ILaiyaraaja-The Uncanny Musician..

‘Out of the world experience..’ ‘I got transported to another world..’ ‘He/She did Mayajaal..’

How many times have we used/heard others use these phrases.

Generally, we say this after listening or watching something extraordinary. At times, while reading some great works of poetry too..

Why do we feel the experience itself is a different world? Aren’t we aware that we exist and continue to exist in the same world?

What is this ‘out of the world experience’ or ‘Maya’ all about?

The concept of Maya is very intriguing.
Maya literally means ‘not that’.
It is an illusion though it seems to be a reality.

I do not want to get too much into philosophy and shall try and put it in simple terms.

As per Indian philosophy, Maya is the illusion a veiling of the true. Since it seems to be a reality, it is both true and untrue. It is true but when compared to the Absolute Truth (one call it as ‘Sathyam’) , it is untrue. Maya is said to be created by the Almighty to help us see the Ultimate or Absolute Truth.

Coming to think of it, literature, music, dance also take us to a world of illusion.
True or Untrue?

Yes.. At the same time, great literature and divine music while taking us to an illusory world make us see the absolute truth.

Great composers/writers/artistes have an uncanny knack of making us see the Truth through their esoteric works.

Look at these two verses of Kamban:

வரம்பு எலாம் முத்தம்;தத்தும் மடை எலாம் படிலம்;மாநீர்க்
குரம்பு எலாம் செம்பொன்;மேதிக் குழி எலாம் கழுநீர்க் கொள்ளை;
பரம்பு எலாம் பவள‌ம்;சாலிப் பரப்பு எலாம் அன்னம்;பாங்கர்க்
கரும்பு எலாம் செந்தேன்;சந்தக் கா எலாம் களி வண்டு ஈட்டம்.

ஆலைவாய்க் கரும்பின் தேனும்,அரி தலைப் பாளைத் தேனும்,
சோலைவீழ் கனியின் தேனும்,தொடை இழி இறாலின் தேனும்,
மாலைவாய் உகுத்த தேனும்,வரம்பு இகந்து ஓடி,வங்க‌
வேலைவாய் மடுப்ப‍ உண்டு,மீன் எலாம் களிக்கும் மாதோ

Pearls shimmer on paddy fields. Gold glitter on the banks of the lakes. Rubies shine on the valleys. Conches glow on the sluices. The white swans swim with glow. Tasteful honey oozes out from sugar canes. Singing bees in the groves.

Honey from sugar cane, Honey from the petals (of flowers), Honey from the fruits, Honey directly from the Honey comb, Honey from the garlands.. flow to the sea , fill the sea making the fish swallow these varieties of honey.

The salt sea becomes the Honey Sea!

These are just 2 samples from the 60 verses in ‘Naattu Padalam’ in Bala Kandam where Kamban describes the beauty and richness of the Kingdom of Kosalam ruled by Dasaratha.

Now, a logical question: What would happen if honey were to flow directly into the sea? What would happen if one sees gold and gems on the paddy fields and by the lakeside? First of all, is this possible in reality?

The obvious answer is No.

At the same time, let us realise that the character of Rama symbolises Absolute Truth. Kamban, the philosopher helps us see the ultimate truth through Kamban, the poet. By exaggerating –albeit poetically - he takes us through a wonderful world, makes us experience the beauty and finally making us realise the Absolute Truth!

One finds this uncanny ability- of showing us a Maya world and using it as a veil to make us realise the Truth- in some people even now. These are the people whose works are extraordinary, beyond compare and beyond even logical reasoning.

A classic living example is ILaiyaraaja.

I am sure most of us undergo a totally different experience while listening to many of his songs. We do get transported to a new world. But after the song is over, aren’t our minds left with a feeling which is impossible to explain or put in words?

This is what is the absolute truth!

And ILaiyaraaja is one of the few people to have this uncanny ability!!

(At this point, let me also tell you that there are also great artistes/musicians who take us to the world of Maya through. But the difference is that while one experiences pleasure in their works, it seems to be transient without any permanent value).

Today, let us see yet another composition of his where we go to the Maya world and finally experience what I have tried to describe.

The composition is ‘Yenidu Yenidu Maya Maya..’ from the Kannada film Nannavanu(2009).
The composition is based on a Raag called Brindavana Saranga.

Brindavana Saranga has been adopted into Carnatic music from the Hindustani system.
There is still a lot of confusion about the structure of this Raag.

Some say it is a pentatonic raga with ‘ga’ and ‘dha’ being absent and that it uses both the ‘ni’.

Some say there is only one variant of ‘ni’ and that ‘ga’ is sparingly used in the avarohanam.

After discussing with some great musicologists, my personal opinion is it has 5 swaras in the arohanam and 6 swaras in the avarohanam- with a very minimum use of ‘ga’.

Its structure is: sa ri2 ma1 pa ni2 Sa/Sa ni2 pa ma1 ri1 (ga2)sa.

The ‘ri’ and ‘ni’ are considered to be the Jeevaswaras (notes that give life to this raga).

Let us see the composition now.

We see the glowing delicate filaments that prepare us for the mystical experience. The vivid flow of violins with the bass guitar running as the undercurrent shows us the mystical stream. The Flute has a meditative impact.

The gentle flavour of the Raga is felt in the Pallavi as Sriram Parthasarathy renders the lines. The second line is sharp while the third line shows the facets of the raga rippled colours. The fourth line is aglow with bhava-rich gamakas. The female voice of Bela Shinde now joins caressing niceties. The Flute interspersed between the lines makes our hearts jump with excitement.

The first interlude is a plethora of melodic and rhythmic threads that spell virtuosity.

It starts innocuously with the electronic instruments giving a joyful smile that welcomes the violins and the Laya Raaja. The composition is basically set in the 3-beat cycle Tisram while the Bass Guitar now play in Chatusram as 8 beats followed by a gap of 4 counts. This is repeated 4 times. The number of beats is 48 - which is divisible by 4 as well as 3.

One Maya already revealed!

The nectar-filled flute and the cadences in violin at the end and take us further into the esoteric world.

The subtly layered CharaNam is another marvel and shows us one more Maya.
The first two lines are supple and glow with inner light.

The Laya Raaja enters again in the next line. As the vocals follow the Tisram pattern, the violins in the background follow the chatusram pattern and goes as ta Ka dhi mi (4) 9 times. The Tisram and Chatusram merge ecstatically at the end of the CharaNam as if to show that there is only one absolute truth!

The second interlude starts with symmetrical motifs. We then see the subdued and refined Violins, and Flute moving with splendour and showing us the variegated hues of the world. There is a sudden unexpected touch as we hear the humming in akaaram that takes exhilarating flights across octaves.

Makes us see the Absolute Truth!

An uncanny experience!!

Maya Maya.. Sathya..Sathya..

ILaiyaraaja-The Sculptor-Part III

This world is beautiful.

If we take time off from our busy schedule and start looking at things around us, we discover many new things (and old things). Some of these are amazing.

The stars, the moon, the clouds, the sky, the rain, the flowers..

Each and every time we look at these, we feel different; our experience is different; our thinking is different.

Finally it depends on how one perceives things/incidents.

The beauty of life is such that even little things play very big roles.

Take apple for example. What is there in apple? It is just a fruit, a very healthy and tasty fruit at that.

But when this apple fell from a tree, one gentleman thought differently. He started wondering as to why that apple had to fall..

He thought and thought and finally this led to something that formed the basis of Classical Mechanics and modern engineering.

Needless to say that the gentleman being referred to is Issac Newton and that he discovered the Universal Gravitational and the three Laws of Motion.

All of us know the story of the King of Scotland -who while sitting in a hut after being battered, bruised and driven out by King Edward I of England -saw a very tiny creature successfully spin a web after failing seven times. Inspired by this, he gathered his men and despite being badly outnumbered was able to drive out the enemies because of sheer determination.

Robert Bruce and Spider-are the names not synonymous?

Examples galore.

But what these incidents tell us is that life shows us lot of things and it is up to us to observe and learn.

Apple and Spider.. two small things. Look how they have influenced science and history.

That is the beauty of life.

We find that in literature too, small things have played major roles.

A small gemstone influenced an entire epic.

‘Silappathikaaaram’(Story of the jeweled anklets) is considered to be one of the greatest epics in the world of Literature.In the words of the Czech Professor Dr.Kamil Zvelebil,

‘‘The epical poem of Silapathikaaram which by its baroque splendour and by the charm and magic of its lyrical parts belongs to the epic masterpieces of the world and should be admired and beloved by all in the same was as Poems of Homer, the Dramas of Shakespeare, the Pictures of Rembrandt, the Cathedrals of France and Sculptures of Greece’’.

What is this Silappathikaaram all about?

Kovalan and Kannagi lead a happy married life until Kovalan falls for a great dancer Madhavi and begins to live with her.Unable to bear the adoration and appreciation Madhavi was getting from others, he becomes jealous and deserts her.

He is penniless now and returns to Kannagi who offers to sell her anklet- filled with rubies-to get some money. They go to Madurai where Kovalan while trying to sell one of the anklets is caught by the guards of the Pandya King.The Queen’s anklets-which were filled with pearls- had just then been stolen and assuming that Kovalan was the culprit, the King orders his guards to kill Kovalan.

Kannagi throngs the King’s court and proves that her anklets were filled with rubies and not pearls. Realising his folly, the King dies instantaneously. Kannagai goes on to burn the city of Madurai.

Though there lot of great things about the way Ilango AdigaL has presented this simple but complex story, what attracts a connoisseur is the way he has structured the grammar of Music and Dance.

In the previous two posts, we saw the history of classical dance in Tamizh society.

Continuing with this, let us see how ‘Silappathikaaram ‘ has dealt with classical dance.

Ilango adigaL must have been a perfectionist.

He deals with each and every aspect of dance starting from the vocalist, the lyricist, the percussionist, the instrumentalists.

What amazes one is the way he has defined the structure of the stage. Not only has he given the dimensions of a stage but also that he has mentioned about the lighting, and the way the stage has to be decorated.

If the verse

எழுகோல் அகலத்து எண்கோல் நீளத்து
ஒருகோல் உயரத்து உறுப்பினது ஆகி
உத்தரப் பலகையொடு அரங்கின் பலகை
வைத்த இடை நிலம் நாற்கோல் ஆக
ஏற்ற வாயில் இரண்டும் பொலியத்
தோற்றிய அரங்கினில் தொழுதனர்
gives the desired dimensions of a stage,

தூண் நிழல் புறப்பட மாண் விளக்கு எடுத்து ஆங்கு
ஒருமுக எழினியும் பொருமுக எழினியும்
கரந்து வரல் எழினியும் புரிந்துடன் வகுத்து

talks about the lighting.

He then goes on to describe the ‘Pancha Sandhi’ Kavuththuvum-an item that is performed in the beginning to ward off evil forces-and then the 11 different dances called as ‘Pathinoru aadal’..

We shall look at the other descriptions about dance and Music in Silappathikaaram and in other Tamizh texts in the forthcoming posts.

Let us now look at today’s composition from ULiyin Osai.

It is ‘Kallil Uyir Kaattidalaam’.

As usual, there are lot of special things about this composition and we shall see them as we go along..

The sun paints the sky red. Flowers smile. Leaves nod their heads. Waves from the sea welcome us. It is a new day.. It is a new beginning..

The song flowers with a flourish..

The first few lines rendered without percussion(called as ‘viruththam’)is based on the Ragam Bowli.

This Ragam is generally sung in the mornings and is believed to bring freshness.

As the lines ‘Kallil Uyir Kaattidalaam’ start, we see the beautiful Kalyani in the heartfelt rendition by Sriram Parthasarathy.In fact, one sees shades of his Guru’s Guru(Shri.Seshagopalan) in his style of rendering this song.

The line ‘Vadikkindra SilaigaLil’ is wonderfully structured to give a very different effect.
The way the percussion is played just towards the end accentuates the effect.

The violins then breeze in with the Flute shining resplendently. The Veena and Flute combine and this invokes a unique ambience.

In the first Charanam, the Flags of the three major Tamizh Kings-Chozha, Chera and the Pandiya-kings are described. Tiger is Flag of Chozha and the sangathis flow to depict the tiger with the flutes playing welcome notes without any fear.

The Bow now bows in appreciation as the Raga beautifully changes to Dharmavathy. Appreciation here is not just for the Raga change but also for the thoughtfulness.

Let me explain.

Kalyani is the 65th Melakartha and Dharmavathy, the 59th.Every sixth Raga in the Melakratha scale have the same variants of ‘dha’ and ‘ ni ‘and therefore the ‘pa dha ni Sa’ segment(called as Uttaraanga) remains the same.The difference is only in the ‘ri’ ‘ga’ part. Now if the variant of ‘ga’ in Kalyani is changed(from ‘ga3’ to ‘ga2’), it becomes Dharmavathy.. And this is what the master has done.

After the Chera’s Bow, it is the Pandiya’s Fish.

After the Eyebrows, it is the Eyes.

Flute and the Veena act as the eyes and the eyebrows and establish an emotional connection.

The Pallavi again in Kalyani.

The Veena now eddies around Kalyani with the ghatam giving glistening strands of laya.

The meshing of Raga and Laya is gripping and gives us an esoteric feeling.

The intricate setting continues in the next Charanam with a kind of a teaser.

The Raga now changes to Hamsanandi and again there is a pattern.The Variant of ‘ri’in Kalyani is changed and logically it should be Gamanashrama-the 53rd Melakartha(59-6 or 65-12).But the magician now makes the ‘pa’ disappear and it becomes Hamsanandi, another beautiful Raga with the following structure

sa ri1 ga3 ma2 dha2 ni3 Sa/Sa ni3 dha2 ma2 ga3 ri1 sa.

The Raga moves very expressively until it meets a beautiful woman called Vasantha.

Yes, the Genius at work again.

In the line ‘Aananda Soundaryam..’ he changes the ‘ma’ and drops ‘ri’ in the ascent.
Sa ma1 ga3 ma1 dha2 ni3 Sa/Sa ni3 dha2 ma1 ga3 ri1 sa.

This Ragam is Vasantha.

The composition is multifarious with varied motifs. At the same time, there is a pattern and purpose.

It is an exhilarating experience.

It etches tranquility.

It is the language of subtlety.

Yes, juggling of notes is very subtle. The difference between one ‘ga’ and the other ‘ga’ is minute.. as minute as the difference between one ‘ri’ and the other ‘ri’.

Little things.. But don’t they play a big role?

And doesn’t he give life even to a stone with his music?

கல்லிற்கும் உயிர் கொடுப்பதல்லவா அவரது இசை?

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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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