Mystic

The man says to her- I composed a poem.

The lady replies- I gave you a gift for that.

A cursory glance at these two lines would suggest nothing. To some it would seem ludicrous while to some others it would even seem absurd.

But what is this all about?

Let me give the original lyrics in Tamizh – Naan Kaadalenum Kavithai sonnen kattiline mele/ Andha KaruNaikku Naan parisu Thandhen Thottiline Mele.

People who know Tamizh are a little lucky now as they can understand the lines. Unfortunately, the language of English cannot bring out the import of what the lines convey(I am a lover of English language and yet I understand the limitations each language has).

Literally translated the lines would mean-

I composed a poem on the bed/ I gave you a prize –on the cradle- for that KaruNa.

(sorry, no equivalent word for KaruNa in English.Can we say ‘compassion’?).

Ok, this is not a love duet. It is a lullaby sung by the father and mother to their two daughters. However, I can say with conviction that I have not seen any line from any other form of poetry which depicts ‘that act’ so subtly, so succinctly and so beautifully.

And to think that the same poet wrote ‘Life is just a Business/Birth is Income/Death is Expense’(Vaazhkkai Enbathu Vyapaaram/Adhil Jananam Enbathu Varavaagum/MaraNam Enbathu Selavaagum) or Ask the one who went and he will say ‘Come here’/Ask the one who came and he will say ‘Go there’(Sendravanai Kettaal Vandhu Vidu Enbaan/Vandhavanai Kettaal SendRu Vidu Enbaan).

In fact, in the second song quoted, there is a line which says ‘One gets wisdom after getting spoilt’(Ketta Pinbu Gnaani) and this one line is enough to define/depict/describe the poet who wrote all these.

Though this might sound controversial, my firm belief is that No other lyricist in Indian Cinema can come close to KaNNadasan . By saying this I don’t intend to denigrate other legends; nor do I want to sound chauvinistic.

I can back that statement of mine with thousands of examples, but let me focus on today’s song.

Whenever I even think of ‘ILamai Enum Poongaatru’ from ‘Pagalil Oru Iravu’(1979), I can’t help getting a feeling that on the day of composing, the Divine Power must have thought ‘This is the right time to give an immortal composition, a composition which would be termed as ‘eternal’ by generations to come.So I am blessing the three extraordinary souls to give their best’.

Man proposes. God disposes? No, here it was proposed by God himself!

As per the situation in the movie, it is a random meeting between a man and a woman and the inevitable happens. In simple terms, it is PMS between two strangers who were driven by that ‘L’ word and the ‘L’ here is not ‘Love’. At the end of it all, both walk away.

This situation may not be uncommon in the present day movies, but one must understand that this was a movie of the ‘70s during which misplaced Victorian morals-yes, applicable only to women - were ruling the roost in Tamizh Cinema(now don’t ask me if moral policing is not on now , but that is a different story).

But what makes this song unique is that except for the last stanza where the poet says ‘Oh the one who is left with dishevelled hair,is this your fate?’, there is nothing to suggest ‘victimisation’ or ‘immorality’. One is surely reminded of erotic poems of the sangam era , and the ‘Geeta Govindam’.

The poet starts his description calling youth as a gentle breeze and that it sings a song. What kind of a song? A melodious song of desire played by the VeeNa..

The first stanza is a simple and graphic description with the bee and the flower being used as symbols.

It is the second one which really stands out in my opinion. Now see this:

‘She forgot her question even before the question arose/And she fell..’

(Ketka NinaiththaaL MaRanthaaL/Kelvi Ezhumun VizhunthaaL).

The third stanza reminds me of the ‘KuRunthogai’ poem(from the Tamizh Sangam Literature)  which says,

‘Who am I to you? Who are you to me’?

Well, as I said earlier three extraordinary souls were blessed to give us this song.

If only it was not for SPB, I am not sure if the lyrics and tune would have attained the kind of eternity it has attained now. I can’t say anything more about the rendering as it speaks for itself.

This applies to the music as well, but I will fail in my duty if I don’t say a few words about the tune, the orchestration and the arrangement.

But first I would like to talk about an aspect which is very subtle and yet adds that beauty to the entire composition.

Quite often I talk about silence in his compositions. In ‘ILamai Enum..’, this factor is presented brilliantly and cleverly.

First of all, the Pallavi starts after the beginning of the taaLa cycle(and this is called as ‘anaagata eduppu’ in carnatic music parlance!). If one looks at the count, it is exactly after 3 micro-beats. Listen to the pause before SPB sings ‘ILamai enum’ after the prelude.

This is quite normal. But what is ‘abnormal’ is that the same no. of counts is left after two phrases in the first line of the Pallavi- that is after ‘PoongatRu’ and after ‘Or Paattu’- and then again after the next line- Sugam Sugam Athile Ore Sugam- and after ‘Or VeeNai’. This continues in the CharaNams as well with pauses for 3 micro-beats after phrases- say in the first CharaNam after ‘ILamai Malarin Meedhu’, after ‘KaNNai Izhandha VaNdu’, after ‘Dega Sugaththil Gavanam’ and after ‘Kaattu Vazhiyil PayaNam’. And the pattern continues in the other two CharaNams.

Phenomenal!

It is an undeniable fact that the addition of chorus voice almost throughout the song, creates a unique atmosphere.

It is also undeniable that the orchestration and arrangement-always his speciality anyway- are in line with the entire mood of the song whose tune –set in the minor scale-sounds very simple and yet sounds complex when one attempts to sing.

If the santoor in the beginning sounds like rain drops, the keys which follow give us a feeling of petrichor while the strings in mid-octave shows us a steady drizzle.

The higher - octave strings in the first interlude sound like a constant shower with the chorus and the flute showing us the dark sky-indicating things which are to follow.

What makes me go wild and calm at the same time is the guitar piece and the sound from the keys in the second interlude. It is like getting drenched in the rain wantonly throwing all caution to the wind. The higher- octave strings make it more intense while the santoor seems to give a mysterious smile.

Beautiful pure white water falls. This is how I can describe the higher-octave strings in the third interlude. What does the chorus voice indicate?

Fulfilment?

Ecstasy?

Completeness?

Well, the entire composition gives us a sense of joy, hitherto not experienced.

It seems as if the poet told the music composer

I gave you a Poem

And the music composer replied

I gave a Gift.

An Eternal Gift to the mankind as a whole!

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Altruism

Sometimes in the most crucial moments, we forget basic humanity.

No, I am not talking about the Captain of the Argentinean Team, who walked off the field last night without bothering to shake hands with the opponents or the referees. Nor is this about his angry gesture at a Croatian player after the latter ‘fell down’ and was looking helplessly perplexed!

In fact, the line which I have quoted is from an article I read a couple of days ago and it had nothing to do with Football. The article is a chilling account of his encounter with a family of tigers; yes a perfect family of tigers with a Tiger, a Tigress and two cubs.

This happened some time ago at Todoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra and I still remember the news item -which appeared that time – about the ‘Tiger Family’ picking up the lunch boxes of the villagers and savouring the treat. Are tigers carnivorous or herbivorous or omnivorous? It is for the zoological anthropologists-if at all there is a term like this- to find out, and in any case this post is not so much about zoology or anthropology as about human behaviour during a crisis.

To continue with the story, there were two ‘Houseful’ tourist jeeps with many villagers perched on top of the jeeps. Some 15 villagers-who were grass cutters-, were on the ground. As a matter of principle, it is said that the tigers do not attack humans when they are on four-wheelers (yes, even animals have principles unlike our politicians!). Now, some of those villagers were pleading with the tourists to let them in even as the tigers were crouching and were getting ready to attack them.

The Tourists refused.

That line quoted in the beginning appeared now in the article and I am sure the relevance requires no explanation.

The author had the presence of mind to ask his driver drive very close to the villagers and made them jump inside his jeep..

..and that is when the tigers decided to have an altogether different lunch!

This story might indicate different things to different people, though the L.C.M. would be ‘Never forget basic humanity’, but to me it conjured up some images, images of what happened very recently.

‘Yours truly’ and his two children were sitting in front of the majestic monument, which is considered to be one of the wonders of the world. I, for one have never been enamoured of its perceived beauty, but that is a different story altogether and requires a separate post. The evening was bright and equally hot. A man along with a 4-year old kid came to us and asked for some water. We had 3 bottles out of which 2 were empty already and there was just a quarter(no, no, it was pure H2O  as you all know I am totally a teetotaller!) left in the third one. We had to walk back to the gate which was approximately 800 meters away and we would certainly need that water, especially the kids.

So, when the man asked for water for his kid, I flatly refused. My two children said in the same voice (yeah, it was counterpoint too, literally), ‘Appa, please give’. I looked at them with a stern face, turned towards the man and again said, ‘No’. He asked thrice and then walked away with his kid holding his hand. My kids gave a disturbed look. There was a mix of emotions written on their countenance. Sadness, Anger and most importantly Disappointment.. The last mentioned was because they did not expect their dad, who is known for care and concern for others, to behave the way he behaved that moment. I told them I cared for them more. My statement indeed lacked conviction, a fact which I could make out from my tone and from my kids’ expressions.

On the way back in the bus, my daughter was watching a Hindi movie , which according to me was ‘third rate’ and which according to her was ‘first class’, my son was busy fiddling with his phone and I was busy listening to songs. So, the incident was forgotten..Well, almost!

The following day, we went to Akshardham, a place meant to be spiritual , visited by people who confuse spirituality with something else. The long and short of it was that the place was over crowded and by the time the three of us joined the line to go inside, we had hardly any energy left. The Delhi heat made things worse. My daughter said she would faint soon and asked for water. There was no bottle with us and I spotted a man holding 2 mineral water bottles in the Q. Without any hesitation, I asked him for water. He hesitated for a moment. I said it was for the little one. His friend immediately asked him to oblige. And he obliged..

Needles to say, at that very moment what happened exactly 24 hours ago crossed my mind and I was left with a sense of shame. My daughter smiled at me and though there was a touch of innocence in that, my guilty conscience read a lot in that smile.

If I got reminded of a song that moment, it was not just because of the first line but due to a variety of reasons.

‘Mandira Punnagaiyo’ from ‘Mandira Punnagai’(1986) is undoubtedly a composition which spreads serenity and gives tranquillity. If I said that the composition is musical meditation, it would not be an exaggeration.

Listen to the prelude. Guitar string repeating the same extended note; keys responding with a string of notes; an oboe like piped instrument playing languorously; another set of keys striking at the right frequency.. Is this a lullaby? Or is it something more than that?

The absence of percussion during the entire prelude which runs for 4 complete cycles of 8 beats(aadi taaLam) with each beat consisting of 3 micro-beats(tisram) speaks volumes about the brilliance of the composer and the composition. Isn’t it a fact that silence speaks more than words, or that music speaks when words fail?

The Pallavi in the voice of Janaki is soft and sensitive and pierces the heart. The guitar piece which appears after the first line and the fleeting flute piece after the first and second phrases in the second line, complete the spiritual experience.

It would be difficult to believe –especially for first time listeners- that this indeed is a film song and not a western symphony. They can be excused for mistaking this to be the latter, for if one listened to only certain segments of the two interludes, without listening to the Pallavi and the CharaNams, it would seem surely like a pure western symphony.

The melancholic solo violin in the beginning of the first interlude is joined by another violin in higher octave and the latter is joined by two groups of violins, with each one playing different sets of notes. Note the shift from the minor scale to the major scale here. The brass flute repeats the violin melody even as the groups back it subtly with a parallel melody. Two sets of strings now move with grace, of course playing two sets of notes with the percussion-which was absent till now- and the bass guitar backing them. The solo guitar brings back the touch of poignancy with two sets of flutes replying with great discernment.

The guitar and the flutes combine together yet again but this time producing totally different sets of melodies, that is different from what these produced in the first interlude. In fact, one can even say that the guitar piece can be used as a teaching tool for aspiring western classical students in general and guitarists in particular.

The seamless transition from minor to major happens yet again with the brass flute and the strings enlivening the atmosphere and playing with verve and vigour showing us a sleek silhouette in the process.

Forgetting all these musical terminologies and technical terms, and listened with focus, the song-that is every bit of it- stokes some unknown and unseen emotions and most importantly calms our mind.

If only the group of tourists in a forest in Maharashtra had listened to this song when they saw the faces of helpless villagers..

If only the Argentinean Captain listens to the song in his hotel room in Russia before the final encounter with Nigeria..

If only the father of two kids had mentally played this song when he was sitting in front of the huge monument considered to be the Symbol of Love..

Well, the first two mentioned are unlikely to have happened/to happen.

The last mentioned did not happen though it should have happened. But the experience and the subsequent recollection of the song has made that father, a better human being..

                  

                  

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Fumes of Fancy

Have you heard of Micronesia?

No, it is not a micro chip manufactured in Asia. Nor is it any measurement of Asia.

It is a country which is a group of 607 islands in the Pacific Ocean. Called as Caroline Islands earlier, it is an archipelago and is located above Australia. The Federated States of Micronesia has 4 states- Pohnpei, Kosrae, Truk and Yap- with each state being a group of islands except the second mentioned. The US controls Defence and provides financial support. Micronesia is in fact a full member of the UN since 1991.

Ok.. now what about this country and what is its relevance here?

As per the statistics released by the Government of India last year on Indians living abroad, one Indian lives in Micronesia. Yes, you read it right. Just one Indian! I was astounded too- like many of you - when I read that. I tried my best to find out more details about this lone Indian but I must admit my defeat as I could not succeed in my mission. Moreover, since I do not have any diplomatic connections-though I always want to be diplomatic- it is next to impossible to cull out such details. Only one option is RTI but at times it takes eons for the applications to be responded to. So, I decided to sit on that horse called ‘imagination’. Without my having to make any real effort, this horse started running wild and asked me some interesting questions in the process:

Is that Indian a man or a woman or even a child?

How old will he/she be?

What is the mother tongue of that person?

Would he/she ever think of his/her country at least once in a while?    

         

There were more questions too from the horse but since I wanted to find these answers from the ‘horse’s mouth’ and since this one seemed impossible, I decided to make some assumptions.

1.It is a lady.

2. Age not known(is it wise to ask this to a lady?)

3.Tamizh .  

  

4. Often thinks of our country though she cannot chant that ‘slogan’(what slogan it is, is left to your imagination!).

Now, this lady is told that an Indian is visiting Micronesia soon and that she was free to leave the island. What would she do?

My horse immediately jumped and said ‘She will sing like how Asha Bhosle sings ‘Pazhiya vilangu udaindhatha’ ‘.

I responded to the horse, ‘You fool. How many people even know this song. I know it is from ‘Meera’, but don’t people always identify this album with a song addressed to a butterfly? And to top it all, you expect a lady in an obscure country to know this song and sing!’

The horse said,  ‘ Precisely for this reason am I quoting this song. Now, look at this. It is an obscure song. But so is Micronesia. It is a lovely song. Micronesia is lovely too. It talks about freedom. The lady there-the lone Indian- would surely be itching to go back to her country and must be seeing the Indian who is visiting there as a saviour. Most importantly, the song is sung with gay abandon with a touch of insouciance and a kind of nonchalance. In a way, it makes me visualise a  chirpy girl .’

I was flummoxed by the last sentence. The horse which itself is imagination personified says it ‘visualises’. Is it like a cinema within a cinema or a dream within a dream? Probably, it is the impact of the song!

The horse then went on describing the song. It said, ‘What I like the most in this song is the jazzy feel. And Ashaji does full justice to this song which by no means is easy to render. See how the first two lines in the Pallavi are in the higher octave and how the next two lines are in the lower octave? Doesn’t this make us all drop the octave?’

Oh..this horse seems to know many things, be it music or even expressions in English, I thought and looked at it with an amazement.

But the horse –which does not have any ego or arrogance unlike we humans- continued unfazed and unaffected by the adulation.

‘The structure of the CharaNams too suggests that jazziness. Look at the second part of the CharaNams and also the last line where the notes climb up so beautifully’.

‘I would fail in my duty if I ignored mentioning about the orchestration in the prelude and in the interludes’, said the horse then in its inimitable style.

‘The very different sound of the keys in the beginning brings me visions of a rocking ship on the Pacific Ocean and the drums reinforce this’, it continued.

Yet again a ‘vision’!, I wondered.

‘And see how the drums sound. There are many layers to the percussion with each set sounding different syllables of tisram and a different sounding percussion - almost mocking a human sound made with the mouth, appearing in the second part of every alternate cycle.’

‘The brass instruments in the first interlude where one set even changes scale after a while and their playful romance with the keys, look like the dolphins and the other beautiful and colourful fish to me’.

I let the horse continue. Why should I interrupt this ‘Shaktiman’?

‘The second interlude is dominated by the percussion which shows us the dimensions of tisram yet again. To start with, there is one percussion instrument which plays only the first syllable of tisram. There is a repartee from another instrument which plays all the three syllables. After 4 cycles of chatushram, two more sets join but this time the first one sounds the first syllable with the second one sounding the third syllable and this goes on for 2 cycles. Then the brass / wind instruments appear and play with each other while the percussion backs their play exquisitely. Towards the end, two more sets of percussion make an entry and play in mel kaalam. Of course, in the midst of all these we see the funny sounds from the keys too. On the whole, the atmosphere is electric. Probably, this is what is called as the ocean current’.

The horse didn’t take a breath now. But I did. In fact, I took some deep breaths.

So many things in this composition and how I wish this song was indeed sung by the Indian in Micronesia! If singing this is difficult (which obviously is), it can at least be played to that person.

The horse nodded its head as if it read what was running in my mind.

But isn’t the horse too part of my mind if it is ‘imagination’..

Is it true or is it not true? Is everything an illusion?

Rather than breaking my head like this, let me listen to the song. .

..That will shut my mind up.

What do you say?

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Decoding

While writing about a four decade old song in a forum , I realised something.  

As a child, as a boy and then as an adolescent, I hardly paid attention to the meaning of the words in songs though I was almost thorough with the wordings of the song. There may have been exceptions here and there but the fact remains that it was music that attracted me even when I did not know much about the nuances.For that matter, I hardly knew music then..

When I took up that song to write, I was overwhelmed by the inner and deeper meanings. This is not to say that it was the first time I paid attention to the lyrics but it was a kind of revelation to me basically because I was listening to the song after a very long time and naturally my thoughts went back to those good old days when that song would give me vibrations because of the tune and because of the way it was sung. For that matter, I deciphered the raga of the song only now but this is besides the point and not within the scope of this post.

Two clarifications:

1. The song under reference is a non-Raaja song.

2.I wrote that post about 4 and half years ago.

Within days of writing about that song, I started humming yet another song but this time it was a Raaja song. Though I knew the song word by word, only this time did I notice as to how it has been written. A love duet, it describes the Nature’s beauty mostly and brilliantly connects it to the lovers. Vaali sir surely deserves a salute for doing this in a pure masala movie.

Have a look at the Pallavi and you will know why I am raving and gushing about this.

‘The reed by the riverside (NaaNal) dances with NaaNam(sorry no proper English word for this) and how can I describe that pleasure(of watching it)’, sings the Lady.

‘Nadiyoram naaNal ondRu naaNam koNdu naattiyam aaduthu mella, naan anda aanandam en solla’.

The man’s repartee: You are the reed by the riverside says your small waist.

‘Neeyum or naaNal endRu noolidai ennidam solla’

Forgetting for a moment that the heroine’s waist was as huge as an elephant’s, one can’t help appreciating the poetic brilliance.

The brilliance continues in the CharaNam too and the Lady sings  ‘From the cradle( sky )moves the white cloud and covers the mountain. Is it  cloud or is it a cloth?

VeNNiRa megam vaan thottilai vittu oduvathenna malaiyai mooduvathenna, mugil thaano thugil thaano..

Sky as the cradle..

‘mugil’ and ‘thugil’..

What an imagination!

Are the brains of great poets wired differently? Only qualified neurologists can answer this.

In the Second CharaNam, it is the grass capped by the sleeping dew –pani thoongum pasumpul-which has the privilege of grabbing the attention of the poet.

This song, Nadiyoram from Annai or Aaalayam(1979) has always been one of my evergreen favourites since the time it got released and needless to say it was because of the musical value.

The prelude draws a sketch of the river and the dancing reed in Suddha Dhanyasi with the piercing flute, the different sounding folk instrument and the mesmerising strings. In fact, the strings remind one of a cascade.

The Pallavi moves like a clear stream. Introducing the flute and the strings in the gap between the female and the male voices, making the percussion sound sharp only in this piece and giving an illusion of tempo-change by sounding the Tisram beats differently in two parts of the line (first ta ki ta plainly and then playing only the first and the second syllables from naan anda aanandam) show us the genius whose other name is ILaiyaraaja.

In fact, his signature continues in the CharaNams too when the strings play in higher octave for a count of 4 with the flute appearing just at the 4^th count like a naughty face of a child and then disappearing and again when the strings back the vocals albeit subtly, in the lines that follow.

We see the romance between the strings and the flute in the first interlude, with the strings climbing up the mountain and the flute fondly shaking the branches of the trees making the flowers fall on the ground. The guitar acknowledges this romance and the flute finally moves in circles across the mountain.

The second interlude shows the multi-dimensional Raaja.

If his sense of humour is seen in the piece just before the chorus , his respect for language and lyrics is seen in the last segment in which he musically creates the atmosphere of ‘Tea Garden’ by making the chorus hum ‘lululu lulu lu..’ and making the flute follow the chorus. And do I need to say that we see Raaja-the connoisseur in the first segment in which the mandolin piece moves innocuously and steadily with the strings playing a repeat melody, thus symbolising the snow and the mountain?

Suseela’s and SPB’s voices are surely like the honey from honeycomb!

Tailpiece: The song attracted me when I was an innocent (or is it ignocent?) boy.

The raga, tala and other technical details were discovered by me after nearly 25 years.

The deeper meanings of the lyrics were deciphered much later.

Do all these indicate something?

I really don’t know and don’t care..

..because a song is a song is a song..

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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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