ILaiyaraaja – The Blissful Musician

“Oh! What shall I do!!”

Does this sound like a plaintive cry of a helpless creature?

Or does it sound like a statement of a confused man who is all at sea?

Or is it just an ordinary statement of a person caught in the throes of Life?

It will surprise many if I say that it is a line from a poem and that the poet utters it out of ecstasy.

Ecstasy sounding like helplessness and despondency?

Let us look at the entire verse and then see if we can find the answer.

‘Oh my Lord! My Pure leader! One who rules me!!

One who can take any form at will! One who is the handsome Bull!

One who is laying down with the lotus like eyes closed in that magnificent place called Thirukkudanthai, which itself is like the red lotus on the water!

Oh, what shall I do!!’

 

எம்மானே! என் வெள்ளை மூர்த்தி! என்னை ஆள்வானே,

எம்மா உருவும் வேண்டும் ஆற்றல் ஆவாய் எழில் ஏறே,

செம்மா கமலம் செழு  நீர் மிசைக் கண் மலரும் திருக்குடந்தை

அம்மா மலர்க் கண் வளர்கின்றானே! என் நான் செய்கேனே!

Is it clear now- at least to a certain extent- as to why the poet Nammaazhwar sounds so ecstatic?

I will not do full justice if I fail to explain certain things hidden in this verse, like the pollens hidden inside a flower.

In the first line, the Lord is addressed as ‘White leader’(it is ‘veLLai’ which is symbolic of purity and for a moment, let us keep the racist view and interpretation, aside!), while in the very next line he calls him ‘Handsome Bull’. Needless to say, Bull represents black. So, contrasts?

But the phrases just before the ‘black bull’ appears, also needs a close look. ‘Capable of taking any form’. What does this suggest? To me, it suggests Life itself. We encounter many things in Life and if we realise that everything-good, bad, ugly- is part of life, then Life becomes magical. Life and Divine are inseparable. The reference to Lotus here also suggests the ‘drops on a lotus leaf’.

These are just some of the esoteric meanings.

But I would like to go back to the original statement and ask a couple of questions.

Can ecstasy be a sign of helplessness?

If we become very happy and reach that state, is that a delusion?

Most importantly, why do we cry when we reach that state- is it because we find it hard to believe or is it because of something else?

We shall probably find answers towards the end.

Ecstasy is of course a divine feeling. But does it mean that only devout people feel it like how Nammaazhwar did? That one reaches that state irrespective of his/her scholarship or status, is a fact known to some. It could happen during any instance. But it is an irrefutable fact that one reaches that state while listening to music. I must hasten to add that the quality of music plays a huge role though ‘quality’ is a subjective term.

Subjectivity or objectivity is immaterial at times. ‘Aanandam Pongida’ from ‘Sirai Paravai’(1987) is a classic example of this.

Is it the raga which makes the composition great? Let us first look at the raga. Kharaharapriya is one of the most ancient ragas. Dating back to the Sangam era, during which it was called ‘Kodi paalai’. In fact, it happens to be one of the basic melodies as per Tamizh music. This raga , or rather the set of notes, exists as Kaafi in Hindustani music. It is also existing in Western classical music as a minor scale and is called Dorian in the original classical system in Greece. But what makes the raga great is not just its history or its universality. Rendered with some specials gamakams(oscillations), the raga shines like the moon radiating energy which can be called spiritual depending on how one sees it or even feels it.

As I keep saying ad nauseam, it is not the raga alone which makes a song beautiful and it is the way the composer uses it, fully understanding the spirit of the raga.

With the graceful swaras emanating from that classic instrument called the veena, and with the percussion and the subtle ankle bells sounding ta ki ta constantly, ‘Aanandam Pongida’ has a happy beginning. The strings in higher- octave infuse vigour and sail like a boat while the flute moves with flourish with the melody floating in the air which is redolent with spiritual fragrance. The guitar gives the signature notes of the raga in a flash.

The Pallavi (Yesudas and Sunanda) canters on and drenches us with happiness with the sympathetic strings appearing between the lines in the beginning. What makes it even more joyful is the ‘laali laali’ by the chorus which after singing in the mid-octave, switches over to the higher-octave.

Low, mid or high- happiness is eternal.

The guitar skitters. The strings scoot. As if enamoured by this spectacle, the veena enters and smiles with its swaras. The strings, meanwhile go on their own trip, somewhat different from the original trip. But it is the electric guitar, a rather unusual instrument for a classical raga, which steals the heart by playing a bewitching melody, even touching the descending notes of the raga with consummate ease. Just towards the end, the strings play in western classical style, proving for the n’th time that music is universal after all.

The lines in the CharaNams are soaked in classicism. The first two lines ooze the beauty of Kharaharapriya. However, the second line does require a special mention because of the glide from the higher notes to the lower notes in a jiffy. It is simply a definition of creative innovation.

The second half picks up momentum with the tisram beats in the next kaalam, taking us probably to the next level of happiness. Happiness anyway is a timeless experience.

As if to provide contrast, the entire second interlude has no percussion, though it follows the tisram pattern. The bells sound from the keys and the veena have a friendly banter to start with. What is unique about this banter is the way both play with relentless assiduity. What follows is tantalisingly beautiful. The strings play an alluring melody backed by another group of strings. The flute follows it up with a bewitching melody. This romance between the two sets of instruments makes us visualise flickers of light. Not to be left behind, the keys play the descending notes first and the signature notes next, lifting the spirits.The strings slow down, move like waves and the keys play the ascending notes in sets of 3- sa ri ga/ri ga ma/ ga ma pa.

And we cry- Oh what shall I do now?

Can ecstasy be a sign of helplessness?

If we become very happy and reach that state, is that a delusion?

Most importantly, why do we cry when we reach that state- is it because we find it hard to believe or is it because of something else?

 Don’t we see the divine smile of Nammaazhwar in the background?

ILaiyaraaja-The Hypnotist!

Many times I have wondered about the science (or is it an art?) of hypnotism. My exposure to hypnotism is mainly confined to what one sees in Indian movies where the patient is made to lie down on a couch and the balding doctor asking him to go to a certain age in his childhood, prodding him with questions like ‘What do you see now’, ‘What do you experience now’ with the patient recounting an incident that unfolds before us in a much dramatized form. I would think, ‘Is this possible at all?’

Once, when I was about 12, I happened to watch a Magic show where the magician made a child ‘sleep’ in the space between the floor and the ceiling defying gravity. I did not understand how this was possible. After reading some books, I gauged that it is nothing but taking control over others’ minds and one acquires this skill with constant practice.

I am not qualified enough to go beyond this on this topic. However, I find hypnotism as a metaphor very interesting. In the following poem from the Tamizh sangam work ‘kuRunthogai’, the man  hypnotised by the looks of his beloved, says, ‘Her thorn like teeth that shine through the nectarine red lips, her silk- like hair with the fragrance of sandalwood, her huge liquid eyes, her mesmerising smile..oh how elegantly she looks!’.

உள்ளிக் காண்பென் போல்வன் முள்ளெயிற்

அமிழ்தம் ஊறும் அஞ் செவ்வாய்க் கமழ் அகில்

ஆர நாறும் அறல்போல் கூந்தல்

பேர் அமர் மழைக் கண் கொடிச்சி

மூரல் முறுவலொடு மதைஇய நோக்கே.

It is obvious from this poem written by ‘EyiRRiyanaar’(எயிற்றியனார்) that the man was hypnotised by the looks of his beloved and just thinking about her was enough for him to go into a trance.

We, the readers too get hypnotised while reading such poems or while listening to great music.

‘Kaadal Mayakkam’(Pudumai peN-1984) is one of the innumerable compositions of ILaiyaraaja which has always held me in a trance. Based on Suddha Saveri, a very classical raga which has five swaras- sa ri2 ma1 pa dha2 Sa- in the ascent and in the descent, the composition has a unique magnetic charm.

Before we get on with the composition, a word or two about the raga.Suddha Saveri is very close to other popular ragas like Mohanam and Madhyamavati in terms of the struture, but sounds very different. While the other two mentioned ragas can be made to sound light in film music, it is almost next to impossible to make Suddha Saveri sound light. Maybe, this is one of the reasons for composers’ reluctance to use this raga in film music. But as we all know, ILaiyaraaja is quite different and has used this raga in  folksy environment(‘Kovil maNi osai’-Kizhakke pogum rail, ‘Manjum kuLirum-Sandhyakku virinja poovu), in a masala duet(‘Sugam Sugame’), as the song of a young girl(MalargaLil aadum-KalyaNaraman) and in many other varied sequences.

‘Kaadal mayakkam’ starts with the short akaaram of the female voice(Sunanda). As this akaaram is on, the chorus starts reciting in harmony. This part alone is set to khandam beats(5 per cycle) in ‘mel kaalam’.  With fervour, the Bell tolls and the Veena starts playing in Chatushram ably supported by the mridangam.. We see the raga’s appeal and grace in this piece that almost reminds us of a ‘taanam’. The strings take melodious strides with the flute singing like a cuckoo.

Chiselled perfection!

The Pallavi rustles with a cherubic charm with the rollicking Mridangam and the subtle guitar throbbing with melody and love. The sangatis in ‘Degam’,’Megam’, the harmony with the chorus joining, the sudden jump to the upper ‘Ri’ from ‘dha’,the short sangati (RiSadhaSa) after ‘silirkinRathe’ and the shrill flute at the end of ‘kaadal’ and ‘kaNgal’, carry the stamp of the genius.

The first interlude starts with the mellifluous strings moving somewhat leisurely. Even as this is on, a new set of violins playing totally different sets of swaras join. The suave flute repeats this with a smile on its face. With palpable vigour, the violins play in higher octave. The chorus appear again singing ‘nom tom tanam ta’. It is then a riot of colours with the flute playing classical Suddha Saveri which is superimposed on the chorus which has the guitar backing. Towards the end, the guitar playfully plays an alien note or two and the awestruck flute sings like a cuckoo, all in a matter of seconds.

The CharNams have passionate passages.

We also see the brilliance of the composer in structure of the CharaNams:

1.The sangati after the first line has the avarohaNam followed by the arohaNam.

2.The fourth line goes upto the upper ‘Ma’.

3.The last line going in a group of 3 swaras, with the first 3 groups going in descent-Ri Sa pa, Sa dha ma, dha pa ma- and ending with ‘ri sa ri’.

Classically marvellous!

The second interlude shows yet another dimension and also takes a lesson or two on how to use guitar in carnatic ragas.The first guitar piece is soothing and almost sounds like a Veena. The percussion is minimum here with the drums appearing only now and then during the gaps. The following guitar piece moves with a sense of reverie ably supported by a sharp percussion that plays ‘ta ka dhi mi’’ta ka dhi mi’.. The male voice and the chorus repeat the guitar bit. The flute takes over and moves with energetic briskness. The Masterstroke appears in the end with the higher octave violins bringing in the alien vivadi note showing shades of Raag Jog!

இது ஒரு இசை மயக்கம்!