Artistry

What is creative thinking? What is inspiration? Or these two mutually exclusive or inclusive?

In Management, a creative thinker is defined as one who looks at problems or situations from a fresh perspective and suggests unorthodox solutions. Inspiration is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

All geniuses get inspired from others’ works. The episode involving Kamban and a farmer and the line ‘moongil ilai mele thoongum pani neere’ is well known to people who follow Tamizh Literature(people who are not aware of this need not worry.It will be part of a forthcoming post).

Some of the compositions of Raaja sir’s have been inspired from the works of some great composers. But the genius that he is, Raaja sir took just a few lines and expanded these in his own way. In all fairness to the great legends, some of the inspired pieces even sound better than the original.

In any case, this post is not about such pieces. It is about Raaja getting inspired by Raaja.

It is not uncommon for directors to quote some known popular songs and ask for the same tune(s). Here, I am talking about his own songs in other languages. A normal composer would simply give the same tune and the tracks. In fact, they would even thank the director mentally for reducing the ‘burden’. But not this genius..He sees to it that even in remakes, he adds some subtle changes. The case of ‘Lalita Priya Kamalam’ and ‘Idhazhil Kadhai Ezhuthum’ is a classic example.

I can of course quote many examples, but for now, let me focus on the song of the day. ‘Maanjolai KiLidhaano’, in my opinion is a masterpiece in Laya. I have written about the Laya aspect elaborately in my other blog (https://rajamanjari.blogspot.in/2014/07/laya-raaja-3.html)  and have also explained albeit briefly during the Laya Raaja presentation in Geetanjali-2016. I shall take this up more elaborately in the next Laya Raaja presentation.

‘Kizhakke Pogum Rail’ was remade in telugu as ‘Toorpu Velle Railu’, but the director was different. Yes, the music director was different too(SPB) and the tunes were totally different. This movie was released in 1979. Around the same time, ‘Panchabhootalu’ was released too. I am really not sure if the director of ‘Panchabhootalu’ wanted the tune or Raaja sir himself decided to use the tune(this is unlikely anyway) but the fact is ‘Kavvinche Kallalo’ was born.

While the tamizh version is a male solo, the telugu version is a duet in the voices of SPB and Suseela. But let us see how the Master has improvised his own composition.

To start with, the two are in different shrutis. Secondly, the ‘kaala pramaaNam’(aka as the tempo) is different with the tamizh one in a slightly faster tempo.

The tamizh version starts with the percussion(and what a ‘tani aavartanam’ it is..would make a carnatic percussionist proud!). ‘Kavvinche..’ starts with a very brief sitar piece followed by the sympathetic strings with the bell sounding different notes simultaneously. Suseela’s akaaram follows. SPB pitches in with his akaaram(what a beautiful and different counterpoint!). Suddha Dhanyasi sketched in a matter of seconds by the painter!

The percussion takes over. Now, it is the same laya pattern like its Tamizh original but there is a change in the instruments. In ‘Maanjolai’, the friendly banter is predominantly between the pakhawaj and the tabla. In ‘Kavvinche..’, the mugarsing(or morsing) enters the fray and plays along with the tabla to add spice. There is a subtle difference in the sound of tabla and pakhawaj too.

The subtle difference is seen in the structure of the lines in the Pallavi and even in the way the tabla sounds in the background. It is sharper and more distinct in the telugu version.

One of the most beautiful aspects of the tamizh version is the sounding of the percussion for every third beat, leaving a gap of two beats in the beginning of the first interlude. It continues in the telugu version too. What is different is the combination of the instruments which follow. If it is the veena which sounds in ‘Maanjolai’, it is the jalatarangam in ‘Kavvinche’. Moreover, the sitar follows in the latter. There is a subtle change in the flute piece too, especially in the beginning.

The first CharaNam remains almost the same except that one sees a couple of more podi sangatis in Suseela’s rendering. Of course, that beautiful ‘ta ki ta/ ta ki  ta/ ta ki  ta / ta ki  ta/ ta ka dhi mi’ in the last line is retained without any change.

What happens in the second interlude proves my strong conviction that ILaiyaraaja is the greatest composer in Indian Film Music. In the tamizh version, the raga changes to Kharaharapriya( with some magical orchestration and laya exercises) and this continues in the first half of the second CharaNam.

The Master does not change the raga in the telugu version. Instead, he uses only the vocals (chorus and Suseela) in the entire interlude. He then improvises giving a totally new melody (in the same raga) in the first half of the second CharaNam(people who know telugu can appreciate the beautiful lyrics too here!). The tune in Suddha Dhanyasi, the different backing of the pakhawaj, the rendering of SPB and Suseela and the poetic lyrics transport us to a Musical New World..

The world of creativity..

Inspiration and Creativity-are these mutually exclusive or inclusive?

The Music of the Emperor will silently answer this..

                  

                  

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Similar..but Distinct

It is funny how a single word can give different meanings depending on the context. Take the word ‘Break’ for example. It means,

1.to shatter

2.to puncture

3.to malfunction

4.succeed in deciphering something

5.to interrupt

6.to take rest

7.to diminish

8.to relinquish

9.to surpass (a record for example)

10.to give way

11.to destroy

12.to undergo a change

13.to begin(dawn was breaking )

14.to pound

15.to make something public(news for example)

16.an opportunity(noun).

Oops...this is not an English class nor am I a teacher (though I love both, English as a language and me as a teacher!). So, why am I talking about this now?

It is because of two reasons with each one related to the other and both related to a song. If this sounds confusing, so be it. At times, it is enjoyable to be confused (of course, nothing can be more enjoyable than confusing others J).

Recently, I was forced to take a break (this one pertains to no.6 in the list). ‘Forced’ because I was diagnosed with an infection which is dangerously contagious and therefore I had to be ‘quarantined’ at home (don’t worry, the contagious phase is over now and by reading my post, you are unlikely to contract the infection!).

This meant that I had to be confined to home and some of the rooms were out of bounds for me. I had to depend on my family members on almost every thing. Moreover, the infection made me too uneasy. But I took this on my chin. I reasoned that somehow it had to happen and it happened. I developed my sense of gratitude, feeling happy and thankful that the infection was not that intense compared to many other adults. I felt more positive and stronger.

But I would be lying if I said that I always felt positive as there were phases when I felt extremely low. During those times, I either took a book and read or hummed some songs to myself. Of course, there is that social media as well and I took this opportunity to express myself on some of the ‘burning issues’. But what gave me real energy was the post (https://rajamanjari.blogspot.in/2018/04/ilaiyaraaja-virtuoso.html) I wrote last Sunday in my other blog. In fact, I wrote the whole post with the infection troubling me but I did not feel the discomfort(power of his music and power of analysing his music!).

What happened a day before that should be of interest. I was all alone at home and I had to go to the kitchen. It was exactly after 12 days since my infection was diagnosed. When I went to the corner, I felt some very odd feeling. It seemed as if the sink and the tap were silently telling me something. It was a feeling which I felt was familiar and yet one which I had never experienced before. Suddenly, a particular song started playing in my mind. It was so instantaneous that it gave me no room to think about the reason.

Now, last Sunday after writing the post I wanted to attend a Hindustani concert and stepped out of my home after 13 days. As the car crossed my colony, I again felt a very strange feeling, the same kind of feeling I had when I went to the kitchen 2 days ago. Each and every place looked so different to me despite being so familiar. And yes, the same song started playing in my mind.

Unlike what some of you must have guessed, it is not a pathos song. On the other hand, it is one of the peppiest songs ever in the history of Indian Film Music.

If there is one song which can do what even a pep talk cannot achieve, it is ‘Rojaappoo Aadi Vandhadhu’ from ‘Agni Nakshatram’ (1988). Just listen to the song when you feel down and see the way your body, mind and the soul react. Yes, it is meant to be a ‘gym song’(the heroine does more acrobatics and indulges in real exercise than the hero who just moves his ‘fat filled body’ here and there J) but tell me one gym song or a disco song which is filled with so much of energy and melody and I shall give up writing and move around with ‘half-moustache’ throughout my life!

What makes this song great is rather a difficult question to answer because it is a combination of many factors. However, I would like to first focus on a technical aspect and then move on to the other aspects. Though it is technical, I shall try and make it as simple as possible.

Carnatic music is known for its taaLa structure and the different unique patterns. But apart from the patterns, there are also certain other techniques. 

Let me just take up two.

1.Vinyaasam and 2. Gati Bhedam.

The first one is done when the percussionist switches from one pattern to another-say from 4 to 3- keeping a common meeting point which would be a count which would be divisible by both. For example, take a simple aadi taaLam which has a count of 8. The percussionist starts playing in tisram till the 24^th beat where 8 and 3 would meet. This is just a simple example(very soon, I am planning to make video presentations on You Tube and I am sure this will be clearer then).

The second one is said to take place when the ‘nadai’ or ‘gati’ undergoes a change but the count remains the same. For example, ‘3’ will be made to fit into ‘4’. One can put 3 beats as well as 4 beats for the same song or rather for that particular line.

In film music, I cannot think of any other composer apart from the legend from PaNNaippuram. He did it in the ending lines of the CharaNams in ‘Pallaviye CharaNam’ (https://rajamanjari.blogspot.in/2016/05/ilaiyaraaja-phenomenon.html). He did it in some more songs as well and this includes a very rare song about which I shall post soon here.

But in ‘Rojaappoo ..’ the entire composition has ‘Gati bhedam’. One can count 4 and at the same time count 3 too. The Master that he is, he has made the drums play 3 in faster mode(called as ‘mel kaalam’) while the 4 go in medium speed(‘madhyama kaalam’). So, instead of three, 6 beats are fitted in 4. I know this is somewhat (very) technical but shall soon demonstrate live.

And look at the kind of introduction the Master gives. It starts with one percussion instrument sounding only the 1^st beat and the other one sounding the 3^rd beat(no ‘gati bhedam’ here). After four 1 2 3 4(rather 1 – 3 - ), another percussion instrument joins in the 3^rd beat and this goes on for another 4 cycles. The ‘gati bhedam’ starts then..

...and it continues till the end. In between, Laya Raaja gives some special effects at the end of each line in the second part of the Pallavi(can we probably call it as ‘anu pallavi’?), in the first interlude when the drums and bass guitar indulge in a romantic play, after the last line of the CharaNams, and in the beginning of the second interlude when the drums play just briefly after the humming of the chorus.

There is ‘usi’ too in both the interludes when the chorus sings ‘chaa ..chaa cha chaaa’ in the last segment(s). What is ‘usi’ has been explained in some of the posts in my other blog, and I shall do this again in one of my forthcoming posts here.

Apart from this, there is of course the dazzling guitar, the joyful strings, and the mystical bass guitar which are present almost throughout either together or one after the other.

The construction of the entire song –in terms of the swara pattern- too needs a special mention, but since this post is already pregnant with technical details, let me succinctly say that the sudden appearance of higher octave notes after the mid-octave notes and the sudden appearance of the latter after the former, make our hearts jump(for example, in ‘Chinnanjiru Paruvam Innum Kodippadho’, the first phrase has the mid-octave notes, the second and third have the higher octave notes and the higher octave give way to the mid- octave in ‘Kodippadho’ in ‘adho’ giving that ‘sliding effect’(for a change, watch the song too and see what happens during this section J).

Ah, yes, the romantically sensuous voice of Janaki is undoubtedly an asset in this song.

So many things look the same in the song and yet they are different-whether it is 3 in 4 or it is the mid-octave and the higher octave.

And that typifies my feeling when I went to a corner in my home or saw the roads in my colony!

                  

                  

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Inscrutable?

Last night when we were listening to the songs, suddenly I said ‘Oh this is one of my most favourites’. My son asked me ‘Tell me one song which is not your favorite’. I had to then tell him that some songs are extra special and this one is one of those. But it also set me thinking. Supposing I was asked to list out my most favourite songs (in his music of course), how many songs would be part of the list?

It is a question difficult to answer. One day if I sit down and list out all these special songs, I am sure it will extend like the tail of Hanuman. I must then make a tabular column and mention the reasons for the special like. Of course this table should have the Name of the song, Name of the movie, Year of release, Singer(s), Raga ,TaaLa and finally the Reasons. An interesting exercise, no doubt! In some cases, the last column might even say ‘Don’t know. Can’t describe’J. 

Though this particular song which was played last night and set me thinking may not fall in that ‘Can’t describe’ category, I must also say that even after listing out the reasons, there will be one last line which would say ‘There is something more in this and that cannot be described’.

So, what all could be the reasons for considering the song- Thaen poove poove vaa from AnbuLLa Rajinikanth (1984)- as one of my special favourites?

In the order of priority, I would first mention about the Bass Guitar in the second interlude. Bass Guitar is an instrument which looks longer than the normal guitar and as the name suggests, it gives the bass sound. Seldom does one use it as a melodic instrument for it does not have the sweetness of a guitar. Before 1976, it was used as an instrument just to ‘back’ the other instruments and (at times) the vocals too. It was not given too much of an importance or prominence. Post- May 1976, the instrument acquired a special status by the gentleman who knew its capabilities. In fact, he used it even in songs based on Classical Ragas. He made the Bass Guitar play totally different notes from that of what the other instruments were playing or what the vocals were singing. Many times, it would be in a different Shruti or even a different Raga. Yes, normally we wouldn’t realise all these while listening to the song as a whole, but the fact remains that it gives an impetus to the entire composition.

What is amazing is that he went a step ahead and elevated Bass Guitar to a higher plane and gave it a very special place by using it as a melodic instrument in some compositions. In some other, he used it in lieu of percussion. ‘EndrendRum aaanadame’(Kadal meengaL) is a classic example of the latter while the song of the day is a classic example of the former.

Let us see how.

Bass Guitar which is slightly dominant in the prelude becomes very subtle in the Pallavi, the first interlude and the CharaNam. As if waiting for an opportunity to attack (musically), it responds to the call of the vibrant Flute as soon as the second interlude starts. Though it lasts for just about 15 seconds, the impact it has on us is unimaginable. It is zestful; it crackles with energy; it is lustrous.

The next reason (though I said ‘in the order of priority’, the difference between ‘reasons’ in a scale is just a micro point!) is the musical bit that appears towards the end of the prelude. I am not sure if the sound is made from a key board but I can say that it is wondrously beautiful and slides from the higher notes to the lower notes with felicity.

The Flute in the second half of the first interlude is the next one in the list. The composition is in minor scale with predominant notes of Kiravani plus the ni2 and dha2, which of course is allowed in western music where there is no raga concept. Now, in the piece under reference, the flute traverses to the major scale and then goes back to the minor scale. This technique called as ‘modulation’ has been used by the Maestro in many compositions  (‘Pudhu MaappiLLaikku’, ‘Puththam Pudhu Kaalai’, En KaNmaNi’ are just some examples). This particular piece is mesmerising to say the least.

The staccato Flute backed by the subtle Bass Guitar and the keys in the last half of the second interlude is effervescent and literally transports me to a garden full of flowers.

The prelude in its entirety…Scintillating to say the least.

The somewhat sober but resonant Guitar in the first interlude and the Strings in higher octave. In fact, the Strings are in higher octave all through making it a fantabulous experience.

The rhythmic pattern. Long back, I remember reading a comment in a forum that it is impossible to decipher the taalam of this composition. I think it was made to feel that way because of the strings piece in the first interlude. However, it clearly follows the Chatushra Ekam.

SPB and Janaki. Being a great admirer of both the singers, this point should have come much before. But I can also take liberties with people I like the most  J.

Last point- There is something more in this song which makes it so special. Can I explain?

No, next to impossible..

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Dolorous

Sometime during last year, I had to hire a cab for a specific purpose. The drive -on one part of ECR- was interesting and exciting not least because of the music that was being played.

It is a well known fact that whenever I drive (my car), music also travels with me. No long drive is complete without ILaiyaraaja. Today, when I saw the pen drive hanging from the USB port in the car, I asked the driver if he had ‘old songs’. He replied, ‘I have ILaiyaraaja songs only’. Needless to say I was on cloud nine. When he switched it on, it started playing a sad song. It was followed by another sad song. I asked him if I could fast forward and he obliged by doing it himself. What followed was a feast of romantic songs and as I was listening I made mental notes on songs which I felt deserved long posts (though I know all these songs, it is on such occasions that I decide to write since my mind is relatively free then).

This should be interesting. In between, whenever a sad song ‘started’, the driver would fast forward almost instantly without even waiting for my gesture (read as ‘frown’).

Now, this is a rather lengthy introduction (or is it?) . But what I am trying to say or express is that as a rule, I don’t like sad songs.

But, aren’t there exceptions to rule? And doesn’t it sound nice if rules are broken?

Precisely for this reason, I am taking up this song. If by any chance you are led to believe that this song was played today in the car, I request you to change your belief. The reason for my writing about this song has to do more with the love for my song and the only reason for my writing about what happened today and about the driver was that my non-preference for ‘sad songs’ is now known even to the driver of a reputed cab company. But the saving grace is that my love, affection, respect and madness for ILaiyaraaja songs is also known to him. He of course had to put up with my humming and singing , but that is a different story.

So, why/how is it that I love this song in particular despite its being a ‘pathos song’? Before I proceed further, let me clarify that my ‘exceptions list’ is also big and it is not that among all the sad songs, I like/love only this one. If you feel that I am contradicting myself, let me also clarify that that is what is my intention..

‘Maadaa un kovilil’ from ‘AcchaaNi’(1977) has an interesting story too. Though I had written about this particular incident during the recording, I have no qualms in repeating it.

The fact that Raaja sir is a perfectionist is well known. Before the recording, the orchestra would rehearse all the portions many times before going for take. It should be remembered that those days, there was ‘live orchestra’ who would play along with the singer(s) and even if somebody made a small mistake, the entire recording had to start all over again.

The recording of this song took many takes unusually. Raaja sir, who always placed a premium on time, lost his cool beyond a point and started yelling at his assistant, R.Govardhanam. Finally, the real reason was out. Mesmerised by the tune and Janaki’s rendering, it seems Govardhanam forgot to show the hand gestures (this is called as ‘conducting’) to the orchestra team. But this alone was not the reason and he alone was not the culprit. Whenever he managed to show the hand gestures, some members of the orchestra forgot to play. And whenever he showed the gestures and the orchestra played, Janaki forgot to sing and instead was seen sobbing!

This goes to show the impact the composition had on all concerned. And the impact it has had on me cannot be defined. Even after listening to it for 1000+ times, it never fails to make my eyes moist and make me feel light(and not heavy!).

This must surely rate as one of the best songs Janaki has ever sung. And I don’t think any other singer would have done even 1% of justice to the composition. That is why, I still cannot digest the fact that some other singer (who in my opinion, sings off key most of the times) was roped in to sing this song when it was ‘used’ again in a 2009 film.

Anyway, since I do not want to talk about anything negative now, let me move on to the song and try and highlight some of the features.

How the raga Sindhu Bhairavi can take this kind of an avatar is beyond my comprehension. No doubt the raga as such has an inherent poignancy but my thoughts also go to the peppy numbers in this raga by the same composer. Even then the kind of eerie feeling one gets in the third interlude is quite unbelievable. And people who say (foolishly) that his grand orchestration started only during the ‘80s must listen to this particular interlude.

The interlude starts with the bells sound going at a faster pace with the violins responding now and then. What follows then is a rhapsody of sorts with the violins reaching a crescendo. Ethereal experience!

The next segment in the same interlude shows the brilliance of the composer. He uses the sarod and sitar in the Madhya laya(medium tempo) and this literally shakes us up.

The interlude preceding this one is marvellous too with the brass flute-along with the bells- piercing us like an arrow of Arjuna. The segment before this-which is the beginning of the interlude- has a very specially sounding violin which sounds preternatural. The third segment of violins-which is the end of the interlude-, is uncanny too.

But listen to the first interlude.. and tell me if this is not genius stuff, what else is..

The sustained violin, the bells, the poignant sarod ..and the melancholic single violin..and ah..yes.. the strings playing purely in western classical style.

Blissful!

Can sadness be blissful?

Can pain be a pleasure?

I asked almost a similar set of questions sometime back in one of my older posts..And the answer is...

In the hands of the Maestro, anything is possible.

Then why wouldn’t I like this song? Or for that matter hundreds of his melancholic songs?

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Bonny

The more I listen to his songs, the more am I left with a sense of stupefaction. A feeling of completeness, a feeling of nothingness..

This applies more to his ‘early years’ songs and the reason is pretty simple- I would have listened to these songs more, more than the ‘80s, ‘90s and the ones from the 21^st century ( too many ‘mores’?).

‘Devan Thiruchabhai MalargaLe’ from ‘Avar  Enakke Sontham’(1977) is one of the many songs which gives me that feel. What attracts me first is the western classical style orchestration dominated by the brass flute (it has its own charm, doesn’t it?), the strings and the guitar. But what is astounding here is the ‘tanpoora’ sound in the background (mainly in the Pallavi and before the end of each interlude). Quite unthinkable!

Next are the vocals. . If I said that the voices of PooraNi and Indira sound as fresh as morning dew, I am sure I wouldn’t be exaggerating. Somehow, these two voices were not used at all after this. As far as I know, the two were part of the chorus voices in many songs after this.

The guitar theme-which runs as a leitmotif- gives this song a very unique flavour. But this theme music got into a controversy with many claiming this to be a straight lift from ‘Sholay’. I have even read some posts where people have said that ‘Raaja paid a tribute to R.D.Burman by using his music’. However, the fact remains that it was Raaja who composed this bit for a Kannada film- at least 2-3 years before the release of ‘Sholay’- when he was assisting G.K.Venkatesh!

The much forgotten accordion appears in the charaNams and also in the second interlude, giving that sense of nostalgia(or should I say adding to the sense of nostalgia?). But there is one more forgotten sound in film music and this one too appears in the second interlude. It is the ‘whistle’(no, not the ‘vuyeee’ whistle, but the melodious whistle from one’s lips).

Ah, yes! This song follows the Harikambhoji scale (Mixolydian scale in western music).

What gives the song the impetus is of course the flute. It is silky; it is charming; it is subtle; it sparkles; it is vibrant; it is pulsating.

Then why wouldn’t it give me that ‘nothingness’ and ‘completeness’?

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(Con)Text

How important are lyrics in a song?

As a corollary to this question, I would even ask – How important is the subject or the main theme of a song?

By ‘theme’, I am not talking about the musical theme but the ‘main subject’ of the song. In my opinion, it is a tricky question and is not very easy to answer or explain. Most importantly, it is subjective.

Let us take Tyagaraja kritis for example. Would a ‘Chakkani Rajamaargamu’ or a ‘Kanugontini’ sound the same or give us the same kind of vibrations if the wordings were different?

I doubt.

Because here, words and music go hand in hand and one sees a royal path unfold in front of the eyes or one even sees the magnificent form of Rama in the mind. Most importantly, one sees and feels the emotions of a great soul.

This is of course the case of Carnatic Music. Let me turn my attention to film music. 

One of the most important reasons for the old songs (‘50s and ‘60s) for sounding great and so very pleasing even now is the way the lyrics were written.

Sample this:

‘Kanni Tamizh Thandadoru Thiruvaasagam/ Kallai Kani Aaakum Undhan Oru Vaasagam(The language of Tamizh gave us Thiruvaasagam/ One word uttered by you (vaasagam) will make a stone melt).

‘Kamban Thandha Seethai Undhan Thaayallava/ KaaLidasan Sakuntalai Un Seyaallavaaa’( Kamban’s Seeta is your mother and KaaLidasan’s Sakuntalai is your daughter).

Though this may sound odd(everybody knows that Seeta and Sakuntalai were not related), but by invoking literary characters and using poetic licence, Kaviyarasar not only makes us interested in literature (or know more about it), but takes romance itself to new levels(this was sung by a male character to his beloved). So here, we appreciate the tune in Mayamalavagowla along with beautiful Tamizh(for people who do not know this song, it is ‘Kallellaam MaaNikka Kal Auguma’ and what I have given is just a sample line and there are more beauties in the song).

And then we have, ‘Neerodum Vaigiyile NindRaadum Meene, Neyyurum Kaanagaththil Kai Kaattum Maane’( the fish which dances in Vaigai river, the Deer in a beautiful forest) to describe two sweet and cute kids.

Then there is my oft-quoted ‘Naan Kaadal Ennum Kavitai Thandhen Kattilin Mele, Andha KaruNaikku Naan Parisu Thandhen Thottilin Mele’- which in my opinion, are the best ever lines written on love making in terms of subtlety and poetic beauty.

That brings me to the lyrics in Raaja sir’s songs. Though there have been some great lines written in his music, somehow these are few and we don’t pay attention to the wordings in his music because the music is so great that other things sound secondary to us. I can quote many songs in which lyrics have been below par but I would refrain from doing this now due to many reasons, the primary one being- ‘always focus on the positives and not on the negatives’.

Some (rather many) of the situations given to him have also not been challenging and yet he has given some immortal compositions for such situations. In a way, this answers the question about poor picturisation of a majority of his songs.

The rare gem of the day falls under the category of ‘poor lyrics’. More than that, the situation itself is not the one which we as good citizens should not be proud of. To put it plainly, the song is an ‘Eve teasing’ song and considers women as glamorous creatures. But the way Raaja sir has handled this song would make even a feminist to not hate the song and even love the song.

To start with, he composed it in a classical raga. In fact, he has composed many ‘kuththu’ songs in classical ragas and Shanmukhapriya seems to be his most favourite in this genre.

 But somehow he decided to compose ‘Vaa Machchi Machchi’ from ‘ManjaL Nila’(1982) in Hamsadhwani. The beginning is a kind of viruththam in a morning raga BhoopaLam and the wordings are a poor imitation of a verse in Abhirami Andaadi. Here I must add that though one may not like the concept of eve teasing, the words do bring a smile or two (after all, what is life without humour?).

The resonant bass guitar is backed by the pulsating drums and we begin to tap our feet instantaneously. The tabla and dholak that follow play the beats in ‘usi’ enhancing the experience. The piped instruments play in pure Hamsadhwani and it is a musical celebration to say the least.

Deepan Chakravarthy(joined by the chorus) sings the Pallavi which is beautifully structured. The last line ‘Ooduvaththi’ lasts 2 aavartanaas and without a doubt sounds like a classical piece. Please also note how the percussion sounds the chatushram beats and the intermittent guitar sound. Humour at its best!

Celebration of musical humour continues in the first interlude with the western wind instruments in full flow backed by Indian percussion. The guitar enters the fray and tickles the wind instruments which start jumping. These tickle the guitar in return and it is fun all around. The pure Hamsadhwani appears again before the keys and the guitar take over leading us to the first CharaNam.

The pauses between the lines in the beginning of the first CharaNam and the keys add to the humour. Same is the case with the long pause towards the end and the intentional off- key singing.

The second interlude is humorous too but what is beautiful here is the classical Hamsadhwani. The mridangam and the jaalra have been aptly used and don’t these smirk and titter? Surprisingly enough, the keys(or is it the synth?) are used to give the Hamsadhwani flavour in the beginning. The Indian melodic instruments join in the second segment playing Hamsadhwani to the backing of mridangam and jaalra. The guitar and the’synth’ appear after two aavrtaanas and sound in ‘usi’!

It is a MeLa..Musical MeLa.. Humorous MeLa..

So, how important are lyrics in a song?

I would prefer not to answer this question now and would rather prefer to listen to this song again now..

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