ILaiyaraaja music school’ “.
This remark of Yugendran on TV a couple of years back puts in a nutshell the respect, awe and love the singer and his family has for the Maestro and his music.

Malaysia Vasudevan was a jolly good fellow who believed in enjoying life to its brim and that is why, he was able to bring out the emotions so well..

Today, let us see a very rare song of his which is a ‘jolly song’ with a folk flavour.

It is ‘Ye en aasai vaazhai kurutthe..’ from ‘Aayiram Vaasal Idayam’(1979).

The prelude is resonant with the chorus voices wooing us. The invigorating percussion in typical folk instruments is enticing and makes us sway and vibrate to the beats.

The Pallavi has an effervescent air with Malaysia Vasudevan joined by the two female singers(Shailaja and Sasirekha).

We see the sustained vibrancy in the first interlude. The folk string instruments and the accordion move with palpable joy while the vocals with the subtle bass guitar vivify the atmosphere.

The lines in the two CharaNams are meaty, colourful, tender and gorgeous.

In the second interlude, the meticulously arranged chorus voices and the pithy flute make it a lilting experience.

What is very special about this song is the pleasant feeling and it is immaculately captured by Malaysia Vasudevan.

We need not ask him ‘Nee ippo enge irukke..’(where are you..) Don’t we all know that he is present in all his songs?

Oh..Love..We worship you!

Episode No.1:

The young Music Director who took the Tamizh Film world by storm was in the recording studio when he was told that the veteran Film Director wanted to see him to book for his next project.He was astonished.

The astonishment was because the Film Director had until then worked with a very senior music director for many movies.

Episode No.2:

The same Music Director-after having worked with the Film Maker for one movie that was a smash hit- gets a call from the Film maker .This time the Film maker wants a song( that the music director had composed and recorded for some other Director) to be given to him.

Episode No.3:

The Film maker-Music Director combo has worked very well for two movies(both silver jubilee hits in 3 languages!).The Film maker wants to book him for third movie but the Music Director now politely refuses.

No prizes for guessing the Music Director.

But if you are wondering who the Film maker was, let me tell you that it was none other than the great Sridhar!

The song he wanted(episode 2) was ‘ManjaL Nilavukku Indru Ore Sugam’ from the movie ‘Mudhal iravu’-the speciality being the train background throughout the song. Of course , he could not get that song since it was already given to somebody else.

After the polite refusal(episode no.3), the pair went on to work for many more movies and almost all the songs are great.

Coming to think of it, I have discussed 4 songs from this combo(a ‘privilege’ not enjoyed by any other film maker!)in my other blog Ragaranjani(rajamanjari.blogspot.com)

Sridhar ‘s first film was ‘KalyaNa Parisu’ in late ‘50s.

What was unique was the way he conceived the shots. His different camera angles won him accolades.

Never averse to new techniques, this gentleman also introduced new faces.Some of his introductions include Muthuraman, Jayalalitha, VenniRa Aadai Nirmala, Vennira Aadai Moorthy-just to name a few.

His themes were bold and though they bordered on ‘sentiments’(one of the many banes of tamizh cinema!), his presentation and the treatment were different.

His ‘Nenjil Oru Aalayam’ was shot in a single set. The movie also had a O’Henry type ending.

His ‘Kaadalikka Neramillai’ is still considered to be one of the best comedies ever made in tamizh cinema.

His ‘Sivantha ManN’ was the first ever tamizh movie to be shot in foreign locations.

There are many things one could write about this legend but three things need special mention.

One- his sense of aesthetics.
Two- his taste for music.
Three-His Love for 'Love'

In short, he was a Romantic who enjoyed life to the brim.

Therefore, I have decided to dedicate this Feb14th post to this great legend.


As already mentioned,he had a very good ear and music in his movies would always be great.

It is not surprising that he was a great fan of the Maestro's and the association that started with ‘ILamai OonjalaadugiRathu’(1978) lasted till his last movie ‘Thanthu Vitten Ennai’(1992).

The song that I present today epitomises and symbolises the gentleman himself.


It is ‘Azhage Unnai Aaradanai SeigiRen’(from ‘Azhage Unnai AaradikkiRen’-1979).

The song lasts just a little above 2 min.Is it not a fact that all beautiful things lasts only a little while?

It starts with the Bell sound followed by the beautiful guitar.

The melodious voice of Jayachandran takes over and we are transported to a different world.

The interlude has the western flute and whistle(!).

It is simple and at the same time dexterous.

It is piercingly sharp and at the same time velvety.

It is mesmerising and intoxicating.

It radiates soothing light!

Beauty at its best..
Beauty that is to be appreciated and worshipped.

And this what the late Sridhar was doing throughout his life.
And this is what the emperor of music has been doing in the last 35 years..

Oh..Beautiful Music..we worship you!!
Oh..Beautiful Love.. we worship you!!

Flowery Moon..

One of the many misconceptions about Raaja is that he is averse to encouraging new talents. People who have been following him religiously know there is not an iota of truth in this too.

He introduced a lot of new singers like Deepan Chakravarthy, T.K.S.KalaivaaNan, Krishnachandran, Unni Menon, Jency, Sujata, Chitra..(this list is a huge one..).

His spotting and encouraging new talents did not stop just with singers. He has (and continues to) encourage young and new Directors. But what should be of particular interest is his introducing new lyricists.

There are many and I do not want to list them here. M.G.Vallabhan was one of them.

M.G.Vallabhan started his career as a journalist going on to become the Editor of a Film Magazine when the opportunity came knocking. Selvaraj, a very close of friend of Raaja and who until then was only writing stories for movies (AnnakkiLi was his story) decided to wield the megaphone. He introduced Vallabhan to Raaja.

Soon, they were together in the composing room when Raaja sang a tune in pure Madhyamavati-the tune that was earlier decided for 16 Vayathinile- and Vallabhan started writing ‘Solaikuyile.. Kaalaikathire’.

The song became a huge hit along with ‘Saamakkozhi’ and ‘Oram po’(which were written by Gangai Amaran).

Vallabhan had a style of his own and his love for tamizh language and nature clearly reflected in his songs.

Vallabhan wrote more songs for Raaja in the year 1979..This includes songs from ‘Karumbu vil’, ‘Aayiram vaasal idhayam’etc., He also wrote the Malayalam song ‘Gnaan gnaan paadaNum’ in PoonthaLir.

Vallabhan also directed a movie called ‘Thai Pongal’.

Today’s rare gem is also from this movie.

The song is ‘Pani Vizhum poo nilavil..’

It is a lullaby and gives us some very special feelings.

The prelude itself carries an air of serenity with the sweet bells, soothing flute and the soulful strings.

The lucid Pallavi in the voice of Malaysia Vasudevan and Shailaja makes us sway. We see the musical mastery in the ‘podi sangatis’. Mention must also be made of the simple but beautiful words. ‘VaLarvai tamizh pol nee’ (you will grow up like the language of Tamizh).

The flute in the first interlude lingers tenderly while the violins give the beauteous shades of a lullaby.

The CharaNam is dotted with fine phrases like ‘maarbinil un abhinayam’ ‘maan vizhi sol kavi nayam’ (your gestures are as wonderful and expressive as the poetic beauty of the eyes of the deer!).

The tune of the last two lines-where it touches the higher octave and land safely and exquisitely-melts our hearts.

The second interlude is a stunner. The Guitar shows its face for the first time with a winsome smile. It is sweet, soft and sedulous.We see a mélange of colours in a matter of seconds. The flute that follows the strings flows like a lucent stream. There is a touch of melancholy as well..

’Thaai madi un uraividam’ ‘vaan mathi pon thirumugam’ (Mother’s lap is where you lie you little one whose face is like the moon..) says the second CharaNam.

The song itself shimmers like the flowery moon as we lie on the lap of the composer..

Timeless..

Multi-Dimensional!

This is how one can ‘describe’ Bharati.One can of course keep writing pages and pages about the greatness of his poems but those 2 words define who Bharati is(pl. note I am not saying ‘was’).
Songs on and for:
India
Tamizh Nadu
Freedom
Freedon movement
Freedom fighters and leaders
Major revolutions in other countries
Devotional
Philosophy
Children
Society
Women (with brains)
Nature
Kannan songs
Paanchaali Sabatam(a small but very important portion from Mahabharata)
Kuyil Paattu
Autobiography (in poetic form).

Tell me now if he is not Multi-Dimensional….

What is to be noted is that there are not just few songs in the aforementioned subjects. And most importantly, each and every poem is great and can be cherished by one and all irrespective of the time.

There lies the greatness of the person!!

My salutes to the Mahakavi on his 128th Birthday..

The rare gem of today is a rather short song.

Though it is short, it does convey a lot of meanings, and is contemporarily relevant.

Bharati was a rebel and hated stereotypes and conservatism. One of the major things he wanted to change was the status of women in the society.

He coined a new word ‘PudhumaipeN’(New Woman) and described her attributes.

Today’s gem is taken from the 7th stanza of his poem.

It is ‘Nimirntha Nannadai’ from the film ‘Etthanai KoNam Etthanai Parvai’(1984).

Set aptly in Mohanam by the Maestro, the song enters one’s soul.

The plain ‘Nimirntha’, ‘gamakam’ at ‘Ner koNda Parvai’, the aalap after ‘Iruppathaal’ the sangati for ‘Semmai Maadhar’….who else but Raaja can show such a magic in a matter of seconds?

Malaysia Vasudevan does full justice with his flawless rendering and perfect diction. How beautifully he pronounces 'ற' in ‘திறம்பு’!Is there any singer in Tamizh now who can do this?

The meaning of the song is:

‘With an upright gait, straightforward look, fearless ideals, proud with great knowledge and wisdom, a woman never goes wrong nor does she falter..’

The key words to be noted here are ‘நிமிர்ந்த‌’(upright), ‘நேர்கொண்ட பார்வை’(straightforward look), ‘அஞ்சாத’(fearless) and ‘செருக்கு’(pride).

We all know that women have been branded as inferior since ages and are supposed to possess four qualities ‘அச்சம்’(fear) ‘மடம்’(dependence) ‘நாணம்’(shyness) ‘பயிர்ப்பு’(tolerance).

Bharati breaks these so called attributes with just a single stroke of his pen. He goes one step further and says ‘ஞானச் செருக்கு’(pride of knowledge).

Mind you.. This was written nearly 100 years back..
And how relevant it is even now!

In one of his other poems, he is supposed to have challenged ‘Yama’, the Lord of Death by saying ‘Hey..you..Come near my feet.. I shall stamp you’ -காலா!உனை நான் சிறு புல்லென மதிக்கிறேன்.என்றன் காலருகே வாடா!சற்றே உனை மிதிக்கிறேன்!!

Yes..it shows his fearlessness.. But I feel it also challenges ‘Time’ (‘Kaalam’ in tamizh also means Time).

Are not his poems timeless?

My Quest..

The word 'Rare' is generally used when we come across something unusual.

But we all know that Raaja's music itself is unusual and therefore is rare.

In this blog, I have been trying to analyse his unknown compositions. Unknown to many in the present generation.

The danger in any analysis is that it tends to get subjective.

For example, for people who grew up with his music right from AnnakkiLi, not many songs can be called as rare.

Therefore, let us take an objective view.

Moreover, a song cannot be classified as rare just because it is old.

While 'Machanai paartheengaLa' and 'AnnakkiLi Unnai Theduthe'(Janaki version) are not rare despite being 32 years old, the TMS version of 'AnnakkiLi Unnai..' can be classified as rare.

Just ask these simple questions:

1.Is this song being aired by any Radio/TV channels at least once in a while?

2.Are many people aware of this song?

If the answer to both the questions is 'yes', then it is not rare irrespective of the year of release.

If it is 'no', then it obviously deserves a place in this Blog.

I started this Blog 2 years back and have been on a journey since then..

And what a journey it has been!

A journey that took me back to the days I listened to these songs for the first time as boy.. to the days where my transistor radio would be playing the songs with me doing my home work.. to days where I would be all alone on the terrace gazing at the stars with my ‘lover’ very close to my ears(now, don’t jump to any conclusions.. people who know me well know what I call as my first ‘love’).

Almost all the songs discussed by me belong to the period mentioned in the previous paragraph.

And most of the songs have been inside me all this while waiting for an opportunity to jump out and show their smiling faces to the world.

They come out depending on the place, time and most importantly my mood. For example, when I was travelling in Tanjore in Feb 2009 , my i –pod was playing ‘MaharaNi unai thedi’(Aayiram Vaasal Idhayam) when the bus was plying close the Palace.The result?

A post on the 28th of Feb!

At times there would be some unexplained reasons too.

But what I am going to narrate now is something unique.

One day my friend Govindarajan called me up and asked me the name of a movie of a particular song that goes like ‘Kanna..Vaa’.He said it was sung by Janaki and Jayachandran. My brain immediately thought of ‘Kanna Vaa Kavithai solla va’.But it is a Janaki solo and as far as I knew there was no Jayachandran in that. I asked him to send the song but he found it very difficult to trace it in his I pod since all files were jumbled and the nomenclature given as per the whims and fancies of the people who uploaded (in the site).

After about a week on a busy Friday morning, he called me again and played the song from his phone. Though it was not clear, it did ring a bell.. I asked him to mail the song which he did the following day. The moment I heard it, I knew that I know the song. But frankly speaking I could not place the name of the movie. After racking my brain(that already has only a little stuff), I finally remembered that it is from a movie called ‘MalargaL NanaiginRana’(1983) and that it used to be played by AIR those days.

I wondered how it got missed out from my little brain all these years.

I have had the experience of people requesting me to write about a song they like.

I have had the experience of people asking me the name of the movie of a familiar song (that is familiar to me).

I have had the experience of people saying they were listening to the song(s) for the first time when I play the song(s) or write about the song(s).(as i write this, I get a call from one of my friends who has fallen in love with 'Engengo Sellum',the song which was sent by me about 2 weeks back and says he is addicted to it!)

But this was the first time that a person-that too a close friend of mine- made me rediscover a gem.

That is the Power of ILaiyaraaja!

Now, let us look at the song.

Raaja’s Mohanams are always special. Right from ‘Kannan oru kaikuzhanthai’, he has been giving special treatment to his Mohanams. He has fondled it like a child, has romanced with it like a lover, has been very strict with it like a father and has friendly banters with it like a friend.

‘Kanna Vaa’ is no exception.Even when he mixes the other ‘ga’ and makes it sound like Shivaranajani, Mohanam looks as beautiful as ever.

The prelude itself is very interesting.

We hear the santoor followed by the shrill flute and this is enough to give us an image of flowers nodding their heads and swaying in happiness.

The weighty and the sprightly violins that follow hold our hands and take us inside the musical garden. The shrill flute and the exotic santoor play with each other in pure Mohanam showing us the cuckoo and other birds perched on the trees.

Does the prelude (especially the violins section) remind you of the prelude of ‘KaNmaNi nee vara Kaathirunthaen’?

‘KanmaNi..’ is based on Malayamarutam while ‘Kanna..’ is based on Mohanam-ragas that have no direct relation.

However, the variants of ‘ga’ ‘pa’ and ‘dha’ are common for both and the Meastro brilliantly uses these swaras to make Malayamarutam sound like Mohanam (and vice versa)!

Incredible Innovation!

The Pallavi in the voice of Janaki is reposeful. The alien note in the third line gives a kind of poignancy and pulls the strings of our hearts.

The violins in the beginning of the first interlude are as tender as the breeze. The flute and the santoor ride on romance.

The CharaNams are steeped in melody.

The structure is interesting too with the first charaNam rendered by Jayachandran, the second charaNam rendered by Janaki while the third charaNam alternates between the two.

The second interlude has the violins wending their way through. It is sheer magic after that with the Shivaranjani peeping in as the flute and santoor crisscross each other.It is lie a musical rainbow!

The third interlude unfurls another beauty.

It begins with the chorus that gives an aural imagery.
The Horns and violins now enter with a flourish soaking us briefly in Western Classical Music.
The lilting violins now play in folk style sustaining the glory and evoking sweet memories.

It was Horace Walpole who coined the word ‘serendipity’ in his work ‘The Three Princes of Serendip’ and it means making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which one is not in quest of..

I would term this discovery of the song is somewhat serendipitous..
But my quest continues..

Dedicated to..

Recently, in the much touted, much publicized and much hyped World Tamizh meet(செம்மொழி மாநாடு ), a lady ‘poet’ (poetess sounds chauvinistic to me) while reading out her ‘poem’ said tamil(தமில்) for Tamizh (தமிழ்), aval(அவல்) for avaL (அவள்), panam(பனம்) for paNam (பணம்).To top it all, the gentleman who was the Head of the gathering- who calls himself as ‘Kavi perarasar’- while introducing her said 'தமிழ் இவரது பாட்டன் வீட்டு சொத்து (Tamizh is her grandfather’s wealth) referring to her lineage.

Can there be a greater insult to the language?

But this is not an isolated case. Tune in to any satellite channel. Listen to the anchors. Watch any new tamizh movie. Listen how the actors pronounce the words. Listen to the present day songs.Forget even the North Indian singers. Look how the ‘so called Tamizh singers pronounce the words .Cold blooded murder!

At times, one feels a law has to be enacted and the offenders punished very strictly. They must be put behind the bars and an intense training on pronunciation must be given. Their release date will purely depend on their ability to grasp what is taught and their seriousness in implementing it. But there is a serious problem here. As things stand, I feel at least 70%-80% of the Tamizh population does not pronounce the letters properly. This being the case, will there be enough space in the prisons? And even if there is space, do we have enough people to teach the huge crowd?

Point to ponder!!

Today’s rare gem is a very interesting song. Nearly 3 decades back, Raaja sir had envisaged this situation and composed a song as a parody. Malysia Vasudevan, known for his clear diction sang it admirably well. I know how difficult it is for a person who is attached to the language religiously to murder that language.

The song also takes a dig at self-styled moralists who banned songs at their will. The second charanam makes specific reference to the 2 songs that were banned.

Another speciality of the song is the Thyagraja Bhagawathar style of orchestration.

Without any further delay, let me tell you that the song is ‘Vaalvinil un ninaivaal’ from Pattanam pogalam vaa(1981).

We hear the ripples of melody from the jalatharangam followed by the energetic violins. The saxophone follows in the ‘old’ style rather sarcastically. The Raga Charukesi looks at us with glee.

Malaysia Vasudevan starts the ‘murder’ with pin point accuracy. The pause for almost one cycle gives an opportunity for the mridangam to dance with joy.

The first interlude follows the Bhagawathar pattern.But what is admirable is the fact that though it has that old flavour, one can also easily make out the ‘Raaja style’.Isn’t this one of his many strengths?

The CharNams are designed very interestingly. If one forgets the funny voice and the pronunciation, it can easily be called as a pure classical song!

The second interlude gathers momentum with the violins and the Tabla Tarang giving a swirl of patterns. It is graceful and at the same time is very sharp. The tender saxophone and the captivating flute exude brilliance.

As already mentioned, the second charaNam is full of sarcasm. The niraval swarams at ‘Oram po..’ give us loads of laughter. If only the ‘authorities’ who banned the songs were to listen to this, they would squirm in their seats with their conscience constantly pricking them all over.

The ‘kolluthe’ line typifies the present day Tamizh.

This song is dedicated to all the murderers of Tamizh language with a fervent plea to learn the language properly!

Otherwise Tamizh would turn back to them and say ‘Vaazhvinil un ninaivaal azhugindren..’(I am crying!!).

World of Divine Music and Divine Acting..

T.M.Soundarajan recently said in a show:

‘He kept listening to ‘Neeyum naanum kanna..’(Gouravam) continuously for 4 - 5 times. When an assistant director asked him the reason, it seems he said ‘TMS has given so much of life to the song.Don’t I have to bring out those emotions when move my lips and act?’

That is Sivaji Ganesan for you..

Mind you, this happened in the year 1973 after 2 decades of his entry into cinema.
He set an example to all the artistes in film world with his dedication, devotion, discipline and eye for detail.

Today is the 82nd birthday of the legend.

I have written a lot about this genius -and the similarities between him and Raaja- on the 1st of 2009.Today, I shall narrate just one small incident before moving on to the rare gem.

During the shoot of ‘Mudhal Mariyathai’, there was one particular shot -of his tasting the ‘Fish kozhambu’- when the entire unit was stunned and even the EE Bharatiraja (EE-Ever Emotional) forgot to say ‘cut’ at the end of the shot. It seems Bharatiraja went to Sivaji, held his hands and started crying.

The relationship between ILaiyaraaja and Sivaji and the mutual admiration have also been narrated by me earlier in this Blog.

The Sivaji-Raaja combination has always been special and people who know my all time favourite song know the reason for my saying this.

Today’s rare gem is unique too.

It is unique because of the very unusual combination of singers-TMS and Shailaja.As far as I know, this is the only song in this combination.

The song is ‘Muththamizh Charame’ from Vetrikku Oruvan(1980).

I have said this many times.

I always wonder as to how Raaja conceives a tune, writes notes for the orchestra and arranges the instruments and all these in a matter of minutes.

The Hero is shy, reserved and docile in the first half of the movie.He expresses his love to the Heroine and (as usual) the song starts.

This is the situation. Or at least this is how the director would have explained it.

Now listen to the prelude.

The violins play crisply for some 15 seconds and then a funny sound to depict the ‘sober’ Hero.The sound continues and is joined by the violins this time playing very differently. It gathers further momentum with the piano like sound playing with harmonious precision. The tender flute joins the party and it is romance all over..

The melody packed Pallavi follows with the same romantic flavour.

The beginning of the first interlude gives a jazzy feel with the sharp piano sound and the exquisite trumpets. The violins then invite the diaphanous flute. It bends gracefully, twirls and echoes evocatively.

The prelude is rounded off with the ‘funny sound’.

The CharaNams are beautifully layered with the first two lines exuding soft radiance, the third line moving with verve and the following lines careening us gently.

The second interlude sees the romance between strings and the wind instruments.
The violins which by now have gathered momentum moves sprightly and the charming trumpets match their speed. In the second half, the tender saxophone moves with poise along with the violins.

There is a sudden deviation and we see the impeccably deep violins and a very different electronic instrument take us to an entirely new world.

A Brave new world of divine music and divine acting..

Wind and Music..How beautiful these feel and sound..

It is amazing to know how a particular thing acquires different names depending on the quality/character/circumstance.

Take the seven basic notes for example. Same notes used in different contexts give a totally different flavour. Though my intention is not to get too technical, the notes ‘pa’ ‘dha ‘ and ‘Sa’ are present in both Mohana Ragam and Kamboji Ragam. However, we call the same combination by different names depending on how they are rendered.

Examples galore..

In Tamizh language, the wind has many names.

If it blows from the east, it is ‘KoNdal’ (கொண்டல் ).
If it blows from the west, it is ‘Kodai’(கோடை).
If it is from the north, it is ‘Vaadai’ (வாடை) and when it blows from the south, it is 'Thendral'(தென்றல்).

A hurricane is called as ‘SooRai’ (சூறை) while a snowy breeze is known by the name ‘Oodai’(ஊதை ).

Out of these, 'Oodai' is supposed to be sensual and therefore the union while ‘Vaadai’ kindles the Viraha feeling.

Today’s rare gem is a wonderful mix of both these qualities.

It is ‘Oodai Kaaththu Veesaiyile’ from ‘Gramaththu Athyayam’(1980).

The entire song is an example of how folk tunes can be brilliantly used in films (of course he is a master in this!).

The song starts without a prelude with the melodious voice of Jayachandran. A very simple folk instrument accompanies the voice.We are transported to a beautiful village as Janaki now takes over.

The first interlude is a wonderful combination of folk and western as instruments vie with one another.If the sharp percussion sound gives the rustic flavour, the electronic instruments give the western contours without in anyway spoiling the mood of the song.The interlude ends with a mesmerizing piece.

The charanams are as tender as the ‘Oodai’ and as innocent as the ‘Thendral’.The way the female voice takes over in ‘Naan Ennaththai Seyya..’in the first charanam and ‘Adhai Solladi Pulla’ in the second interlude is wonderful.

The second interlude is a kind of ‘question/answer session’. The playful question and answer takes place between the electronic and bass guitar in the beginning and the flute in the end. In between, we have the santoor acting as the referee.

This is my most favourite interlude and I cannot help now swaying whenever I listen to this.

The third interlude is again different. The Santoor is sensual while the graceful flute is nostalgic and evokes viraha.
‘Oodai’ and ‘Vaadai’.

Wind and Music-How beautiful they sound and feel…

Slangs in Tamizh Cinema..

Tamizh Cinema is known to have songs with slangs.

One of the most popular songs I can think of is ‘Muththu KuLikka VaareegaLa’ from ‘Anubhavi Raja Anubhavi’.It had the Tirunelveli slang rendered beautifully by TMS and LR Easwari with wonderful acting by Nagesh and Manorama.

‘Elantha Pazham’(PaNama Paasama) and ‘Vaa Vaadhiyare Voottande’(Bommalattam) had the great Madras slang.

In a similar vein, the Directors enjoy dragging a particular community.

It all started with ‘Ethir Neecchal’(Aduththaththu Ambujaththai paartheLa) went on to become ‘Iyeraaththu ponnu Sonna’ and ‘Engaathukku maappillai nee’(sorry, don’t remember the movie names).

‘Vaangonna’ was banned by AIR, the reason being ‘hurting the sentiments of a community’.
Now-a-days, it is fashionable to robe the ladies in the group dance sequence with the 9 yard sarees and make them gyrate to the horrible beats(yes..this does not hurt anybody’s sentiments!!).

The point to be noted is that except one or two none of the directors is politically correct.

For example, in a movie where a very popular hero appears as a ‘paatti’, (s)he wears the nine-yard saree throughout and the ‘thaththa’ who loves her(?) is shocked when she says she is already married.

The fact of the matter is that any lady is ‘eligible’ to wear the nine-yards only after she is married.

One of the other ludicrous things is the group of women wearing white sarees during a pooja.
White is anathema to married tamizh ladies in that particular community and even this fact is not known to that great perfectionist!

One feels very bad looking at such comedy of errors.

My idea is not to defend or offend any particular community but the film makers must realise the implications of wrong depictions and portrayals.

Today’s Rare Gem also uses the slang.

Though the song does not show the community in poor light, the diction and pronunciation of the slangs by Shailaja and Vasudevan leave a lot to be desired.

I honestly feel SPB and Suseela would have done a better job.Janaki of course does a good job in the song!

However, one can enjoy the song for the mesmerising Mohanam and the hypnotising Orchestration.

The song starts with a humming by Shailaja.

The Veena and the flute combine to give us a scintillating Mohanam and then the Nagaswaram takes over in the higher octave.

The first CharaNam has questions and answers (rib tickling?).The Raga again flows with great fluency and my most favourite line is ‘Thoppanaaru Panjapakesan..’(for the sheer beauty of the raga).

The Nagaswaram plays with evocative joy in the second interlude.The Jalatarangam and the tabla are the specialities of the Maestro.


The second charanam is structured in a different way. The voice of Janaki is a great relief here!

In ‘Nal Vaazhvu Vaazha Naam Vaazhththa VeNdum, Mohanam shimmers and looks at us with glee..

Listen to ‘Enthaththu Paiyyan Avan’ from ‘ILaiyaraajavin Rasigai(1980) and be blessed!

His words..His silence..

The chubby faced actor said this recently in a TV show:

“My father was very close to him. They would have friendly banters and quarrels now and then. One day, he landed up at our house early in the morning and said he wanted to see my father.My father was sleeping upstairs and I called him on the phone through the phone using the extension button.My father refused to see him.When I told him this, he smiled and said ‘Oh..he is still angry with me. Doesn’t matter. Please tell him that I am going to the US and will be back after a month. I came to say Bye to him..".

"But he never returned.This happened in 1981.My father was alive for another 10 years and not a single day passed without my father saying ‘He came to see me the last time.But I didn’t see him.. How bad on my part! ”

The ‘He’ here is Kannadasan.

Friendly banters and fighting with friends were not new to this gentleman. But the best part is he would do this only with a select few ‘just for the fun of it’.

Once he and Shivaji had a fight and both were not on talking terms.But he continued to write for his movies.That was the time when the Shivaji-Bheemsingh-Kannadasan-Viswanathan-Ramamurthy combination was at its peak.He wrote a song and asked MSV to show it to Shivaji.It seems Shivaji started crying the moment he read the pallavi.

The song was:
‘Ennai Yaarendru Enni Enni nee paarkiRai..Idhu Yaar Paadum paadalenru nee ketkiRai..’

MSV sir and Kannadasan too had a very special relationship.Their composing sessions were a treat to watch.It seems MSV would tell him ‘What are you writing anne..Even I can write better’ and Kannadasan in turn would say ‘You are not able to set my song to tune and are shifting the blame’.Both would even use unprintable language. But the session would end with one praising the other.Their mutual admiration was something that cannot be described in words.

People who have watched such spectacles live describe the events with awe. But all of them maintain that it was Kannadasan who would initiate the ‘fight’Why?Because he loved MSV so much that he enjoyed pulling his leg.

Not only did his face look like a child. He was a child at heart.
But when it came to writing, he was unparalleled and incomparable.

That is Kannadasan.

I have already said this many times.There has never been and there can never be any other lyricist as great as Kannadasan.There can only be one ‘Kaviyarasar’.If some people claim themselves to be ‘Perarasar’,they are cheating themselves!

Today is the birthday of Kannadasan and MSV. I wish a Happy Birthday to both. The physical body of Kannadasan is no more.But he lives and will continue to live with his immortal songs.

Before I take up the Rare Gem of today and Raaja sir’s association with Kannadasan, I would like to quote a few lines from a MSV-Kannadasan song:

The Hero, a writer who writes with a pen name Gowrimanohari falls in love with a lady. What is great or different about it? He is a widower with 6 children and is in his middle ages.
The Heroine sings ‘I saw Gowrimanohari in the form of a man’(the brilliant MSV set this song in pure Gowrimanohari ragam!).

The second charaNam shows us why Kannadasan is a genius.

‘Malai meethu adiththaalum Kaatru.Adhu Kadal meedhu tavazhnthaalum kaatru.Vaythodu vanthaalum kaadhal,Adhu Vayathaagi Vanthaalum kaadhal.’

(Breeze is breeze whether it blows over the mountain or over the sea Love is the same whether it comes during youth or in old age!).

With this, let me turn my attention on Raaja sir and Kannadasan and today’s rare gem.

In fact, I had written about their association and the mutual admiration many times in this community.

Raaja was a great follower and fan of Kannadasan right from his younger days.He still remembers the poem Kannadasan wrote when Jawaharlal Nehru passed away in 1964.

Kannadasan warmly welcomed Raaja to Tamizh cinema music adding the line ‘Raaja vaa..Raaja vaa.. ‘ in the song ‘Kannodu Kannu’(Paalootti VaLarththa KiLi-1976).

The combination gave some unforgettable songs(many of which have been discussed in this community) for 5 and half years.As fate would have it, Kannadasan wrote his last two songs for Raaja on the eve of his departure to the US in 1981.

There are many personal favourites but today I am taking up a song from ‘Pagalil Oru Iravu’, a 1979 movie. Somehow one song ‘obscured’ the beauty of other songs in this album.Maybe that song is very powerful and is indeed one of my all time favourites. But the gem of today is ‘Kalaiyo Silaiyo’, another beautiful composition not known to many.

The most striking aspect of the composition is the silken softness.The song describes the beauty of a young and innocent girl.

Other lyricists would have resorted to simple ‘Maane Thaene..’and gone on to write some nauseating words.. or would have given computer to Brahmma and imagined about her laugh being like the sound of a telephone. But not Kannadasan!

Before that, let us see the musical part first.

The prelude itself is so meditative that it makes our eyes close automatically. The sound of bells and the mesmerizing flute are steeped in tranquility.

The tune of the Pallavi in the melodious voice of Jayachandran is simple and beautiful.

The Violin orchestra in the first interlude is infused with haunting air. A very different combination of sitar and flute is the icing on the cake.The twin-violins with the Bells and the bass guitar in the background captivate our hearts.

The CharaNams radiate softly .The lines are tender and are piercingly sharp.

The second interlude is impeccably deep.The first part sparkles with the violins and the Bass Guitar while the second half-again a combination of sitar and flute but this time sounding very different- is dainty.

Let us now look at the lyrics.

He says ‘Are you the epitome of fine-arts?Are you a sculpture? Or are you like the Golden Deer? Are you a fruit? Or are you the parrot? Or, are you the moon who came on a walk to see this Earth?’

Though the words sound very simple, there are a lot of inner meanings.
Awed by the beauty of the girl, he sees her as a sculpture as well as the art form; Bird as well as the Fruit.

He also feels for a moment that maybe this is not true..Because it is impossible for such a beauty to exist.So, he says ‘Are you the Golden deer’?(we all know the story of Golden Deer in Ramayana).

He then imagines that the Moon has descended on the Earth(it has come on a picninc!).

Poetic beauty at its best!

In the first CharaNam, he says ‘Is this the dancing chariot walking? When will the mind shed its innocence and blossom like a flower? A beautiful maiden with the youth like the rain of flowers..’

Please do not miss the ‘Blossoming of the flower’ followed by the ‘Rain of flowers’!

The second CharaNam is a marvel.

We all know the power of silence.Here, the poet gives a completely different dimension to the silence of the girl.

He says ‘Is your silence the code/secret language?’(the use of ‘paribhaashai’ here is very noteworthy.I am not aware of any other film song using this word!).

‘Gestures that I am not able to understand-maybe it is the respect you have for me and my love’.

‘Child-like enthusiasm and energy –a beautiful girl!’

The last line ‘Thogaiyin Bhaavamo’ can be interpreted in many ways.
Thogai-means a girl. It also means a peacock feather.
Peacock is known for dancing.
Therefore, one could interpret it like ‘a beautiful girl’ or ‘a dancing girl’ or even ‘as beautiful as a peacock’.

His words mean so much…

At times, I even feel how would it be if only he was alive today.. But I thank God that he is not alive to see the murder of Tamizh. Murder in the name of ‘semmozhi’ by people who can not even say ‘Yaathum oore yaavarum keLir’(யாதும் ஊரே..யாவரும் கேளிர்..) properly.

As I said, Kannadasan’s words mean so much.. Now, let silence carve new meanings and teach all these people who murder the beautiful language and who ‘adorn’ the language with vulgarity and expletives..

Mouname Paribhashai..