Wednesday, 21 October 2020

ILaiyaraaja - The Multi- layered Musician


What defines a complete artiste or a complete poet?

Is it the aesthetics in their works?

Is it their knowledge and command over their subject?

Is it the way they express themselves?

While all these are necessary and are intrinsic to an artiste or a poet, there is something more which gives that completeness. In fact it is this X factor which differentiates a great artiste or a poet from a normal artiste or a poet. It is this factor which shows us the difference between ordinary and extra ordinary.It is this factor which makes the works of such people eternal. This factor is the Magnitude or Extent or to put it succinctly the Dimension.

We mortals are either uni-dimensional or two-dimensional. Some among us are three-dimensional. We do not go beyond these three dimensions because of various reasons, reasons which would need a detailed analysis and therefore are not relevant here. But there are few people who go beyond these 3 dimensions. Such people are complete and the more we read or listen to their works the more we learn.

AaNdaaL was one such poet.

If her 143 verses known by the name Naachiyaar Thirumozhi combine eroticism with Bhakti, the 30 Thiruppaavais stand out for their esoteric value. What is common between these two works which of course are part of Naaliyira Divya Prabandham is the beautiful and chaste Tamizh language.

Look at this Thiruppaavai:

மாயனை மன்னு வட மதுரை மைந்தனை

தூய பெரு நீர் யமுனைத் துறைவனை

ஆயர் குலத்தினில் தோன்றும் அணி விளக்கைத்

தாயைக் குடல் விளக்கம் செய்த தாமோதரனைத்

தூயோமாய் வந்து நாம் தூ மலர்த் தூவித் தொழுது

வாயினால் பாடி, மனத்தினால் சிந்திக்க,

போய பிழையும் புகுதருவான் நின்றனவும்

தீயினில் தூசாகும்; செப்பேலோர் எம்பாவாய்.

This can be translated as- Pray with flowers with a pure heart to the One who is an epitome of Maya, the One who ruled Mathura on the banks of Yamuna, the One who was the radiant lamp of the cowherd clan and the One who cleaned the womb of His mother- with your lips singing His songs and your mind focused on Him and all your sins will disappear like cotton in the fire.

That is if we look at it at a superficial level. But a closer look suggests many things and I am giving just some of these here.

The very beginning is deep. ‘Maaya’ is illusion. Is the Divine illusory? Is it not Omni present and Omni potent? AandaL gives us the answer. Surrender yourself to that power with a focussed mind by offering flowers. Flowers here denote pure love and thinking. What will happen then? Your sins will be burnt. Generally we say it will all be washed away. But here she says it will be burnt. Can you make out the difference? If not now, think about this later.

Notice also as to how cleansing runs as the undercurrent. Look at the contrasts too. Yamuna water and the fire. And then the line on singing with your lips and thinking with your mind. How many of us are focused while we sing? And see how singing precedes thinking here.

But the clincher according to me is the use of the word Mainthan. Sometime ago, I mentioned the difference between Mainthan and Magan in Tamizh. While the latter is just a son, the former not only protects his parents but also the entire family and even the entire society. This is what AruNagirinathar meant in the line Maintha varuga Maganae ini varuga in the Thiruppugazh 'Thonthi sariya' which was quoted by me in one of my earlier posts.

AaNdaaL and AruNagirinathar- Multi Dimensional.

But this has not stopped with just the 8th Century and the 10th Century. Our land has seen people who are multi dimensional with that X factor because of which their works are eternal.

ILaiyaraaja is one such artiste.

Each and every composition of his has many gems hidden inside and the more one digs, the more treasure does one find. This is not just because of the kind of ragas he has used. This is not just because of the kind of instruments he has handled. This is not just because of the way the compositions are structured. No doubt it is a combination of all these but beyond this there is that X factor which makes the compositions shimmer like the full moon on a clear sky.

The special song of this special day is one such composition. What makes this more special is the fact that it is based on a raga which itself can be called Multi Dimensional because of its not following a particular structure and yet having a unique identity. And that is why it is loved alike by the commoner and the cognoscenti.

The name of this raga is Sindhu Bhairavi and the composition Oru NaaLum Unai Maravaadha from Ejamaan(1993) shows the different dimensions of this raga in a matter of 6 minutes. But most importantly it shows us an array of emotions and feelings.

Take the beginning. It starts with the chorus singing a kind of Viruththam in the higher octave to welcome the new bride and the groom. If the bells backing the chorus show us the auspiciousness of the occasion, the tune here itself sounds like the veda mantram. But it is the akaaram towards the end which is the clincher. It sounds sa pa Sa  the sequence of swaras rendered by a classical musician before the shruti alignment.

The entire chorus section goes without percussion but the fact that it follows ta ki ta/ ta ki ta/ ta ka cannot escape the ears of a trained musician or even anybody who follows music with a passion.

If the prelude sans instruments has this hidden magic, the Pallavi is no different.

The first part of the first line uses just two swaras pa and dha and yet one feels the raga. The third line goes ascending and the fourth line continues the ascent albeit touching the higher octave notes of  Sa Ri and Ga. This raga is defined by the alien notes and one of the alien notes peep in like the sun amidst white clouds in the sky when the chorus hums in the end.

This is as far as the technical details are concerned.

But look at the emotions and feelings hidden inside. One feels the yekkam, thaabam, the surrender and finally the fulfillment. The percussion taking a pause in between suggests how one should take a pause if one has to surrender himself or herself.

The conversation between the chorus and the instruments- first the strings and then the flute- itself makes the beginning of the first interlude intriguing. The first time the chorus sings, the strings reply with vigour. The second time, the vivacious flute joins the strings and we see a blend of intuition and expression.

It is veda mantram again with the strings playing in higher octave with great discernment. In fact, this piece can be called the leitmotif of the composition.

We see the ascent and the descent in the lines of the CharaNams in which the higher octave notes romance with the mid octave notes. The first part of the CharaNams shows us compassion while the second part shows Love. The third part symbolizes complete surrender.

ILaiyaraaja- the Master of all forms of music comes to the fore in the second interlude. The multiple sets of strings combine with the flute and the guitar to give us a glimpse of Western Classical Music. If this gives us serenity, the leitmotif which follows symbolising the veda mantras soak us in spirituality.

Our thoughts are organised. Our body is in alignment with the mind. We feel cleansed.We feel the inner power. We feel the inner joy. We feel the water. We feel the fire. We feel the air. We feel the earth. We feel the infinite. 

We stop feeling anything and everything.

PS: This post was written exclusively to celebrate the 6th Anniversary of the Group on FB- ILaiyaraaja- The Master and was read out to an invited audience on zoom on the 4th of October 2020 as part of Raaja Deepam -10.  


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