ILaiyaraaja - The Joyous Musician

What is Happiness?

Is it hidden anywhere or is it there everywhere?

As per psychologists, Happiness in an increased activity in a brain centre that inhabits negative feelings and fosters an increase in available energy and a quieting of those that generate worrisome thoughts.

But this is just theory.

Let us see what a poet whose verses are not just spiritual, not just philosophical, not just poetic but are also down to earth, says:

வானோ? புனல் பார் கனல் மாருதமோ?

ஞானோதயமோ? நவில் நான் மறையோ?

யானோ? மனமோ? எனை ஆண்ட இடம்

தானோ? பொருளாவது சண்முகனே.

Well, here that great poet called AruNagirinathar raises many questions as always. Is it the sky? Is it the water? Is it the earth? Is it the fire? Is it the air? Is it perceivable by one’s wisdom? Is it me? Is it my mind? Is it the one which conquered me?

It is an indisputable fact that poems and verses are subject to many interpretations. Here, though the poet from ThiruvaNNamalai talks about the Divine, I see it as questions related to Happiness. Happiness is Divine and Divine is Happiness.

Happiness is something which cannot be explained. Have you ever seen anybody explain their state of Happiness? It just stops with their saying ‘I am Happy’. Why and How lose their meanings here.

There is an inextricable link between Music and Happiness. Both are mutually inclusive. On the face of it, this may appear to be a sweeping statement. ‘What about music which makes me cry,’ is a logical question. When we cry while listening to great music, is it out of sadness or is it out of extreme happiness?

On this special day, let us look at a song which according to me, is an epitome of Happiness.

What makes ‘Andaalalo aho mahodayam’ from the telugu film ‘Jagadeka Veerudu Ati Loka Sundari’(1990) special is the way it makes us happy irrespective of the state we are in. Based on Pahaadi raga, the composition smiles at us with a divine countenance and it is impossible for us to not to smile back.

The prelude itself is rich, imaginative and is inundated with innovative ideas. Two sets of strings sound simultaneously, with each playing different sets of notes. The two merge and as if waiting for this to happen, the flute plays pellucidly. The strings which play along, reach a crescendo. The chorus starts humming now with the strings sliding and gliding in the background.

With the soft keys backing them, Janaki and SPB start humming and we feel the incipient musicality. A seamless start makes the Pallavi beautiful. What also makes it beautiful is the rhythm. As mentioned and explained in many of my posts, the rhythm which is the backbone of any composition, is distinct in this composer’s music. The composition is in Chatushra eka taaLam, that is 4 beats per cycle. Here there are 3 different sets of percussion. While the first one, the rhythm pad, plays the first and the third syllables constantly, the second one- the drums- sound only the third syllable for every alternate ta ka dhi mi. However, it is the third set which is very special. It appears at the end of the line sung respectively by Janaki and SPB and sounds ta ka dhi mi/ta ka aa -    rather sharply. We see this pattern in the CharaNams as well. But, what cannot escape the listener’s attention is the fact that the percussion instruments sound very soft like rose petals, in keeping with the complexion of the song.

The keys pulsate with the short flute responding with poetic intensity. These caressing overtones lead to a flowery musical expression with the strings and flute combining together and moving with panache. The brush like sound acts as percussion, and plays ‘ta’once ‘ka’ once ‘dhi mi’ and this subtle pattern itself is enough to make the strings joyful as these glide and slide , fondly extricating themselves from the flute. Not the one to complain, the flute appears towards the end playing some notes in staccato.

 Note that during the strings section, the percussion sounds just twice so as to not disturb the happiness of the strings.

The lines in the CharaNams have powerful phrasings with the first two lines moving like a steady stream playing dha pa dha pa, the following lines gliding down to touch some lower octave swaras of Pahaadi and the last two lines touching the higher octave swaras going up and then coming down as Sa ni dha pa ma.

The perspicacity of the composer comes to the fore in the second interlude. The strings move with facility exuding radiance. The second set enters now and move with disciplined smoothness. It takes glides and glissandos while the first set moves enticingly sparkling, with a plethora of patterns. It is transcendence going beyond limitations of time and space.

After all, is that not what Happiness is all about?

PS: This post was read out last evening(2nd June) to an invited audience in a virtual session.

Raja4376 · Andaalalo

                       

இளையராஜா- சூரிய கிரணம்

காலைப் பொழுது இனிமையானது. அழகானது. சக்தி மிக்கது. சக்தி தருவது. நாளில் பல வேளைகள் இருந்தாலும் காலை வேளை போன்ற பொன்னான வேளை எதுவும் இல்லை. நாளின் பல வேலைகளுக்கு நம்மைப் பண்படுத்தும் காலை வேளை இசை நயம் மிக்கது.

இந்தக் கவிதையை சற்றுக் கவனிப்போம்:

தெள் விளிச் சிறி யாழ்ப் பாணர் தேம் பிழி நறவம் மாந்தி

வள் விசிக் கருவி பம்ப வயின் வயின் வழங்கு பாடல்,

வெள்ளி வெண் மாடத்து உம்பர் வெயில் விரி பசும்பொற் பள்ளி

எள்ள அரும் கருங்கண்-தோகை இன்துயில் எழுப்பும் அன்றே.

பழிப்பதற்கரிய கருமை நிறக் கண்களையுடைய மயில் போன்ற சாயல் உள்ள பெண்கள் வெள்ளை வெளேரென ஒளி வீசும் மாடங்களில், பசும்பொன் கட்டிலிலே உறங்கிக் கொண்டிருக்கிறார்கள். தெளிந்த இசை கொண்ட சிறிய யாழையுடைய பாணர்கள், வாரால் இழுத்துக் கட்டப்பட்ட முழவுகள் ஒலிக்க பாடிக் கொண்டே செல்கிறார்கள். இந்த இசையைக் கேட்ட பெண்டிர் மெதுவாகக் கண் விழிக்கின்றனர்.

தனது கற்பனைக் கண்களில் கோசல நாட்டைக் கண்ட கம்பன் தீந்தமிழில் வடித்த கவிதை இது.

கவிச் சக்கரவர்த்தி காலைப் பொழுதை இவ்வாறு வர்ணித்தால், தொண்டர்களது காலின் பொடியை அமுதாக நினைத்த இன்னொரு தமிழ்க் கவிஞர் ஒரு படி மேலே போய், அந்தப் பரம்பொருளையே எழுப்புகிறார்:

சுடர் ஒளி பரந்தன சூழ் திசை எல்லாம்.

துண்ணிய தாரகை மின்னொளி சுருங்கிப்

படரொளி பசுத்தினன் பனி மதி, இவனோ

பாயிருள் அகன்றது; பைம்பொழில் கமுகின்

மடலிடைக் கீறி வண் பாளைகள் நாற,

வைகறை கூர்ந்தது மாருதம், இதுவோ!

அடல் ஒளி திகழ் தரு திகிரி அம் தடக்கை

அரங்கத்தம்மா! பள்ளி எழுந்தருளாயே!

எல்லாத் திசைகளிலும் ஒளி பரந்தது. வான் மதியும், தாரகைகளும் ஒளி மங்கிக் கொண்டு வருகின்றன. பாக்கு மரங்களிலிருந்தும் பால் மணம் வீசுகின்றது. பூந்தென்றல் மென்மையாக வீசுகின்றது. இத்தோற்றத்தைக் காண நீ எழுந்தருள்வாயாக, என்று படைத்தவனையே, அவன் படைத்த உலகை, காலை என்னும் அதிசயத்தைக் காண எழுப்புகிறார் ஆழ்வார்களுள் ஒருவரான தொண்டரடிப் பொடியாழ்வார்.

இயற்கையின் சக்தி அது தான். மாபெரும் கவிஞர்களுக்கு, கலைஞர்களுக்கு மஹா சக்தி தரும். அது நம்மிடையே பரவி, நம்மையும் தாக்கும். ஆக்கம் நிறைந்த இந்த தாக்கம் நம்மை ஊக்கமடையச் செய்யும்.

இளையராஜா என்னும் ஒப்பில்லா கலைஞன் இவ்வுலகில் உதயமாகி 77 ஆண்டுகள் ஆகும் இந்தப் பொன்னான நன்னாளிலே காலைப்பொழுதை நமக்கு நினைவூட்டி நம்மை இன்ப உலகிற்கு அழைத்துச் செல்லும் ஒரு பாடலைப் பார்க்கலாம்.

1990ஆம் ஆண்டு வெளி வந்த தெலுங்குத் திரைப்படமான ‘ஜெகதேக வீருடு அதி லோக சுந்தரி’ என்னும் திரைப்படத்தில் இடம் பெற்ற ‘அந்தாலலோ அஹோ மயம்’ என்ற பாடல், காலை வேளை நமக்குத் தரும் நேர்மறை உணர்வுகளை அழகுணர்ச்சியோடு தருகிறது.

பஹாடி என்னும் ராகத்தில் அமைந்த இந்தப் பாடல், மலையினின்று தவழ்ந்து வரும் காற்று போல நம்மைத் தழுவுகிறது. பஹாடி என்னும் ராகமே ஒரு வித்தியாசமான ராகம். இதனை ஆரோஹணம்/அவரோஹணம் எனும் ஒரு அமைப்புக்குள் கொண்டு வருவது இயலாத ஒரு விஷயம். ஸ்வரங்களைப் பாடும் முறையை வைத்தே இந்த ராகம் அமைகிறது. மோஹனம் என்னும் ராகத்தில் இருக்கும் ஸ்வரங்கள் இதற்கும் உண்டு என்றாலும், பாடும் விதத்தில் இரண்டும் பெரிதும் வேறுபடுகின்றன. அன்னிய ஸ்வரங்கள் இந்த ராகத்தில் கலக்கும்பொழுது இது இன்னும் அழகாகப் பரிமளிக்கிறது. ப த ஸ ரி க ப த ஸா,, ஸா த ப ம க ப த ஸ் போன்ற பிடிகள் இந்த ராகத்தை அடையாளம் காட்டும் சில துளிகள்.

பல திரையிசைப் பாடல்கள் இந்த ராகத்தில் இருந்தாலும், இளையராஜா அவர்கள் இந்த ராகத்தைக் கையாண்டிருப்பதில் ஒரு லாகவம் இருக்கிறது. நூற்றுக்கணக்கான பாடல்களை இந்த ராகத்தில் அவர் அமைத்திருக்கிறார். சுற்றிலும் மலை சூழ்ந்த கிராமத்தில் வளர்ந்து இயற்கையோடு ஒன்றிய இவர், பஹாடி ராகத்தை மனதார விரும்புவது இயற்கையான ஒரு நிகழ்வுதான்.

‘அந்தாலலோ’ வின் சிறப்பு, அன்னிய ஸ்வரங்களின் கலப்பு இதில் இல்லாமல் இருப்பது.

பாடலை இப்பொழுது கவனிப்போம்.

இரண்டு தொகுதிகளாகப் பிரிந்து, வெவ்வேறு ஸ்வரக்கட்டுகளை ஒரே சமயத்தில் வாசித்து மென்மையாகவும், சீறிப் பாய்ந்தும் வருகின்றன வயலின்கள். வானிலிருந்து வரும் ஒளிக் கற்றை போல் வரும் குழல், ஒளியினை எங்கும் பரப்புகிறது. தேவதைகள் போல் கீழே இறங்கும் கோரஸ், அந்த ஒளி வெள்ளத்தில் மிதக்கின்றன. இந்த அதிசயத்தைக் கண்டு, ஆச்சரியமடையும் பிற வயலின்கள் பின்னணியில் இசைக்கின்றன. ஒரு சில வயலின்கள் தந்திகளை மட்டும் மீட்டி, பிட்ஸ்ஸகாட்டோ என்னும் முறையை பின்பற்றி, மென்மையாக நம்மை ஆட வைக்கின்றன. எங்கிருந்தோ வரும் ஜானகியின் குரல், மெதுவாக நம்மை ஆட்கொள்ள, தொடர்கிறது எஸ்.பி.பி.யின் குரல். இதுவரை ஒரு தாள வாத்தியம் கூட இயங்காதது குறிப்பிடத்தக்க ஒன்று.

மூன்று தாள வாத்தியங்கள் இசைக்கின்றன பல்லவியில். லய ராஜாவின் லாகவம் இப்பொழுது நமக்குப் புலனாகிறது. த க தி மி/த க தி மி/த க தி மி/த க தி மி எனச் செல்லும் முறையில், ஒரு தாள வாத்தியம் த வையும் தி யையும் மட்டும் இசைக்க, அடுத்த தாள வாத்தியம் மூன்றாவது அசையான தி யை இசைக்க வரி முடியும்பொழுது த க தி மி/ த க ஆ ஆ ... என மூன்றாவது தாள வாத்தியம் கார்வை கொடுத்து இசைக்க, நம்மை அந்தரத்தில் கொண்டு நிறுத்துகிறது.

பல்லவியின் அமைப்பில் இருக்கும் ஏற்ற இறக்கங்கள், அலை போல அடித்து நமக்கும் முகமன் கூறுகிறது.

இந்த அலைகள் கவிதையின் எதுகை மோனை போல ஆடும் அழகினை முதலாவது இடையிசையின் இரண்டாவது பகுதியில் வயலின்களில் காண்கிறோம். அலைகளுக்கு எதற்குத் தாளம்? அவை ஆடுவதே ஒரு தாளம் தானே? எனவேதான், மிக மிக மென்மையாக தாள வாத்தியத்தை இசைக்கச் செய்கிறார் லய ராஜா. இடையிசை தொடங்கும்பொழுது ஒலிக்கும் இசை, காலை நேர கதிரவனின் ஒளிக்கிரணத்தைப் போல் பாய்கிறது. தொடர்ந்து வரும் குழல், புள்ளும் சிலம்பின காண் , கீசு கீசு என்று ஆனைச் சாத்தான் இசைப்பதைக் காண், என்று உதயத்திற்குக் கட்டியம் கூறுகிறது.

மென்மையான காலைத் தென்றல் போல ஒலிக்கின்றன சரணங்கள். கொடிகள் சாய்கின்றன. செடிகள் தலை நிமிர்ந்து மென்னகை புரிகின்றன. மேல் ஸ்தாயியில் செல்லும் இரண்டாவது பகுதியில், பச்சை மரங்களும், அதில் பவளம் போல் மின்னும் பழங்களும், இலைகளும், பெருமிதத்துடன் புன்னகைக்கின்றன.

இரண்டாவது இடையிசையில், சிவப்பு நிறப் பழமாக உதிக்கின்றான் ஆதவன். உதயத்தைக் காணும் குதூகலத்தில், பறவைகள் சிறகுகள் விரிக்கின்றன. வயலின்களும், குழலும் நடத்தும் விளையாட்டில், இன்னும் உயர உயரப் பறக்கின்றன. இந்த இசைச் சேர்க்கையில் தனது கிரணங்களை விரிக்கிறான் சூரியன்.

பரம்பொருளே கண் அகலப் பார்க்கிறான்.

அது ராஜ உதயமன்றோ?

 பி.கு.  இந்தப் பதிவு நேற்று மாலை(ஜூன் 2ஆம் நாள்) ‘ராஜ தீபம்’ எனும் மெய் நிகர் அமர்வில் வாசிக்கப்பட்டது.

Raja4376 · Andaalalo

ILaiyaraaja- The Inspiring Musician

Nothing can be more comforting than the thought of being in a comfort zone.

Well, that applies to people who are happy and content with what they do; for people who do not get disturbed -or rather do not want to get disturbed - by the status quo; for people to whom the word ‘challenge’ is an anathema; for people who do the same things again and again in the same way always.

But people who love the word ‘challenges’, are different. They love being challenged and if nobody challenges them, they challenge themselves. They look at the same things differently. They look for inner meanings in almost everything. The word ‘superficial’ does not find an entry in their dictionary, while the word ‘deep’ is found in block letters.

           KaaLidasa was one such poet. One day, he was challenged by somebody, not for debating but for composing a poem with the letters- tha tham tha tham tham

tha tha  tham tha tham tha(note that it is the fourth ‘tha’(ठ).

He came up with this:

रामाभिषेके जलमाहरन्त्याः
हस्ताच्च्युतो हेमघटो युवत्याः
सोपानमार्गेण करोति शब्दम्
ठ ठं ठ ठं ठं ठ ठ ठं ठ ठं ठः

Ramabhisheke Jalamahrantya

Hastaachyuto hemaghato yuvatya

SopaanamaargaN karoti shabdam

Tha tham tha tham tham tha tha tham tha tham tham.

During the coronation of  Rama at Ayodhya, women with golden vessel went to

fetch water. One vessel slipped out of the hand of the maiden and it tumbled

down the steps making the sound- Tha tham tha tham tham tha tha tham tha

tham tham.

          This goes to show that sky is the limit for the creativity of a genius and that the best comes out of them, when challenged. That is why, a true genius loves challenges not just because they are challenged but also because they consider challenges as not challenging. On the contrary, they consider it as an opportunity.

          Once ILaiyaraaja faced a very challenging situation.. After composing a song and writing notes for the orchestra, he found that musicians who played the strings (violin, viola, cello) were not available on the day of the recording as they had already committed playing elsewhere. So, he replaced the string section with mandolin section. He called different mandolin players (14, if I am not wrong) and made them play.

           And the output was incredible.

          ‘Pudiya Poovidu’ from ‘ThendRale Ennai Thodu’(1985) has many more highlights, but this is the topmost highlight, something like the ‘Headlines’in a newspaper. Based on Suddha Dhanyasi, the composition has that romantic slant not least because of the beats, about which we shall see soon.

          The beginning is like a glacier. The guitar strums gradually with just the percussion sounding the tisram beats- ta ki ta- in the faster mode. The second guitar starts strumming now and the duo moves with an insouciant grace. Enter the heroes now. The different mandolins vivisected by the bass guitar, bristle with melody and make an organic progression.

          The flute and the keys-which sound like flute and yet sound differently- make it more soft and sensitive while the mandolins follow with a determined countenance and play ‘ta ka dhi mi ta ka’- tisram broken down into 6 micro beats- even as the piquant percussion continues to play ‘ta ki ta’ in its own inimitable style.

          The Pallavi in the voice of SPB and Janaki is multi layered. First we have the mid-octave swaras ,pa ni sa. The mandra swaras(lower octave notes) ni. and pa. combine to give a different feel. The janta swaras (2 together) mapa gama pani complete the experience..well almost, because with this composer, nothing can end so easily. Here it is he echo- effect and the pause which give a feeling which is indescribable.

          And this is just one layer. If you remember, I mentioned about the beats in the beginning. The tabla plays the tisram beats in a unique way. 3 is divided into 12 micro-beats here and the stress is given only on the 6^th, 7^th and the 10^th beats.

          The piquant percussion meanwhile continues playing ‘ta ki ta’ with the bass guitar playing with a sense of equanimity while the mandolin group moves up like the waves in the sea.

         All these combine to make it a spectacular sight. Who said music is just aural anyway?

         Laya Raaja enters again in the first interlude making the tabla tarang (tuned tabla) dance gracefully in Suddha Dhanyasi with the mandolins nodding in appreciation. The latter take over splitting into two sets and playing two different sets of notes. This is just like how he makes two different sets of strings overlap each other. But see how a small change in instruments makes a difference to everything-from sound to feeling.

         The tabla-with its unique beats- the other percussion and the bass guitar continue to back the two sets of mandolins until the mandolins give way to the guitar and the flute. Now only the piquant percussion and the bass guitar back these two which of course play two different notes, at times even an alien note or two which make it more attractive.

          The jump from pa to the upper Sa followed by a glide in the first two lines, the sudden lower octave ni. in the third line(mayakkamallavo), the sudden appearance and disappearance of the alien note (ga3) in the following line and the echo effect in the last line, give the CharaNams, depth, resonance and most importantly an unmatched elegance.

          We involuntarily begin to sway in the beginning of the second interlude when the guitar plays softly with the percussion backing it. The mandolins are at work again. I can even call it as ‘Mandarin’ as one sees the contours of South East Asian Music here. One set of mandolins moves lugubriously giving ornate images. The other set sounds now and then with an energetic swirl.

          The tabla now joins playing those unique beats even as the mandolins romance with the keys with flourish and buoyancy. It even seems as if the instruments are giving a mystical smile..

           ...like the golden vessel which made a musical sound when it tumbled down the stairs!

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ILaiyaraaja - The Illusionist

Either Black or White?

Either Left of Right?

There is Something Called Grey

Which is the Middle Way.

This ‘poem’(that is if you can call it that way) was written by me some time ago. Whether one can call this a poem or not may not be relevant here, though what may be relevant is the thought I have tried to convey through this. In a world where binaries have become the norm, space for other numbers(read as ‘thoughts’ and ‘opinions’) is getting reduced by the day. The fact that there could be something ‘in between’is not understood or appreciated by many. But even for argument sake, if  we assume that there can only be ‘either this or that’, is not possible for ‘this’ to become ‘that’ and vice versa?

Far from making you confused, my intention is to make you think.

Now, look at this verse:

புகழ்வோம் பழிப்போம்; புகழோம் பழியோம்;

இகழ்வோம் மதிப்போம்; மதியோம், இகழோம்; மற்று

எங்கள் மால்! செங்கண் மால்! சீறல் நீ, தீவினையோம்

எங்கள் மால் கண்டாய் இவை.

Written by the great Tamizh poet Nammaazhwar, this verse is full of contradictions. Or is it?

Let us see what he says:

Addressing the Lord- who he calls as the One who loves us all- the Aazhawar first says – ‘I shall praise You’ and immediately follows it up with ‘I shall despise You’. In the same line, he says, ‘I shall not praise You, nor shall I despise You’. If this is not confounding enough, he continues in the next line- ‘I shall insult You, I shall respect You’ and ‘I shall not respect You nor shall I insult You’. Probably realizing that the Lord himself will be confused now, he says,’ Oh, don’t be angry now’ and finally says ‘All this because of the extreme affection I-who is a sinner- have for You’.

Note that the genius poet that he is, Nammazhwar says ‘You have extreme affection for me. So do I’. But let us see the inherent ‘contradictions’. If the first two phrases are contrasts, the phrases that follow are neutral. Same is the case with the second line. 

But why does he say ‘I won’t praise you’? It is because ‘if I praise You, it means I am praising the One who is beyond all praise and by doing this am I not insulting You? So if I don’t praise You, doesn’t it mean I am not despising You? But if I don’t praise you, wouldn’t it mean I am insulting You? And this duality is because of my extreme Love for you’.

Well, I know it is laced with spirituality with a dash of philosophy, but aren’t these two the sides of the same coin? Or are they different?

Even as we keep thinking about this, let us understand that there can be no life without the concept of duality. And that is the most beautiful aspect of life.

It is of course the beautiful aspect of music too. And without a doubt, this gets reflected in the works of genius music composers.

As I keep saying in my posts, there is poetry in everything. And what we see in ILaiyaraaja’s music is poetry at its best. Let us now see a classic example of duality in his music.

‘Vaanile Thaenila’ from ‘Kaakki Sattai’(1985) may not sound like a song based purely on a classical raga as it is a romantic duet in a tricky situation which is laced with the villain chasing the duo. But not only does the composer follow a classical raga to a T, but also he applies a classical technique in between. And he does this without not many noticing it and without not many being  even aware of it.

But isn’t it true that beauty lies in the unspoken?

The composition is based on Chakravaagam, a raga known for its melancholic touches. So, by saying that the composer used a technique, did I mean this- that is using a melancholic raga for a romantic duet?

Not at all, because if you know ILaiyaraaja well and if you have been following the posts here, you know that he is known for giving us such surprises without in anyway spoiling the grammar of the raga(s).

What then is that technique?

Let us see the composition from the beginning as the surprise happens somewhere in the middle.

The distortion guitar and the electric guitar vie with each other to produce a rather funny sound. If these smirk and then smile, the keys that follow with the guitar(s) in the background produce an impromptu sound which no doubt is pleasing and fragrant. It is then the turn of the saxophone and the strings to romance together by playing two separate melodies evoking some unknown emotions and feelings inside us. The bass guitar combines with the bells and how beautiful does it sound!

The Pallavi in the voices of SPB and Janaki, with the bass guitars in the background and the percussion sounding 4 ‘ta ki ta’s with the last ‘ta ki ta’ alone sounding sharp, is a compendium of melody to say the least.

The higher - octave strings sing like a cuckoo while the saxophone responds like a new unknown species of birds, in the first interlude. The second time this happens, the flute enters, slides and glides. The strings continue the journey with the dulcet flute following them with its unique sound. The guitar makes the atmosphere livelier with its resonance and the strings acknowledge this. The two different flutes- Indian and Western- show unity in diversity and prove that after all , it is music which can unite everyone.

Now, there is a twist. And if you recall my earlier introduction, this is the twist I was talking about. Keeping the swara ‘ma’ of Chakravaagam as the base (sa), the composer changes the raga to Sarasangi. People who follow the posts here closely , know that this technique is called as Graha Bhedam and that ILaiyaraaja is the only film music composer to have used this technique extensively and prolifically in film music.

So the first four lines follow Sarassangi while the last two lines revert to Chakravaagam. If this is not depicting Duality, what else is?

And the fact that this happens in a trice, speaks volumes of the genius of the composer.

The lines in the CharaNams have that touch of poignancy which makes it all the more enjoyable.

Poignant glides are seen in the second interlude as well when the strings move like a stream towards the end. But before this, we see the harmony between the male and the female voices with the former humming a melody in the mid-octave and the latter a different melody-albeit in the same raga- in the higher octave. And in the first segment of the interlude, we have the joyful saxophone combining with the grim faced bass guitar and the neutral bells with the drums playing in mel-kaalam.

Black, White, Grey..

Praise, Despise, Neutral..

Life…Music..

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ILaiyaraaja - The Metaphysical Musican

Philosophy is an interesting subject.

I know by making this statement I would earn the wrath and ire of a majority. Some would look at me with a sardonic smile. Some would even call me as a person out of his mind. And some would look at me as if they were looking at an alien.

But in spite of all these, I prefer to stick to my statement.

It is often said and believed that people take recourse to philosophy only when they are at their wits end and then people become philosophical when they have no other options left in life. That is, philosophy is considered to be an escapist route. People who take to philosophy are even branded as pessimists.

But unlike popular perception, it is philosophy which shows us a path and gives us a purpose for everything. A simple definition of Philosophy in a dictionary suggests that it is the study of fundamental knowledge, reality and existence and an attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behaviour.

People who consider philosophy as being complex must listen to/read this line by KaNNadasan:

தத்துவத்தில் என்றும் இல்லை தகராறு- Philosophy is indisputable.

A poet known for his phenomenal work on philosophy in film songs and who wrote simple words like வாழ்க்கை என்பது வியாபாரம், வரும் ஜனனம் என்பது வரவாகும், அதில் மரணம் என்பது செலவாகும்- Life is just a business, with birth being the income and death being the expense- surely knows what philosophy means, better than most of us.

Now, sample this:

பிறந்தன இறக்கும், இறந்தன பிறக்கும்;

தோன்றின மறையும், மறைந்தன தோன்றும்;

பெருத்தன சிறுக்கும், சிறுத்தன பெருக்கும்;

உணர்ந்தன மறக்கும், மறந்தன உணரும்.

புணர்ந்தன பிரியும், பிரிந்தன புணரும்.

What is born, will die; what is dead will be born;

What is seen, will vanish; what vanishes will be seen again;

Big will become small; small will become big;

What is felt, will be forgotten; what is forgotten will be felt;

United will separate; separated will unite.

Well, this was not by KaNNadasan but by Pattinaththar, considered to be Siddhar in the Tamizh land.

The verse, though seeming to be simple, has layers and layers to it. It, in a way defines philosophy itself.

Stating the obvious and going beyond the obvious- Is this not philosophy all about?

If I say ILaiyaraaja is philosophical, I will be stating the obvious. Well, I mean not only him as a person but also him as a musician. And this surely gets reflected in his works. Who can compose Nila Kayudhu in the same breath as Janani Janani unless he has a philosophical outlook to everything including music?

The composition being taken up today is steeped in philosophy and this does not have to with the lyrics alone which of course are philosophical (penned by him).

Kaali Perungaaya Dabba from Mandira Punnagai(1986), rendered by the Master himself smiles at us with simplicity. However, what make it more philosophical is the raga and the way it has been used.

Rishabhapriya is a melakarta(62^nd) and despite being the prati madhyama counterpart of a very popular ragam called Charukesi, it is not as popular as its counterpart. In Carnatic music, there are only a handful of kritis in this ragam and needless to say this ragam was never used in film music until the gentleman from an obscure village near Kambam in Tamizh Nadu decided to use it. In fact, even after this, there have been no compositions based on this ragam in film music.

The name of the ragam itself is unique. Rishabham means a Bull.. As per Hindu mythology, it is the Vaahana of Lord Shiva. So, it could mean that ‘the one liked by Shiva’. Rishabh also means one who has an aura like a sage. Moreover, Nandi, Shiva’s Vaahana is considered to be a person full of wisdom.

By saying all these, I am not trying say that ILaiyaraaja must have thought of all these before tuning the song in this ragam. At the same time, I am also not ruling the possibility of this happening. Does he not think at the speed of light?

The scale Rishabhapriya is unique for one more reason too. If one drops the swara pa from the scale, it becomes a raga called Gopriya( note that Go in Sanskrit means the cow, the feminine form of Rishabh) and the notes are equally separated in frequency, which in Western Classical parlance is called as a Whole Tone scale.

I do not want to go beyond this now and would rather prefer to focus on the composition for obvious reasons.

The composition starts without a prelude with the Master singing the first line sans percussion. The Pallavi is in fact crafted brilliantly with the first four lines totally avoiding the swara ma. As mentioned earlier, it is the variant of ma which distinguishes Rishabhapriya from Charukesi.The swara ma occurs in the last line whose construction is brilliant again with the grouping of similar swaras-papapapapa mamamamama gagagagaga.

The mandolin and the keys, which occur after the first line is rendered in the beginning, sound with a sense of purpose.

The mandolin and the saxophone have a friendly banter in the first interlude with the former dancing with joy in the beginning and the latter giving a heightened response. The mandolin then responds with sobriety as if to provide a contrast.

What is philosophy without contrasting elements?

The lines in the CharaNams follow a pattern. The first four lines start with pa dha while the last line starts with ga dha. At the same time, there are some random combinations as well.

Is there a pattern in our life or is there randomness or is it a combination of both?

The flute which is interposed between the lines evokes sensibility.

The keys in the beginning of the second interlude sound with a sense of poignancy which transmogrifies as a sense of happiness and then even humour as a funny sound is added. The saxophone takes some silky glides with the flute responding piquantly. The mandolin-guitar combination moves with unobtrusive energy. The bass strings of the guitar resonate in the end with the bells giving a divine spiritual shade.

Philosophy of Life!

The xylophone in the third interlude sounds with vigour and yet with an inherent calmness with the long flute replying briefly. The single violin then moves with finesse. Is it glum? Or is it calm? The xylophone enters again after the violin traverses a circle. The flute responds. Is it plaintive? Or is it meditative?

Is it simple or is it labyrinthine?

Or is it just stating the obvious?

Philosophy is a question as well as an answer!

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