ILaiyaraaja-The Eloquent Musician!

We human beings are guided by our emotions.

But have we ever sat back and thought as to how we express our emotions? How do we convey what we intend to convey? What kind of language do we use?Is it appropriate and at the same time striking?

The fact of the matter is our personality to a great extent is determined by the way we communicate.When we communicate anything, the other person's mind silently observes us and the quality of his/her response depends on how we communicate rather than what we communicate.

That is why eloquent people have the ability to influence us more. One of the most striking examples is a politician.

Eloquence is a positive word. So why make it negative by associating it with a politician?

Let us look at how the great Tamizh poet Kamban-considered to be one of the most eloquent poets in Tamizh- narrates a situation in Ramayana.This situation itself is a turning point in Ramayana.


On the eve of Rama's coronation, Kaikeyi asks two boons from Dasarata.
1.Her son Bharata to rule the Kingdom.
2.Rama to be sent to forest for 14 years.


Dasarata was too attached to Rama.Kaikeyi brilliantly starts by saying,' First boon- My son to rule the kingdom'.

What follows is a masterstroke.

She knew the very mention of 'Rama' would make Dasarata sit up and react which would ultimately spoil her flow.She feared that if she was interrupted, she might end up not asking what she was 'asked to'.The fact is she was also too attached to Rama but her mind was poisoned by Mantara (kooni).

Therefore, she says 'Seeta's husband to rule the forest'!!

Look at her eloquence...

''ஏய வரங்கள் இரண்டின், ஒன்றினால், என்
சேய் அரசு ஆள்வது; சீதை கேள்வன் ஒன்றால்
போய் வனம் ஆள்வது' எனப் புகன்று, நின்றாள் -
தீயவை யாவையினும் சிறந்த தீயாள்''.

Let us now skip Dasarata's reaction and see what(rather how) Kaikeyi conveys this message to Rama.

'Bharata will rule the world and you will do penance and pray in the forest for 14 years'...and says ' the King(your father) said this'.

"ஆழி சூழ் உலகம் எல்லாம் பரதனே ஆள, நீ போய்த்
தாழ் இருஞ் சடைகள் தாங்கி, தாங்க அருந் தவம் மேற்கொண்டு,
பூழி வெங் கானம் நண்ணி, புண்ணியத் துறைகள் ஆடி,
ஏழ்-இரண்டு ஆண்டின் வா" என்று, இயம்பினன் அரசன்' என்றாள்''.

What do we call this?'Sugar coated poison?
Reminds us of our politicians?

By making Kaikeyi communicate so effectively, Kamban gets the desired result.The readers begin to hate her more..

It is not that only poets/writers/speakers are eloquent.

Musicians are eloquent too.

ILaiyaraaja-one of the greatest cine-musicians has been weaving magic with his music because of his eloquence.

With his appropriate choice of ragas/swaras and the delineation, he is able to bring out subtle emotions so naturally and effectively.

When we listen to the compositions, we laugh; we cry; we roar; we dance; we sing;

In short, we empathise with the characters.
And this is where the greatness of a musician lies.

Today's composition is one such composition.

It is 'Oru Kaatril' from 'Naan KadavuL'(2009).

The composition is based on Rasikapriya.
Rasikapriya is the 72nd(last) melakarata and we have already seen this raga in the post on 'Aganthaiyil aaduvada'(ILaiyaraaja-The Sculptor-Part I dated 11.12.2008).

A vivadi raga-with two vivadi notes 'ri' and 'dha'- Rasikapriya gives a very scary feeling.

Surprisingly enough, Chalanaattai(no.36) , the Sudhdha Madhayama counterpart of Rasikapriya gives a kind of 'mangala' feeling.It is the 'ma' that does the trick here.

The structure of Rasikapriya is:
sa ri3 ga3 ma2 pa dha3 ni3 Sa/Sa ni3 dha3 pa ma2 ga3 ri3 sa.

Now, did I say the song is based on Rasikapriya?

It is..but only some parts.. In the Charanam, the Maestro applies a technique he is very conversant with and it becomes a different raga altogether.

Before I take this up, let me narrate an interesting story.
The first time I listened to this, it sounded Rasikapriya but as I listened to the interludes and the charaNams, I was confused and deciphered the ragam as Kosalam, the 71st Melakarata.

But my musical friend, Tamizharasan made me listen to the CharaNams more closely and it was only then that I discovered the hidden treasure.

I shall explain when I go to the CharaNam part.

Let us start with the prelude.

The opening Dilruba- followed by the brief synthesiser that gives the outline of the tala cycle- is riveting and gives us a tantalising glimpse of Rasikapriya. The percussion along with the synth and the guitar pulsates with buoyancy.

The Pallavi is captivating with the spry fresh voice of the master itself. The first two lines are soft while the third line is effulgent and activates our lachrymal glands.

The first interlude has a swirl of patterns.The Dilruba is interspersed with swift flashes of modern instruments and of course the Bass Guitar.

The Dilruba drills, takes us to the patterned depth of the raga and then takes a flight.A flight that is gradual but with a turn that is sensitive and sudden. It is a beguiling flight indeed.

It touches the 'ni' and taking this note as the 'aadhara'(base) 'sa' it gives a surprise twist. Applying the concept of 'Gruha Bedam', if the 'ni' is taken as the base, the raga becomes Mayamalawagowla.But the genius avoids the note 'pa' totally and makes it sound like Lalita, a raga derived from Mayamalawagowla.The violins and the synthesisers now play Lalita.

Before I take up the CharaNam and the next interlude, let me try and give my interpretation.

The story of 'Naan KadavuL' is based on the Agoris and the physically challenged beggars.

Rasikapriya, a scary raga for Agoris.
Gruha Bedam- for beggars.
Chopping off one note-for the physically challenged.

This is what is eloquence all about!

Let us now go back to the song from where we left.

As mentioned, it now continues in Lalita.

The Charanam has an exemplary structure.The first two lines are silk-edged.The third line shines with emotive content.The last line has fecund articulation.


The second interlude emerges with aesthetic flows.The Raga is now back to Rasikapriya and what is striking here is the use of double bass and the violins in the low pitch to kindle the softer emotions.

The strings then move on intricately drawn passages exquisitely.

We see the curve and the linear.
Towards the end, the Gruha Bedam takes place and it is Lalita again.

We see the beauteous niches of music built on the edifice of depth.

We are permeated by the musical fervour and are inexorably tied.

Sparks of ingenuity!

The Maestro with his musical eloquence adorns the music with a diadem.

இசைக்காற்றில் அலையும் சிறகு நம்மைத் தேடி நம்மிடம் சேரும்..

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ILaiyaraaja-The Sculptor-Part I

It is a well - known fact that Tamizh language is one of the oldest languages in the world.

Not only is it old but also it is very rich in literature.

But what makes Tamizh unique and special is that it has survived the ravages of time and is still spoken by millions of people across the globe. Sometime back I had written about the translation of a 2500 year old ‘Kurunthogai’ poem appearing in London Tube Rail(in my post on ‘Daagam Edukkara’).

Dance and music (or for that matter any form of fine arts) has always been part of Tamizh culture.

‘Tholkaappiyam’, the authentic work on Tamizh Grammar that was written in 500BC by Tholkaapiyar-considered to be a student of the great sage ‘Agaththiyar’ mentions a lot about classical dance.

‘Pancha Marabu’by Arivanaar-which was also written almost the same time as Tholkaapiyam - describes in detail about music and dance. It talks about various hand gestures,abhinaya,kooththu,,naatyam.It also describes the letters to be used for jathis-tha,thi,tho,ki,k.

Then there is ‘Kooththa nool’ authored by Saaththanaar.
This is the oldest available text on the grammar of classical dance.

However, ‘Silappathigaaram’-one of the five major epics in Tamizh-is considered to be a complete book on classical dance.

Though there are lot verses, I am giving below one sample verse that speaks volumes about the quality of the work.

It says ‘One must start learning classical dance at the age of five without any compromise on Musical, Dance and Aesthetic Elements, practise rigorously for seven years and perform at the age of twelve.’

ஆடலும் பாடலும் அழகும் என்று இக்
கூறிய மூன்றில் ஒன்று குறைவு படாமல்
ஏழு ஆண்டு இயற்றி ஓர் ஈர் ஆண்டில்
சூழ் கழல் மன்னற்குக் காட்டல் வேண்டி.

As mentioned earlier, Dance, Music, Sculpting, Painting were part of Tamizh Culture and these flourished under the Pallavaas and then the Chozhaas..In fact, one can even include Temple architecture because even now one can find the dance poses in many ancient temple Gopurams.

The Thanjavur Big temple depicts 81 Karnaas(loosely translated as poses but they are not just poses) out of the 108 karnaas. Nobody has a clue as to why the balance of 27 is not depicted.


You must all be wondering as to what relevance these have in this community.

Time to clarify.

Starting today, I shall be writing on the music of ‘Uliyin Osai’. The story revolves around a sculptor and a classical dancer and a fictional account of the ‘facts’ behind the missing 27 karanaas during the construction of the Big Temple.

I shall be discussing the ragas and the techniques used by the ‘great sculptor’ whose other name is ILaiyaraaja.

A brief account of the evolution of classical dance will also be given everyday.

The first composition is ‘Agandhaiyil Aaduvatha Aadal Kalai’.

Before I take up the composition, I must mention that Shriram Parthasarathy, a disciple of the great Carnatic Singer Neyveli Santhanagopalan-who in turn is a disciple of the legendary singer T N Seshagopalan- has done full justice to the song.

Now for the techniques used by the sculptor.

The composition is based on Rasikapriya, a very special Ragam.

Very special because it is the last (72nd) Melakartha.

Very special because it uses two vivadi notes(‘ri’ and ‘dha’).

Very special because no film music composer has used this raga.

Very Very special because Raaja sir has used it in films after a gap of 27 years.The last time he used it was for the song ‘Sangeethame’in Kovil Pura(1981).

The structure of Rasikapriya is:
Sa ri3 ga3 ma2 pa dha3 ni3 Sa/Sa ni3 dha3 pa ma2 ga3 ri3 sa.

The second technique applied is the Tamizh verse rendered with panache with amazing breath control by the master himself.

The third technique is the Gruha Bedam(or Shruti Bedam).

Let us look at the composition now.

We get to see the perceptible musical impulses as the pallavi unfolds.It is like a breath of freshness.The percussion that follows the first line is tuned to play the raga itself and it climbs up and down like a cute baby.

The Tamizh verse rendering begins as soon as the pallavi is over.The Master renders it with passion, intensity, crystal clear enunciation and pronunciation.
People can not only learn music from him. They can learn the language of tamizh as well.

In today’s world where murdering a language is considered to be an achievement-especially by people in Cinema and the Television- Raaja sir shows the beauty of the language.

In the process, he also mentions about the ancient books on music and dance, the various musical instruments, the seven notes as per Tamizh Music.

We are grooved to our seats mesmerized by the voice, the language, the diction, the expression, and the meanings.

The Master also wonderfully uses Udukkai, Mridangam,Flute, Nagaswaram and Veena when these are mentioned as part of the verse!

The line ‘Eththanai Bhavam Undu Bharatathile’(how many expressions do we have in Bharatam..) is rendered with grace and grandeur, the final sangathi in the end in particular.

The effusive Chitra Veena shimmies as we see the different hues of Rasikapriya.

The crisp and succinct Charanam talks about ‘Silappadikaaram’ and the various dances. As we listen to it with rapt attention and revere, we are in for a very pleasant surprise.

There is a beautiful twist and turn.

The line ‘KaigaLil Oru Bhavam’ starts taking the ‘ni’ of Rasikapriya as ‘sa’ and it becomes Mayamalawagowla, the 15th Melakartha.

This technique called as Gruha Bedam or Shruti Bedam has been used time and again by Raaja sir and I have discussed this technique in detail in this thread in my earlier posts.

Engaged in a dialogue of intricate patterns, the song now goes on to discuss about the various expressions in dance.

Towards the end, it is Shruthi Bedam again as the song goes back to Rasikapriya.

The next Charanam is another beauty.Using the some of the swaras of Mayamalawagowla, it gives shades of Saveri and Lalitha(more of the latter).

It is so delicately crafted that we are engulfed and enveloped by the beauty of the Music.

The entire composition is replete with complexities.

It gives us the intuitively comprehensible image of the classical dance.


It has immeasurable power and weight.

It is composed with instinct and intensity.

Most importantly, it appeals to all of us..

How many expression exist in Music..
And is he not the one who gives all these expressions..

எத்தனை பாவம் உண்டு இசையினிலே
அது அத்தனையும் கொடுப்பவர் இவர்தானே..

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