Value

Recently during the World Cup match between West Indies and Zimbabwe, a question popped up on the screen. It was the usual kind of question where 4 options were given and the viewers were asked to cast their votes. I am sure most of you remember that it was a match in which a batsman by name Chris Gayle got a double hundred, the first in any WC

The question was- Which is the best  ever World Cup Innings by a West Indies batsman and the options were 1.Clive Lloyd 1975, 2.Viv Richards 1979  3.Brian Lara 1996 4.Chris Gayle 2015.

A majority voted for Chris Gayle. This was not surprising since people were still in the euphoria of having watched the innings just a few hours before. But what was disappointing to me was the percentage of votes for Clive Lloyd- an abysmal 2%.

Why was it disappointing to me? Am I a Lloyd fan? Or was it because I recalled that innings and the radio commentary on BBC (please remember that the Indian viewers saw a WC match for the first time on the 25^th June 1983 and until then one had to depend on the radio commentary on BBC) and that the West Indies recovered from an early loss of quick wickets solely due to this innings and his partnership with Rohan Kanhai? Or the mental vision of the ball flying from his bat when ODIs were in a nascent stage was so enthralling to a school boy who until then had known only test match cricket(again through the radio) and Ranji Trophy?

The reason for my disappointment is a combination of all these. But there was something else too. And that was- This generation does not seem to respect History and things which are not familiar to them.

Ask any Indian born after 1980 about the most memorable moment of World Cups in the previous century and the reply would be Kapil Dev holding the Cup at Lord’s on the 25^th June 1983. While there is nothing wrong in basking in the glory of an Indian cricket team’s first ever success in a major tournament, I feel people must also make an effort to know about happenings before that.

Yes without a trace of doubt, that day was a very significant day not just in terms of pride but also in terms of inspiring youngsters across the country. But does that mean that one should be totally ignorant of History?

Now consider this. ODIs were played in all whites with the red cherry and without any fielding restrictions. Bats were not heavy and boundaries were not short. Analysing the opposition teams in terms of SWOT and using videos(what is that?) were all unheard of. Despite all these unfavourable factors, a batsman scored his hundred in 85 deliveries with 12 boundaries and 2 sixes? If this is not an achievement, what else is?

No, I am not the one who believes in living in the past and criticise the present crop saying ‘You know those days..’ Nor am I a cynic who believes that the ‘present’ is nothing and has zero talent while the ‘past’ is everything and nothing can match the talent. But at the same time, it pains me that hardly a few are even aware of the inaugural World Cup and one of the most remarkable innings played with limited resources.

I find a lot of similarities between this and the way ILaiyaraaja’s music is being perceived. A majority of his fans (and this includes the so called ‘die-hard fans’) does not know much about his songs from his early years. Between May 1976 and Nov 1980, he scored music for 100 films. At the most, people can list out about 20 movies and some 50-60 songs. The impression in many- ‘70s songs are not great, his magic started only in the ‘80s’. This impression has more to do with the mindset which in turn is due to ignorance. It is a fact that some of his greatest compositions happened during this time and if ILaiyaraaja has to be seen as whole, his ‘70s songs must be listened to and cherished.

The Rare Gem of the day has some interesting stories behind it. The first story  which is rather simple- though not known to many- is that this was singer Sujatha’s first ever Tamizh song(a fact not known to even her daughter Swetha, who in one of the TV shows mentioned that ‘Oru Iniya manadhu’ was her first). This song was released a full 3 years before ‘Oru Iniya Manadhu’.But if one goes to you tube looking for the visuals, they can never find it.

Yes, the song was released as part of the EP record, but the song was unceremoniously ‘chopped off’. This in fact is the most interesting and intriguing story.

If at all in his early years Raaja sir was very upset with something, it was the film ‘Kavikkuyil’ and the reasons were many.

One- For the first time, his album had 7 songs.

Two- For a person being accused of having little knowledge in Carnatic Music, he composed two songs in pure Carnatic ragas and made a great Carnatic legend sing those two. To top it all, the raga of one of these songs was never used by any film music composer until then and the ragas of the other song were specifically from a particular chakram in the mela karta system. Almost all are familiar with the former which is in a raga called Ritigowlai while many are still not familiar with the latter, a song which I took as a special song in Geetanjali -2012.

Three- He did some beautiful experiments with a particular song but this song was not ‘liked’(no, not again!) by the distributors who insisted that the song be taken out from the movie so that the movie will appeal better to the masses.

Four- Despite his best efforts, the movie bombed.

Let us now focus on the third one and see if it appeals to you and me.

The song starts with a very simple humming of Sujatha and this happens to be the prelude.

The Pallavi is simple too-or that is what it seems to be.

However, there are some hidden intricacies. First, we have the ‘podi sangatis’ in ‘Oviyam’ and also a sudden jump from ‘pa’ to the upper ‘Sa’. ‘KaNden’ ‘Kanavo’ ‘Ninaivo’ also have some beautiful sangatis with the last mentioned going in lower octave as ‘dha. pa.sa’. The last line is interesting as well with prayogas like ‘ga ma dha ni pa dha ma pa ga ma’.

The composition essentially has the swaras of Harikambhoji with the last line in the CharaNam mixing the other ‘ni’. However, the unmistakable Hindustani flavour forces me to classify this under ‘Mishra Khamaj’. In any case, nomenclature doesn’t matter as long as one is able to enjoy the song.

The CharaNams too are beautifully structured with some pleasing sangatis(note the one after ‘maalai pozhudhinile’ in the first CharaNam which extends for 12 cycles of Tisram) and higher octave swaras predominantly in the second and the third lines.

The Tabla is the only percussion which goes in the ‘mel kaala tisram’ from the second line in the CharaNam(s).Apart from this, of course there is that subtle bass guitar which backs the vocals.

Now, for those interludes.

The norm those days was three CharaNams and Raaja sir consistently gave three different interludes.

The Violins which start innocuously in the beginning of the first interlude effortlessly touch the higher octave. The subtle Santoor and the Bass Guitar are not to be missed. The Chorus suddenly appears from nowhere and sing in perfect harmony as the Strings and the Bass Guitar back it with elegance. The Strings take over and play in Indian Classical Style with gamakam , while yet another set of Strings responding briefly and gracefully. The Santoor follows and adds a different touch totally. One hears traces of Raag Mishra MaaNd here.

The second interlude is dominated by the Veena (played with finesse by E.Gayathri) with the humming of the Chorus super imposed and the Santoor nodding its head now and then. It is two sets of the Strings again involved in a brief ‘call and response’.

It is the third interlude which is my most favourite. In fact, it never fails to give me goose bumps even when I think of it.

A single Violin first plays very briefly as if to give a cue and the set of Strings play a melody. The Tabla alternates between ‘ta ka dhi mi ta ka’ and a gap for the same number of beats. After two rounds of this dialogue between the single and the group, a couple of more Violins join the first one and sketch a melody with the other set of Strings playing their original melody. The Bass Guitar plucks a String and then starts the magic. The Chorus hums with exactitude with the Bass Guitar caressing the humming with some beautiful patterns. The VeeNa joins and plays its own melody. Now, this is heavenly indeed! It seems as if Tyagaraja and Bach meet in the heavens with the angels showering the flowers. Finally, the Strings enter and the VeeNa responds to them with an unmatched majesticity!

Is it possible to evaluate the purity of this Gold?

I don’t think so. How about you?

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Reverse Sweep

Reverse Sweep

Being unconventional is both good and bad depending on how we see it. 

I for one never encourage or like gimmickry or 'circus work' in a pure classical concert and I surely frown upon people who indulge in it. It is not so much because I hate experimentation but because I believe in certain values. Any classical art-as the name suggests- should adhere to the norms strictly and maintain thesanctity. By saying this, if I am branded as a 'puritan' so be it. I love being one. 

That is why, I do not like some of the artistes who in the garb of 'janaranjakam' play to the gallery and earn encomiums from the 'masses'. But at what cost this is done is surely debatable. 'Simplifying music' is a broad term and what this simply means is questionable. 

At the same time, I am not against creativity or innovation in classical music. The most beautiful aspect ofCarnatic Music is 'manodharma' and the creativity of the artiste comes bubbling out with energy in the 'aalaapana' or the 'swara singing' segments. But it is indeed tantalising as the temptation to go overboard and showcase all that they know about the raga and the taaLa will be more and therefore classicism and virtuosity will in likelihood take a back seat. But the saving grace here is that classical music has seen (and been seeing) some great legends who respect the art form as the Divine Force and immerse themselves in it. They know to strike the right balance with the result that both the artiste and the listeners  undergo a unique experience in a totally different plane.

If you all wonder as to why I am writing this here, let me tell you that this is very relevant here. The logical question in your mind will now be 'This person is talking about 'dilution of classical music'. Then why is he a fan/follower of a 'cine-musician'?' Yes, your question is justified to a great extent. 

Note the key words 'pure classical music concert'. Film music is a different cup of tea altogether. While a classical music concert is attended by people who have the interest/inclination, films are watched by one and all. Therefore, the songs are composed keeping this in mind. There was of course a time when film music was dominated purely by classical music. My father used to say that even a rickshaw puller would be singing a MKT or a P.U.Chinnappa song with the same sangatis. However, the scenario changed over a period of time and one saw lighter shades more than the classical shades. Different forms of music were also melded together. This gave an opportunity for all to listen to different melodies and the songs along with some meaningful lyrics, became part of life for a majority.

As has been mentioned ad nauseam, Tamizh Film Music underwent a complete transformation post-1976.This gentleman found the right mix of all major world music forms and gave it as a 4 and half minute package. What is amazing is the fact that he was able to bring out the emotions of the character(s) with his tunes and the instruments. Wherever required, he used a raga and showed its full magnitude.At the same time, he also used the raga as just a scale depending on the sequence (I would say even depending on what came to him at that moment). 

Wait..Am I contradicting myself? Calling myself a puritan, I said I despised vidwans who diluted the ragas on stage while at the same time praising someone- from film industry - to the sky?

Far from it. 

As mentioned earlier, film music is a genre by itself. Though I said I don't like dilution of classical music on a classical platform, I never said I don't like other forms of music. Good music is good music in whatever form it takes. So, when a Vidwan on the stage sings a ShankarabharaNam or a Todi, as a classicist, I expect him/her to sing it with the requisite bhava. At the same time, I enjoy a melodious film song  when it is played. After all, there are certain rules of the game.

The fact that I started enjoying and appreciating classical music only because of the gentleman who changed the way music was composed in films, has been said many times and I shall elaborate on this again soon in some other post. Let me go back to what he did and what he has been doing in terms of the raga or a scale. Classical ragas assumed new meanings and saw new dimensions in the way he handled those. I was talking about the rules of the game. A medium like Cinema has certain unwritten rules and one was expected to stick to the rules. But this gentleman questioned the rules in a positive way. One of the classic examples is the rare gem of the day.

A Club Dance sequence invariably had a western tinge what with the electric guitars, trumpets sounding in high decibels with the drums/bongos in full throttle. How did this Master change this thinking?

'Yaar maamano' from VetRikku Oruvan(1980) is supposedly a song in such a sequence. The Maestro first based the tune in a classical ragam, Gowrimanohari. Next, he predominantly used the Tabla. Result? ADisco song with classical undercurrents. Wouldn't this make Edward de Bono proud?

The song starts with a sustained sound of the Keys. The Bass Guitar moves with its unique elegance and one hears a very subtle sound of the drums. The Guitar appears now and pauses after playing a very brief melody to give way to the Tabla. What a beautiful Chatushram pattern the latter plays! This pattern itself can be called as the leit motif. The Electric Guitar follows now and both the Tabla and the Drums back it. The Raga is now beautifully narrated by the Twin-Violin with a sound which can at best be described as 'out of the world'. The single Violin finally shows the western contours very briefly and along with a couple of melodic instruments leads us to the Pallavi.

The Pallavi in the graceful voice of Janaki shows the distinct colours of the raga. The percussive treat of the combination of the Tabla and Drums together with the Bass Guitar should not be missed here.

After a brief sketch by the Keys and the Bass Guitar, the Piper and the Guitar evoke a focussed ambience in the first interlude. But what steals the show is the Saxophone which hops, skips, jumps and makes liquid glides. Jazzy to the core! The Guitar in higher octave gives moments of beauty.

The CharaNams start with a 'ta naa naa' humming and ends with a 'mmm kaaram' in the sensuous voice of Janaki. The second segment where it touches the higher octave is awe-inspiring.

The second interlude is a rendezvous of sorts. It starts with the Laya conversation between the Tabla and theDrums. The Tabla first plays Ta ka dhi mi four times for two cycles. The Drums reply for one cycle. TheTabla again plays for two cycles and this time the Drums reply in two cycles.

After this 'Laya Vinyaasa', the single Violin plays in higher-octave with an unmatched elegance. It is inHindustani style first and then in Western Classical style. A couple of western instruments follow and play the same melody. The Piano Keys then woo us playing with a mesmerising and a magnetic style. Finally, the interlude ends with a Carnatic style of a brief 'kuraippu'.

All major forms in a matter of 4 and half minutes in a Film Club-Dance sequence.

Yes, any shot can be played within the rules of the game...

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Hope and Faith

How many of you are familiar with the name Lazarus?

As per the Bible, Lazarus of Bethany was a great devotee/follower of Jesus. He falls ill and though Jesus comes to know about this, he stays put at his place for some days. Upon reaching Bethany, he is told by Lazarus’ sisters that Lazarus died four days back. Jesus goes to the Tomb, says a prayer and asks Lazarus to come out. Lazarus rises from the grave alive!

The Bible quotes Jesus as saying "I am the resurrection, and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die".

This resurrection conveys a lot.

1. Anything can be undone with true faith and belief.

2. Resurrection and Rebirth are facts.

3. ‘Dead’ does not denote just people. It is just symbolic and denotes things/deeds.

Lest I be understood as a philosopher or even a religious preacher ( I hate the word ‘religion’ anyway), let me tell you that the idea behind saying all these is to put across certain facts as experienced by me. In fact, there is nothing that life does not teach us. It is in our hands to understand why things happen (either favouring us or against us) and move on. Once we let go of things, we are born new.. and this is what is resurrection!

In my post on the New Year Day in 2012, I asked if there is any significance in celebrating New Year Day. After all, it is just another day! I further wrote that  ‘ Every New Year brings us hope. And it is this hope which keeps us all going.’

In my opinion, ‘False Hope’ is a misnomer. Hope can never be false. Miracles happen with hope and faith and I have been experiencing it. Let us all spread positivity by being positive and acting positive.

The rare gem of the day, ‘En Anbe’ from ‘Neram Nalla Neram’(1984) is positive too. This song somehow gives me a lot of confidence to face things and also have hope though it is not like the usual old song of the ‘50s and ‘60s which preaches us to do certain things and avoid certain things. Though I have not watched the movie nor have I seen the picturisation, I feel it is sung by a lady to motivate her beloved.

To start with, the tune in Madhyamavati is sweet and majestic. Next, we have wordings like ‘muyandraal eduvum mudiyum’(Try and you will succeed surely!), ‘aaha, pudu aarambham’(Oh, it is a good beginning), ‘naaLum maatRam kaaNum’(change happens every day), ‘puliyenave ezhundu vidu’(Rise like a tiger). Finally, the postlude has the vocals reaching a crescendo making us go in a trance.

The prelude has the beautiful humming of Janaki with the Keys and the Strings moving innocuously.

The Pallavi in pure Madhyamavati has his trademark ‘podi sangatis’. The lines in the CharaNams are fluent too and alien notes in the second part CharaNams go with the flow of the song and does not sound jarring at all.

How a keyboard can be used and should be used is demonstrated yet again in the first interlude. The special sounds in the beginning, in the middle and towards the end are different and melodious. The Strings appear thrice and each time there is a variation. His penchant for variation continues in the percussion too with the Chatushram sounding ‘ta ka – mi’ in the first part (keys), sounding just the first syllable and that too subtly in the second part (higher octave strings) and not sounding at all in the last part (‘call and response’ between the keys and the strings).

The second interlude is a rhapsody. First, there is chorus in Madhyamavati with the Strings backing it at the same time playing a different melody. There is short ‘call and response’ between the Guitar and the Veena before the Flute takes over giving some folksy shades. Not the one to give up, the Veena continues with the percussion replying ‘ta – dhi mi’ even as the Flute charts its own course in Madhyamavati. It is the turn of higher octave strings and the mid octave strings to drench us in melody. And how? The former goes for a count of four while the latter plays for a count of three with the last count left as silent!

What follows is extra ordinary and I would say this is what makes him the greatest composer Indian Film Music has ever seen. Guitar appears from nowhere and in a matter of 6 cycles of Chatushram, covers the entire range of the ragam. The Strings back it for the first 4 cycles and then remain silent. Finally these play for the first half of 2 cycles with the percussion replying in the next half as ‘- ka dhi mi’.

Who said miracles happen only in mythologies? 

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..