Goal..

It was a quiet night.

Or was it? Quiet outside but the entire family was watching something on the television. And we were not alone. Millions of people across the globe were watching the same programme at the same time. Suddenly, my son got up saying ‘oh….’. Even as we were looking at him quizzically, he said, ‘Ronaldo’s free kick pa. See now, he will stand with his legs spread like this and look straight’. He demonstrated that and within a few seconds, we saw a replica on our screen with that great player from Portugal, doing exactly like how Viraj demonstrated!

It is a different issue that he couldn’t score in that free kick and also his team ended up as a losing side. But that moment is an unforgettable one for me.  I looked at my son with a sense of pride (though he did not know this and even now I am afraid is oblivious to this). Feeling of a father when he comes to know that his son after all knows certain details and nuances which he himself doesn’t know. This feeling I am sure cannot be matched and is unique.

Unique is that Event too which occurs once in 4 years around this time. No singular Event is viewed with so much of passion by people. It also has the maximum viewership. That beautiful game called as Foot Ball is a way of life for many. Coming to think of it, this game is like our life itself. We all move towards a goal in life. There are many impediments and obstacles in our way. But we keep moving; moving fast. In the process, if we commit a mistake, we are penalized. At times we are penalized even if we don’t do anything wrong.  In any case, the rules of the game must strictly be followed. Once we achieve a goal, we don’t stop and keep looking for more. The only major difference between a game of foot ball and life is while in the former, we don’t let the opponents achieve the goal, in the latter, we cannot afford to do that.

Foot Ball also provides non-stop action, entertainment and excitement.  Most importantly, it involves a lot of team work and spirit and also inculcates a sense of discipline.

The 31 day rendezvous has come to an end and deservingly the Title of World Champions has gone to the most consistent and exciting Team in the World. I can empathise fully with the entire nation of Germany (remember how we Indians were on the 25^th June, 1983 and on 2^nd Apr, 2011?). Let us congratulate the team from Deutschland and thank them for providing such great entertainment!!

Let us celebrate the victory with a German song set to tune by our Maestro!

Issh le from Pudhu Paattu(1990)  is yet another gem from the Treasure Trove. Rendered with passion by Janaki, the song is as romantic as the game of foot ball.

The song starts with the exquisite strumming of the guitar. It pulls the chords in our hearts. As we close our eyes and begin to immerse ourselves in the Major scale, Janaki with her inimitable voice starts singing in pure German. The glistening rhythm guitar sounds now and then in the first two lines enhancing the experience.

Lo and behold! We hear Tamizh superimposed on German. The rhythm pads join now making us nod our heads. The guitar continues its journey but this time in the minor scale. We see the beautiful Danube and Rhine as the higher octave strings which back the vocals transport us to the Deutschland.

Exotic and Exhilarating!

It is spiritual too as the chorus renders ‘Lead, kindly light’.

Work towards a goal with sincerity, dedication and focus. Sky is the limit!!

This is what Foot Ball teaches us… And Life too..

Boon..

Yesterday I was listening to ‘Oru vaanavil pole..’ in the car.Of course, I have lost count on the number of times I would have listened to the song in which the guitar and the flute are extraordinary, but this post is not about this song anyway. As I was listening to the CharaNam, I closed my eyes and immersed myself in Janaki’s voice. 

‘What a voice’, thought I. At the same time I did a H G Wells and travelled back to my childhood. The first time I came to know the existence of a singer called Janaki was in a cinema hall during a song sequence. My mother asked my father ‘Isn’t it Janaki’ and he said ‘Yes, seems like..’ I turned back and asked y father,’ Who is Janaki?’ He said ‘She is a singer’. That came as a rude shock to me. Can there be any other singer than Suseela? What is this Janaki?

Let me tell you that the song was ‘Unnidaththil ennai koduththen’ from AvaLukkendRu or manam. There is a reason behind my mentioning the name of the song and I shall say that a little later.

After this experience, I hardly came across that voice (even if I had, I paid scant attention). After about 4 years, a movie created ripples in the Tamizh cinema circuit mainly because of music and 3 songs-including a super hit song- were rendered by Janaki. As mentioned in some of my posts, the first exposure to ‘machchanai paartheengaLa’ did not have much impact on me.Added to this was the fact was this was sung by Janaki, an ‘alien’. For at least the next 2 years, though I became a full- fledged fan of the Master, I would wonder as to why he was giving so many songs to Janaki.

I don’t remember how-just like I don’t know why I did not have a special liking for this voice until then- but the turning point happened after our shifting to a town in Tamizh Nadu. Even then, I wouldn’t say I became a great fan like how I am now, but at least the opinion started changing. I now started liking the voice, and enjoying the voice. It was then a gradual process and when ILaiyaraaja mentioned in an interview to a Tamizh magazine in 1982 that Janaki is the greatest singer in Asia and that she was way ahead of Lata Mangeshkar, I couldn’t agree more. ‘Yes, of course!’ I thought.

In my humble opinion, no voice in film music is as versatile as Janaki’s. She can sing a disco song with a quiver and render a classical raga song with gamakams and brigas. She can sing like a child; can sing like a old woman; can sing like a boy. She can touch the taara sthayi panchamam and immediately go to a mandara sthayi shadjam with consummate ease. She can make us dance, smile,cry, laugh and be erotic too.

Janaki- the magician!

PraNaams to my most favourite female singer in film music on her birthday!  

The rare gem of the day shows the sensuous Janaki(can any voice be more sensuous than hers?). In one of the recent shows, ILaiyaraaja mentioned this song to be the precursor to ‘Nila kayudhu’ and said he felt inspired by the way she handled this song. By the way, the combo organ in ‘Unnidaththil..’ was played none other than the young Raaja

‘Andha aattorama’ from ‘Nalladhu Nadanthe theerum’(1981)starts with the strumming of guitar giving shades of Kaapi. The ankle bells-4 beats- are followed by the ghatam-4 beats again- and the Pallavi starts in ‘ateeta eduppu’. The ankle bells sound again. With the ‘chenda’ like percussion giving the impetus, the Pallavi is surely romantic- I would say softly romantic.

The long flute and the bass guitar continue this romantic feel before the ‘chenda’ percussion takes over. ‘But when I have the voice of Janaki, why any instrument at all..’  the composer seems to think and lets her voice do the rest.

The CharaNams with the backing of that resonant percussion are pleasing.

The second interlude is another marvel with the electronic instruments dominating. The different violin sound is echoed (he used this instrument prolifically during early ‘80s). It is then the turn of electric guitar to take us on a short trip with the flute responding with a smile. All these happen without any percussion with the bass guitar providing the rhythm. The sharp percussion joins only towards the end of the interlude to guide us to the second charaNam.

The postlude speaks volumes of Janaki’s talent and capability..

Janaki- The Banyan tree!

Space

The Academy mini hall was bursting at the seams. People were jostling each other and there was hardly any space left. The erudite scholar from the North was making a presentation on Gita Govinda as part of the Lecture/Demonstration series during the Music Season. Even as this was on, a senior citizen got up from his seat and walked towards the passage. Nonchalantly taking his camera out, he focused it on a gentleman sitting in the extreme corner. The gentleman- a young but a senior musician known for his radical views- turned back and with a frown and a grimace, shooed away the senior citizen. The latter did not  budge and was bent on using his contraption. The musician had to raise his voice and say  ‘NO, PLEASE GO AWAY’ with a very stern voice. The senior citizen finally retreated but I am sure his objective was achieved.

 The gentleman with the gadget wanted to take a picture of the musician-in all probability to show off to the entire world that after all he was also present in the same hall where the great musician was sitting as part of the audience. Going by the present day trend, he would have wanted it to post it in one of the social media sites to get most number of ‘likes’.  Is there anything wrong in this?

 I feel ‘Yes’.

A presentation cum lecture was on and by moving around and indulging in something, he was showing disrespect to the person who was lecturing, the audience and also the great poet Jayadeva . This very act smacks of indecency and very bad manners.  But what hurt me the most was the Senior Citizen’s total disregard to the musician’s privacy. After all, the musician is a human being in flesh and blood and is a rasika as well.  By trying to take a picture of his, wasn’t the senior man conveying that ‘Oh this is something special’ when in reality there was nothing special about it? Most importantly, he was intruding into the private space of the musician.

How many of us even realise that each living being on the earth has a space of its own- a space very personal and the denial of which makes the living beings very uncomfortable, gives them jitters which is and make them suffocate?

All of us yearn for this personal space but when it comes to giving that space to others, we look the other way. By having our own space where we do things we are comfortable with and things we enjoy the most-though this is subjective, all I meant was a ‘legitimate space’- and respecting others’ space, our lives become more meaningful and the world itself will be a better place to live.

 Today is ‘World Sparrow Day’. The sparrow, that beautiful creature is now almost extinct and is likely to be declared as an endangered species soon. The same digital world where Apples and Berries are no longer associated only with fruits is the culprit. It is of course very easy to argue that if not for technology, we would not even be sharing such thoughts just at the click of a button. Agreed to a certain extent but let us also lean back and think if we have ever felt that this world is not just for us but also to millions of other living creatures. Let us start questioning ourselves as to what can be done to restore such extinct creatures and decide to allow these creatures their space which itself will be a first step towards recognising the ‘space’ of all our fellow humans apart from our own space.

The rare gem of the day, Nattu vaiccha rosa chedi from AraNmanai kiLi (1993) may not have anything to do with sparrow as such. However, I feel a breath of fresh air whenever I listen to this song which is based on the Hindustani raag Durga. It could be because of the exuding cheerfulness and joy. Or even simply because of the folksy tune.

The chorus, the percussion and the beats in Tisram in the prelude take us to a typical village in Tamizh Nadu. The sweet voice of Suseela amma in the Pallavi-which itself flows like a tributary of Cauvery.

Almost throughout the song, the bass guitar gives a very special sound-something like a ‘uRumi meLam’

The mid octave and higher octave notes are played together by the piped folk instruments in the first interlude making us take a walk alongside the spacious garden with the branches and the flowers nodding their heads to the tune of the flute.

The lines in the charaNams ooze with energy with the chorus and the piped instruments in the second half giving the impetus.

The second interlude dominated yet again by the chorus, percussion and the flute give the genuine flavour of our villages.

Surely a breath of fresh air permeating our personal space with music. Let us cherish this space and make others cherish their respective space as well..

Longevity

Recently,  I was having  a telephonic  conversation with a close friend of mine and invariably the talk was on music in general and his music in particular. In fact the fulcrum of the topic was ‘longevity of music’. Here, ‘music’ should be understood as a particular form and also music by specific composers in that form.

Let me elaborate.  Though music is universal, the undeniable fact is that it has many forms (or should I say genre?)- Classical, Folk, Pop, Jazz.. Film Music.  The one mentioned first and the one mentioned last are more relevant to this post and needless to say that the conversation focussed on these two.

‘Will his music last forever? What is your opinion’, asked my friend. I instantly spoke about the music of yesteryears-say of MKT- and how it still attracts people. But my friend’s contention was that it is a miniscule percentage. Well, in the absence of a scientific survey it will be difficult to prove, but the very fact that the name rings a bell and that people still listen to/ hum these songs proves that those songs are not dead. Though I did not say this to my friend, I have seen posts in the social media raving about such songs. Now, how relevant is this to Raaja’s music? I shall come to that soon but before that I must also say something about the classical music scenario. I am confining myself to carnatic music now and shall quote examples from Hindustani and Western Classical, maybe in some of the future posts.

I told my friend-who unfortunately claims to have no liking for this form- that kritis composed more than 150 years back are sung with great fervour by the artistes. ‘If different artistes sing the same kriti(s) in various concerts, how ‘different’ is it? Is it not the same stuff?’ asked my friend. ‘Here is where the ‘differential’ in terms of voice, style and creativity’ come into picture was my refrain. How can there be creativity if one performs the same song?  A logical question in the minds of people who are not exposed to this form.

A typical rendering of the kriti starts with a raga elaboration called as ‘aalapana’, followed by the rendering which will have some lines repeated with a subtle variation each time it is sung called as sangatis, followed next by focusing on one particular line and singing only this line several times during which multiple dimensions of the raga will be touched-called as ‘niraval’ and finally the swara segment where the artiste renders ‘kalpana swaras’ spontaneously while at the same time drawing some patterns with mathematical calculations in line with the taaLa of the song. Though the process remains the same, the way an artiste handles the various segments in the process will be different from artiste to artiste. In fact, the same artiste while singing the same kriti will sing a different aalapana, a different niraval and a different kalpana swaras(adhering of course to the grammar of the raga). Kritis can also be sung without aalapana, niraval and kalpana swaras, but even then there will be difference-ranging from subtle to highly pronounced- differences in the way various artistes render the same kriti.

In a nutshell, Carnatic Music is not rigid. It has the creativity factor , has enough scope for innovation within some parameters and most importantly it shows the spontaneity of the artistes. It has lasted many years now (some of the ragas like ShankarabharaNam, Kambhodi and Bhairavi have been in vogue for centuries and there are even references to these ragas in the Hindu mythology). That is why, one is not surprised to read news items like ‘Music concert running to full house’ and ‘people throng sabhas early morning braving the cold to book tickets for the evening concert’. Carnatic Music has survived many onslaughts and will continue to last forever.

Now, the next logical question in the minds and lips of skeptics and believers is ‘Ok, this is fine as far as classical music goes. But tell me how can this apply to film music? Can this be a bench mark for a form of music which is light, purely commercial and composed for man-made sequences?’

Let me take you back again to the previous to previous paragraph where I have mentioned three factors that are inherent in Carnatic Music- Creativity, Innovation and Spontaneity. Any form of art which has these three features is bound to last long.  ILaiyaraaja’s music( I have straightaway come to him now since it is pertinent to our discussion here) has all these three. Most importantly, his music has that unmistakable classical flavour.

Take the rare gem of today ‘Paarththaen..’ from Agni Paarvai (1992) rendered by Janaki. It is based on Kalyani, uses traditional instruments, has beautiful innovative orchestration, has varied laya patterns, and as we all know everything is spontaneous.

The ‘akaaram’ in the beginning draws the sketch of the Pallavi while the brilliant use of the sympathetic strings creates the right atmosphere.

 The higher octave notes in the second line shows the colours of Kalyani and the ‘hoiyaa’ after the first line gives the tribal flavour.

The chatushram pattern in the Pallavi is played alternately by the rhythm pad and the drums. However, in the first interlude he switches over to the traditional table which continues in the CharaNam too. The chatushram played by the Tabla also undergoes a subtle change in the last few phrases of the CharNams. In the second interlude, the percussion is totally eschewed in the first part though the chatushram continues.

If the strings take us to a verdant valley in the first interlude, they take us to a beautiful stream in the second interlude. The western classical style in the latter is surely not to be missed. The Flute too is used differently in the two interludes. In the first one, there is a second flute which sounds feebly but sweetly backing the more dominant one while in the second, the flute(s) play along with the strings in the second part. The sympathetic strings that appear now and then so nonchalantly make the melodic experience complete.

Now, 100 years down the line, will this Kalyani still appeal to people? Rather than using the clichéd phrase ‘Time alone will tell’, I can reply in the affirmative with great  positivity.

Reasons?

Already mentioned and explained in the post!!

Celebrating Life..

The concept of New Year is very interesting.

For some, it is an excuse for socializing. For some, it is an excuse for taking new resolutions (that last for 2-3 days or at the most a week). For some, it is an excuse for roaming around.

So, what is the big point in all the celebrations and wishes? Do these carry any meaning at all? After all, is Jan 1st not just another date? Is 2014(or for that matter any year) not just a number?

Long back, I had written in my blog regarding numbers and their significance. Just for a moment, imagine as to what would happen if there were no numbers in this world. How would we then measure anything then? How do we set time? How do we know what happened and when?

Is it possible to live without numbers even for a second?

Maybe,  that is why great poets like Thirumazhisai Aazhwar and AruNagirinatharcomposed a lot of songs that revolved around numbers.

Well..all this is fine..But why do we need to celebrate the birth of a New Year?

The question itself carries the answer..

‘Birth’.. ‘Jananam’..

This brings hope and therefore radiates positive energy. The energy gives us confidence. Confidence makes us achieve. Achievement gives us self-actualisation. Self-actualisation gives us positive energy…

It is a cycle (thankfully not a vicious cycle!).

364 days from now, we will be on the last day of 2014, getting ready to celebrate the birth of 2015!

If on that day, we feel happy and content with the way we have gone about accomplishing goals and targets, then that Unit of measurement called ‘Time’ was usefully spent.If we don’t, we then hope to do it in the New Year. After all, is it not Hope that keeps us going?

Today’s special song, ‘Happy New Year’ from ‘Maane Maane’(1984) celebrates New Year. In fact, it celebrates Life itself.

Raaja sir who is very familiar with the different forms of World Music has a special liking for Sri Lankan music. 

This genre called ‘Baila’(Ilangai oliparappu koottusthapanam used to call this as ‘Pop Isai paadalgaL’ is very interesting and unique. These songs have the prominent guitar (electric and distortion), trumpets and bass guitar. One also finds the clap sound now and then. Most importantly, the tunes have a very special ethnic flavour.

‘Happy New Year..’ is one such song.

Over a period of time, I shall take up some of his other compositions composed in this style.

The prelude makes us sway, get up, and dance..

The unique voice of Malaysia Vasudevan and a very funny but different voice of Sundarrajan (not TMS!) pep up the Pallavi.

The second part of the first interlude-with the western flute- is poignant but at the same time very melodious. The way it gathers momentum later is simply magical.

The first part with the guitar and the claps is vivacious.

The second interlude is graceful, fluid, luscious and brims with energy.

The CharaNams are resplendent with the voice of Janaki adding lustre.
The alien notes in the third and fourth lines give a kind of smugness to the entire composition.

Let us celebrate the New Year.. Let us celebrate Hope..

Right or Wrong?

Wrong information, wrong notions, misconception, perception, mindset….

Of late I come across all of these in the social media and needless to say that it leaves me annoyed, perplexed, irritated and even embarrassed. While I do not need to care for such things and can choose to ignore-which is what precisely I do by not commenting or reacting- it does affect me because it is about a thing very close to my heart. Since what is close to my heart needs no further explanation or elucidation, let me move on and share with you some examples of what I have mentioned in the first line of the post.

Wrong information- Giving wrong year of release can be excused and getting the names   of singers can be pardoned. But mentioning the name of Music Director wrong can neither be excused nor pardoned. I had mentioned about this in my post on ‘Thedum deivam’ in this Blog http://ragamanjari.blogspot.in/2012/08/gems-and-search.html ).

Wrong notions - Recently in a ‘post’ in which musicians who have played in his orchestra were also tagged, it was mentioned by the author that ‘ILaiyaraaja who started his ‘empire’ in 1980 started showing his dominance over the guitar since then.

Two facts are presented wrong here. He started his Empire in May 1976 and had already scored for 100 films by 1980. Secondly, his mastery/artistry of guitar started right from ‘AnnakkiLi’. Wonder if these people would have even listened to the TMS version of ‘AnnakkiLi unnai theduthe’, ‘oru vaanavil pole’, ‘kuiyile kavikkuyile, ‘iyaRkai rathangaLe’, ‘naane naana’, ‘ore naaL unai naan’ just to name a few of the hundreds of songs where guitar spoke in a special language. Even if they have, I doubt if they know these are of course the compositions of the Master!

Misconception- Almost related to this is a comment about one of his songs from a film released during Deepaval-1983. It read ‘His Younger day Music’. I am still scratching my head to find out what exactly is meant by this. Forgetting the grammatical error, what the comment tries to convey is ‘he was still a child in TFM’.  7 years, 200+ movies and still a child? That too in an industry where longevity is short and where many Music Directors haven’t yet crossed the 100 mark? Of course, in all his innocence the gentleman who made this comment would have also thought Raaja sir made his debut only in 1980!

Perception- This varies from his ‘inability’ to score ‘fast-beats’ songs to compositions in Hindutani raags. The latter point was touched upon and explanations with examples were given to break this myth during the Geetanjali-2013 Event but still many(and this includes his ‘fans’ as well as his detractors) continue to believe that he is conversant only with Carnatic Music and WCM.

Mindset- Even people who call themselves as ‘hardcore fans’ say that they do not like his ‘70s music. Maybe this partly answers why some do not even know many of his great compositions and his mastery over guitar. But the funniest part is that these people hardly know many gems of his ‘80s, ‘90s and even the 21^st century compositions.

Well, the objective of this post is not to find fault with anyone nor is the intention to make fun of anybody’s ignorance. At the same time, I feel people will have to be extra careful while writing or talking about a legend and as far as possible try to be objective. But this is also too much to expect in these days of ‘google aaya namaha’ and ‘youtube saraNam’ where one just has to type something in the search box and cut and paste what appear(s) on the screen.

While I know I can’t do much about this in this democratic world, I also know that I can spread genuine information and break the myths about the genius by writing more and more about his works.

One of the many rare gems of his is ‘Poo enbatha’ from the unreleased film ‘Uyire unakkaaga’(1984) which of course should not be confused with the 1986 film by the same title, music for which was scored by Lakshmikant-Pyarelal.

The mouthorgan in the beginning sets the tone while the alternate repetition of the same sets of notes-Janaki/mouthorgan, chorus/guitar- shows the innovative brilliance of the composer. The unmistakable shades of Sindhu Bhairavi being shown in the prelude is of course the mark of the Genius!

The repetition mode continues in the Pallavi with the mouthorgan yet again following SPB’s first line.

The mouthorgan makes a brief appearance towards the end of the first interlude but not before, there are question-answer sessions between the chorus and the flute, between the shehnai and the guitar and between the guitar and the flute.

The structure of the CharaNams with three parts- the third part touching the higher octave notes and ending with the humming shows yet again his logical mind.

If the first interlude is interplay of different instruments, the major part of the second interlude uses only the voices. Janaki in upper octave, SPB in lower octave, upper, lower, upper, lower, lower, upper… followed by the chorus. Is this what is called as creative innovation? The Shehnai and the keys then take over the musical romance..

The title of the song is apt. And if people fail to notice the gold and forget to enjoy the fragrance of the flowers, whose loss is it anyway?

http://www.divshare.com/download/24878463-825 

Maestros..

The ball turned, bounced, clipped the top of the pads and went to the slips. The fielder caught it and the entire fielding team-including the substitutes sitting inside the pavilion appealed for the ‘catch’. The umpire raised his finger. The batsman, on 96 had to go. Without any protest, with a wry smile adorning his face, he walked. An era came to an end.

This happened on the 17^th of March 1987. The batsman under reference is Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, who was also called as the ‘Run machine’.

Exactly 25 years after this, on the 16^th of March 2012, an Indian batsman scored his 100^th 100 in International Cricket. His name is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

Though both belonged to two different eras, the similarities between the two are striking.

Both are short and are (were) called as ‘Little Masters’.

Records tumbled almost every time they batted.

Both were the scourge of the opposition bowlers- who were shivering in their shoes just at the sight of these two taking guard.

The senior’s last innings was against Pakistan while his debut was against the West Indies. The younger one’s debut was against Pakistan and his last innings against the West Indies.

If only we choose to observe closely, we will know that there is always a link between different things in the world and that everything happens with a purpose.

In this case, it looked as though it was a Divine wish that Indian Cricket be bestowed with geniuses.

Though comparisons are odious and serve no purpose, it must be accepted that the younger one, achieved much more than what the senior achieved.

Leave alone the records. Consider the batting style. The younger one had an attacking style going after the bowling with will and had a near-perfect technique too while the senior was an epitome of patience and perseverance with a very solid defence.  

Much has of course been written about Sachin Tendulkar in the last one month or so and therefore I am not going to say anything more. All I can say is that he was an artiste of a totally different kind and watching him play was like listening to great music or watching a beautiful performance of classical dance.

Whether it was the sand storm innings or the knock fighting a severe back pain or the literal massacre of the world renowned leg spinner or the blitzkrieg against world’s fastest bowlers, Sachin has been a  the connoisseurs’ delight and the darling of the masses. This feature alone makes him one of the greatest cricketers the world has seen.

No doubt he had the natural ability but what set him are his hard work, and a willingness to always learn. That is why it pains whenever I see the word ‘God of cricket’ for if at all he is God, then  does it not take away all the credit? Will it be a surprise if God ‘performs’ well? After all, that is what he is expected to do.

Sachin Tendulkar is a man in flesh and blood just like you and me. Only difference is he is a genius par excellence.

By the same reasoning, ILaiyaraaja is not (in fact no human is) God of Music. He is a man, who despite his humble upbringing and background rose to the pinnacle by sheer hard work and perseverance.

Their rare genius maybe because of the ‘puNyaa’ of previous births but their greatness lies in the fact that they never rested on their laurels. That is why they are Maestros in their own way.

It will be not out of place to dedicate a song of the music Maestro to the other Maestro. The rare gem of today, Ponvaanile from Anbin Mugavari(1985) maybe a love duet but the wordings surely suit the genius and the very different tune and interludes are the musical expressions of his batting.

The song starts with the soft but dynamic guitar followed by the keys, the solo violin, the whistle, keys. A beautiful stroke on the offside with the strings pulling it to the fence..

The Pallavi in the voices of SPB and Suseela is a wristy flick to the legside with the ball travelling in ‘ta ka dhi mi ta ka’.

The guitar in the first interlude is a lofted drive while the violin is a straight drive with a still head. We see the neat, clean and a mesmerising cover drive in the piped instrument even as the drums change the pattern sounding ‘ta ki ta’ 8 times. The perfect square cut is on view as the strings ooze with melody.

The first part of the CharaNam interspersed with the flute is a wonderful on drive and the next part is a gentle push to the off side.

The second interlude makes us see the upper cut and the hook (strings), subtle and gentle off drive(guitar and piano), reverse sweep( solo violin), perfect defensive stroke( violin plus piano) and cheeky singles( piano keys).

The different pieces of violins in between the lines as the Pallavi is rendered in the end are innovative strokes possible only by Maestros- one a Cricketer and the other a Musician!

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On Eroticism..

There are many questions in my mind for which I don’t find convincing answers.

Why are politicians always mean and cunning?

What is the relation between acting and politics?

Are actors clever politicians or are politicians great actors?

Why do we Indians behave so well and disciplined, care for environment, follow traffic rules strictly and be good when we go abroad (or live there) but when we visit our country we go to our old ways?

Why do we get up and go when a concert is still on?

Why do we still consider sexuality and eroticism as taboos?

The list of my questions is somewhat huge and since this is not the forum for listing them all, let me stop lest I be accused of defaming my own countrymen. Moreover, of the 7 questions listed, the first 6 are not relevant at least to my today’s post. So, let us focus on the 7^th question alone for the time being.

The replies-if at all some people bother to reply- may vary from ‘Our culture does not permit discussing these aspects openly’ to ‘We Indians are hypocrites’.  But is it true that our culture is rigid and does in no way encourage open discussion or even for that matter views sex as a very personal thing and has refrained from open exhibition?

People who say ‘Yes’ to this question must visit Khajuraho, Konark and also many temples in India and look at the sculptures. If indeed it is a fact that our ancestors considered it as something very personal why would such sculptures exist and that too in places of worship?

Our ancestors had an aesthetic view of everything including sexuality, but somehow it lost its value over a period of time. What is strange is that there are extreme views about this subject. Either it borders(many times even crosses the border) on vulgarity or there is hushed silence.This is very obvious if one watches the so called ‘comedy sequences’ in the present day movies where all the ‘popular comedians’ thrive only on vulgarising sex corrupting our minds and making us believe that sex means vulgarity and obscenity or even the other way around.

Continuing with eroticism, some of the great works in Indian literature are erotic. By great works, I mean even the Bhakti literature. Take the Azhwars for example. AandaL pines for the Lord Ranganatha and some of the verses ooze with eroticism. In one of the Tiruppavais, she describes the private part of a friend. In her Naachiyar Thirumozhi, there have been references to the ‘fiery bosoms’. Thirumangaiyaazhwar, assuming the role of a naayika has penned down the sufferings of a beloved separated from her Hero and his descriptions include the way the organs of the naayika’s body is affected because of the separation.

Jayadeva’s Geeta Govindam which talks about the love between Radha and Krishna is full of erotic descriptions. So are Annamacharya’s many kritis, with some kritis even talking about the nuptials. As you know Annamayya was a great devotee of Lord Venkateswara who is the Naayaka in his kritis with the naayika being Padmavathy alias Goddess Lakshmi.

AruNagirinathar, who ‘saw it all’ before becoming a devotee of Lord Muruga describes the act itself in many of his Thiruppugazhs at the same time spewing venom on all the women in the world!

I have mentioned all these not with any intention to degrade the gods (as many of you know, I am a Believer and atheism is no longer part of my system); nor is it my intention to show all the great poet-devotees in poor light. I love all their poems. I am only trying to show that the subject under reference was never a taboo in our culture as widely believed. Of course I do not want to get into the deeper meanings of the poems at this juncture. All I can say is that these poets did not have any qualms in mentioning or describing these things and they even found it a way to reach higher and sublime plane.

This in fact answers my question which I raised long back in some of my posts about ILaiyaraaja. I had asked as to how it was possible for this gentleman known for his spiritual leanings to compose erotic songs. In fact, one of the accusations against him has been that he was instrumental in bringing in and infusing vulgarity in film songs. People who make such comments without doubt miss the wood for tree. They do not understand the compulsions of a film music composer. Of course, there have been songs that surely border on vulgarity(Madani Madani in Kadal MeengaL for example) but what can a composer do when the lyricist, director and the producer are convinced about certain things. ‘Nila Kaayudhu’(Sakalakalavallavan) and a few other songs too fall under this category.

But what is great about this gentleman is that not only does he compose such songs like a true karma yogi and like the water drops on lotus leaf but also brings out the subtle emotions. It maybe because he acts more like a catalyst while composing such songs or even maybe it does not attract him as much as it attracts a majority of us and it is just another day in office for him.

Even his ‘just another day’ produces some great compositions and that is where the beauty lies. ‘Enge enge’ from ‘Iniya uRavu pooththadhu’( 1987) is a classic example.

This erotic song in the voice of Janaki’s shows how beautiful eroticism could be.

The humming, bass instruments, beats and of course the tune make it a complete composition. But there is one amazing thing about this song which makes it a song par excellence. I have heard devotional songs, romantic duets, pathos songs, lullabies in KalyaNi but have ever across an erotic song in this raga. Probably this is the only one in that genre.

I have also often found that he liberally uses a host of Bass instruments in such songs and also in the BGM for such sequences. In the prelude of ‘Enge’, we find a horn like instrument as bass while the interlude has an instrument almost sounding like the one in the prelude but is more ‘guitarish’.  When both these meet and mingle in the second interlude, it is pure bliss.

Yet another highlight of this composition is the way percussion is used to depict the emotions.In the Pallavi-which is in ateeta eduppu- there is Bass guitar, Rhythm guitar and the drums all sounding in Tisram. The first interlude has yet another new instrument, some kind of a S.E.Asian percussion instrument that accompanies the guitar. It is the Tabla in the CharaNams that creates the mood with some subtle variations in Tisram, sounding  ‘ta ta ta  ki ta ta’ with a gap of 3 beats before the next ‘ta ta ki ta ta’ in the first two lines and playing without any gap in the following lines.

The same Tabla sounds ‘ta ta taangu ta ki ta taangu’ in the second interlude along with the guitar.Goes to show how even rhythm can be exploited to give the erotic feel.

The melodic instruments are not far behind.The flute in the first interlude playing staccato notes first and then cooing like a bird and the guitar in both the interludes jump with a twinkle in their eyes.

The last lines in the CharaNams tell us what this composition is all about..

Or do they convey more?

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Ragas and Moods..

Is it true that each raga has a mood of its own?

Long back, I had written about ‘moods and ragas’. I had also asked as to what determines the mood of a raga-is it the perceived inherent quality or is it the way it is used in a composition. If one goes by the ‘inherent perceived quality’, then Mukhari is a ‘crying raga’ and is more apt for sad situations.But then how is it that ‘aanandam aananadam aanandame’ played on the nagaswaram  immediately after the ‘maangalyadharaNam, is in Mukhari? Saint Tyagaraja’s ‘Enta ninne’ in the same Mukhari, talks about the ‘bhagya’ of Sabhari and does not cry for Sabhari.Many more examples –about some other ragas too-can be given but I shall give that in some of my forthcoming posts whenever required.

So, what is my verdict on the mood of the raga? Is it just a perception or is it a fact?

Considering that music or for that matter appreciating music is subjective, it is somewhat difficult to say what emotions or feelings a particular raga evokes. In fact, how many of us can even express the emotions we undergo while listening to music? At the same time, I feel some ragas do have specific moods. This is particularly true in classical music. By saying this, I don’t mean to say that ragas in film music do not have any mood. All said and done, film music has a grammar of its own. This grammar of film music cannot be defined or structured. It all depends on the composer.

That brings us to the next point. If the composer is the authority and if the tune is ‘owned’ by him, why is it that he/she chooses a particular raga for a sequence? Just 3 months ago, I raised this point in my post in a forum in social media. First of all, does a composer decide about the raga before starting to compose or does it ‘just happen’?  Geniuses like ILaiyaraaja and MSV say that ‘it just happens’. But being a person who has listened to a majority of their compositions, I would slightly disagree here.  For example, before ‘PaadaiRiyen’ was composed the former was clear that he would compose in Saramati. ‘Gowrimanohariyai kaNden’(MazhalappattaLam) cannot be a case of ‘just happening’ as far as MSV is concerned.

However, having composed for nearly 1000 films, both the veterans surely knew what they were talking and would have meant it.

If that is the case, is it also not a fact that they have composed in many classical ragas and would they have done this unknowingly? Certainly not.  It is just that because of their knowledge, the tune  follows a raga pattern and they are very much aware of it. After all, does not music flow from their veins and not from computers?

In my most recent special post written exclusively for ‘Geetanjali-2013’, I had written about how a classical raga like Shanmukhapriya has been used by ILaiyaraaja to suit different occasions. Using this raga in humorous situations is surely ‘out of the box’ thinking. Music composers before him would have shuddered to even think of having Shanmukhapriya as the base of any ‘kiNdal’ or ‘NaiyyaaNdi’ song.

But if one has really listened to his ‘kuththu’ songs in this ragam,  one can’t help not appreciating the genius-that is if one has an open mind.

Needless to say that the rare gem of the day is a composition in this ragam.

The situation in the movie(Anne Anne-1983) is somewhat interesting. A rich man who has come up in life by ‘cycling’ his way to the top wants to go back to his roots as he hates the hypocritical and the snobbishness of the upper crest. A youngman from a poor background wants to be rich. They exchange places. This song is rendered to welcome the rich man to the slum.

‘Vettu Vedippom’ starts with a typical ‘Band vaadhya’ beginning with the trumpets and the clarinet playing the tune of an old song( Ulagam piRanthathu enakkaaga). But exactly after 25 seconds, the first time listeners are in for a huge surprise. The drums play with vigour and the keys sound different sets of swaras in pure Shanmukhapriya!

Malaysia  Vasudevan starts bursting the crackers with the chorus following him and what a colourful spectacle it is.. The line ‘Vandirukkum’ gives all the shades of Shanmukhapriya in a matter of 8 seconds.

The Nagaswaram goes on a trip in the first half of the first interlude while the second half is peppered with ‘naiyyaaNdi’ with the bass guitar and a host of instruments literally showing a kuththu dance.

The versatility of Malaysia Vasudevan comes to the fore in the first CharaNam as he first sings like a old man, goes back to normal and even sings a nice ‘akaaram’ for two full cycles, finally singing like another character who cannot pronounce the letters ‘pa’ and ‘ta’(both pronounced as ‘fa’!).

The CharaNam has 4 parts. The first and the second parts are sung by the ‘old man’ with a brief sangati in ‘veNum’. The next part is rendered by the chorus with a beautiful shade of the raga in ‘kaNakkule’.

The fourth part is more classical with the ‘akaaram’ and the reverberating mridangam.

The second interlude is a mélange of sorts. The ‘Band’ first twists and twirls. The  Nagaswaram joins to the subtle accompaniment of the trumpets with the keys giving a funny sound. The Nagaswaram then dances on the street rather nonchalantly.The great sight comes to an end with the drums saying,’ o k no w’ ‘o k no w’.

The subtle changes in the fourth line of second charaNam and the differently sounding ‘ekaaram’ in the last part instead of the ‘akaaram’ in the corresponding line in the first charaNam make the song more attractive.

‘A sacrilege’!  This is how a ‘purist’ would have commented when told that a ‘kuththu’ song is in Shanmukhapriya.

Is it really?

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On relationships..

Relationships are always special. In an Indian milieu, these acquire more meanings since ours is one of the few cultures in the world where the term nuclear family has not yet become a passé and where respect to elders is given a lot of importance.

It is not that other cultures do not care for relationships but the way we treat the concept of family is entirely different. By nature we are also more emotional and many a times let the heart rule over the head. Whether this is good or not, one doesn’t really know and it surely depends on the situation, how far these emotions are carried.

Today’s rare gem revolves around a lady perfectionist to the core and therefore emotional to the hilt and who parts ways with her husband because he had hidden his dark past to her. The son is brought up by the father. Over a period of time she mellows down (isn’t that what a woman is supposed to be in tamizh movies?) and has a yearning to see her grown up son.

What will she do now?

Well, if it is real life, overridden with emotions, she would either write a letter to her son or try to speak to him at least on the phone. But in movies, the lady would sing and dance. This again is a debatable topic. Though this part-a song and dance sequence – is the most artificial part in an Indian movie, it is still the most enjoyable. If only this was not there in a movie, how would we have got some great songs and listened to some great music? Blessing in disguise!!

Nowhere do I find artificial elements interesting than in a song sequence in our movies. But again, let me hasten to add that this applies to not all the songs. For a song to be great, it must have a nice tune, melodious but sensible orchestration, good voice and lyrics that are unforgettable.

At least 95% of songs in ILaiyaraaja’s music have the first two aspects. I do not want to comment on the third aspect now and maybe write a separate post on that. The last mentioned aspect is surely found wanting now. That is why, I keep wondering how it would have been if only one lyricist was alive and had not had a premature death.Nothing is in our hands. I would like to leave it at that.

Though it would surprise many, the fact remains that I started paying attention to KaNNadasan’s lyrics only after he left this world. The more I listened, the more I liked. The more I liked, the more I learnt. The writings in this community are never complete without a post on the 2^nd June and on the 24^th June. On this day-which I would like to call as ‘Poets’ Day’- I yet again offer my praNaams to the genius.

Let me go back to the sequence we saw in the beginning. The sequence I was referring to is from the movie ‘Rishimoolam’(1980). Though I have not yet watched the sequence (thankfully!), the song ‘Mazhai varuvadhu’ has always been one of my most favourites.

All the aspects-tune, orchestration, voice and lyrics- are great to say the least.

The tune is in Nata Bhairavi. There are innumerable number of songs in Tamizh Film Music in this ‘scale’ but not all follow the classical Nata Bhairavi. As some of you know, Nata Bhairavi is one of the minor scales in WCM. But ‘Mazhai varuvadhu’ gives the shades of the raga so beautifully.

The Pallavi is in ‘ateeta eduppu’. However, more than all these, there are certain aspects in this song that makes it one of the best.

Tamizh Film Music has hardly had the kind of structure that this song has.

 Take the second part of the Pallavi-‘ini avaLathu ulagaththil pagalenna irvenna magane kathiravanaam avaL ninaivinil avane pudhu nilavaam’. This line which runs for 1 1/4^th avartanam,  is sung in single breath. Secondly, the line appears to be flat but it is sung with a rolling voice.

The line of the charaNam flows smoothly with the violins galloping for a full cycle of taLam. However, what makes the charaNams unique and beautiful is the way the lines take an ascent slowly and steadily.

Mid octave>lower octave>higher octave.

The ‘akaaram’ at the end,  that again runs for one cycle is simply out of the world.

Can’t imagine anybody else apart from Janaki singing this song with such a great felicity..

In terms of the lyrics, the Pallavi itself gives the gist.

‘Like the peacock which knows about the rain, a mother knows her son’.

Comparison that stumps us!

And to convey that from now on her son is her world, the poet says ‘ he is the sun, he is the full moon’.

The first charaNam talk about her outspokenness ,her tendency to make hasty decision s and her transformation while those in the second talks about the past, the present and her eagerness to announce to the world that ‘yes, I am his mother’.

The orchestration and arrangement prove yet again as to why he is considered to be one of the greatest ever.

The opening itself is dazzling. The guitar is vibrant with the Tabla tarang first giving a very short sketch of the first phrase of the Pallavi. The strings trundle, the sublime flute takes a flight, the veena replies with a serene smile, the strings play a part of the Pallavi and the flute like instrument jump.

So many variations in a matter of 52 sec!

The first interlude sees the single violin first, playing in western style. The flute then charts its own journey followed by the pristine veena . The guitar repeats the notes of the veena .It seems like  micro composition by itself. The strings then move with vigour with the table tarang jumping once every two beats.

We see myriad images in the second interlude with the Tabla tarang which is joined by the piano. It is ripples of melody for a while and then it is a fountain of western classical music played by the strings. The flute joins again in Indian classical style backed by the veena.. The keys follow and the strings complete the proceedings.

This relationship between the swaras, words,instruments and voice-isn’t it very special? 

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