Laya Raaja- 7

ஐந்தும் ஐந்தும் ஐந்தும் ஆகி அள்ளவற்று உளாயுமாய்,

ஐந்தும் மூன்றும் ஒன்றுமாகி நின்ற ஆதி தேவனே!

ஐந்தும் ஐந்தும் ஐந்தும் ஆகி அந்தரத்து அணைந்து நின்று,

ஐந்தும் ஐந்தும் ஐந்தும் ஆய நின்னை யாவர் காண வல்லரே?

அஞ்சிலே ஒன்று பெற்றான் அஞ்சிலே ஒன்றைத் தாவி

அஞ்சிலே ஒன்று ஆறு ஆக ஆரியர்க்காக ஏகி

அஞ்சிலே ஒன்று பெற்ற அணங்கைக் கண்டு அயலாரூரில்

அஞ்சிலே ஒன்றை வைத்தான் அவன்  எம்மை அளித்துக் காப்பான்.

What is this? Is it a word play? Or a number play? Or both?

The first one is from the Thiruchchandaviruththam of Thirumazhisai Azhwar and the second one is a Kamban verse.

Before we find an answer, let us look at the meanings first.

As per Sri Vaishnavite philosophy, the Lord governs 24 thathvaas. The great poet  Thirumazhisai azhwar poetically splits these  as four 5 s two 3s and one 1. The five elements comprise the first 5. The second 5 are the Gnaanendriyaas. The third 5 are the karmendriyaas while the fourth 5 has the subtle tanmaatraas. Ego, Mahaan and the avyaktam are the 3 while the single most thing is the mind. Finally, he says ‘who can unravel the mystery?’

If the Azhwar used the 5 to describe the mystery of creation, Kavi Chakravarti used the 5 to praise Anjaneya with just the five elements.

He was born to Vaayu, or the wind. He crossed the water - the Indian Ocean- taking the aerial route(aagayam), to see the lady  who was born to Bhooma Devi(the Earth), and set fire(  agni) to that place(Ashoka Vanam in Lanka).

The world revolves around numbers. Our life revolves around numbers. Is there anything in this world which is not governed by the numbers? Time, Place, Event, Procreation, Death..In fact, our life is a zero without numbers and there too we have a number. Now, all these apply to yet another thing in this world.

Rhythm!

Our life resonates with this. The ticking of the clock, the sound of the train, our laugh, our crying, our walk…in fact, scientifically it is proven that our body follows what is called as the circadian rhythm.

Numbers and Rhythm..Our life will be non-existent without these.

In the verses quoted, we saw that the numbers acquired different meanings when they were split. In the first one, 24 was split as 5,5,5,5,3,1 while in the second one the number 5 itself was used to denote a different element each time.

In Carnatic Music, numbers and rhythm are organised so well that not only do the compositions sound good but they also make us think and work, thus activating our grey cells. Our thinking becomes organised and our mental faculties are fine tuned. It is the meeting of the mind and the matter. Where the brain meets the heart.

That is why, the word Laya which in Sanskrit has multiple meanings like focus, togetherness, to cling on to something and peace, is aptly used to denote rhythm or taaLa.

In the previous six posts, we saw certain basic things and features of taaLas, the syllables and how a taaLa follows calculations and how the syllables are split .Most importantly, we saw as to how and why ILaiyaraaja is the true Laya Raaja with his imaginative, creative and innovative usage of the TaaLas and the patterns. We saw two different taaLas in the same composition simultaneously,  then one following the other and we saw how he constructed Pallavis and CharaNams using very unusual patterns.We saw the composition following a free flowing pattern and yet following a taaLa and saw how two taaLa patterns alternated very quickly leaving us with amazement.

The series comes to an end today with yet another special composition in another dimension. Nothing encapsulates and articulates Laya better than the classical dance in our system. Therefore, it will not be a surprise if the special song of the day is a dance composition of his.

The song ‘Naatya Kalaapam Navarasa Roopam’ from the Telugu film ‘Kunti Putrudu’ is one of his many classical dance songs which uses the dance syllables in accordance with the classical art and where the syllables are split and calculations done adhering to the rules of Carnatic Music.

The composition follows the 8-beat aadi taaLam and starts with the mridangam and the ankle bell drawing some beautiful patterns for 4 aavartanaas.

The Pallavi starts with the mridangam pausing for a moment and then playing ‘ta ri ki ta taam’ in the mel kaalam thrice and then continuing with the ‘ta ka dhi mi’ following the words.

In the first interlude, the dance syllables are uttered and are split thus:

Thajjonutha thathimitha tajjam is ta ka ta ki  ta/ta ka ta ki  ta/ta ka dhi mi-that is 2 khandams and one chatushram.. Therefore we have 5+5+4 which is equal to 14. To complete this half avartanaa, there is a pause for 2 maatras and this completes the 16.The orchestra repeats the same syllables melodically and the aavrtanaa is completed. This happens twice. In the following aavartana ‘taam’ and ‘ta ki  ta’ are added as prefix to ‘tajjonutha thaththimtha’ without the ‘tajjom’ and this is done twice to make it 32 in one aavrtana.

‘thom tha ri ki ta ta ka ta dheem ta’ –that is 16 maatraas are repeated 4 times and therefore we have 64 maatras in the next aavartana.

In the following aavartanaa which completes the teermaanam, we have ‘thom thari ki  ta ta ka taa’ twice and ‘thom ta ri ki ta ta ka’ once in the first half-which is 12+12+8 and in the next half ‘thom ta ri ki  ta ta ka taa’ thrice making it 36. Now, it is 32+36 which is 68 while as per simple arithmetic it should be a figure divisible by 8 and therefore 64 only.

This is where the beauty and brilliance in a composition lie. The Pallavi starts in samam and until the last aavartana, all calculations are from samam to samam. But here, the first line of the first CharaNam ‘Aadi umapati’ starts in the second beat of the taaLam and the first beat has the ‘taaa’ which is a count of 4 in mel kaalam!

The first charaNam however ends with the last beat of the taaLam and the Pallavi when repeated again starts in samam as before.

The second interlude mostly has the dance syllables and it starts with

‘ta ta ri/ta ja Nu/ta dhi  mi/ta ki ta/ taam/ tadheem/ ta ki  ta/ dheem/ dheem’ which is 32 split as

4 , 4, 5, 3, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4.

This is repeated twice. The orchestra repeats this twice too showing how melody and rhythm go hand in hand.

The very brief swara segment follows and swaraas  are rendered in one full aavartana.

The next segment follows joyously..

First it is ‘ta dheem/ tatadheem/ ki ta ta ka/ ta dheem ta’ which is 3, 5, 4, and  4 rendered twice in one aavartana.

Then we have typical dance syllables which go as 4, 4, 4 in keezhkaalam and 8 in melkaalam at the fourth and the 8^th beats.

It is mesmerizingly magical from then on with the ‘na dhin dhin naa’ being used brilliantly.

In the first aavartana, this appears in each beat for 3 beats with the ‘thom ta ri ki ta ta ka’ appearing in the last beat making it 16.

In the next aavartana, which is the last one before the second charaNam, ‘naa dhin dhin naa’ alternates between ‘thom ta ri ki  ta ta ka’  and ‘ta ri  ki ta ka’ with a small pause for 2 micro beats before ‘ta ri ki ta ka’. If this is the first half, in the second half we have ‘ta ri ki ta’ 7 times. It is finally wound up with the ‘ta dheem ta taa’ with the last ‘taa’ again in the samam of the second charaNam. So, it is 32+36 yet again.

The second part of the second charaNam is structured differently and follows

Ta ki  ta/ ta ki  ta/ta  ki ta /ta ki  ta/ta ka dhi mi-3 , 3, 3, 4 for two aavartanaas.

The last line completes the teermaanam with ‘4, 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 4’.

Let us now look at the melody part.

The composition is based on Hamsaanandi, a shaadava raga with 6 swaras in the arohaNam and avarohaNam.

The lilting veeNa and the stirring Sitar join together in the prelude followed by the violins sketching the raga eloquently.

The serenity of the raga is shown in the imkaaram of Chitra while its vibrant contours raga are shown by the Sitar in the Pallavi. The navarasa roopam towards the end shows all the rasaas of the raga.

With melody wafting all over, the first interlude moves with the Sitar, VeeNa, Flute and the Violins. The clear voice of SPB adds lustre to the already shining composition. The VeeNa and Sitar echoing the dance syllables with agility in Hamsaanandi in the second half speaks volumes of the creativity of the composer.

Both the CharaNams are woven with imagination and are full of entrancing classical contents with the melodic instruments repeating the syllables with grace and unsullied dignity.

Rhythmic aesthetics with fluent patterns…perceptively pervasive brilliance.

Magic of numbers. Magic of rhythm..

Magic of Raaja.. Magic of ‘ee laya raaja..’

PS: The previous Tamizh post and this post were read out to an invited audience on the 24th of Aug 2014.

Natana Raaja- Part III

It is said that ‘Thiruvaachakam’ , the immortal work of the great Tamizh poet MaaNikka Vaachakar can melt even a stone.It is an outpouring of a honest devotee whose only objective was to reach the ultimate.

And he knew what that ‘ultimate’ was.

In one of his verses in the immortal work Thiruvaachakam, he says to the Lord,

‘ You are as sweet and pure as the Honey. You are the nectar. I am dishonest, deceitful, and full of lies and my love is not true . But I know if I cry, I can get you!’

யானே பொய் என்நெஞ்சும் பொய் என் அன்பும் பொய்
ஆனால் வினையேன் அழுதால் உன்னைப் பெறலாமே
தேனே அமுதே கரும்பின் தெளிவே தித்திக்கும்
மானே அருளாய் அடியேன் உனை வந்து உறுமாறே.

A totally different dimension to crying..

This is a verse that has a lot of inner meanings.

As humans, we are bound to make mistakes. Not one. .not two.. but many..

When we cry to the Lord, we pour out.

The tears come straight from the heart. The heart melts.. We feel light..

That is the moment when we feel the Divine.

Let it not be misconstrued that one can commit any number of sins and get away with it by finally crying to the Lord saying ‘I am a sinner. Save me!’

The ‘crying’ the poet is referring to is a very different one and not the usual crying of us mortals.

He realized that all things in this materialistic world do not have any value and only thing which is permanent is the Divine force.

He found poetry as a form of expression to express his inner feelings. One may agree or disagree with what he said. But the way it has been said melts us whether we are believers or atheists.

Just like poetry, dance is also a form of expression.

In my previous post, I tried to get into the reason for turning a blind eye towards classical arts.

There is one more reason too.. All the Indian Classical arts revolve around Bhakti or devotion and therefore, an atheist or an agnostic finds it difficult to identify himself/herself with a form associated with a thing which they feel is not in existence.

But I feel what is important is the way it is said than what is being said.
One’s personal belief should not obscure their appreciation for finer things in life.

But again this does not mean that anything can be said as long as it is said in an aesthetic way.

The long and short of it is-Let us appreciate arts without any prejudice.

In the previous posts, we saw some of the basic aspects of Bharatanatyam briefly.
Today, let us take up a dance form which is closely related to Bharatanatyam.

It is Kuchipudi.

Kuchipudi derives its name from Kuchelapuram, a village in Andhra Pradesh. Like Bharatanatyam,this dance form also involves hand gestures, subtle facial expressions and foot work. But where the two differ are in the foot movements and in the poses. Bharatanatyam has graceful, elegant movements while Kuchipudi is dazzling and has fast foot movements. There are sculptured poses in Bharatnatyam. There are more of rounded poses in Kuchipudi.

A normal Bharatanatyam performance comprises of a ‘Pushpanjali’-a prayer to the Divine/Nature, a ‘Allarippu’, that involves neck and hand movements-warming up the body essentially, a VarNam, that has all the three elements-the Nritta, Nritya and the Natya thus revealing not only the artiste’s skills but also the stamina, a Padam/Javali, that has the Abhinaya and finally the Tillana that has graceful movements as well as fast-paced hand and feet-movements.

A typical Kuchipudi performance too begins with an invocation and this is followed by a Jatiswaram. This will be followed by a Abhinaya piece, the theme of which is mostly be derived from the scriptures/mythology. In some special performances, the dance is executed on brass plate-at times with a pot on the head- and moving the plate with the feet to the tune of the accompanying music. Of course, the Tillana is the final piece and this will be marked by very quick movements of the feet.

Let us now have a look at today’s Natana song from Raaja which more or less follows the Kuchipudi.

It is again a very special composition based on a vivadi raga.

The composition ‘Om Jaya Mahadeva’ from the telugu movie ‘Kunti Putrudu’(1993).

It is based on Ragavardhini, the 32nd melakarta whose structure is sa ri3 ga3 ma1 pa dha1 ni2 Sa/Sa ni2 dha1 pa ma1 ga3 ri3 sa.

Ragavardhini resembles Charukesi, the only difference being the vivadi note ‘ri3’.In a similar vein, VakulabharaNam too has a close connection with Ragavardhini.

Charukesi has the ‘ri2’ while VakulabharaNam has the ‘ri1’..

The VakulabharaNam connection is very well ‘exploited’ by the Raga Raaja in this composition. There are certain phrases with just ‘sa ga ma dha ni’ giving the gentle flavour of Sallappam(a.k.a. Surya) which in turn is a janya of VakulabharaNam.

The song has a rather unusual start in the upper octave. The ‘gagaNa yagaNa ragaNa thagaNa’ are syllables that were in vogue centuries ago and even the famous ‘Kooththa nool’(discussed in detail in my ‘sculpture’ series earlier in this thread) makes a mention about this. In fact, Raaja had earlier used it in ‘Sangeeta jaati mullai’(Kaadhal oviyam) very powerfully and beautifully.


This unusual start itself gives this composition the requisite impetus. The puissant voice of Chitra that also has the apt modulation is an added attraction.

The composition is set in the 5-beat cycle khandam.

A simple beat of the mridangam follows leading us to the Pallavi..

The effervescent veena to depict the ‘Naada swaroopa’(embodiment of melody) is what is called as brilliance!

The first two lines are dynamic while the following two lines are zestful. The last line of the Pallavi is evocative and has the esoteric appeal. The Pallavi ends with a sangati that lasts for 7 cycles of khandam.

The first interlude starts with the energetic violins and the ebullient mridangam.We hear the harmony as another set of violins enter with abhinaya.

How can there be a Natana Raaja without the Laya Raaja? As we immerse ourselves in the beauty, we see the Laya Raaja dance with glee. He divides the beats as 5, 8, 7 and this is done twice making the total to 40 which is equal to 8 cycles of Khandam (8x5=40).

The Sitar plays ta ka ta ki ta /ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta /ta ki ta ta ka dhi mi.

In the first CharaNam, the line ‘Chandrasikha mauktaya sarveswaraaya..’ is rendered with finesse with a sangati that shows us the varieties of nuggets of the raga.

The next line and the violins that follow have succulent phrases.

The fifth line and the sixth traverse to the upper octave and are hauntingly beautiful while the last line resonates with depth. The sangati is again rendered with a flourish.

The violins play with great intensity in the second interlude with the percussion dancing in Khandam. The mellifluent Sitar thrums with excitement followed by the pulsating violins.

The second charaNam is exuberant and is full of energy.

The first line, the violins and the percussion move with imperious gait while the following lines are shaded by plaintiveness.

The line ‘Gajje kattina kaalu..’ moves with splendour. A silvery cascade of phrases follows. The last line in the higher octave is the acme of expressional delicacy.

The composition is capped by a sizzling finale in khandam with a fusillade of variations of ‘ta ka ta ki ta’. The sweeping flashes of violin laced with elegant cadences give the melodic and the rhythmic essence.

‘Nee Sangeeta Charana Saanidhyame Dikku Manaku..’