ILaiyaraaja- The Spiritual Musical Scientist

It may sound strange, odd or even bizarre if I say that spirituality is one of the most abused words. Not many, who talk about spirituality, seem to know the real meaning of spirituality.

Is spirituality related to God or belief in God alone?

Is it selfishness? Or is it caring for others?

Is it meditation or other rituals?

Or is it saying My God is great and that Yours is the worst?

Let us look at these verses of Kamban before attempting to answer the aforementioned questions.

கல்லிடைப் பிறந்து போந்து கடலிடைக் கலத்த நீத்தம்,

எல்லைகளில் மறைகளாலும் இயம்பரும் பொருள் ஈதென்னத்

தொல்லையில் ஒன்றேயாகித் துறைதொரும் பரந்த சூழ்ச்சிப்

பல்பெருஞ் சமயம் சொல்லும் பொருளும்போல் பரந்ததன்றே.

தாதுறு சோலைதோறும் சண்பகக்காடுதோறும்

போதவிழ் பொய்கைதோறும் புதுமணத்தடங்கள் தோறும்

மாதவி வேலிப் பூகவனந்தோறும் வயல்கள் தோறும்

ஓதிய உடம்பு தோறும் உயிரென உலாயதன்றே.

The river which originates from the Hills, flows through the fields, gardens, dense forests and is known by different names depending on the place it flows through and the form it assumes. Likewise, the Divine is one, though different names are given by different religions.

There are many inner meanings to these verses, and I do not want to get into that now. What I would like to highlight however are a couple of things and these will be said after looking at yet another Tamizh verse.

அகனமர்ந்த அன்பினராய் அறுபகை செற்று

       ஐம்புலனும் அடக்கி ஞானப்

புகலுடையோர் தம் உள்ளப் புண்டரிகத்து

      உள்ளிருக்கும் புராணர் கோயில்

தகவுடை நீர் மணித்தலத்துச் சங்குள வர்க்கந்

       திகழச் சலசத் தீயுள்

மிகவுடைய புன்கு மலர்ப் பொரியட்ட

       மணஞ்செய்யும் மிழலையாமே. 

     

Composed by a poet who is supposed to have had the divine blessing at a very young age and whose name itself has a connection with enlightenment, this verse interestingly has two parts and a deeper look would suggest the link between the two parts.

In the first part, Thirugnansambandhar defines a real and genuine Bhakta as the one who controls the five senses and the six enemies residing inside-which are lust, anger, meanness, desire, ego and jealousy. He says such people are full of love and that the Divine resides in their lotus like heart.

In the second part, he describes a wedding. Yes, wedding of the Nature. He sees the temple pond at Thiruveezhimizhalai. The crystal clear water reminds him of a carpet; the huge white flowers, of conches; the Lotus right at the centre of the pond, of the sacred fire; the tiny flowers from the punugu tree which fall on the pond, of the sacred rice.

Seen through the poet’s eyes, this is a wedding!

Now, read the two parts and you can connect and relate the two. I am not getting into the hidden meanings now as there is a joy in self discovery. Moreover, such verses are left to one’s own interpretations.

But I would like to mention the commonalities between the verses of Kamban and the one of Thirugnansambandhar.

Both sing about the Divine. Both see the Nature from a different angle and appreciate the beauty. Both are musical in that melodious language called Tamizh. Most importantly, one gets to know the real meaning of spirituality in the words of both the great poets.

Now, let us go back to the beginning. After all, isn’t it the Beginning which leads us to everything in life?

What is Spirituality?

 Always having a calm mind as crystal clear as a river, loving all, realising that the Divine is one and that it resides within oneself. And yes, worshipping and appreciating nature.

Now, what happens when somebody who is spiritual, also analyses everything and keeps discovering new things from time to time?

Can he/she then be called as a scientist?

And what happens when spirituality combines with artistic sensibility and with science?

Wouldn’t it then result in some beautiful and immortal works?

In my opinion, Kamban and Gnanasambandhar belong to this category.

And in this 21^st Century if somebody is an embodiment of these qualities, it is ILaiyaraaja. That is why, his compositions are liked equally by a layperson as well as by a pundit.

In some of my earlier Geetanjali special posts, I had mentioned that even agnostics and atheists feel the Divine through music. That spirituality runs as an undercurrent in ILaiyaraaja’s music may not be known to many but the fact remains that people get attracted to his music because of this spirituality in his compositions. There are at least two more reasons for his music sounding great. One is the fact that he himself is a connoisseur. Two is his proclivity to doing things which are different and his propensity to experiment without in anyway compromising on the classicism.

The special song of this year’s Geetanjali is an example. Or rather it is just yet another example of his analytical mind and his sense of aesthetics coupled with spirituality.

In ‘Ponnil Vaanam’ from the film Villuppattukkaran(1992 ), there is that sense of awe about Nature, there is melody and there is spirituality. Above all, there is a very different ragam.

There are thousands of ragas in Carnatic music but only some hundreds are used. Out of this, only some are very frequently used. In film music, no other composer has used ragas like ILaiyaraaja not just in terms of quantity but also in terms of quality. Though he has used many popular ragas, he has also used some very rare ragas, some of which were never used even by any classical musician.

The raga called Khamas is very popular in Carnatic Music. ILaiyaraaja has used this raga very classically in a couple of his compositions. People who follow Geetanjali will remember the special song of 2009-Maargazhi maadam mun pani veLaiyile- based on this raga. But there is yet another raga whose second name is the same as this raga and yet not many are aware of this raga. What is surprising is that this raga whose name is Karnataka Khamas has 6 swaras in both arohana and avarohana and is not popular despite the structure being so simple. As far as I know, no classical music composer has used this raga. In film music too, it is ILaiyaraaja alone who has used this raga and has composed 20+ songs in this raga.

The raga sounds like Bahudari and I have come across posts in the net which mentions the songs in this raga as being based on Bageshree or on Sriranjani. The connection between the latter and this raga anyway cannot be missed. If the panchamam of Karnataka Khamas is assumed as the aadhara shadja, one gets Sriranjani as per the principles of Graha bedam.

Let us now look at this song and see how it sounds.

The imagistic brevity of the prelude is striking. It just has the string sound from the keys, the vocals which of course does only the akaaram and the flute. The ubiquitous bass guitar is of course used in lieu of percussion instrument.

Revolving around the panchamam and the shadjamam, the keys produce the sound of the stringed instrument which shines with radiance. It resembles the sound of the bells. Can any beginning be more auspicious than this?

The intrinsically distinctive voice of Janaki starts the akaaram. Like a very obedient child, the flute follows each and every note of hers, meticulously. The movement in the 3-beat cycle Tisram sans any percussion instrument makes the experience special. It is made more special with the sound of the bass guitar which backs the vocals and the flute, with great involvement. The sitar follows and makes our heart tender with its supple sound. Is it pulling the special chords in our heart?

With a sense of composure and poise, the Pallavi starts. And now we see the Laya Raaja. In fact this Laya Raaja who refrained from using any percussion instrument in the prelude, uses the Tabla which first plays the ‘ta ki ta’ along with the first phrase ‘Ponnil’. Immediately the 3 is divided into 6 micro beats and the percussion plays ‘ta ka/ta ka dhi mi’. After this, it is ‘ta ka dhi mi/ta ka’ with the stress on the first and the third syllable with the fifth syllable being played rather subtly. The second, fourth and the sixth are left blank. The morsing which is known for its unique sound is played for every alternate cycle and only sounding the third syllable. This is what is Laya Raaja mandiram!

The first interlude is an ideal balance of depth and sensitivity. To start with, the violins in higher octave touch some notes of Harikambhoji rather innocuously. One sees the contours of western classical music as the strings from the solo violin are sounded with fingers in the background. This technique is called as the pizzicato in western classical music parlance. The beguilingly charming flute gives resplendent shades of the raga with the sitar repeating the melody in its unique way. The flute plays another set of notes before a unique combination of the keys, sitar and the bass guitar illuminates the interlude and guides us to the first CharaNam which itself has a pleasant surprise in store.

We get to taste the beauty of yet another raga in the first two lines. No, the raga as such doesn’t change here. Let me explain. As mentioned earlier, Karnataka Khamas is a raga with 6 swaras. Take the swara ‘ma’ out of it and we get Valaji, a rather popular raga. Here, the Maestro obscures the swara ‘ma’ and makes us feel Valaji.

The CharaNam gathers momentum in the second half with the percussion going in the faster mode. Intensity of feeling.. or is it intense feeling?

We see the subtleties of expression in the second interlude. The keys and the bass guitar join together and ripple reverberatingly. Even as this is on, the flute enters with slim line elegance and moves with zest. It is pizzicato yet again but this time it is more prominent with the strings of the violins sounded with gusto with fingers. The superimposed higher octave violins play with gay abandon albeit with an indescribable passion. The flute intercepts again giving slices of silkiness.

The river dances in tisram in the second CharaNam.

Is water a metaphor for our Life?

Or is it for spirituality?

Ask Kamban or Gnanasambhandar..

Or better still ask Gnanadesikan.

Or keep listening to his compositions.

You will find an answer..

PS: This post and the previous Tamizh post were written exclusively for Geetanjali-2016 and was read out before an invited audience on the 28th of August 2016.

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ILaiyaraaja- The Music Messiah

The villagers were distraught.  

Once upon a time, the place was full of lush green fields.  Happiness danced on the face of each and every villager. Rivers of milk and honey flowed in the place and happiness danced on the face of each and every villager.

But now the same place had turned arid. There was no water to drink and hardly any food to eat. Cattle were disappearing. So was the membership count in the households.

Prayers were offered and special poojas done. But nothing would change. They had only one option left- to invite that child prodigy to their village and ask him to sing. This child prodigy started composing hymns from the age of 3 after a divine intervention. This village-ThirunanippaLLi- also happened to be the native village of his mother.

So off he went sitting on the shoulders of his father. The clairvoyant that he was, the moment he landed there he could sense the curse of the land. This ‘curse’ a.k.a. karma is a huge topic and it is better left untouched here in this post.

The genius then sang:

கடல்வரை ஓதம் மல்கு கழி கானல் பானல்

               கமழ்காழி என்று கருதப்

படுபொருள் ஆறு நாலும் உளதாக வைத்த

               பதியான ஞானமுனிவன்

இடுபறையொன்ற அத்தர் பியன் மேலிருந்து இன்

               இசையால் உரைத்த பனுவல்

நடுவிருளாடும் எந்தை நனிபள்ளி உள்க

               வினைகெடுதல் ஆணை நமதே

This melodious song with the beautiful rhythm, sung with full devotion meditating on that Dancing God, by the child -who has mastered the 4 vedas and the 6 Aagamaas and who hails from the rich Sirgazhi which is surrounded by the backwaters and is full of fragrance emanating from the kuvaLai flowers- from the shoulders of his father, will surely destroy the evil and wash away the sins of ‘ThirunanipaLLi’.  This is my order.

The song is esoteric and has a lot of inner meanings but what is to be noted mainly is the description of his place of birth Sirgazhi. The rich description is contrasted by the phrase ‘naduviruLaadum’. The one who dances in the middle of the night-which is full of darkness - dispels the darkness!

That is why Thirugnansambandhar is still considered a genius par excellence. Needless to say that the powerful words turned the arid land to a fertile land and that the village regained its lost glory. Without a doubt, he was a saviour.

In more than one way, ILaiyaraaja too is a saviour. When film music as a whole was losing its charm, he with the right and beautiful blending of all major forms, injected and infused fresh blood, in the process showing us various dimensions of music-some known and many unknown. Words too acquired new meanings in his tunes making us listen to his songs again and again.

Today’s song, ‘Hey Paadal OndRu’ from ‘Priya’(1978) is one of the many thousands of his compositions which shine not only with beauty but also is rich with classical elements. Based on that exquisite raaga called Kaapi, the composition is yet another example of his propensity for classicism and aesthetic values. Most importantly, the songs of ‘Priya’ were recorded in stereophonic sound- the first ever Indian film songs to be recorded thus. This was a precursor to many new sound technologies that one comes across now in the 21^st Century!

It starts with the rhythm guitar sounding in tisram for two Aavartanas of chatushra ekam. Though many of you who are following the group must be familiar by now with the terms like tisram, chatushram and Aavartanam, let me explain once again for the benefit of all. ‘Tisram’ is a 3-beat cycle while ‘Chatushram’ is a 4-beat cycle. One Aavaratana is one TaaLa cycle. A composition can be in ‘tisra nadai’(nadai-gait) and yet can follow a 4-beat or an 8-beat cycle.

What makes the Prelude of ‘Hey paadal ondRu’ very captivating is the use of vocals. Janaki sings the akaaram for 6 cycles with Yesudass continuing for the next 4 cycles. Note that he takes over from where she left and expands the raaga and that we see the beautiful and complete sketch of Kaapi in this akaaram itself. The jalatarangam imparts a rare musical quality with delicate but powerful touches and the violins respond briefly with gusto. A rhapsodical portrait of the raaga indeed! The violins then play the panchamam(pa) and takes us to the Pallavi.

The Pallavi is structured beautifully and brilliantly with the raaga chaaya swaras embellishing the words. The swara ‘ga3’ is one of the alien notes used in Kaapi and this along with the swara ‘ma’ gives the raaga a special fragrance (note that it is ‘gama gama’ literally!). Then there is this ‘gamanipagari’ usage which gives Kaapi its authenticity. The Master uses the ga3ma1 phrase in the second line and comes up with ‘ga3ma1ga3ma1pani2paga3ri2sani3.sa’ in the last line!

The tisram sounding so sharp on the percussion-only in the Pallavi- is another speciality the composer is known for.

The Royal Kaapi- or rather the Raaja Kaapi- continues its journey like a prince and a princess in the interludes.

For a change, the Prince and the Princess sport a classical western outfit and doesn’t it look charming!

The strings glide smoothly with a stunning precision playing the same sets of notes repeatedly and the flute interjects with melodic splendour. The P&P decide to wear the Hindustani costume now and the sitar sounds the swaras with majesticity.

The lines in the CharaNams ooze with Kaapi with prayogas like ‘pani2pa’ ‘ma1ga3 ma1pa ma1pa’, ‘ga3ma1pani2ni2pa’ in the first line, and touching the higher octave in the last phrase of the second line- ‘ni3SaRi2Ga2Ri2Sa’. Note that the last line of the Pallavi and that of the CharaNams sound similar but don’t seem repetitive at all because of the way the chaaya swaras are used.

The second interlude surely reminds one of a wedding. To start with, it is Hindustani what with the Shehnai sounding contemplative sounding some telling phrases and the jalatarangam replying with sobriety. The Shehnai then continues its trip before the Sitar takes over again playing some soft notes with the strings responding religiously. The jalatarangam then repeats the notes of the Sitar in its unique style and the strings welcome this too with a smiling face. Finally, the Sitar and the Strings join hands to complete the wedding.

Western Classical and Hindustani vie with one another to greet the bride and the bridegroom in the third interlude. Two sets of strings sound polyphonic with expressive phrasings. It is then the turn of the Sitar to show some melodic intricacies in the raag with one more Sitar appearing suddenly as if to acknowledge its sister. The Strings follow and move like a cascade with a tracery of spiraling passages.  With calmness personified, the Sitar plays a set of meditative notes with the other Sitar nodding its head blissfully.

Rivers of honey and milk and lush green fields.. Don’t we want to see such a sight again and again and again..

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ILaiyaraaja- The Cosmic Musician..

It is without a form; and yet many forms are part of it. It does not move; and yet a lot of movements happen on it. There is nothing in it; and yet everything is on it.

What is that?

Well, before we find an answer, let us look at this Tamizh verse:

வாளவரி கோளபுலி கீளதுரி
               தாளின் மிசை நாளும் மகிழ்வர்
ஆளுமவர் வேள் அநகர் போள் அயில
               கோள களிறாளி வர வில்
தோளமரர் தாள மதர் கூளி எழ
               மீளி மிளிர்தூளி வளர்பொன்
காளமுகில் மூளுமிருள் கீள விரி

            தாள கயிலாய மலையே.

How does this poem sound to you? What are the things that strike you the most?

Rhythm? Metre? Sweetness? Tamizh? Beauty?

Beyond all these, there is something else also. But let us first see the meaning of this verse:

‘The one who wears the skin of the tiger which has bright lines; The one who is always blissful; The one who blesses people; The one who is blemish less; The one who killed the elephant which had huge tusks; The one who carries a powerful bow on his shoulders; The one who dances to the rhythm of the Bhootas; the one who smears His body with the shining white ash; the one who resides on the Mountain whose white golden rays dispel the darkness caused by the clouds.’

Sounding rather simple now. Or does it?

Look at the contrasts. ‘Tiger’ and ‘Elephant’; ‘One who blesses’ and ‘One who killed’; ‘Darkness and ‘Shining light’(note that the words indicating ‘shining’ appear thrice in the poem).

Apart from these contrasts, what should not be and cannot be missed is the fact that the Dance of Shiva is mentioned in the middle part-that is the 4^th line- of the poem.

This verse was written by one of the greatest Tamizh poets Thirugnansambandhar.

Now, let us go back to the riddle asked in the beginning. The answer is ‘the cosmos’. The verse also indicates the same.

How?

It is a well-known fact that the cosmos comprises of atoms. Electrons, Neutrons and Protons revolve around the nucleus which is at the centre of an atom. The Dance of Shiva indicates this only. I must mention a couple of things here. Shiva and the concept of Nataraja go beyond any religion. These are symbols and my effort here is to try and explain the symbolism and place the scientific facts. There is absolutely no religion involved here. Atheists, agnostics and people practising different faiths can look at this from the science angle.

So what does the Nataraja symbol tell us?

The circular flame surrounding the icon represents the Universe, the consciousness and the cycle of birth and death. The four arms represent the 4 directions. The ‘damaru’ on the upper right hand symbolises the sound from Creation and also Time. The agni on the upper left hand is symbolic of Destruction. The lower right hand showing the ‘abhaya mudra’ indicates blessing. The lower left hand is held across the chest like a trunk of an elephant and this symbolises liberation from ignorance. Snakes that uncoil from his head, arms and legs are symbolic of the Ego while the snake which is tied to his waist indicates the KuNdalini Shakti. The dwarf under his right foot represents the confusion, forgetfulness and the ignorance. Note that it is bound to the Earth. While the right foot represents the victory over ignorance, the raised left leg represents the grace and the upliftment of the soul. The icon rests on a lotus pedestal which is the symbol of the creative forces of the Universe. Inner peace-that is the lotus- countered by aggression-which is the Vigorous dance.

This is what this dance-which is also called as the cosmic dance- signifies.

Now read the verse, think of the atoms, the Universe and then look at the Nataraja icon. You can correlate the three.

Each and every particle in the cosmos is interconnected as they are made of atoms. This is the reason for something called Telepathy. This happens when two souls are in the same frequency.

Music is also a group of atoms. In some of my previous special posts, I had mentioned that it is music which makes even agnostics and atheists realise the divine. Music is omnipresent in the Universe. However, only some humans are able to get and give the right combination of atoms. When this happens, melody multiplies. Others tuned to this frequency get attracted to it; make them forget themselves. One such human who does this spontaneously is ILaiyaraaja. That is why, his music makes many happy. We laugh, cry, dance and sing.

The special song of the day too is one such composition.

‘Nataraazu nayanaala jeevinsaga’ from the film Aalapana (1986) is yet another special composition which unravels the mystique of raga and taaLa. The Maestro has brilliantly tuned it in Dharmavati, a raga known for its spiritual powers.

Let us now try and look at the hidden beauties of the composition.

It is a stately setting with the drone of the tanpoora surrounding us for 6 seconds. These 6 meditative seconds prepare us for the divine shower which follows.

The prelude is interesting and is different too. It starts with a viruththam rendered by SPB in a voice laden with devotion. It talks about the all pervasiveness of the divine force and finally about the Naatya.We see the contours of Dharmavati in the last phrase ‘Naatyaatma’. As if taking a cue from that word, natya jatis start flowing now.

These jatis are not only classical but also symbolise something.

The first half of the first two aavartanaas is in ‘keezh kaalam’, the next half and the third aavartanaa are in the next kaalam and the last one is in the third kaalam. Doesn’t this signify the ‘Tri kaalam’ and also the ‘Three eyes’?

Let us now see as to how the Laya Natana Raaja has divided the syllables.

In the first two aavartanaas, 16 is divided as 3, 3, 3,1, 2, 2, 2(the second half is taken as keezh kaalam and therefore the total maatras of that part is divided by 2).

In the third one, it is divided as 4, 3, 5, 4 for one half (note that in literal terms it is in vilomam  and has one misram and one sankeerNam). The total count in this kaalam is 32.

The last one goes as 3, 3, 3, 4/ 3, 3, 3, 4 but as it goes in the highest speed, the total is 64.

The raga now starts dancing with the repetitive jatis- ‘ta dhi ta ri ki ta thom ki ta nam ki ta’ as the jatis are superimposed on the akaaram. After a while, swaras ascend in groups of three and finally descend even as the jatis continue .In fact it is an ascent to heaven.

It ends with ‘taaam-‘ in the last half avartanaa and the Pallavi starts.

The short Pallavi glimmers with beauty showing the graces of the raga. The sound of the bell at the end of each line makes the experience more divine.

The jatis appear again with the violins responding briefly to each group of syllables. In the first avartanaa, the jatis appear for 8 micro- beats followed by the violins. This happens twice. In the second avartanaa, the jatis go as 6 micro-beats and the violin is played for 2 micro-beats. This happens thrice and then the last jati has 8 micro-beats. The violins take over playing some melodic phrases. A touch of poignancy is added with another group of violins joining and showing some very different dimensions of the raga.

 The twin- veena joins to the backing of tabla tarang and shows illuminating facets of Dharmavati.The violin group which appears very briefly  at the end of each avartanaa, plays ‘ta ri ki ta taam’ melodically at the end of the interlude and leads us to the first CharaNam.

The CharaNam has sequentially interesting phrases. The first part has depth and sensitivity while the second part which starts with ‘gada seema’ picks up pace. The akaaram for half avartanaa is beauty personified. The last part moves with a sense of purpose finally culminating in ‘tadheengiNathom’.

The first half of the second interlude sees the dialogue between the violins and a host of percussion instruments. It also shows the versatility of the composer. The violins sound for 2 beats and the percussion group replies in the next 2 beats..This pattern repeats in the next half avartanaa. The violins then sound for one beat, a group of percussion for two beats and yet another percussion for one beat. After one avartanaa, the violins and the percussion alternate for each beat. The two finally merge. 

It is the merger of creativity and expertise.

The solo violin then gives slices of silkneness with the flute repeating the nuances caressingly. The two join together giving classically delicious music. It is then the turn of the tarangams with the jalatarangam and tabla tarang glimmering with beauty.

A unique pattern follows then. The jatis are rendered and each line is followed by description of Nataraja. Feelingly expressed by SPB , this entire segment resonates and takes us to spiritual heights. The composition takes a breezy complexion with the violins and the percussion moving with ferocity. After 2 avartanaas, the jatis take over again but this time these are ‘magaNa jham’ ‘ragaNa jham’, which are classical jatis mentioned in the ancient texts. The patterns ooze with passion, are stoic and sturdy and are regal.

At the end of the jatis, the gait changes to khandam with the higher octave violins and the resonant percussion dancing with intensity. SPB continues in khandam but this time the invocation is on Durga as if to indicate ardhanareeswara. The violins then continue the dance with percussion underpinnings and we reach empyrean heights.

Logical transcendence which defies logic..

Yes, that is what is cosmic dance all about!

PS: This post and the previous post in Tamizh were read out to an invited audience on the 9th of August 2015 as part of an Event dedicated to ILaiyaraaja. Incidentally, this post happens to be the 150th post in this blog!

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ILaiyaraaja- The Savant

The very mention of the word Intellectual conjures up many images. We generally perceive an intellectual to be learned and at the same time in a totally different plane. We also call anything beyond our comprehension as something intellectual. Is it difficult to understand anything which is intellectual? If so, is there any purpose of that intellect at all?

In my previous post here on Devatai oru Devetai , I explained as to how important ‘expressing’ is for any creative person. All creative people in general are learned (some way or the other) but not all learned people are creative.

There is one more factor, the sense of aesthetics.

So, there are three aspects here. Expressive, Creative and Sense of Aesthetics..

In my opinion, a true learned person is one who has all these three apart from Knowledge. But being expressive does not necessarily mean that one will be able to comprehend whatever they say. For that to happen, one must spend time in thinking and interpreting their works. And there lies the beauty.

I have already spoken about Thirugnansambhandar in some of my previous posts. He was a child prodigy and a scholar . Though each of his verses in Tevaram is beautiful, one needs to read them again and again to understand the full import..Only then does one get to know more and more about the hidden beauties.

Look at this verse:

புற்றரவு பற்றிய கை நெற்றியது

            மற்றொருகண் ஒற்றை விடையன்

செற்றதெயில் உற்றதுமை அற்றவர்கள்

            நற்றுணைவன் உற்றநகர்தான்

சுற்றுமணி பெற்றதொளி செற்றமொடு

            குற்றமிலது எற்றென வினாய்க்

கற்றவர்கள் சொற்றொகையின் முற்றுமொளி

            பெற்ற கயிலாயமலையே.      

putRaravu patRiyakai netRiyathu

            matRorukaN otRai vidaiyan

setRatheyil utRathumai atRavarkaL

            natRuNaivan utRanagarthAn

sutRumaNi petRathoLi setRamoDu

            kutRamilathu etRena vinAyk

ktRavarkaL sotRokaiyin mutRumoLi

            petRa kayilAyamalaiye.

Sounds so lovely with the rhyming words! (I have given the transcript in English for people who cannot read Tamizh so that you all can appreciate the rhyme even if all words sound alien!)

But can we stop with that? Don’t we have to make an effort to understand what the poet has said?

So, as a first step let us split the words:

புற்று அரவு பற்றிய கை, நெற்றி அது

            மற்றொரு கண், ஒற்றை விடையன்,

செற்றது எயில், உற்றது உமை, அற்றவர்கள்

            நல் துணைவன், உற்றநகர்தான்

சுற்றும் அணி, பெற்றது ஒளி செற்றமொடு

            'குற்றம் இலது எற்று' என‌ வினாய்க்

கற்றவர்கள் சொல் தொகையின் முற்றும் ஒளி

            பெற்ற கயிலாயமலையே.

Sounds better now?

Second step is to understand the meanings of the words. To make it simpler, let me give the meaning of the entire verse:

‘One hand holds the snake, the other hand embraces Paarvati. The one-eye on the forehead burnt the three corners. He has one Nandi as his Vaahana. He is the Guide for people who have renounced the world. ‘How is that that His abode shimmers with the gems and is without any blemish’, ask the learned people about Mount Kailash’.

Is the mystery unraveled now? To a certain extent perhaps. I shall stop here and not go to the esoteric meanings.

Isn’t it a great scholarly work? If the rhyme words make us sit up and enjoy, the meanings make us appreciate it more and even make us think.

ILaiyaraaja’s works have this quality. Irrespective of whether one understands the intricacies or not, one is able to enjoy his songs. But once the hidden beauties are revealed, one is able to enjoy it more.

Let us take the song ‘Vandadhe Kungumum’ from ‘Kizhakku Vaasal’ (1990).

 ‘Very pleasing to the ears’ – This is what we say when we listen to it. How would we react if we delve deep into the composition and have a closer look?

Shall we do that now?

It is based on Mohanam, a very classical and genuinely beautiful raga and is set in the Aadi TaaLam in Tisra gati- 8-beat cycle with 1 2 3 in each beat. What else does it have?

Let us start from the beginning.

The Bell sounds and the synchronized chorus sings the akaaram in pure Mohanam. There is a pattern here. The Bell sounds for every odd beat in the cycle. After the half-aavartana(4 beats), yet another bell sounds continuously. What a felicitous start!

The chorus gradually goes on the ascent in the next aavartana and just at the end of this aavratana-7^th beat to be precise- the Strings take over. They break into enthusiastic bursts and play with sheen. The percussion joins now. There are three sets-two Mridangams and one very subtle percussion instrument. The first mridangam goes as ta ka dhi mi ta ka while the second one plays only the ‘dhi’ and ‘ta’ (3^rd and 5^th) for every alternate ta ka dhi mi ta ka making a heavy thundering sound!

The Strings move for one full aavartana drawing the beautiful sketch of Mohanam. They continue till the third beat of the next aavartana when the Flute appears and embroiders the sketch. The Bell completes the aavaratana.

The Pallavi which starts with the swara ‘ga’ is gamaka-laden and shows how the composer has handled the classical raga as a raga and not as a scale. The ‘Ri Sa’ phrase (O..O..) and the ‘dha Sa Ga Ri Ga Sa Ri’(Vaan megam)  and the chorus singing the akaaram in ‘Kungumum’ and ‘Sangamam’ are just samples to show how he gave vent to his propensities of giving a genuine classical piece.

A very spirited and flawless rendering by Chitra makes it even more beautiful.

The Laya Pattern is the same as the one in the second part of the prelude except that the mridangam plays three ‘ta ka dhi mi’ in mel kaalam  towards the end (nee paada) with the thunderous second mridangam sounding in the ‘ta’ and ‘dhi’ in the third ‘ta ka dhi mi’.

The Flute plays with a silken smoothness in the beginning of the second interlude with a second Flute replying with a flirtatious shyness. This engagement without percussion is on for a full aavartana after which the chorus appears backed by the racing Strings and the Mridangam(s). The Strings then move in higher octave giving exotic touches to the undiluted Mohanam intercepted melodically by the Bells.

The CharaNams are replete with enjoyable phrases and variegated patterns.

The Guitar sounds in the beginning of the first two lines after which it sounds before each phrase in the following two lines. The Tabla also plays playfully in the first two lines. The pause in the vocals for one beat makes us realise the value of silence.

There are tensile sangatis too after the two phrases in the first two lines- dha pa ga ri ga pa dha and pa dha pa dha pa dha ga. The last sangati is a marvel starting with the upper Sa, Ri and Ga and then giving the avarohaNam with just one more ‘ga’ appearing after ‘sadhapagari’ and before the ‘sa’ in the end. Uninhibited creativity!

The first segment of the second interlude sees the western classical shades of Mohanam with the Strings playing with a sedate dignity. The chorus sings the ‘mkaaram’ with the suave Flute repeating it. The musical dialogues sans percussion continue for some time before the Guitar goes on a melodic spree. The Strings follow suit with emotional richness. The bewitching Flute twists and turns and we sink gently into a plane of profundity.

Intellectually challenging or Emotionally appealing?

Aren’t these mutually inclusive?



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