When the swaras spoke and the violin sang..

It was a Saturday morning in the year 1986. With so many thoughts and expectations in my mind, I was rushing to catch a bus. Where was I rushing and what kind of expectations were there in my mind?

Cut back to the year 1980 when I started listening to Classical Music seriously (thanks to one gentleman!) and was getting exposed to names like Maharajapuram, D.K.Jayaraman, Ravi Shankar, Amjad Ali Khan, Ramani, MSG, Lalgudi… Over a period of time, I was able to identify and discern the various styles not only in vocal music but also in instrumental music.

Of all the instruments, the violin caught my eye (or is it the ear? perhaps the heart!) and the reason is not very difficult to understand. The violin always played a very important role in ILaiyaraaja’s music and it was natural for me to like the sound from this particular instrument. Moreover, no carnatic music concert is complete without the violin as an accompaniment.

As I listened to concert after concert-thanks to the radio and Madras ‘A’- the sound from the violins of two artistes was surely very different. One artiste was Shri.M.S.Gopalakrishnan. My exposure to Hindustani Music through a programme called ‘Sangeet sarita’ on Vividh Bharati every morning at 7.30 am made me a great fan of Hindustani form too and I found the Hindustani style predominant in Shri.MSG’s playing. That was the time when I was also listening to songs like ‘Jyan Jyan’(PoonthaLir) and ‘Yaar maamano’(Vetrikku oruvan) and I was able to relate to the Hindustani style of bowing very easily.

The sound from the other artiste was somewhat different. I could hear the violin speak(please note that I am not talking about ‘gimmicks’ in violin where some people imitate the human voice in violin throwing all classicism to the wind!). It was obvious that the musician was in love with each swara and the raga and caressed them with affection. It was almost like listening to vocal music. For the first time in my life, I felt the meaning of meditation, though I learnt meditation only 9 years after this.

The name of the musician is Lalgudi Jayaraman and I became instantly attached to his music.

It was to this great musician’s lecture/demonstration session that I was heading to on that Saturday morning in 1986 with excitement. I would be watching him for the first time and hearing him talk about music. Could there have been a better moment?

His talk was as sweet as his music and he touched various aspects of life itself. My respect for him grew by leaps and bounds when he said ‘If I say something that might hurt somebody, then it is ‘apaswara’ in real life’. I knew here was a man who respected life and enjoyed life to the fullest.

After this, I attended many of his lec/dems and concerts and each and every lecture/concert was an experience by itself. He would quote Bharati and go on to describe the beauty in a cuckoo’s call. His childlike enthusiasm while explaining the intricacies of a particular raga had to be seen to be believed.

As a person who appreciated all forms of music, it was not surprising that he loved ILaiyaraaja’s music. Once he said that this kind of music is surely the result of ‘puNyas’ from seven janmas. He was also very appreciative of Raaja sir’s orchestration and his ability to write music in a jiffy. In fact, the admiration was mutual. Raaja sir was a special guest in the audio release function of ‘Sringaram’, the music of which was scored by Lalgudi sir himself and remarked that he was a great fan of Lalgudi’s and that he simply loved the Thillanas of his composed in Hindustani raags with western style orchestration in the preludes and the interludes.

Today’s rare gem from the movie ‘Isai Paadum ThendRal’ is dedicated to this great legend. The speciality of this composition is that it has only the ‘swara korvais’.

The gandhrava voice of Yesudass sings only the Shadjamam and we hear only this swara for two cycles of Roopaka taaLam. The swaras ‘ri’, ‘ga’ and ‘ni’ join now and with the gamakams we clearly get to see the sketch of Kharaharapriya. The mridangam follows suit and plays a brief korvai of four avartanams in roopakam. It is 3 avartanams then and the mridangam starting at the ‘dha’ in the third avaratanam with the ‘dha’ being given the ‘kaarvai’ is a master stroke..

The violin joins the vocals rather subtly and from then on, the swaras move in single avartanam. Kharaharapriya smiles, caresses, fondles and dances. The ‘teermanam’ in the end is a connoisseur’s delight. The composition ends with the akaaram of Yesudass.

And we start humming ‘Samaanam evaru..(Jaya)Raama nee samaanamevru..Raaja nee samaanameveru..

http://www.divshare.com/download/24033791-cc2

Gospel of Love..

‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ said that great soul. What was great was that He said this when people were ‘nailing’ him literally on the Cross. How many of us can even dream of saying this at any point of time?

The greatness of Jesus Christ lay in his spreading the Gospel of Love. Love which is unconditional and without any expectations.

He strongly believed that Love alone can get rid of negativities, Love alone can stop calamities, Love alone can bring joy, Love alone can bring peace. Not only did he preach this but also practised it.

That is why, He was able to even love his enemy. In fact, inspired by this Bharati sang ‘PagaivanukkaruLvai nannenje pagaivanukkaruLvai’.

On this Easter Sunday, the day when Christ rose from the death, let us all take a vow to love not just our neighbours but also our enemies.

Like Love, Music is powerful too. Today’s Rare Gem is a song from the film ‘Avar Enakke Sontham’(1977). Many are familiar with ‘Devan Thiruchchabhai MalargaLe’ sung by PooraNi and Indira. But not many are aware of the Yesudass version which is not there in the album.

There is also a small story regarding the guitar piece which appears now and then and can be called as the leitmotif in the song. It clearly reminds one of the ‘Sholay’ theme music and Raaja was accused of plagiarism those days. Though he never clarified publicly, he revealed a fact-until then unknown- to a fan in reply to his letter.He mentioned in the letter that he composed that piece for a Kannada song as early as 1972 while working as an assistant for G.K.Venkatesh. Whether RDB copied from him or if it was a case of two geniuses thinking alike, one does not know. And one need not bother about this too.

The Yesudass version is more dynamic in terms of the rendering and in terms of the orchestration.Though the Pallavi and CharaNams in both the songs follow the same pattern, the arrangement and orchestration are totally different.

  The prelude is longer in this version with an extended guitar piece that takes us to an ethereal world.

‘Devan Thiruchchabhai malar idhu’ sings the majestically sweet voice.The Brass flue in between the lines is tender.

The Saxophone in the first interlude goes deep into our hearts while the guitar pulls the strings of our hearts.

The Sitar in the CharaNams and in the second interlude is scintillatingly brilliant while the whistle and the brass flute that romance each other are exhilarating.

A very different Harikambhoji in western classical style..

Music that makes us love everything.

Happy Easter!

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!

 

Nostalgia..

About 4 years back when I was on an official tour to a city where I spent my formative years, I took a stroll after my dinner. Since the hotel was not very far from the place I lived nearly 3 decades back, I decided to go and see the house, and the school where I studied for 4 years. As I was walking by the side of the road, my heart rate increased. Just before the ‘gully’, something caught my instant attention. That object seemed so familiar to me. It was a huge tamarind tree. It was old now but surely seemed to recognise me. I went near that and gave it a caressing touch. The feeling I had then, is very difficult to express.

Nostalgia is a very special feeling. Though Eckhart Tolle may not agree, the past also has its own power. We are what we are because of our past. It is the past that has guided us to the present which in turn will take us to the future as the present becomes the past in future.

Show me one person who does not indulge in nostalgic trips now and then and does not enjoy it.

School, favourite teacher, dearest friend(s), objects, cycle, neighbours, pranks, games, music, radio…
The last two are the most relevant here.

Let me go back to the first paragraph. The house that I referred to was the place where I got my first transistor radio. Of course, I had an old valve set radio too which would receive Radio Australia, BBC and ah yes.. Radio Ceylon. If the first two introduced me to the finer nuances of the game called cricket through the voices of some great legendary commentators, the last mentioned introduced me to the world of music. The ‘Binaca Geetmala’ on Wednesday nights between 8 and 9 pm was one programme which I would never miss. The Hindi film songs attracted me so much that I became addicted to it.

Since the city I was living that time was about 750 kms from Tamizh Nadu, my exposure to Tamizh songs at that time was through Vividh Bharati during a 15 minute slot between 4.30 and 5.30 pm, and the Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corporation Asian Service between 4pm and 6pm.

Post-1976, I would be glued to the radio during this time for reasons that are obvious and I am sure this needs no elaboration.

I vividly remember the first time I listened to each and every song of his not just during this period but also post-1978 when we moved to a place in Tamizh Nadu about 150kms away from Madras.

Even very recently he himself has said in an interview about how people recall various incidents in their life through his songs and also how they always remember the first time they listened to the songs.

The rare gem of the day also talks about nostalgia.

Rendered beautifully by Deepan Chakravarthy, ‘Paaduthamma Aatrin alaigaL’ from the film ‘NaNdu(1980) moves like a gentle breeze.

The prelude starts with his favourite instrument during early ‘80s(refer my previous post) followed by the soft humming of Deepan. The Pallavi in ShankarabharaNam is breathtakingly fresh.

The eloquent flute dominates the interlude. The one- stringed instrument that nods its head in the first part gives a folksy feel while the keys towards the end gives that western touch with the dilruba in the middle kindling our deepest emotions.

The CharaNam is mellow and tranquil with some meaningful melodic lines.

The first two lines are graceful and the next two lines move like a gentle stream.
The lines that follow are resplendent with the alien note at the end giving a diffused glow.

Glow of nostalgia..

Solicited.. or Unsolicited?

Giving advice is one of the easiest things to do in this world.

Tell me one person who does not indulge in this act. I am saying ‘indulge’ because we all with our bloated egos, have the ‘I know it all’ attitude and start ‘advising’ others without even for a moment stopping to think how we are, what we are and if our stepping in is indeed required. We see everything with coloured eyes without even bothering to get into any details. We go by how we are conditioned by somebody or by our own thoughts. Thus, most of the advices are unsolicited.

The most recent episode is the one involving one of the greatest cricketers. People from 6 to 60 – including some who wouldn’t have even touched a cricket bat in their life- keep talking, chatting, sharing, tweeting and status updating that the cricketer concerned should retire. The so called ‘cognoscenti’ advise the cricketer on what step he should take and when.

At least this is understandable in a cricket crazy nation. But I have come across instances of people attacking others in the name of advice. What matters to them is not the welfare of a person (or persons). Their objective is to insult others directly and indirectly by brandishing their pseudo weapon.

But thankfully, such people are only a minority and it is best to ignore them.

At the same time, I am surely not saying advices are not needed-either giving or taking. What is of paramount importance is how we distinguish between genuine advices and advices given with mala fide intentions. This we learn over a period of time. And if we have been at the receiving end, we too should learn as to when and to whom we should give our advice. If we know for sure that a person close to us is in the wrong, is it not our duty to set things right?

In the rare gem of the day, the lady- who is the friend of the heroine- is trying tp advise her friend rather indirectly by chiding somebody else- who in any case happens to be the culprit behind the ‘misdeeds’ of her friend.

Mahendran’s film ‘Pootaatha PoottukkaL’(1980) revolved around a childless couple, and a stranger who visits their village as a guest and how he manages to seduce the lady, who falls in the trap because she loves children and would like to have her own child at any cost(underline the word ‘at any cost’).

This song sequence appears when the Heroine’s friend who is aware of the entire episode but still is helpless, advises the stranger to mend his ways.

Very simple but catchy folksy tune, meaningful lyrics(Panchu Arunachalam) and wonderful rendering(Janaki) make this song a gem.

The song set in the Kharaharapriya scale starts without a prelude.

The first interlude starts after a brilliant pause. One of Raaja’s most favourite instruments (the one which sounds almost like a santoor ) during that period takes over and moves with beguiling simplicity. The lucid flute and the reverberating santoor nod their heads with a very different sounding instrument (synthesiser) smiling sardonically.

The Shehnai in the second part of the second interlude is soothing while it is the luminous flute which shines with sylvan charm along with the -santoor and that lovely instrument. The cuckoo sound towards the end of the interlude is a class act.

If Phrases like ‘paana vaavana’ show sarcasm and intended derision, lines like ‘mogam vandhu theeNdumpothile, paaradhathai paakka chellume’ ‘un maanam sandhaiyile viththu pogume’ ‘ezhuthinavan yettai keduththan, padichavano paattai keduththan’ say the story in just a few seconds. (how beautifully Janaki sings ‘ezhuthinaven’- a typical Madurai way of giving the ‘yekaaram’ sound!).

The last charaNam simply echoes the helplessness of the friend.

An advice worth listening to..

Energy sapping or Energy giving?

Bringing up a child is a great challenge.

Sometimes I wonder as to how people managed to bring up so many children those days. One of my oft-repeated questions to my father even now is this-‘How did your parents manage to bring up 8 children’? With FP being an unknown word those days, it is not surprising that the families were big (at least 3 times bigger than what a normal family is now).

There was also no particular pattern in terms of the gap between 2 children. The gap varied between 10 months (?) and 4years.Therefore, the age difference between the first child and the last one will be 18 plus years-almost one generation. The generation gap that we talk about between the parents and the children now must have existed between the eldest son/daughter and the youngest one!

There are a lot of questions in my mind.

There will be a lot of excitement when the first child is born. Was the level of excitement and happiness same when the last one was born?

How did the lady manage so many deliveries? Don’t we all know what labour pain is? How did she manage to stand this?

What kind of attention was given to the elder ones when they started going to the school?

Did the parents even remember the classes their children were in?

Was any quality time spent to teach them the beauties of life-for example music, books?

What happened when the children reached adolescence? Were they given proper guidance?

From the father’s point of view, how did he manage to get new clothes/toys/books, how did he manage to pay the fees, how did he even run the family?(I am saying ‘father’s point of view’, because it is a known fact that there were no working women those days).

Though I have not got satisfactory answers, all I know is that all the children grew up, studied well, got well-placed and settled down well in life. Of course, I am speaking from my observation of the big families I know.

In any case, isn’t this amazing?

Now-a-days, despite a plethora of services available to us thanks to the modern-age technology, we find it difficult to manage even two children (at times ONE child).

‘Feeding’ them food, looking for the right kind of school, making them ‘do’ the home work, trying in vain to strike a balance between their demands and our commands, answering all their questions and asking them to shut up if we ourselves do not know the answers, forcing them to do things that they may not have an inclination for…
..and ah!yes, ‘monitoring’ them.

The last mentioned-according to me- is one of the toughest to accomplish. If we do not monitor their activities, we fear that they will be misguided. If we overdo our monitoring, we will be branded as people fit to join the Scotland Yard. How do we manage this?

While monitoring during formative years needs some tact, doing the same in the early years is a tough ask. How many times have we handled cases of breaking window/car panes, breaking somebody’s head (at times even ours…or is it most of the times?), and of course breaking things in our own place itself.. Really wonder how parents during that era managed this..
The father in today’s rare gem also seems to have had the same problem. The song-‘Peththaalum Peththeada..’ from ‘Anbe Sangeeta’(1980) echoes the thoughts and sentiments of the father of a ‘under-12’.

The father (in the voice of Jayachandran) says ‘Making you do the morning activities and sending you to the school sap my energy. To top it all, you cut the nose and break the heads of other children with your kite and the cricket ball. You notorious one! How is it that the God forgot to keep a tail behind you?’

The mother defends the son in the end saying a mother understands a child better and asking the father to mind his business.

The song, beautifully tuned in the minor scale (Nata Bhairavi+Kiravani) with the prelude and the three interludes reflecting the emotions.

I have not seen the visuals of the song(thankfully), but I can easily visualise the sequence thanks to the Master’s orchestration.

The prelude is full of energy with the strings and the electric guitar making us see a sketch of the notorious boy.
The dialogue between the flute and the strings in two octaves in the first interlude shows how the boy manages to escape from his father while brushing the teeth, bathing and while going to the school even as the father keeps pleading with him and chasing him. The strings and the electric guitar towards the end reflect the travails of the father.

The organ in the second interlude shows the notorious boy in full flow while the short string pieces in the higher octave show how the boy indulges in many activities.
The humming of the mother (Shailaja) and the dainty flute that follows symbolises motherhood.

The pieces after the ‘nose-cutting’, ‘head-breaking’ and the ‘victorious’ whistle at the end after the mother’s defence show the sense of humour of the composer.

What stands out finally is the fact that bringing up children is a pleasurable pain. Do you agree?

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?

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?”

Gems and the Search..

Sometime back, in a programme ‘dedicated’ to Raaja sir on a FM channel, 2 songs from the ‘80s era were played one after the other. What is so special about this? Nothing, except that the Music Director of both the songs is not ILaiyaraaja though his name was announced!

Recently, there was a talk-show on a TV channel about the music of the ‘80s.Invariably, the participants mentioned, discussed and also ‘sang’ very popular songs-songs that are constantly played and recycled on the FM channels every night. When ‘yours sincerely’-who was also part of the show unfortunately- mentioned about a rare song and briefly explained its intricacies and gave reasons as to why that song melts his heart, the channel did not like it and chopped off that entire portion.

While I do not have any problem in my portion being cut, what bothers me really is the fact that people identify ILaiyaraaja only with a miniscule percentage of his works and that they cannot even distinguish between the works of the other MDs and ILaiyaraaja. At the same time, they do not make an effort to listen to a major part of his works just because it does not give them a familiar ring.

Such a trend is very unhealthy because the songs which were popular during those days are being totally ignored despite these songs being great gems. It speaks volumes of the ignorance and the conditioning of the people. An entire generation has grown up with false perceptions and wrong ideas about his music. For example, many fans of the present generation do not even seem to be aware that there used to be 3 stanzas in the songs and that each (of the 3 interludes) was different. A majority thinks that 3-stanza songs were an exception while the contrary is true.


I would rather blame the media for this sorry state of affairs. There is a plethora of channels and at least 3 channels run dedicated programmes on his music during the ‘prime time’ slot at 9pm. But what do these channels play? The so-called ‘hit songs’! Many a time, I have noticed that the same song will be played in 2-3 different channels on the same day as if he has scored music for just a few songs in these 36 years. Added to this, is the tendency to provide wrong information without checking the veracity(ex-what I have narrated in the first para).

This phenomenon is common to the older generation as well as the present generation. In fact, it is the attitude of the former attitude that baffles me because having lived during those days and having been exposed to at least some of the gems during those days, how could they ignore or forget those songs? The ‘talk-show’ experience quoted by me in the second paragraph is a clear example of these people’s attitude. I am not sure if it is an attitudinal problem or if these people had not listened to or appreciated those songs even during those days.

But what is encouraging is that many in the present generation do appreciate these gems when they get exposed to it. The comments/feedback in this thread itself stands testimony to this. This applies to some who are part of the previous generation too-who for some reason or the other did not have the opportunity to listen to such gems those days.

Let us all realise that ILaiyaraaja is like an ocean and that it is absolutely unjustifiable to brand him and confine our understanding to just a few of his ‘hits’. The quest for search and the thirst to know more about his music must begin before it becomes too late.

The song of the day ‘Thaedum Deivam neril vandhadhu’ from ‘Kazhugu’(1981) is yet another gem that shines despite being buried under the ground.

Why do I consider this song as a gem? Is it just because one does not get to hear this song nowadays? Not really. Reasons are many. The excellent and justified use of the voice synthesiser (as early as 1981), mind boggling orchestration, Janaki’s enticing voice, Malaysia Vasudevan’s nonchalant rendering, and most importantly the use of Raga Kiravani.

This song-as one can make out- is a kind of sensuous song appearing in a sequence where the ‘enchanted bhaktas’ sing and dance in a kind of trance in an ashram(yes, such ‘ashrams’ and ‘gurus’ existed even in 1980!). Using a raga as classical as Kiravani for this kind of a sequence calls for a lot of boldness on the part of the composer. I would say it is even a kind of adventure. But the best part is that Kiravani remains chaste throughout and not a single alien note is used.


What is amazing is the way the raga has been used. One finds an unmistakable tinge of Arabian music throughout the song. How did he make it possible? If you are a follower of my other Blog http://rajamanjari.blogspot.in/, you will know that the rag that generally gives an Arabic flavour is ‘VakulabharaNam’. Without getting too technical, let me tell you that both Kiravani and VakulabharaNam are in the same ‘Graha Bedam’ group. He has chosen the Shruti in such a way that though Kiravani remains intact, it also gives the feel of VakulabharaNam. It requires a separate write-up in that blog to explain this concept and I shall do it soon.

The prelude has the synthesizers- both voice as well as instrumental. The sensuous voice of Janaki sings a very brief ‘akaaram’. The impish beats of Mridangam accentuate the feel.
We all become the ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ as we hear the Guitar plays that with palpable joy and blithe with ‘claps’ to back it up in the first interlude. The vibrant Shehnai that follows makes it a wholesome experience. The ‘Om Shanti’ in the voice synthesizer accompanied by the Mridangam gives some special resonances.

Magic is weaved in the second interlude with the Sitar-Mridangam-Bass Guitar-Drums combination. The Shehnai gallops passionately wooing us all. The use of Mridangam for 3 complete TaLa cycles(of 8 beats each) needs a special mention. It plays the ‘ta ka dha mi’ in different styles- from playing all the syllables to playing just the first and the third syllables and producing some dynamic sounds unique to the Mridangam.

The Arabic feel is complete in the CharaNams that have powerful passages with the ‘akaarams’, ‘sangatis’ and coaxing phrases dipped in sensuality.

Well..now, this shining gem-like many other gems- has been taken out and kept for display. Are ‘they’ still burying their heads ‘ostrich-like’?

Aadi Breeze..

The Tamizh Month Aadi-that started just a few days back- is considered to be very auspicious. It is believed that if seeds are sown on the first day of Aadi, the plants/trees/paddy will be very healthy and the yield will be good.

I remember how I used to sow the seeds along with my friends in my school-an institution that sowed the seeds of Love for Nature in me- on Aadi 1.

Aadi is considered to be the month of Amman and lot of functions take place in the temples.
Astrologically, the Sun enters the Kataka Rasi. It turns towards the South and the next six months are part of ‘Dakshinaayanam’.If we look up at the sky, we can see that the sun is oriented towards the south.

The breeze in the month of Aadi is very special. In Tamizh, there is a saying that ‘even a huge stone will fly in the breeze of Aadi.

Today, we are going to see a song that is as breezy as the month of Aadi.

It is ‘Aadi Maasa Kaththaadikka’ from ‘Paayum Puli’(1982).

This song is also as special as Aadi.

How?

First - the orchestration and the arrangement.

In the prelude section, we first hear the trumpets and the other wind instruments and suddenly, we hear a folk instrument.And then…Bass Guitar, Synthesiser!

The first interlude is humour personified.The folk instruments in combination with western instruments bring smiles to even a morose face.

The second interlude is jazzy and just towards the end, there is a folk element.
The third interlude can be called as the reverse of the second interlude. It is dominated by the folk instruments and suddenly we hear the western instruments in the end.The change of rhythm here is typical of the Master.There is one more speciality here and we will see that soon.

But one really wonders what makes him choose instruments so perfectly..

Second-The Tune.

Long back, while discussing about ‘Hey Mastana..’ I had mentioned that Sindhu Bhairavi is a multi dimensional Raga.

The same Sindhu Bhairavi that gives us mixed emotions in ‘Mastana..’ makes us laugh in ‘Aadi Maasa..’

Beauty of the Raga?

Yes..intelligence of the composer as well..

And look how the tune starts with a Qawwali style humming and changes wonderfully as a Kuththu song!

Third (in fact this is the first)-The one and only SPB.

What kind of a voice is this?As per the sequence in the movie(I have not seen it but I have read about it), the Hero disguises himself as a Bearer in a Hotel and SPB modulates his voice. Is it just modulation?It is something more than that..Listen to the ‘podi sangathis’ in between.

Possible only by one gentleman!

And this is the 'speciality' I was talking about in the paragraph describing the third interlude..

Fourth-Janaki.

It is difficult not to get affected/influenced by the other singer especially when that singer is singing very differently.Mind you..There was no track system those days and both the singers will be present during recording.

But Janaki sings so nonchalantly..


Whether it is the Aadi Breeze or even the Tsunami, the Citadel of the Emperor of Music is impregnable!


Listen to this beauty and enjoy!