Hypothesis

About 3 years ago, I read this in the front page of the morning newspaper and instantly fell in love with it:

Our mind has become conditional not to believe anything that challenges our beliefs.

Isn’t it somewhat strange that this statement appeared on the first page where one always gets to see the statements of our ‘leaders’ and have a hearty laugh early in the morning (a bright way to start the day!).  Rather than making me laugh, this one made me think a lot.

Like it or not, the fact remains that our thoughts and therefore the beliefs are always coloured and biased. When we come across something which is totally in variance with what we have believed all this while, we question that which questions our belief(s) and not question ourselves. This is because we believe what we want to believe and continue to believe it.

Does this mean that we should never have a firm opinion on anything and that our opinion should change based on what we read/see? Should our mind then be like a pendulum? Then where is the courage of conviction?

Indeed, there is nothing wrong in having opinions (strong ones too). However, this should be formed based on not only our intuition but also on certain logical factors. This is where reasoning comes into play. If we are asked as to why we like certain things and hate certain others, we should be able to postulate and clearly articulate the reasons. If we don’t do this, there are dangers from both the extremes. At one end of the spectrum, we will be clinging on to our beliefs and even lose our sleep if this is questioned by others. We tend to become defensive and say to ourselves ‘What does that fellow know?’.  We react too and question the person’s authenticity and capability.

 At the other end, we would simply believe what is being said by others and change our opinion. The percentage of the latter is comparatively less though.

Both these are blind and only show a weak mind. A strong mind on the other hand, doesn’t accept anything at its face value. It investigates –first before forming an opinion and then when that belief is questioned. This of course calls for objectivity and an open and free mind. Not that easy anyway but once we master this, we can be sure of ourselves, be confident of what we say and also counter any argument without getting defensive.

For example, what do we do when we are told that ‘ILaiyraaja is a spent force, he cannot move with the times, he can hardly score for the present generation, there is no energy in his present day compositions’?

First, we question the musicality of the person who says this. Second, we get personal and tend to attack the person with words- resulting in a verbal duel or a war of words. Finally, we give up and say ‘no point in talking to this fellow’ and keep quiet.

While I am not advocating any method or system to counter such talks (especially in the net), I can surely suggest a way, which according to me is the best option. Simply play one of his present day compositions and answer ‘accusation’ point-by-point.

Take the song ‘Chendulli Chendulli’ from the Kannada  film ‘Bhagyadha Balegara’(2009).

1. ILaiyaraaja is a spent force.

The prelude, interludes, the tune and the rendering (by the Master and Shreya Ghoshal) prove this totally wrong. His liberal use of the synth instruments without in anyway compromising on the melodic aspect, the tune that lingers in our mind, the beats in tisram with different percussion instruments and the variety in  tisram –like giving the stress on the first syllable for every alternate tisram in the Pallavi and in the CharaNams, dividing the syllables into 6 micro beats as ‘ta ka dhi mi ta ka’ in the second segment of the second interlude- , using melodic(synth) instruments in the vocals section, and singing with a punch without showing the ‘attitude’ so often seen in present day singing(isn’t that punch at the end of the Pallavi and CharaNams not enough to show the romance?), show that his composing and orchestrating skills are intact.

2. He cannot move with the times.

If it is ‘believed’ that the present day music is only electronics and computer based, then so be it. However, it is totally a misconception that he is an illiterate in this. He in fact was a pioneer in using electronic instruments and the computer in Indian Film Music. In ‘Chendulli..’, except for the Violin used in the second interlude, all other instruments-including the bass guitar and the rhythm- are synth based. Has he used all these without understanding their utility? The fact is he knows to strike a balance between synth and the original instruments and also knows to use these judiciously.

Listen to the prelude which is grandiose to say the least. One almost feels the effect of piped instruments like the trumpet, saxophone etc.,. The first interlude gives us a ‘piped experience’, a  ‘strings experience’ followed by the ‘flute experience’ while the second interlude has the violin which is backed by the different synth instruments apart from the synth percussion-which follows that ‘ta ka dhi mi ta ka’ mentioned in (1.). And how is that ‘sound’ at the end of the Pallavi(last line of the male segment) in the beginning and towards the end of the song?

3. He can hardly score for the present generation.

What is the taste of the present generation-if somebody can define this? Is it singing some alien and funny words like ‘keeya muyyaa suyyaa’ now and then (making it the leitmotif of the composition itself)? Murdering the language? Give noise in the name of sound?

If this was the case, then a majority of the youth wouldn’t be appreciating any of the old songs at all. The very fact that they do, indicates that it is the mindset which plays a role here and that this is not reality? Yes, they do get attracted to the songs with features mentioned above but that has more to do with the lack of creativity and musicality of the present day music directors and less to do with the generation as a whole.

‘Chendulli..’ may not have these ‘features’ but has that freshness which can instantly appeal to anyone.

4. There is no energy in his present day compositions.

Play ‘Chendulli’ to anybody. If they don’t move their feet and body, there is a serious problem with their listening abilities.

But in spite of all these reasons if people stick to their stand about him, then thank the economist who made the statement quoted in the beginning.

By the way, did you even imagine that the statement was by an economist? If no, then challenge your ‘beliefs’ and undo the conditioning of the mind.

Anyway, there is ‘Chendulli Chendulli’  to help you in this task..

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Known and the Unknown

The two men were seated in a first class coupe. Both were eminent personalities and were travelling by train from Madras to Delhi. Reason?

They were being conferred with the Padma awards by the Govt.of India. Yes, those days all awardees were to travel by train !

Both the gentlemen looked at each other. The face seemed familiar (that is person A’s to person B’s and vice versa) and yet each couldn’t place the other. The senior decided to break the ice and said ‘ I am Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. I am a carnatic vocalist.’. The younger one said ‘My name is Sivaji Ganesan. I am an actor’.

This happened really and I heard it from a very authentic source.

Before I comment on this, let me narrate one more real life incident and here too a musician is involved. The great legend VeeNai S. Balachander once travelled to Russia and Eastern European countries for giving concerts. His wife was playing the tanpura. At half way stage (interval), a diplomat went backstage and complained to Balachander’s wife ‘This man is playing too loud. We can’t hear you at all!’. Mrs.Shanta Balachander had to explain that her husband was the main star and that she was accompanying him . The diplomat anyway couldn’t have understood the meaning of shruti.

One can’t be faulted if one saw the humour in these incidents. In fact, it does leave us with a broad smile. But one also needs to spend some time in trying to understand what these two unconnected incidents convey. In my opinion, it shows how we make no efforts to widen our horizon and fail to notice or even show interest in what is happening around us.

The Carnatic Music legend felt that music was enough for him and in a way it is true because music is everything to people who know the real meaning and value of it. But does that preclude him from knowing what is happening in the entertainment world? It is a different issue that this legend started listening to film music and was one of the great admirers of ILaiyaraaja later on. Probably, this incident was an eye-opener!

I am still intrigued by the fact that Sivaji couldn’t recognise Semmangudi because he was known to be well versed with the world happenings and also had a good ear for music.

One can sympathise with the diplomat in the second incident since he would not have been exposed to anything called Indian Classical Music. But as a diplomat of the country which organised and invited a musician from a foreign country, should he not have done his homework in at least trying to understand the basic difference between a VeeNa and a Tanpoora? Even if this was too much for a person from a communist country, could he not have spent at least few minutes as to who has been invited and what his credentials are?

People in general are caught in the morass of ignorance and this doesn’t apply to the V.I.P s alone. I have come across people in my own state saying ‘I don’t know much about ILaiyaraaja’. These are not from the present generation but the ones who were born in the ‘60s and the ‘70s.

Then there are those who say they don’t like ILaiyaraaja’s music and when asked to list out the songs they know, they come up with a list of 10 songs. Whose fault is it? Or whose loss is it?

Forget both these categories for the time being and see the case of people who proclaim themselves to be ‘fans of Raaja sir’.  Ask them about their list and they would come out with a list which would invariably include songs from Mouna Ragam, Apoorva SagodharargaL, ThaLapathi..  Of course, I am talking about fans in general and I am also aware of fans who know many of his compositions.  Now, tell them to name a song not heard frequently and you can see a blank expression.

I am not blaming anybody nor is my intention to hurt anybody. All I am saying is ‘Keep your ears and eyes open’.  Most importantly,  ‘Keep the mind open’.

The rare gem of the day falls in the category of ‘not heard frequently’ though in my opinion it is a composition par excellence.

The beauty of ‘ Aananda Maalai ThoL SeRum Velai’ from ‘Dhoraththu Pacchai’  lies in the tune which gives a touch of poignancy almost throughout and also in the way the beats are conceived and executed. Mohanam is a raagam which is generally considered to be happy and even romantic in film songs. But replace the ga3 with the ga2 or dha2 with dha1 and one gets a very different feel It is Shivaranjani in the former case and Vaasanti in the latter.

In ‘Aananda Maalai’,  ‘dha1’ is used in many places and though this does give that poignant shade, the song overall leaves us with a romantic feel.

Let us see why and how.

Take the very beginning. The guitar sounds and the flute follows suit. It is ravishing and breathtaking. But it is not the beautiful melody alone which makes it sound great. The guitar follows a chatushram  pattern and acts like a percussion instrument as well and plays

 1- 3 -/- - 3 4/1 2 3 4/ - - 3 4/ 1 2 3 4/1 2 3 4/1 2 3 4 /- - 3 4.

If you are wondering as to what that ‘-‘ means, let me tell you that these are the silent phrases where nothing is played though the taaLa continues. In Carnatic Music parlance, this is called as ‘kaarvai’. More about this in my You Tube videos, soon!

 A host of instruments then give a sketch of the Pallavi with a kind of military precision. The felicitous ‘bending’ of the keys and the fascinating strings make it a wholesome treat.

And what to say about the end piece on the keys? It is as soft as a romantic’s heart.

The first thing one notices in the Pallavi is the rhythmic pattern. The chatushram sounds 1- 3 4/ 1 2 3 4   and it gives a tribal feel not least because of the instruments used. Next, there is that alien note right from the third phrase. This in fact warms the cockles of our heart. Without a trace of doubt, the voices of Janaki and Krishnachander add to the feeling.

The first interlude drenches us in Mohanam, albeit with a slew of alien notes here and there. The strings go around in a convoluted loop. One set of strings complementing the other is not a rarity in his songs and it happens here too but as always it makes for a unique experience. The flute shimmers in Mohanam even as it is backed by the subtle strings and the bass guitar. Of course, one cannot miss the sound of the keys playing alien notes in the background sometime in the middle of the piece. Up to this point, there is no percussion.

The percussion starts as the guitar charts its own path adding the alien note. Poignancy is beautiful too!

This continues in the CharaNams too where the lines are spun in detail making us establish an emotional connection.   

The feel changes totally in the second interlude as the effusive flute plays in a folksy style to the backing of a folk stringed instrument. A wonderful melody which takes off from Mohanam and traverses in a new and different direction. We are then engulfed by the melody from the strings which play in the higher octave, with the guitar darting now and then. 

Gripping!

The way, ‘aananda’ is rendered at the end of the first charaNam and towards the end and the humming of the male and female voices in the end when the Pallavi is rendered, make us discover more..

After all, life is full of discoveries moving away from our comfort zone.

I am sure this was understood later by the greatest actor Tamizh Cinema has ever produced and the Pitamaga of modern day Carnatic musicians. ..

And I am sure this will be understood by people who say they don’t know about ILaiyaraaja..

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Chiselled Thoughts

Human mind is funny.

Some time  back, my daughter Dhenuka wanted me to read out ‘Sivagamiyin Sapatham’ that immortal classic penned by the immortal writer Kalki. As I read out some chapters, my thoughts went back with images moving in my mind. I was just around 9 then when I read this novel for the first time and now as I was reading it aloud, my mind started recollecting the entire story, episode after episode. At the same time, a song-or rather a particular line from a song- started playing in my mind constantly. And not without a reason..

The second part of the second CharaNam of that particular song refers to Maamallan and Sivagami- two main characters of the historical novel. For people not that familiar with Tamizh literature and the history of Tamizh Nadu, let me tell you that the novel is set in the 7^th Century and it talks about the Pallavas( a dynasty which ruled Tamizh land between the 3^rd and the 9^th Centuries).It was during the reign of Mahendravarman that the sculptures were carved and rock cut temples were built at Mahabalipuram. Narasimha Maamallan was the son of Mahendravarman and Sivagami was his lover. 

Hold on! 

Only the first part of the statement is true. The second part about ‘Sivagami’ is factually wrong.

Then why do I call it a great work? This is where that term called artistic liberty comes into play. An artiste (writer in this case) can take liberties with anything as long as it is aesthetic and relevant to his/her story. This by no stretch of imagination can be called as ‘distorting history’. On the other hand, it only shows the creativity of the writer.

So masterfully did the author craft the story that it is very difficult to believe that Sivagami is a fictitious character. In fact, he also makes Sivagami visit the great Tamizh poet Thirunavukkarasar in his Matam in Kanchi and makes her dance to his couple of TevArams. Yes, Sivagami was an excellent classical dancer!

Going back to me ‘reading sessions’, needless to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Don’t I enjoy reading chaste Tamizh aloud? But apart from this fact, there is one more reason-as already mentioned.

The song ‘Oru Kaadal Devatai’ from ‘Saainthadamma Saainthaadu’(1977) always gives me nostalgic feelings. This was his first ever KeeravaNi(though I knew only ‘Keerai’ and ‘VaNi’ those days). It is composed in a high pitch and can easily lead one to believe that it is in VakuLabharaNam(same is the case with ‘Ore idam nirandaram’ from Sattam En Kaiyyil and ‘KaN malargaLin Azahippidazh’ from Thai Pongal). It is because of the graha bedam aspect and since there is a separate Blog for such explaining such technical details, I would prefer to do the explanation (not necessarily for this song) in that Blog.

Another interesting feature of ‘Oru Kaadal Devatai’ is that the audio version has the truncated prelude and first interlude. This, in fact is a common feature of many of early year songs (till the first part of ’78). The unabridged version will be available only in the film version(OST).  Since I hardly watched such films those days, I always went by the audio version available on the radio. Only a chance visit to You Tube made me aware of this fact. Now, contrast this with the present day trend of chopping off part of his song(s) or even the whole song(s) in the film version.

Since the OST version has the prelude and interlude in full, I am describing this version only ( I managed to rip this version). However, I am also giving the link to the audio version since the recording quality of OST is below average.

‘Oru Kaadal Devatai’ is a racy duet.

It starts with three different sets of instruments playing three different sets of notes simultaneously- the dulcet-toned small flute, the higher-octave strings and the subtle bass guitar. After a while, it is the turn of the piped instruments and the strings and these two too play different sets of notes. Only difference is that now the percussion-which was silent during the flute-strings-bass guitar session - plays the chatushram beats with gusto.

The entire musical piece described above is missing in the audio version.

I must say one more thing here. Those days, Raaja sir would introduce at least one new sound in an album and he would use that sound almost throughout the song. I shall give more examples in my future posts. In Oru Kaadal.., he has used an instrument which gives a bubbly sound (not sure if it is from a keyboard though I know he was the pioneer in using different kinds of keyboards as early as 1977!). This sound appears now along with the bass guitar and leads to the Pallavi.

SPB starts the Pallavi in his inimitable style and Suseela joins with her sweet tone in the second half. In between we have the higher-octave strings playing for a period of 3 chatushram cycles! Also note that the lyrics are slightly different when the female renders it. The bass guitar acts both as one of the percussion instruments apart from providing melody. Here I can’t help mentioning about a Bass Guitarist, who about 6 years ago made a statement in a National Newspaper that nobody knew the existence of Bass Guitar until 1992! Wonder how the so called musicians can flaunt their ignorance so openly!!

The first segment of the first interlude is a marvel. The strings play thrice, each time in a different octave. What a glide! The second segment has the saxophone etching a melody with the western flute repeating it with some minor changes. Between these two (the sax and the flute), the strings play very briefly in higher octave. All along the ever-disciplined bass guitar plays in its unique style. The special sound appears again leading to the first CharaNam. The sax-western flute-strings segment is totally missing in the audio version.

Some beautiful wordings in Tamizh embellish the lines in the CharaNam. We also see the strings being interspersed between the lines. As I said earlier in one of my posts, it always pays to read (and listen) between the lines in a Raaja sir’s composition.

Is it a twin - brass flute in the beginning of the second interlude? Or is any other instrument played along with the brass flute? It is indeed difficult to say. Rather than asking such a question and thinking about it, is it not better to just enjoy that sound? The special sound mentioned in the beginning appears again now. The strings follow and then change the scale and play the same notes transporting us to a new place and showing us some beautiful moving images. The special sounding instrument and the strings indulge in a brief conversation before guiding us to the second CharaNam.

And this is where that line appears which made me reminisce about this song as I was reading out the novel to my little daughter..

A reading session made me think of this song effectively filling my mind with it for many days, finally resulting in this post.

Human mind is funny..

..Or is it?

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Idiolect

Xi Jinping is the most powerful person in China. This is a fact known to almost every creature in the planet (in case, any creature doesn’t know this, it will meet its fate, don’t worry!). But not many know that he was responsible, albeit indirectly, for making a person lose her job.

This happened in the year 2014 when the President visited India. A newsreader on Doordarshan pronounced his name as ’11 Jinping’( see how his first name looks a lot like the Roman XI. Thankfully, it is not ‘ix’!) and she was asked to get out. Of course, she was only a contracted employee and that made the job easier for the authorities.

But what irked me that time (and still irks me) is the fact that the authorities don’t care a damn if Indian names- South Indian names in particular- are pronounced wrongly. It could be because even the authorities do not know the correct pronunciation. For 5 years from 1987 to 1992, the President was christened as ‘Venkatraman’ and not ‘Venkataraaman’. The former finance minister is still called by many as ‘Chidaambaram’ and not ‘Chidambaram’. Curious case of ‘nedil’(நெடில்) becoming ‘kuril’ (குறில்) and vice versa.

In fact, people living in the north of the vindhyas hardly care about the South Indian names nor do they bother to give any respect. When Mooppanar formed ‘Tamizh Maanila Congress’, the channels thought he was seeking the help of people from Philippines. Otherwise, how could one explain their pronouncing the name as ‘Tamil Manilaa Congress’? The capital city of TN reminds them probably of a Red Dog, because it is ‘Chennaaai’. Examples galore but let me stop here and travel to the south of vindhyas.

Newsreaders here too, murder North Indian names, though it is less intense. Of course, they murder International names as well and one of the unforgettable gaffes was by a lady newsreader on DD long ago when she pronounced ‘Helmet Kohl’ as ‘Helmut Goal’(probably, she was symbolically suggesting the greatness of Germany in football!).

In my opinion, all these can be at least excused. What cannot be excused is the murder of Tamizh by the Tamizh people(not necessarily the media alone). Now, do this exercise. Watch TV serials, News channels and the latest movies for about 2 hours. Take a piece of paper and count the number of people who get ‘ல’, ‘ள’, ‘ந’, ‘ன’, ‘ண’ right. I am sure, your paper will be almost blank.

Go out to a crowded place. Listen to people. Even in colloquial tamizh, see how many people get all those right. See if even such a small word as ‘keezhe’(கீழே ) is pronounced correctly or as ‘keele’(கீல ).

Same is the case in writing as well. It is not uncommon to find people mixing up ‘ல’ and ‘ள’ and ‘ன’ and ‘ண’ .

Well, this is the state of affairs now. What is shocking is that people talk about ‘tamizh race’ and ‘pride’ and yet do not pay attention to the language which is 5000 years old and to the special letters which has made the language one of the most beautiful and unique languages in the world.

I am not here to analyse the causes for this decay. At the same time, my heart bleeds when I see/hear such murders. If I was into law making, I would bring some stringent laws to make people speak/write tamizh properly. But the fact is I am not. Therefore, let me write about a song, which in a way parodies such people.

No, it is not a song in ‘Sentamizh’.

The beauty of ‘Vaalvinil’ from ‘PattaNam Pogalaam Vaa’(1981-unrelased) lies as much in the ‘tamizh murder’ as in the very different orchestration. I am sure both have been done intentionally.

Not many would even believe that the music was scored by ILaiyaraaja, unless told. They can be easily excused if they thought the song was from the ‘40s if they listened to the prelude.

Before we get on with that, I must register my appreciation for Malaysia Vasudevan. It is not easy for a man known for his perfect diction of tamizh(despite being a malayali) to murder tamizh. See, how he says ‘ல’  (la) instead of ‘ள’ (La), ன (na) instead of ‘ண’(Na)  instead of  (and vice versa) and ல(la)  instead of ழ (zha). And how beautifully he has modulated the voice..

As regards Raaja sir, I read long back in one of the forums that he cannot bring out the essence of the old era and that he used the same kind of instruments and tune while trying to recreate that era. The comment quoted the ‘Nayagan’ song and the one from ‘Aditya 369’. People who make such comments should listen to ILaiyaraaja in full. In fact, they must listen to this song to see how the ‘Bhagawatar era’ has been recreated.

Though it has that ‘old era’ flavour, genuine followers of this genius can easily recognise his distinct style here too.

If the romance between the jalatarangam and the tabla tarang and between the clarinet and the strings in the prelude gives us a clue, the way strings are played towards the end of the prelude with the jalatarangam and tabla tarang striking alternately, suggests us as to who would have composed this.

When the percussion completed the aavartanam in the Pallavi, we can easily recognise the Raaja muthirai, a distinct mark like the water mark on the rupee notes!

Charukesi in its pristine form in the prelude, interludes, pallavi and in the charaNams reconfirm that this is the work of the genius.

So do the sober clarinet and the racy strings in the first interlude, the call and response between the strings and the tabla tarang, the soulful clarinet and the sizzling flute in the second interlude , the sudden appearance of the clarinet in the first CharaNam and the structure of the two CharaNams, one different from the other.

The naughty side of Raaja sir is seen again in the second CharaNam where there is impromptu rendering of kalpana swarams after ‘Oram Po’.

It may be recalled that ‘Oram Po’ and ‘Vaangonna’ were banned by AIR and DD those days for ‘vulgarity’ and ‘objectionable content’. Wonder how the authorities do not find any problem with the present day tamizh spoken by ‘tamilans’, while they could find simple rustic words used while learning cycling and the words used by a particular community, ‘vulgar’ and ‘objectionable’.

Shouldn’t such people in the media meet the fate of the newsreader who got the name of the Chinese President wrong?

And shouldn’t there be a ban on the murder of tamizh in our state?

But again, if there is a ban, then 90% of the politicians and 95% of the actors will be rendered jobless.

Isn’t it good for us then?

PS: This post is dedicated to all ‘tamilans’!

                  

                  

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