What are conventions?
A set of beliefs? Things which
are followed traditionally?
First of all, how do we know
if the beliefs are true or false?
Rather than making you
confounded with a flurry of questions, let me explain the context.
Traditionally, it is believed
that those days women were confined to their homes and were immersed only in
activities related to their families, were not educated and therefore did not
have independent thinking, leave alone expressing themselves.
Nothing can be far from truth than this if we consider the tamizh sangam age. There were many women poets who
not just had a flair for the language, who not just had a natural ability to
compose poems, but were also not hesitant to express themselves using simile from
nature. Most importantly, topics which even now are considered taboo were
touched upon by these poets with consummate ease.
Here is an example.
The lady is awaiting the
return of her beloved who had promised to be back by monsoon. She sees a
stag(male deer) who keeps looking for his pair-a doe. In short, the pair is
separated. Instantly, she fears if her beloved too will witness such a
sequence. Then, as if to console herself, she tells her friend that he will not
see this. On the other hand, he will see the signs of monsoon- by sighting a
pair which is together- think of me and come back to me immediately.
சென்ற நாட்ட கொன்றை அம் பசு வீ
நம் போல் பசக்கும் காலை, தம் போல்
சிறு தலைப் பிணையின் தீர்த்த நெறி கோட்டு
இரலை மானையும் காண்பர்கொல் நமரே?
புல்லென் காயாப் பூக்கெழு பெருஞ்சினை
மென் மயில் எருத்தின் தோன்றும்
புன் புல வைப்பிற் கானத்தானே.
The kondrai flowers are as
pale as the complexion of my body now. The place he has gone to now has the
long branches of kaaya trees which are full of dry flowers resembling the
delicate neck of a peacock. Will he also spot the stag with twisted
antlers(horns) which keeps searching for the small headed-doe(which is his pair)?
No, I don’t think so. He will look at the signs of the monsoon and come back to
me immediately.
This poem was written by
Avvaiyaar, one of the women poets in the sangam era. I am not getting into the
myths surrounding this name as it is beyond the scope of the discussion now.
What makes this poem unique is
that the state of the mind of a woman is described by a woman and not by a man,
which usually is the case(even now). Secondly, the kind of symbolism in the
poem, makes it even more special.
Kondrai flowers- the pallor
because of separation.
Dried Kaaaya flowers- his
state of mind again because of separation.
Deer and Doe- He and She.
Peacock- Monsoon.
More than anything else, one
feels the emotions even as one reads the lines. It also shatters the
assumptions about the state of women and also goes to show how iconoclastic
women were during that era in the Tamizh land.
The lady in the song of the
day is as independent and as unconventional as the heroine in that verse and
the poet who wrote the verse.
While listening to ‘Maanada kodi’
from ‘Mudal Vasantam’(1986), what strikes us the most is the feeling of
unbounded joy in the voice(Janaki). This is because of the way the entire
composition has been conceived, structured and executed.
For starters, the composition
is based on a raga called Suddha Saveri. This very fact itself is interesting and
intriguing at the same time. Suddha Saveri is a pure classical raga not
generally used in film music. I must hasten to add that ILaiyaraaja has used it
more prolifically than anybody else, though a couple of composers have made an
attempt to use this raga. Branding any particular raga as ‘classical’ does by
no stretch of imagination means that other ragas are not classical. But the
fact is some ragas are more classical and the reasons are many though I would
refrain from touching upon these now considering the fact that this discussion
revolves around other factors and that the relevance will get lost if I start
drowning myself into serious technical aspects.
The composition starts with
the akaaram which is backed by the very subtle sound of the bells. This piece
itself is enough to impact our full sensorium. It in fact even goes beyond that
and gives an illusion of floating in the air. As if to give a contrasting
feeling, the keys enter with a bang, ably buttressed by the bass guitar and the
percussion-which is resounding along with the ankle bells, sounding just the
first syllable ‘ta’ of tisram. The flute takes over and playing with finesse,
expands the melody with the strings sounding ‘ta ka dhi mi ta ka’ in pure
Suddha Saveri. The keys bend gracefully and as if charmed by this sound, the
birds chirp.
What makes the Pallavi stand
out is the podi sangati in the third line(thottaththu pookkaL). It is
bewitchingly beautiful. What is exquisite about the entire Pallavi is the
melody from the keys between the lines. This melody can also be called the leitmotif,
as it keeps occurring now and then.
The strings in the beginning
of the first interlude seem as if they are climbing up a hill, albeit
effortlessly. The santoor interjects briefly before that magical instrument
called flute enters. An instrument which is already magical assumes greatness
and reaches gargantuan proportions in the hands of a true magician. And this is
what happens here. Straddling between pure classicism and folk, the flute moves
tantalisingly close to our heart showing us the visions of nature in its pristine
form. This indeed is a surreal experience, accentuated by the strings which
play in the higher-octave and the call and response between the flute and the
santoor towards the end.
Balance between subtlety and
grandeur. This is how one can describe the lines in the CharaNams which move softly
and with flourish, bespattering droplets of honey and revealing the beauty of
the raga called Suddha Saveri, with the initial akaaram - 4 cycles of tisram-
and the ending humming- 2 cycles of tisram- looking like the raisins on an
Indian sweet.
The flute does it again in the
second interlude. But as one would expect from this composer, this time it is
different. First, it plays an alluring melody. The strings respond with sobriety.
This happens twice and the third time when it plays, the guitar-which had been
silent all along- shows up and what a moment it is!
Known for its beguile and its
fluidity, the guitar gives an incredible smile which even makes the flute bow
down in appreciation. The keys follow with reverence and the strings move with
ardour, symbolising the entire theme. The flute enters again and plays with
translucence. The strings follow, but what happens now towards the end, is
something which is indescribable. The flute, which until then was playing in
higher octave, plays in the lower- octave which almost sounds like a whisper.
A whisper which gives us the meaning
of ‘unconventional’.
A whisper which makes us feel
nature.
A whisper which shatters all
myths..
…about music and about women!
