ILaiyaraaja- The Playful Musician

Of all the senses humans have (and this includes the perceived sixth sense), the most significant and effective sense is Sense of Humour.

People can wriggle out of a tough situation just because of this sense. A very tense situation can be made to look very simple using this sense. This sense not only makes us laugh at ourselves without any inhibitions but also makes others laugh (at themselves/at the situation). Humour acts at the physical, mental and emotional level and therefore at the spiritual level too. If this statement sounds funny, think. What is spirituality without the body, mind and emotions being in coordination? Most importantly, what is spirituality without positive feelings? In fact, one who is not positive can never be spiritual and one who is spiritual is always positive. What better way to get positive feeling than that sense of humour? So, next time you come across a person who calls himself/herself as spiritual, check if that person has this sense.

Unlike popularly believed, poets and artistes too have sense of humour, though the degree and the way they express this, varies. For some, it pours out as sarcasm. For example, Mahakavi used sarcasm in some of his poems, especially the ones where he derided the British rule. For example - Oi thilkare namma jaathikku adukkumo- in the same style as ‘Oi nandanaare namma jaathikkadukkumo’..

 In my earlier posts here 2 years back, I covered Humour as an emotion in two different posts and quoted two poems –one by Avvaiyar and the other by Kavi KALamegam. It is one more poem of the latter that I am quoting now. He was called as ‘sledai kavi’(சிலேடை ) because of his natural ability to compose poems  with words which give two or more meanings(all poems can be interpreted in more than two ways but this is different).

Look at this poem:

காக்கைக்கா காகூகை கூகைக்கா காகாக்கை

கோக்குக்கூ காக்கைக்குக் கொக்கொக்க - கைக்கைக்குக்

காக்கைக்குக் கைக்கைக்கா கா.

For the benefit of people who cannot read Tamizh, I am giving it in English:

Kaakkaikaa Kaakoogai Koogaikka Kaakaakkai

Kokkukkoo Kaakkaikku Kokkokka-KaiKaikku

Kaakkaikku Kaikkaaikkaa Kaa.

I can already sense the smile on your faces. So, is this some kind of a blabber written just for fun?

Let us see the meaning:

‘Kaakkai’ means Crow and ‘Koogai’ means Owl. The crow cannot defeat the owl nor can the owl defeat the crow. This is because a crow cannot see in the night while an owl’s vision is zero during the day. Likewise, a smart king should be like the crane (kokku) which relentlessly and patiently waits for the fish. Otherwise, even if he is strong, he cannot save his kingdom.

This verse shows the sense of humour of the poet, but it also shows his brilliance. Note that he has used only variants of the letter ‘க‌ ‘(ka).

Just an example of a genius with a great sense of humour..

That the musical genius ILaiyaraaja is also endowed with a great sense of humour is not known to many-especially people who criticize him at the drop of a hat. As mentioned earlier, I discussed two different songs in the year 2014 , though there are many more.

Isn’t it time then to take up yet another song which has one in splits even if he/she does not understand Tamizh?

There are many reasons for ‘Kaadal Kasakkudaiah’ from ‘AaN Paavam’(1985) sounding humorous. The wordings seem to have a dig at what is called as ‘Love’ but in reality it only praises Love after marriage. The way the entire song is rendered by the Master himself and the way he has done the arrangement and orchestration speak volumes of his humourous sense. But what the most striking aspect the raga on which the tune  is based.

In Carnatic Music, though all ragas are classical, some are more classical. If I sound Orwellian, it maybe because of the reason that I like Animal Farm, but this is immaterial and irrelevant now. .What is relevant however is the fact that Shanmukhapriya is one such raga which falls under the ‘more classical’ category. Somehow, the Maestro has always been very fascinated by this raga. Yes, many ragas fascinate him but the reason for my saying this is because he has composed many ‘kiNdal’ songs in this raga.  ‘PoNNu Paarkka’(AvaL Oru pachchikuzhandai), ‘Vengaaya Saambarum’(Panneer PushpangaL), ‘Ammaadi chinnapaappa’(IndRu Poi NaaLai Vaa), ‘Vettu Vedippom’(ANNe ANNe), ‘Ooru Vittu Ooru Vandhu’(Karakattakkaran) are some examples of this. But what is more amazing is the fact that the classicism of the raga was never compromised.

‘Kaadal kasakkudiah’ is probably doubly special because it was he who rendered it.

The prelude is a collage of rhythm. In fact, it has only the different percussion instruments playing variegated patterns in chatushram. The mridangam with its unique resonance plays the 16 micro beats for one cycle with kaarvai in the beginning. The unique sound of mugarsing(or morsing as it is popularly known) follows in the next cycle. The kanjira breaks the 4 into 16 as ta ki ta/ ta ki ta/ta ka/ta ki ta/ta ki ta/ ta ka(3, 3, 2/3, 3, 2).

The following cycle sees the wondrous combination of the synth sound and the drums with the former striking only the first syllable and the latter playing the chatushram in mel kaalam. The mridangam and tabla play all the syllables in the next cycle. But what follows is interesting again. These play as ta ka ta ki ta/ta ka ta ki ta/ta ka dhi mi/ta- 5/5/4/2. Two khandams, one chatushram and one two.. After all, this is what one expects from ‘L’ Raaja(if you think ‘L’ is for love, you are thoroughly mistaken).

So, with the rhythm setting the right tone, the Pallavi bubbles with energy..

The gliding gracefulness cannot be missed. It starts with the upper ‘Ga’ and goes down like ‘Ga Ri Sa ni dha pa dha ma’. A beautiful innovation indeed!

The swaras-pa dha ni- give the signature of the raga, and the sangati in the last line and the descent/ascent in the last phrase show the beautiful facets of the raga. The raga’s name itself suggests it is multifaceted and if it is handled by a multi faceted musician, do we need to say that the experience will be exhilarating?

Another wonderful aspect of the Pallavi is the use of jaalra and a subtle violin backing the vocals. It is ‘L’ Raaja again when the percussion thunders with the third syllable of chatushram in every cycle.

The shehnai plays with ecstasy in the first interlude weaving tassels of swaras of Shanmukhapriya in the process. In between, the guitar responds briefly. It takes over after the shehnai-which by now has drawn a lovely sketch of the raga- and moves with an impish giggle. The shrill flute like sound guides us to the first CharaNam.

The lines in the first CharaNam move with humourous gait albeit classically. The most classical lines are the ones which start with ‘Theatreile..’ and the last two lines. In fact, the last line is like a typical classical swaraprastaram.

Contrast this with the way ‘Kaadal Kasakkudaiah’ is rendered after this and before the second interlude. Marvellously humourous!

The second interlude sees some nice exchanges between the various instruments. First the guitar along with the bass guitar chortles. It does this 4 times and each time, a different set gives repartee. To start with, it is the mridangam. Next is the synth percussion. And finally it is the flute twice, playing different sets of swaras each time. Yet another guitar titters now. It is then the turn of the shehnai. This very classical instrument simpers with the guitar and the flute sniggering and guffawing.

The momentum is maintained in the second CharaNam whose structure is different from that of the first one. Each line(starting with the 5^th line) parodies an old song mentioning the respective name of the hero each time. The genius shows his class here too by using the same swaras of the originals songs(‘Manmada leelaiyai’, ‘Nadaiya’,’Hello Hello Sugama’) though each one is based on a different raga. After all, music is universal.

Music is lighter too…

..or is it?

Check this out on Chirbit                                                                                                

Laya Raaja - 4

This question crops up to me time and again.

‘What makes somebody a genius?

Is it their ability to do something very complex- so complex that you and I scratch the heads to simplify that and unravel the mystery?’

Why should somebody do something so complex? To show off their intellectual prowess? To announce to the world that ‘See, I have done this. I am capable of more too. Can you even try doing this?’

If this is true, then is there not a shade of arrogance in their act itself?

Like many questions in this world, these are tough to answer. Looking at it in a positive way, it could just be that they want to show the finer elements and beauties in life.

Look at the following poem in tamizh:

தத்தித்தா தூதுதி தாதூதித் தத்துதி
துத்தித் துதைதி துதைதத்தா தாதுதி
தித்தித்த தித்தித்த தாதெது தித்தித்த
தெத்தாதோ தித்தித்த தாது?

‘Thathithaa thoothuthi thaathoothi thaththuthi

Thuththi thuthaithi thuthaithaththaa thaathuthi

Thiththiththa thithiththa thaathethu thithiththa

Theththaatho thiththiththa thaathu?’

Does it make any sense?

Now, let us try splitting the words. 

தத்தித் தாது ஊதுதி தாது ஊதித் தத்துதி

துத்தித் துதைதி துதைது அத்தா ஊதி

தித்தித்த தித்தித்த தாது எது

எத்தாதோ தித்தித்த தாது? 

Does it look better now?

‘Oh  Bee! You blow off the pollens and drink the honey hidden inside the pollen. You jump and fly again and go to yet another flower humming making a beautiful sound in the process. You drink the honey from that flower too. Which flower was sweeter? Honey from which flower was sweeter? Which petal was more beautiful? Will you please tell me?’

This poem was written by Kavi KaaLamegam who lived in the 15^th Century and was known for composing poems with more than one meaning. In this poem too, the word  ‘thaadhu’ (தாது) has been used to denote the honey, the flower and the petals.

The poet does magic using just the single letter  ‘tha’(தா) and its variants. It sounds musical while reciting, it kindles our curiosity, and it is very meaningful too raising some interesting questions.

Does this poem reflect the arrogance of the poet?

Far from it.

I feel it is a tribute to the language called Tamizh and shows us how beautiful the language can be if it is in the proper hands and if it is used the way it has to be used.

The song of the day falls in the same category. When one listens to it superficially, it sounds melodically beautiful, which of course is true even when one gets into an analytical mode. The mode is because a trained ear senses something hidden in terms of the taaLa structure and the raga usage. But if one dwells deeper, it leads to untying so many knots making one discover more and more hidden beauties. This leaves one wondering ‘what is his brain made of and how is it wired’.

‘Sollaadha raagangaL ennenna pollaadha taaLangaL ennanna’ from Mahanadi(1994), must be rated as one of the most complex compositions in film music. I am dividing the post into two parts now- Laya, and Raaga for easier understanding and appreciation.

1.Laya/TaaLa

As mentioned in my previous post on ‘Maanjolai kiLaithaano’, the foundation for a structure of the song is the TaaLa and more minutely the syllables.

‘Sollaadha’ has a rather unusual start with words first being rendered in a free flowing way albeit with different variations by SPB and Janaki.

The Pallavi starts and it is clear that it follows the 4-beat chatushra eka taaLam.

The first line- Sollaadha raagangaL ennenna is in one aavartanam and the 4 beats are subdivided into 16 maatraas- 4 (Sollaadha), 4(RaagangaL), 8(Ennenna).

The following lines follow the same pattern-

4(Pollaadha) 4(TaaLangaL) 8(Ennenna)

4(ThuNindhu) 4(Sonnaal) 8 (Enna….)

The percussion plays the next aavartanam which is again 16- with stress on 1, 3, 6, 9, 11, the last 4 being left as blank.

The three lines are repeated by Janaki.

SPB’s lines ‘Nillaadha eNNangaL munsella’ ‘ThaLLaadha en nenjam pinsella’, ‘Thodarndhu vandhaal enna’ follow the same pattern..

 ‘Ezhunda sandham ondru’( 4, 4, 8) and ‘Kalandha sondham indRu(4, 4, 8) have one aavartanam each.

But what follows is the ‘crowning glory’.

‘INaindha Santharppam’  is 10,  and ‘iZhandha pon sorgam is 10.

‘Thirumbumo pudhuyugam arumbumo…..’  is divided as 6, 6, 6, 2, 4, 4 - the last ‘4’ being the drums.

From ‘Ezhunda’, we have 5 aavartanams-a total of 20 counts which is subdivided as 80 maatraas!

In the first interlude, the drums alternate between the chorus in the first part playing    1 2 3 4 / 1 - 3 - / 1 - 3  - / 1 - 3 - /

The lines in the CharaNam follow the 4, 4, 8 pattern until the last line (INaindha santharppam) which follows 10, 10, 6, 6, 2, 4, 4.

The drums draw different patterns of Chatushram in the second interlude leaving gaps now and then.

Raga

The free-flowing part in the beginning has the Harikambhoji swaras.

The Pallavi has almost the same swaras except that those are used differently to give us Pahaadi.

The chorus continues in Harikambhoji until the strings take over. The ‘ma’ of Harikambhoji is taken as the base (graha bedam) and the raga changes to ShankarabharaNam. It goes back to Harikambhoji in the chorus part.

In the CharaNam, the ‘ma1’ is substituted with the ‘ma2’ and the raga becomes Vaachaspati. At the end of the second line, the ‘ri2’ of Vaachaspati becomes the base ‘sa’ and we get Charukesi- from the line ‘KooNdil’. The violins in the background too continue in Charukesi.

It is back to Vaachaspati in ‘Jeevan’ while the last phrase ‘INanidha’ is in Pahaadi.

Here is yet another twist. The CharaNam ends with ‘ma1’ and the next interlude starts with the joyful flute taking this as the base. Graha bedam again and it is Kalyani now. Does it end here?

No.. The strings and then the flute play Hamir Kalyani, a janya raga of Kalyani!!

Seamless change of ragas-with and without Graha bedam.

Very differently structured Pallavi/CharaNams with divisions and sub divisions of TaaLa.

Untold mysteries…

‘What makes somebody a genius’?

It is for you all to say now…

ILaiyaraaja's Music and Emotions-VI-Humour-I

‘Humour is by far the most significant activity of the human brain’ said Edward de Bono, the father of Lateral Thinking.  

One does not need to be an expert to vouch for this. One does not need to know the functioning of brain. One does not even need to know about the lower frontal lobes (part of the brain considered to be the location of sense of humour). All it needs is that ‘sense’.  

Humour changes the way one looks at life. It brings joy, happiness, calmness and most importantly relaxes all parts of the body. Personally speaking, it is the sense of humour that has kept me-and keeping me- going even at times of worst crises. 

That brings me to one interesting poem by a spontaneous poet. Kavi KaaLamegam not only looked at things in life with humour but also composed poems laced with humour- bordering on sarcasm.  

Once unable to bear the heat (this is of course universal and perennial right?), he bought a glass of butter milk from a lady. Similar to the tea served at homes where we are unwanted guests, it had more of ‘two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen’. The poet looked at the lady and sang: 

''கார்' என்று பேர் படைத்தாய் ககனத்து உறும்போது

'நீர்' என்று பேர் படைத்தாய் கொடுந்தரையில் வந்ததற்பின்
வார் ஒன்று மென்முலையார் ஆய்ச்சியர்கை வந்ததற்பின்
'மோர்' என்று பேர் படைத்தாய் முப்பேறும் பெற்றாயே'

‘Oh Butter milk! You were called as the cloud when you were on the sky. You were called as water after you reached the earth. You are now called as Buttermilk after these beautiful ladies ‘handled’ you. Wonderful! You have attained ‘moksha’. 

The innocent lady would not have understood anything and probably would have even imagined that the great poet considered her concoction to be the elixir and therefore was singing a paean and showering encomiums on her! 

Humour-a great way to ease the pressure and the best way to fight anger! 

As we all know, music too has the same power. What happens when the two combine? 

Listen to this song from the Telugu film ‘Indrudu Chandrudu’(1990) and you will know. 

Contrary to the popular perception, ILaiyaraaja has a great sense of humour. I heard a director once say as to how he would laugh like a child while watching comedy sequences in movies while writing notes (background score)  for the same. His score for comedy sequences speaks volumes about his sense of humour. Apart from this, he also scored for songs that evoke laughter. The composition under discussion is one. Brilliantly tuned in Pahaadi, one of his most favourite ragas and a raga which can hardly be confined to a structure, the composition has dominant shades and contours of S.E.Asian music. 

While saying this, one must also appreciate the way S.P.B. perceives the sequence, assimilates it and delivers it with aplomb.  

‘Nachchina foodu’ opens with a bang. The percussion sounds and echoes. Exactly at the third beat, another percussion instrument sounds ‘ta ri ki ta’ 4 times and this is repeated at the 7^th beat. After one avartanam of adi taaLam, the pulsating beats start and go as ‘ta ki ta/ta ki ta/ta ka’. The stress on the 1^st,4^th and the 7^th almost throughout the song mak es it more exciting and mouth watering!  

It is breezy and bouncing too as the keys play the notes of the first line of the Pallavi and with flute drawing the Pahaadi sketch with poise.   

The Pallavi in the ‘twin’ voices of SPB is amazing to say the least. How he managed the tonal modulation is a billion dollar question. One sees creditable depths of the voice, the raga and of course the humour. 

Replete with delightful melodious notes, the first interlude is a veritable treat of noodles and sauce with the guitar and the South East Asian instrument moving with delight. The Flute adds to the pleasantness. An enjoyable delicacy! 

Expressiveness is at its best with repartees from the ‘other’ voice of SPB. The subtle strands of phrasings and caressing flute make the experience livelier. 

The second interlude throbs with melodic and rhythmic vibrations. One set of sharp percussion sounds ta ka dhi mi while the other set sounds it rather subtly. After one avartanam, the crafty keys continue the S.E.Asian treat while the mandolin dishes out a Hyderabadi Briyani. 

It touches the acme of musical joy towards the end of the second charaNam with the raga’s melodic colours oozing with humour and laughter.

A delicious and sumptuous meal!!