ILaiyaraaja- Conventionally Unconventional

“Only those who have the patience to do simple things accurately, acquire the skill to do different things correctly''.

When I came across this quote very recently, I started wondering as to how true it is.  As a corollary, I framed this - ‘’What distinguishes an extra ordinary from the ordinary is the ability to not just do different things but also do things differently’’.

So the key words from both the statements are – simple things, accurate, different things, correctly, doing things differently.

Essentially,

1. The basics matter first. The building crumbles if the foundation is shaky..

2. Variety adds beauty to any work.

3. Laying a new path and treading on it with courage of conviction.

See this verse:

அகரமும் ஆகி அதிபனும் ஆகி அதிகமும் ஆகி அகமாகி

அயனென வாகி அரியென வாகி அரனென வாகி அவர் மேலாய்

இகரமும் ஆகி எவைகளும் ஆகி இனிமையும் ஆகி வருவோனே

இருநில மீதில் எளியனும் வாழ எனதுமுன் ஓடி வரவேணும்

மகபதி ஆகி மருவும் வலாரி மகிழ் களி கூரும் வடிவோனே

வனமுறை வேடன் அருளிய பூஜை மகிழ் கதிர்காமம் உடையோனே

செககண சேகு தகுதிமி தோதி திமி என ஆடு மயிலோனே

திருமலிவான பழமுதிர்ச்சோலை மலை மிசை மேவு பெருமாளே.

‘Being the first letter, Being the leader, Being the greatest,

Being the Creator, Being the Protector, Being the Destroyer, Being someone who is above all,

Being everything, Being the embodiment of sweetness,

Come rushing to me to protect me,

Oh the one whose beauty is admired by Indra

Oh the One who was worshipped by the Hunter at Kadirkaamam

Oh the one whose peacock dances gracefully as per taaLa,

Oh the one who lives on the rich Hillock Pazhamudircholai’.

This is one of the many Thiruppugazhs of AruNagirinatar.

A typical Thiruppugazh has eight lines, has an inherent laya, makes a lot of descriptions, liberally uses Sanskrit words, tells stories and ends with ‘PerumaaLe’.

If having 8 lines, telling stories and making beautiful descriptions were not new in the 16^th Century, composing in taaLas which were unheard of, using words from Sanskrit and most importantly addressing Muruga as ‘perumaaLe’ were path breaking.

AruNagirinaatar was adept in music and had a very good understanding of ragas and taaLas. He improvised the TaaLAs, resulting in what is now called as ‘Chanda taaLAs’. It is a well known fact that ‘perumaaL’ refers to Lord VishNu only. However, by addressing Lord Muruga as ‘PerumaaL’, he achieved twin purpose of praising VishNu and also making Muruga as One who is superior - பெரும் ஆள் (‘perum aaL’). At a time when Sanskrit was considered as an anathema in the South, he liberally used these to add beauty to the verses.

The aforementioned verse  starts with the ‘agaram’, goes to ‘igaram’, makes the Divine ‘simple and sweet’ after making it sound complex, concisely and poetically describes the dance of peacock and also tells the story of Brahma, who because of his ego gets cursed by Muruga to be born as a hunter ‘Andhimaan’ and worships Him in Kadirgaamam to attain salvation.

This of course is just a sample of thousands of great verses composed by AruNagirinatar, one who respected tradition at the same time charteringa new path.

The gentleman who has stolen millions of hearts with his thousands of compositions too has a very strong base in classical music. Keeping this as the ‘aadhara’, he used (and continues to use) classical ragas and taaLas, innovated in orchestration, used modern and new instruments along with the traditional instruments, and structured each composition differently.

Today’s song is just another sample/example.

‘SiRiya PaRavai SiRagai Virikka ThudikkiRadhe’ from ‘Anda Oru Nimidam’(1985) is purely in Charukesi. This is not new as there have been film songs before this in Charukesi. But what are new and different are the way the Pallavi is structured, the way the  three interludes are conceived-with each in one major form of Music, giving us genuine ‘International Music’-, and innovatively using the beats and the percussion.

First, Chatushram( 4 beat-cycle) is broken into 16 maatraas(sub-divisions) as

 ‘ta ki ta/ ta ki  ta/ta ka dhi mi’.

Then, the melodic instruments sound these beats without percussion.

Let us see how.

The exquisite Special Stringed instrument play twice with the charmingly subtle Bass guitar joining in the ‘ta ka dhi mi’ portion. The sublime Guitar joins with very mildly sounding Strings which in fact joins with full force in the next cycle breathing graciousness and charm. The higher-octave Strings then sound one note for the entire cycle after which the profoundly pleasant Brass Flute joins with the keys playing the avarohaNa swaras in the same pattern of the division of 16.

The Pallavi starts with the first line following the same pattern-

Siriya ( ta ki ta) PaRavai (ta ki ta) SiRagai ( ta ki ta) Virikka (ta ki ta) ThudikkiRade(ta ka dhi mi).

Note that there is no percussion until then and that the percussion starts-in the same pattern- from the sangati of ThudikkiRade. Also to be noted is the fact that mainly the mandra stayee swaras(dha. and ni.) are used till ‘Thudi’ and that towards the end in the last line, it goes on the ascending finally touching the upper ‘Sa’.

Divine Lady from Arabia with a beautiful hair. That is how one can call the first interlude. The nipping Arabic instruments smile for one cycle and the percussion takes over playing ‘dhi mi’ thrice and ‘ta- dhi mi’ once with the robust Bass Guitar intervening now and then. Yet another Arabic instrument plays delightfully with two sets of Strings romancing with glee.  Amazed at this spectacle, the Bass Guitar dances and applauds.  With a sense of purpose the two sets of Strings move taking us to an ethereal world.

The first CharaNam has the mandra stayee swaras again but this time in the mid-segment. The lines end like the Pallavi, going on the ascent- pa pa dha ni dha dha ni Sa. The backing of the Strings in the last segment is another beauty.

The Classical Indian Beauty is in full view in the second interlude. Starting with the akaaram of the chorus, Charukesi dances with the luminous Jalatarangam and the elegant VeeNa with the Swara segment showing the many facets and the Flute showing the grace and the grandeur. The Mridangam plays many patterns of Chatushram in a matter of few minutes.

The same Mridangam plays with intensity in the second charaNam-which is different from the first charaNam. All the lines in the first half start with the Panchamam while all the lines in the second half start with the Shadjamam(upper and the aadhara).  For a change (again) the last line is ‘pa dha dha ni dha  ni ni Sa’.

Charukesi wears a white gown and dances like an angel in the third interlude which gives dollops of Western Classical Music with the higher octave Strings and the Saxophone indulging in Call and Response, the Strings moving deftly and the Guitar dazzling with emotional richness.

Embodiment of sweetness..                     

..Traditionally Modern..

..Being Everything.. 

ILaiyaraaja- The Persipicacious Musician

Everything in this world is meaningful. If we cannot find the meaning, there is surely something wrong somewhere. No, I am not talking about difficult words and dictionaries. It is about each and every happening in the world and concomitantly in our life. The link between a happening and why it is happening is hidden most of the times resulting in our cursing everything and everybody-mainly things and people we don’t like.

But Nature’s Law is such that any effect is because of a cause. I don’t want to list out things here and just quote one example from Nature and move on.

In fact, in my post on ‘Aa KaNulalo’  (ILaiyaraaja-The Perspicacious Musician posted on the 3^rd of March ), I had said about the formation of clouds and subsequently quoted a Thiruppaavai.

Now, let me go to the next step in the process and ask ‘why does it rain?’

Even a school boy or girl will be able to say the answer: ‘Warm air turns the water from rivers, lakes, and oceans into water vapour that rises into the air forming clouds. As these clouds rise higher, the air gets colder, the water vapour in the clouds becomes very heavy  and therefore falls back to the earth as rain.’

This is of course basic science but can one miss the philosophy in this?

Water from the Earth comes back to the Earth after undergoing a process.

Now, for a moment let us see what happens if the law/rule is flouted (isn’t this common in our country anyway?) and the clouds decide to hold back the water?

The great poet ThiruvaLLuvar thought about this 2000 years back and said ‘ If only this happened, even the mighty ocean would lose its value’

நெடுங்கடலும் தன்நீர்மை குன்றும் தடிந்து எழிலி

தான் நல்காது ஆகி விடின்.

Though it appears to be a verse on the rain in general, there is more to it than meets the eye. Consider the Ocean as the Universe, the water vapour as great virtues and the clouds as people who have these virtues. 

If people who ‘have’, fail to share it with the ones who need it, the Universe begins to lose its riches and value. Then why blame the Nature for the calamities when the fault lies with us.

Here too, doesn’t one see the Cause and Effect?

People like ThiruvaLLuvar were however like the natural cloud which never fails to give back. ThiruvaLLuvar had talent in abundance. He channelised his talent and energy and composed 1330 verses solely in the interest of mankind. Since it was done with a determination and with a disciplined focus, the verses are still alive and are being quoted by people across the globe.

Though he did keep the verses short, he never compromised on the poetic beauty. He was flamboyant too and occasionally indulged in word play. But here too, he did it meaningfully with the result that not only was the verse meaningful but also it was beautiful.  The verse ‘துப்பார்க்கு துப்பாய துப்பாக்கித் துப்பார்க்குத் துப்பாய தூஉமழை’ is an example. Since I had already explained this verse in one of my old My Journey posts in the previous community, I am not getting into this now. All I can say is that whatever he did, he did it with a basis and for a cause.

Same is the case with ILaiyaraaja. With his abundant knowledge and natural talent, he has been consistently giving us some extra ordinary compositions and taking us to greater heights. At the same time, he has experimented with some new ragas- ragas not used by any musician- and has mesmerised us too. What is great about this is that he has done this with sound reasoning and with an objective.

For example, take the case of ‘Thogai ILamayil aadi varugudhu’ from ‘PayaNangaL Mudivathillai’ (1982). Most of you know the sequence in the movie. The lead character, a person with a great voice but without any recognition at last gets an opportunity to showcase his talent. Now, how should the tune be? In a raga considered to be auspicious? That is what ILaiyaraaja does. The prelude and the Pallavi are in Hamsadhwani. But hang on. What is that alien swara ‘dha1’ in the last line of the Pallavi? Is it an accidental note? Doesn’t it appear in the interludes and in the CharaNams as well? Then how can it be a case of the rather usual ‘alien note creeping in in a film song’?

What ILaiyaraaja has done here is something unique. The raga which has ‘sa ri2 ga3 pa dha1 ni3’ is a raga called TharaLam and is a janya of Sarasangi. There are no known classical compositions in this raga. The Master wanted to welcome the singer with the traditional Hamsadhwani first. He found his story to be unique (in a way reminiscent of his own). ‘So, why not use an unknown raga’, he must have thought and must have added the ‘dha1’. This in effect gives a mystic feel to the composition as a whole. He does not stop with this alone. He conceals some swaras in a piece in the first interlude and in a segment in the CharaNams to make it sound like another raga, a morning raga at that. After all, is it not a new dawn for the singer?

Let us look at all these now one by one .

The soft, sedate and the subtle Flute sounds like a cuckoo. The Guitar and the Bass Guitar move with pulsating weight giving a short pause for two beats in between before leading to the Pallavi.

The Pallavi is finely etched with the mandra sthayi(lower octave) ni3. and ‘pa.’ mingling beautifully with madhyama sthayi(mid-octave) swaras of Hamsadhwani. The Guitar piece appearing for just one beat at the end of the first and the second lines, sounds refreshingly beautiful. The change in the Chatushram pattern in the third line with the percussion sounding only the ‘ta ka’ gives it a different shade while the introduction of ‘dha1’ in the last line (kalyaaNam) changes the complexion totally.

The first interlude sees a melodic progression. The specially sounding Guitar sounds with precision. The percussion sounds ‘ta ka dhi mi’ in mel kaalam. Yet another Guitar sounds sustained notes with panache. And this rather funny sound appears four times-first as response to the powerful phrasings of Electric Guitar and later as a reply to the melodic Keys. The Keys then go on a trip with intuitive impulses.

A kind of magic awaits us then. The Flute plays the swaras ‘pa dha1 pa’ and have the contours of Bowli, the morning raga. The intense Bass Guitar welcomes this new dawn and then combines with the Guitar to guide us to the first CharaNam.

The CharaNams are inundated with rich, imaginative and innovative ideas.

The first and the third lines have the swaras of Hamsadhwani only while the second and the fourth lines go to TharaLam after the Hamsadhwani trademark ‘pnSGR’ appearing in the beginning..The first four lines are adorned with the stately Sitar. The fifth line is rather long but what follows then is magical again.

The following line has mainly the ‘pa dha1 pa’ ‘ga pa dha pa’ and ‘ga pa’ giving it the Bowli flavour yet again. The laya pattern is interesting too (as ever) with the Chatushram going in mel kaalam as

‘4 - - 4  6  4  4  4  4’ with the ‘-‘ indicating a gap.

The last line has 4 ‘ta ka dhi mi’ s in keezh kaalam with the swaras going as janta(two) in the first two ‘ta ka dhi mi’ s and as three in the following two ‘ta ka dhi mi’s.

The rhythmic mobility continues in the second interlude as well with the percussion alternating between mel kaalam and keezh kaalam first and then alternating between playing  and keeping quiet even as the rapturous Sitar plays some intricate phrases. The percussion maintains a stoic silence again when the Strings dazzle in Western Classical mode and shows up when the Sitar is back with the Strings playing just for one beat. It is mel kaala chatushram in full flow for 2 cycles. It suddenly changes to Tisram first in keezh kaalam (4 Tisrams-one per each beat) and then in keezh kaalam (8 Tisrams-two per beats). The Flute plays some leisurely oscillations to provide a contrast.

Cause and Effect- Is it melodic or philosophical?

It is for you to decide…

ILaiyaraaja- The Erudite Scholar

When knowledge is shared, happiness doubles. True scholars not only share their knowledge but also keep learning more so that it benefits the society as a whole. 

That is why, ThiruvaLLuvar sang,

தாமின்  புறுவது  உலகின்  புறக்கண்டு

காமுறுவர்  கற்றறிந்தார்.

SubramaNiyan started writing amazing poetry at the age of 7. When he was 11, he mesmerised  a galaxy of scholars and poets in the court of the King of Ettayapuram  and earned the sobriquet Bharati (meaning Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning as per Hindu mythology). This child prodigy did not stop there. He went to VaraNasi, joined the Banaras Hindu University and learned more languages and other subjects and broadened his horizon. The rest is history.

In the next 2 decades, he wrote poems and essays like no one else has done. Not a single topic did he leave uncovered. Most importantly he wrote these in a language understandable even by a common man. The style was simple but not the substance.

If only he had stopped learning after the world declared him as an avatar of Saraswati, would we have got such great works like Paanchali Sabatam, Kuyil Paattu, KaNNan Paattu and poems on a host of subjects ranging from the Freedom movement to Philosophy. One can write reams and reams of pages about this Mahakavi but even then it will not do full justification to his scholarliness and genius.

As a sample, look at this extract from one his poems:

எங்கிருந்து வருகுவதோ? ஒலி யாவர் செய்குவதோ அடி தோழி!

காட்டினின்றும் வருகுவதோ-நிலாக் காற்றைக் கொண்டு தருகுவதோ?வெளி

நாட்டினின்றும் இத்தென்றல் கொணர்வதோ?நாதமிஃது என் உயிரை உருக்குதே!

கண்ணன் ஊதிடும் வேய்ங்குழல் தான் அடி!காதிலே அமுது உள்ளத்தில் நஞ்சு,

பண்ணன்றாமடி பாவையர் வாடப் பாடி எய்திடும் அம்படி தோழி!

Singing about the divine sound which emanates from the flute of Krishna, he says,

 ‘ Where is this coming from? Who is producing this sound? Is it from the forest?Or directly from the moon? Is the breeze bringing it from an alien land? This sound melts my soul.

Oh.It is the Flute of Krishna! My ears are filled with nectar and my heart is full of poison. The tune is an arrow to make women like us long and cry!’

Forget all the philosophy that is hidden deep inside the poem. Just look at the contrast- Nectar and Poison- and how beautiful it is..

Scholar by name SubramaNiya Bharati!!

We have another scholar/genius living amidst us now, who is naturally talented. Like Bharati, what is great about this scholar whose name is ILaiyaraaja, is his proclivity and propensity to learn more and more. Even after attaining the status of a star, he did not stop with that. He continued learning under his guru and practiced for hours together to hone his skills. His learning continues after 38 years and 1000+ albums.

Because of this positive attitude, we the connoisseurs of music have been treated with some immortal melodies which not only sound great but also make us learn.

Before taking up the song of the day, let me say a few words about the Raga. Saranga TharangiNi is a raga popularized by the great Carnatic legend Shri.G.N.Balasubramaniam. I would refrain from saying ‘invented’ because it is a very plain Shadava raga with 6 swaras in the ascending and descending.  Two very popular ragas are closely related to this raga. One is Hamsanaadam and the other, Kalyani. If one adds the swara ‘dha2’ to Hamsanaadam, or eschew ‘ga’ from Kalyani, we get Saranga TharangiNi.  But strangely enough, not many carnatic musicians found this raga interesting despite its sounding so beautiful.

ILaiyaraaja has used this raga wonderfully in some of his compositions- ‘ThendRal Vandhu Ennai Thodum’ from ThendRale Ennai Thodu (1985) being a classic example.  The way the essence of the raga is brought out shows how the composer has understood and enjoyed the raga.

The composition starts with the Keys sounding like the Bells infusing subtlety and softness. After 2 aavartanaas in Chatushra ekam, the Guitar plays like a Veena with delicate fluency. We now have two sets of different melodies with the keys repeating the same beginning notes and the Guitar drawing a curve. Like the soft waves of a beautiful sea, the Strings move with concise loveliness and draw us to the Pallavi.

The Pallavi in the mellifluous voices of Yesudass and Janaki, is a shiny mosaic. Starting with the madhyama swara(ma), the lines gives a marvellous sketch of the raga touching the mandra(lower octave) ni  and also the taara(higher octave) Ri. In between, there are some small sangatis too in ‘Pagale’, ‘Paai’ and ‘Nilave’ drenching us with melody.

The Strings take some liquid glides with the soft Guitar replying very quietly in the first segment of the first interlude. The comely Veena exudes the gracious and bewitching fragrance of the raga in the following segment. The Flute shines with an incredible radiance even as the Bass Guitar backs it in its unique way.

The first line in the CharaNam starts on the 2nd beat of the TaaLa cycle while the last line ends in samam. The  lines in the CharaNam touch the mandra swaras ‘dha’ and ‘ni’ in the first two lines while the following lines have beautiful sangatis after ‘piRagu’ (ni dha ni dha pa) making it an enchanting experience. The last line touches even the taara madhayamam showing us the musicality of the composer yet again.

The backing of the instruments in all the lines has an excellent aural effect!

The first half of the second interlude is very different as we see the western contours of Saranga TarangiNi . First it is the Flute which moves with a sprightly pace imparting emotional richness in the process. Then we have a perfect harmony with the female voice singing ‘ta ra ra ta ra ra ta ra raa’ in higher octave and the male voice singing the same in lower octave simultaneously. The Guitar and another melodic instrument back this and act as the percussion. After this mesmerising piece, the Strings play in the original tempo but in higher octave with aesthetic solicitude. Parallely, the Guitar plays a supple melody giving an exotic touch.

Doesn’t the composition melt our soul?