ILaiyaraaja – The Avant-Garde Musician

 

Being innovative or creative is not just an art. Going beyond any stretch of imagination-literally and figuratively- beyond realms of possibility, sensibly with a sense of purpose is creativity. The process of creativity is an experience by itself and can hardly be put in words. One has to experience it to fully understand and appreciate it. In a way, it is like meditation.

Now, this gentleman looks at the sky, at the earth and then at the horizon. His imagination runs riot. Why can’t we possess all things that we see? Why can’t I grab the sky? –he questions himself. Will our efforts bear fruit at all? Will we give up finally? – he continues. And then he says, It is after all the Supreme Power-the Divine force- which is present in the sky, in whatever we see and in whatever we count.

கண்ணில் தெரியும் பொருளினைக் கைகள் கவர்ந்திட மாட்டாவோ?

அட- மண்ணில் தெரியுது வானம், அது நம் கைவசப்படலாகாதோ?

எண்ணி எண்ணிப் பல நாளும் முயன்றிங்கு இறுதியிற் சோர்வோமோ?

அட- விண்ணிலும் கண்ணிலும் எண்ணிலும் மேவு பரசக்தியே.

On the face of it, this may sound ordinary. But scratch the surface, start exploring and you will see a gold mine.

So many beings before him must have seen the horizon. But how many did even think of ‘grabbing’ it? Coming to think of it, ‘horizon’ itself is an illusion. We chase that illusion known in Indian Philosophy as ‘Maaya’ and give up finally. But the moment we see the existence of the Supreme Power and the fact that it is present in space, on the earth and in all beings, we realise that we go after things which are not real while forgetting that things which are real appear unreal to us.

One can go on and on about these 4 lines but this short summary is enough to show the genius of Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharati; and to give a sample of ‘creativity’.

Creative people set examples and lead the way for others to follow. They chart their own course and travel on uncharted path. They create a niche for themselves. Needless to say, ILaiyaraaja is one such genius.

It is not uncommon for music composers to use different ragas in the same composition. Called Ragamaalika, such compositions give one a taste of different ragas within minutes- at times within seconds. But what ILaiyaraaja has done in KaNNanai KaaNbaaya (Manithanin Marupakkam – 1986) is something unique and not tried out generally by normal music composers.

There are three ragas, with each one related to the other. In some of my earlier posts, I had written about the different swaras and their variants. Essentially, there are seven swaras with sa and pa having no variants. The other 5- ri, ga, ma, dha, ni- have two variants( I am confining my discussion to normal variants and not going to the concept of vivadi here).

 ‘KaNNanai KaaNbaaya’ starts in one particular raga. One variant of a particular swara is changed in the second charaNam and one variant of the original raga is again changed in the next CharaNam. Thus there are three different ragas related to each other in terms of the structure, but different from each other in terms of the sound and the mood.

The beginning of the composition sees Laya Raaja in full flow with the mrudangam -along with the subtle ankle bells- playing different patterns in tisram. It ends with 4 tadheenginnathom giving a stately edifice to the composition. It is precursor to what is in store.

Chitra starts the Pallavi in pure HindoLam with the sympathetic strings welcoming one and all with unbounded enthusiasm.

The violins and the flute decorate the first interlude with simple but powerful swaras in HindoLam. The melody unfolds with discernment and shines with radiance.

The first CharaNam is rather short but one sees some variegated patterns of the raga with the second line even touching the higher octave swaras –Ma Dha and Ga- not an usual spectacle one gets to see in film music. The akaaram after the first line is meditatively classical.

The second interlude sees a sudden transition- as far as style is concerned- to western music. The exuberant guitar moves with an unmatched tonal smoothness while the keys bend, jump, prance and dance without in anyway deviating from the raga. However, something happens just before the end of the interlude.

HindoLam is a pentatonic raga with 5 swaras in arohaNa(ascending) and avarohaNa (descending). The swaras are- sa ga2 ma1 dha1 ni2. Just at the end of the first interlude, the variant of ga is changed to ga3. In Carnatic music parlance, ga2 is SaadharaNa Gaandharam and ga3 is Antara Gaandhaaram. When this happens, it gives rise to a new raga. And this raga is called Sallaapam.

I have written and even spoken in many forums about this raga and how it was ILaiyaraaja who used this first. This raga is known by the name Surya in carnatic music circuits as coined by a carnatic musician sometime during the early ‘90s. However, as per the traditional raga texts, this raga is Sallapam and it was ILaiyaraaja who used this first way back in 1982 in ‘Thai Mookambigai’. This is anyway an aside but not irrelevant here.

Going back to KaNNanai.., the second CharaNam is in Sallapam. Note that the second CharaNam is different from that of the first CharaNam in terms of the structure too.

The following interlude goes back to HindoLam. The guitar and the drums give caressing overtones with the flute ambling with elegance even as the guitar keeps repeating the melody.  The keys move with spontaneous spirit and with an unmatched grace.

The next CharaNam sees yet another change. The variant of ni is changed (from kaisiki nishadam-ni2 to kaakali nishadam-ni3) making it Chandrakauns, a raag more prevalent in the Hindustani system of music.

Three different ragas separated by just small variants and yet evoking different emotions..

Are these separate or are these connected?

Are these like the horizon?

Wish we found answers to such questions.. and if we find the answers, we will know what creativity is all about.

 

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ILaiyaraaja – The Phenomenon

Greatness is one of the great things in this world which cannot be measured not just quantitatively but also qualitatively.

Though this may sound odd, the fact remains that greatness too is subjective. At the same time, there are certain factors which make a thing or a person great:

Creativity

Being different

Lateral Thinking

Innovative

Aesthetic Value

Being Radical

Offbeat

Multi Dimensional

These are just some of the factors which occur to me now.

Let us take the case of Bharati. He was born at a time when our Nation was suffocating under the oppressive rule and when caste discrimination was at its peak. The language of Tamizh too was seriously looking for a saviour. He breathed new life into the world. And this he did not by following the footsteps of his predecessors – though he never had any disrespect- but by questioning everything. He simplified the poetic tamizh, rebelled against orthodoxy (remember, he was born in a community considered to be the most superior those days) earning the wrath of many in the process, viewed things differently and presented these differently.

But what matters the most is his poetic sense and sensibility. I am saying this because it is not enough to be a rebel, for there is a danger of presenting everything in a crude way which would defeat the purpose. The young poet was able to put down his thoughts in a presentable and pleasing way thus making his works shine with aesthetic value.

Take just one sample:

திக்குகள் எட்டும் சிதறி-தக்கத்

தீம்தரிகிட தீம்தரிகிட தீம்தரிகிட-தீம்தரிகிட

பக்க மலைகள் உடைந்து-வெள்ளம்

பாயுது பாயுது பாயுது- தாம்தரிகிட

தக்கத் ததிங்கிட தித்தோம்-அண்டம்

சாயுது சாயுது சாயுது-பேய் கொண்டு

தக்கையடிக்குது காற்று- தக்கத்

தாம்தரிகிட தாம்தரிகிட தாம்தரிகிட தாம்தரிகிட..

Now, this is just a description of the rain. We all enjoy the rain, at least most of us do. Poets enjoy it more. But tell me, how many can describe it so differently. He saw and felt the rhythm in the rain and just went on his own trip without in anyway spoiling the syntax of poetry. A new form and yet beautiful.. Breaking the rules and yet staying within the confines of the rules..

Aesthetics at its best!

But such people and such works occur only once in a while. It is a different matter that such rarity has to be celebrated, because in my opinion, it is the rarity which makes this world beautiful.

Without any doubt, ILaiyaraaja and his works will fall under the category of ‘Rare Occurrences’.  If the is a printed sheet paper and if all the factors I mentioned in the beginning are listed in that, all boxes will see a tick mark when it comes to ILaiyaraaja.

In all my posts here, I have quoted reasons as to why he is called as one of the greatest ever music composers, with live examples. So, I do not want to repeat anything today. I would rather discuss about a composition and I am sure that is more than enough. After all, is it not true that action speaks more than words?

What is great about ‘Vaare Waa Maanava’ from the telugu film ‘Aa Okkati Adakku’(1992)?

First and foremost, it is based on a raga which has never been used by any other musician-classical or otherwise. This is not something new as far as people who know him are concerned (check my previous post in this blog). But this is not all..

Let me go step by step.

The composition seems to follow a scale something like this- sa ri2 ga2 pa dha3 ni3 Sa.

That ‘dha3’ is a vivadi swara and I am sure people who follow my posts, know what a vivadi swara is, by now. This raga is called as ‘Kamalaasanapriya’ and is a janya of(that is derived from) the 24^th meLa VaruNapriya.

The Master does something unthinkable- that is unthinkable for mortals. He does Graha Bhedam just before the CharaNam and makes it a different raga, which again is a raga not used by any other musician.

Are you breathless now?

Well, there is more beautiful technique too related to Laya in this composition and since I care for your breath, let me reveal it as I take you through the composition.

With an intensity which at best can be described as musical, the strings gush in and make an organic progression from mid-octave to higher octaves. Just before the end, the multi-layered flutes skate with passion. An aural treat not to be missed!

The electric guitar plays with sobriety with the flute acknowledging and playing with an insouciant grace. The strings enter again and this time we have two sets with one set moving like quick waves and the other set spreading serenity albeit in higher octave.

In fact, a closer look suggests that the entire Pallavi has been played by the electric-guitar-flute-strings!

There is a sudden clap and silence. How often has he spoken about the value of silence and how often we have enjoyed this!

After a brief melody from the sympathetic strings, Janaki starts the Pallavi with the pizzicato backing the vocals for every second tisram in the first half. The second half is made to sound different and this is essentially because of the bass flute which plays different sets of notes along with the vocals. Can you define the feeling when you hear those lines?

SPB joins now and sings only the first half-with the pizzicato backing- though the wordings are different.

The guitar sounds in the beginning of the first interlude. It is soft. Another guitar responds. It is pleasant. The strings play briefly. It is lively. Yet another guitar plays now and the strings back it, of course with a different set of notes. It is lilting.

Well, don’t all these prepare us for something exciting?

Yes, if we know Raaja well; if we know that he is O’Henry Raaja.

That ‘exciting thing’ happens now. The taaLa suddenly shifts from tisram(1 2 3) to chatushram(1 2 3 4) and the stress is on the second and the fourth beats. People who follow my posts closely here know that this is called as ‘usi’ and the Great Master is the only one composer in film music to have applied this technique prolifically and with consummate ease.

One instrument(keys?) is punched, the other one-bass guitar- is plucked and the strings wander around but not pointlessly. It is a melodic and rhythmic swirl, even a kind of maze and yet we do not feel like getting out of it. Do we?

And now the Master does the Graha Bhedam and shifts the raga to yet another little known raga.

This raga follows a scale something like this- sa ri3 ga3 ma dha1 ni3 Sa- and as per the Raga text it is called as Hema BhushaNi, derived from the 33^rd MeLa Gangeya BhushaNi. In fact, Raaja sir had already used this raga in ‘Karaiyadha Manamum UNdo’ where again there is Graha Bhedam (more details in this post : https://rajamanjari.blogspot.in/2010/12/ilaiyaraaja-alluring-musician.html ).

The CharaNams have some charming phrases and what is striking is the plaintiveness which pierces your heart especially in the first segment and in the third segment. The contoured delineation and the characteristic retinue of unique phrases mark the second segment.

With this composer who has a firm grip on all major forms of music and who believes in variety, is it wrong on our part to expect more?

Well, we don’t have to expect anything as he always gives the unexpected. And to him ‘enough is never enough’.

Otherwise how can one explain his sudden shift to the western classical style in the first half of the second interlude, after having used 1.an unknown raga, 2. usi and 3.graha bhedam to shift to yet another little known raga?

The strings play in higher octave with another set playing a totally different set of notes. If the former is lilting, the latter is delectable.

It is then time for a contrastive tone and which other instrument other than the flute can give that feel?

It is haunting..

In fact, the entire composition haunts us even hours after listening to it.

That is where the greatness lies..

..Greatness of a composer who redefined music in general and film music in particular!

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ILaiyaraaja - The Intuitive and Instinctive Musician

Musical articulation is a fundamental instinct, the earliest sounds being uninhibited expressions of human emotions. For formally trained musicians, the mind is conditioned in terms of raga scales and patterns. However, by simply following instinct, the composer can manifest emotions through spontaneous musical expression that later, would be found to programmed norms.

This was said by a musician very recently during a seminar (as reported in a newspaper). We shall see a little later as to who said this and also delve into the meanings and relevance, but before that, let us see one very important word which appears in the very first line.

Instinct is a very interesting word. To put it simply, instinct is something which is innate in all living things and is a pattern of behaviour in response to certain things. It is something which happens naturally. In philosophical terms, instincts are emotional memories from the past and worries/anxities about the future. We are all guided by our instinct.

Instinct is often confused with the word Intuition and many times both words are used interchangeably though both are different. Intuition is the gut feel and it comes without any logical reason. It has no past or future. It occurs in the ‘present’, in ‘that’ moment. However, it is also said that intuition can be developed with experience.

This is indeed a vast subject and therefore I am stopping here and moving on to the relevance of the two here. For all extraordinary people, Instinct and Intuition are razor sharp. In fact, there is a beautiful balance between the two.

Now, look at this poem:

பாம்புப்பிடாரன் குழலூதுகின்றான்..

                      

குழிலிலே இசை பிறந்ததா? தொளையிலே பிறந்ததா?

பாம்புப்பிடாரன் மூச்சிலே பிறந்ததா?

அவனுள்ளத்திலே பிறந்தது. குழலிலே வெளிப்பட்டது.

உள்ளம் தனியே ஒலிக்காது. குழல் தனியே இசை புரியாது.

உள்ளம் குழலிலே ஒட்டாது. உள்ளம் மூச்சிலே ஒட்டும்.

மூச்சுக் குழலிலே ஒட்டும். குழல் பாடும்.

இது சக்தியின் லீலை. அவள் உள்ளத்திலே பாடுகிறாள்.

அது குழலின் தொளையில் கேட்கிறது. பொருந்தாத பொருள்களைப் பொருத்தி வைத்து அதிலே இசையுண்டாக்குதல் - சக்தி.

‘The snake charmer is playing his flute. Does the music come from the flute or from the holes or from his breath?

It comes from his mind and got expressed through the flute. Mind cannot sound the music independently. Flute cannot understand music. Mind is not related to the flute. Mind is related to the breath. Breath is related to the flute. 

The flute sings.

This is the wish of the Divine. The Divine sings in the mind.And the music is heard through the holes(in the flute). Contrasting elements are combined to produce Music- This is what is called as Divine.’

Well, it is a very deep poem with many inner meanings and mine is just a loose translation and I am sure it gives the gist though the philosophical contours and the poetic beauty are at best understood only by people who understand Tamizh (even if one can understand the language, one needs to read it 100 times to get the import).

I have quoted this poem of Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharati because in my opinion,

i. it talks about instinct and intuition.

ii. this was a new form of poetry called as ‘Vachana Kavitai’ and this was a precursor to the most popular ‘Pudhu Kavitai’.

iii. we see the instinct of the Mahakavi in the way he has conceived the poetry and the intuition that this form would dominate the Tamizh Poetry about 60 years from the time this was written.

I feel that when Bharati started writing this kind of poem, all he would have thought was ‘to express some deep philosophical thoughts in very simple language’ and the result was this new form.

Now, read the first paragraph and substitute the words ‘musical articulation’ with ‘poetic articulation’, ’sounds’ with ‘words’, ‘formally trained musicians’ with ‘normal poets’, ‘composer’ with ‘poet’ and ‘musical expression’ with ‘poetic expression’ and see how it applies to Bharati here.

Incidentally, the person who said those words also has ‘Bharati’ as a suffix in his name. In fact, he is the great grandson of the Mahakavi and goes by the name Rajkumar Bharati.He is a great musician cum composer who composes beautiful music for classical dance dramas.

While he made those statements while talking about his own experience as a composer, I felt (while I was reading it yesterday) that it applies to ILaiyaraaja. When asked about the usage of different raagas in his music, ILaiyaraaja’s constant refrain has been ‘I don’t sit and think about any raaga. It just happens’. This ‘it just happens’ is where one sees both instinct and intuition.

Let us see just one example today with a composition. This composition is based on a raga/scale which according to me has not been used by any composer-classical or film music. It is KeeravaNi minus the ‘ri’. I am sure that before composing this song- ‘Yeh Raasaaththi’- for the film ‘En Uyir Thozhan’(1990), he would not have even thought of setting the tune in a rare and unheard of raaga. The moment the situation was explained to him, his fingers would have started playing the harmonium and rather unconsciously avoided the ‘rishabham’. It would have sounded very different and nice and he would have continued to play the tune.

What would have attracted him in this scale first? (I feel) the unmistakable poignancy and melancholy. If one has watched the movie (unfortunately ‘yours truly’ happens to be one), the male character who is singing (lip synching) the song is a scheming person who cheats the woman he ‘loves’. The tune and the interludes clearly reflect this feel. Of course, this does not mean that the song is not melodious. Even cunningness can sound melodious in the hands of a genius composer.

But before I get on with the song, let me share some more details about the raaga/scale. Though it sounds a lot like KeeravaNi, as per the raaga texts, this scale - sa ga2 ma1 pa dha1 ni3 Sa- is a janya of Dhanuka. Note that the variant of the ‘ri’, is the differential factor between KeeravaNi (21^st meLa) and Dhenuka(9^th meLa). The name of this Raaga as per Sangeeta Swaraprastaara Saagaram  is Bhargavi.

And now for the song..

The prelude itself is very interesting and has only the vocals-except for one instrument which ‘responds’ once. In fact, the structure of the song itself is rather unusual with the vocals appearing between the Pallavi and the first interlude and between the first CharaNam and the second interlude.

We see the harmony in the beginning with the voice (AruNmozhi) being superimposed and singing in different ways (can we call it as ‘sangati’, a terms which we saw yesterday?). After the ‘echo’ effect in the beginning, the voice assumes an almost beseeching tone during the ‘harmony’ section. There is poise; there is gentle flourish too.

There is silence for one cycle of chatushram before the Pallavi and this multiplies our expectations. The Pallavi is rendered with elan by Malaysia Vasudevan with AruNmozhi providing the support. The composer brilliantly uses the mandra stayee (lower octave) swaras (pa.dha.ni.) in the second part of the Pallavi and this, along with the piercing flute sound at the end of each phrase in the third line, adds to the poignant feel.

The silence occurs again after the Pallavi(for one cycle of chatushram) and this is followed by the plain recitation(without any tune but in rhythm) by Malaysia Vasudevan with the chorus responding each time with a different humming which in a way gives some insights into the raaga too.

The flute which appears after this phase plays with passionate charm giving the beautiful shades of the raaga.

The lines in the CharaNam are marked by delicacy and have some nuanced intricacies too. If there is that mandra stayee kaakali nishadam (ni3.) in the first line, there is mandra stayee shuddha dhaivatam(dha1.) in the second line. But what is amazing is the sudden occurrence of the madhyama stayee dha after a series of mandra stayee dha in the second line.The last line is a beauty too with the series of dha occurring in the beginning and the mandra nishadam appearing in the last phrase.

The ‘tanana’ and ‘tanananaa’  of the chorus, after the first line and the second line when the Pallavi is rendered after the CharaNam shows the innovative musicality of the genius.

There is silence for the third time in the composition now.

The ‘recitation’ happens now too but now there are two changes. First, the percussion. In the previous instance, the percussive support was provided by the rhythm guitar and the tabla, but now these are replaced by the Tavil. In fact, the Tavil plays one full aavartanam before the recitation and after the ‘silence’. Second, the chorus which was only humming previously, now sings the first line after it is recited and also hums when the next lines are recited.

Brimming with vim, vigour and vitality, the Shehnais make a maze of swirling movements in the interlude.

Instinctively Intuitively Musical!

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ILaiyaraaja- The Ingenious Musician

Are creativity and inventiveness mutually inclusive?

They are not mutually exclusive surely, but is it true that all creative people are inventive as well?

Sometime back, I described the differences between creativity and innovation. Let us now see all the three together.

Creativity is seeing what everyone sees and thinking what no one else has thought before. Invention is putting these thoughts into tangible ideas. Innovation is introducing these ideas to others by different means.

All genuine artistes are creative. But are they inventive too? Isn’t inventiveness a trait of a select few?

Being creative does not necessarily mean being inventive or innovative. On the other hand, to be inventive or innovative, one necessarily has to be creative. A person having all the three in abundance is a great artiste. These three in fact very well apply to management as well and I used the word ‘artiste’ because management is an art.

Now, having these in abundance is one thing. But having these in equal proportions (though these are not tangible and one cannot measure these) is the mark of a genius. Not many can boast of this though.

Bharati was one such genius. If his poetic ability came to him almost naturally, he had the uncanny knack of channelising it and also presenting it. To start with, he simplified poetic Tamizh so that even a common man could understand it. Then, he composed poems in a wide variety of subjects presenting these very differently and in the process gave a new dimension to each and every subject.

As an example, let us take his ‘KaNNan Paattu’. Until then, Aazhwars have had treated KaNNan as their child, guru, lover and god. As ‘lover’ they considered KaNNan as male only and they assumed the role of a ‘nayika’(AandaL anyway was a girl but others like Nammazhwar and Thirumangaiyaazhwar considered themselves as a Heroine pining for the Lord).

Bharati considered KaNNan as his friend, his mother, his father, his servant, his king, his disciple, his guru, his child and his lover. The last two mentioned needs special attention. The child was a girl child –KaNNamma- and the ‘Lover’ was KaNNan first and then ‘KaNNamma’-the female version of KaNNan.

Now, tell me if any poet had thought like this before?

Not only did he think differently but also presented it differently and beautifully.

I am just giving a sample here - some lines from one his very popular KaNNamma poems:

வெண்ணிலவு நீ எனக்கு, மேவு கடல் நான் உனக்கு;

பண்ணு சுதி நீ எனக்கு,பாட்டினிமை நான் உனக்கு; 

வீசுகமழ் நீ எனக்கு, விரியும் மலர் நான் உனக்கு;

பேசுபொருள் நீ எனக்கு, பேணும் மொழி நான் உனக்கு; 

காத‌ல‌டி நீ என‌க்கு, காந்த‌ம‌டி நான் உன‌க்கு;

வேதமடி நீ எனக்கு வித்தையடி நான் உனக்கு; 

‘You are my Moon, I am your Sea.

You are my Shruti, I am your melody.

You are my fragrance, I am your blossoming flower.

You are my speech, I am your language.

You are my love, I am your magnet.

You are my Vedas, I am your art.’

Can love get better than this? Can a poem be more beautiful than this?

I doubt!           

We have been seeing as to how another genius by name ILaiyaraaja has been enthralling us with his magnificent compositions that shine with creativity, sparkle with inventiveness and smile with innovation. Like Bharati who simplified poetic Tamizh, ILaiyaraaja simplified classical music so that it reached even the common man. But it was done without in anyway compromising on the classicism or the quality of music. That is why, Tamizh writer Jayakanthan, who passed away recently remarked in his documentary that ‘We all respect ILaiyaraaja because he made classical music accessible to all. In a way, Raaja is a socialist’.

This ‘simplified music’ has a lot of complex intricacies too and that is where the inventiveness and innovation come into play.

The song of the day ‘Kalise prati sandhyalo..’ from the Telugu film ‘Aalapana’(1986) is another perfect example. Based on the classical raga Mayamalavagowla, the composition n gives the essence of the raga and also shows its deep beauteous shades in a matter of 4 and a quarter minutes. Apart from inventing new designs in orchestration and presenting the designs innovatively, he has also played with the Laya in his inimitable style keeping the tradition alive.

The composition starts directly without a prelude and this itself has its own attraction. The Pallavi is beautifully structured with the coaxingly gentle voices of SPB and Janaki taking us to a different plane. There are many significant features in the Pallavi itself.

1. The Vocals sing the first phrase ‘kalise’ for one beat and then the instrument play for the next 3 beats. The next phrase ‘Prati Sandhyalo’ is sung for 2 beats and this is again followed by the instrument. That is, in the Adi taaLa cycle, ‘Kalise’ is sung in the first thattu in samam, ‘prati sandhyalo’ is sung in the first veecchu. This happens twice with the next phrases ‘kalige’ and ‘pulakintalo’ following the same pattern. The lines that follow are sung continuously up to the first veechchu (6 beats) with the last veecchu being taken over by the instruments.

2. The instrument-Keys made to sound almost like a Flute- that back the Vocals in the first four lines, go on the ascent (arohaNam) in the first instance and then come down descending (avarohaNam) in the next phrase. A very subtle Violin plays along with the Vocals in the next line ‘Naatyaalanni’ and a special sound from the Keys touches some unique sancharas in Mayamalavagowla. All along, one hears a constant bell sound too.

3.The Mridangam that accompanies plays the chatushram ‘ta ka dhi mi’ as ‘ta – dhi mi’ four times and a second Mridangam appears in the fourth ‘ta ka dhi mi’ sounding the ‘ta’ and ‘dhi’ only with a special resonant sound. The constant ‘Chaapu’ sound enhances the experience.

The First Interlude begins and ends with Laya Vinyasa, albeit with two totally different sets of patterns.

The Mridangam and Tabla move with salutary greatness and go as  5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 6, 5 in the first aavartana and then go as 5, 5, 5, 3 3, 6 in the second aavartana. The last 5 is played by the VeeNa and the Sitar. Innovatively inventive!

The combination of VeeNa and the Sitar is another beauty here as both weave tassels of swaras for the next two aavartanas. The Flute takes over and plays with felicitous fluidity for the next two aavartanas.The Santoor intercepts after every 3 beats in the first cycle and the Sitar-VeeNa combination intercepts at the same interval in the next cycle. The beauty here is that each time a different set of swaras is played showing the depth of creativity of the composer.

The second part of the Laya Vinyaasa follows now.

The Mridangam first plays a yati. Yati is a structure with arrangement of aksharaas/syllables in a specific pattern. Here it goes in the ascending order as 4, 4, 5, 7. This yati is called as the Srotas Yati. It then follows 6, 4, 5, 5, 5, 4, 5, 5, 5. A total of 64 in two cycles but following very different patterns.

The innovation continues in the CharaNam though in a different way. The first segment has Janaki singing the ‘akaaram’ for two beats after each line with each ‘akaaram’ being different.

In the next segment, the Flute plays after each line-yet again different sets of swaras.

One hears the Mridangam alone in the next segment while the last segment has the akaaram alone- first by Janaki for half aavartana followed by SPB and Janaki in the next half aavartana and need I say two different akaarams sung in perfect harmony?

The Second Interlude sees some beautiful harmonic progression. The VeeNa first glides gracefully. The succulent Sitar joins in the next aavartana. Even as this is on, the Flute joins and plays exactly the same swaras played by the VeeNa. The Santoor joins after half-aavartana and plays the swaras played by the Sitar. Like a silent observer and a karma-yogi, the ankle-bell keeps backing all the instruments throughout the interlude.  

A collage of melody indeed!

The VeeNa and Sitar continue to show the resplendent shades of the raga with vigour and vibrancy with the immaculate Flute interjecting now and then. Finally, the three join together, weave a small ‘teermaanam’ akin to the one done towards the end of a swara-singing segment in a Carnatic Music Concert.

Creativity, Innovation and Inventiveness in abundance and in right proportions..drenching us with classical melody.

Do we need anything more?



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