A tribute to A.A. Raj - Composer of 'Thaniyaadha dhaagam'

Saravanan Natarajan writes:

When the heart weeps for what it has lost, the soul laughs for what it has found.
- A Sufi aphorism.

Sometime in early 2008, it was good friend Kumaraswamy Sundar who brought to my notice the passing away of composer A.A. Raj. Raj had apparently been unwell for a while and on the last day of 2007 he slipped away from this world, like a boat that drifts off into the night on a calm sea. He was 78 years old. Being the unabashed music aficionado that he is, Sundar lost no time in speaking to Raj's son Roopkumar after he noticed the obituary insertion in 'The Hindu' and expressed his heartfelt condolences on behalf of Tamil Film Music fans. Sundar says that Roopkumar was genuinely moved to know that there are people who still remember his father and his songs.

A.A. Raj would always have a special place in our hearts, even if 'poovE nee yaar solli yaarukkaaga malargindRaai' had been the only song he had composed; for that lone delight has earned him our eternal adoration.
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Born in 1930, Aakula Appalaraju hailed from a small hamlet near Vishakapatnam. He was interested in music from a young age, and after learning to play the Harmonium, he trained under Buchi Gopal Rao. Practical financial considerations made him accept the dreary job of a food inspector in Bobbili. However, his love for music eventually won, and in 1951 he landed in Madras, then the citadel of South-Indian celluloid fantasies, where the untiring dream merchants peddled their varied wares.

With the initial support of veteran S. Rajeswara Rao, Appalaraju (who had by then shortened his name to A.A. Raj) bagged a few opportunities to play the harmonium and violin for some Telugu movie songs. Impressed with his skills, Master Venu took him under his fold, and Raj learned the nuances of composing film music during his years with Master Venu, assisting him in the music of many memorable bilinguals like Kaalam Maaripochu (1956), EngaL veettu Mahalakshmi (1957) and Manjal Mahimai (1959). His expertise in writing notations, coaching the singers and conducting the orchestra made him a sought after assistant to various composers, and Raj found himself working with stalwarts such as Chalapathi Rao, V. Dakshinamoorthi, Baburaj, Sathyam and Chakaravarthi.
He did compose music independently for 3 Telugu films, but his work in those films- Devudichina Bartha (1967/ Devi Productions), Panchakalyani Dongalarani (1969/ Sri Saraswathi Chitra) and Vikramarka Vijayam (1971/PSR Pics) went largely unnoticed. Unperturbed, Raj continued assisting other composers who valued his enthusiastic contributions.

In 1979 came the opportunity to work jointly with T. Rajendar in composing music for the songs that Rajendar had penned for 'Oru Thalai Raagam'. Besides working with Rajendar on the songs, Raj also scored the background music for the film. In fact, Vividh Bharathi used to initially credit the music for the songs of 'Oru Thalai Raagam' to both Rajendar and A.A. Raj, but Raj's name mysteriously did not figure in the subsequent announcements. The Inreco Record of the album, however, gave joint credit to both of them.

While Rajendar went on to earn manifold laurels as an imaginative lyricist and talented composer in the following years, Udhayamagirathu (1981/ Jayamurugan Art Creations) starring 'Oru Thalai Raagam' Shankar and directed by Ranjit, was the only album that came A.A. Raj's way. And he went all out to prove himself as an independent composer of unquestioned skills. 'avanukkendRE vandhaaL azhagu radhai, azhagu sindhum poonkodi kOthai' (Vani Jairam) is an elegant creation, while the two SPB-P.Susheela duets, the caressing 'naan unai mandRaadinEn, nee enai koNdaadinaai' and the forlorn 'manjaLum maalaiyum varumO, en vaazhkaiyil vasantham tharumO' are marked by lilting passages. The outstanding number from the album, however, is SPB's 'KaNNa un aruLaal yaavum iyangum, kanavugaL nanavaaga thuNai purivaayE'- an exquisite semi-classical delight with astounding progressions wherein the naadaswaram and violin find ingenious use and SPB & Kannadasan come together to give vibrant life to a mistreated musician's wondrous vision.
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Enthused by the stupendous success of 'Oru Thalai Raagam', producer/director E.M. Ibrahim was tempted to have another go on the reel roulette, and set about directing 'Thaniyaadha Dhaagam' under the same banner, Mansoor Creations. Delhi Ganesh, Thambu, Swarna, Subhadra, Ponni, Gurushankar and Samikkannu were in the cast. The dialogues were written by Kittappa. The movie was more than a year in the making and was released in 1982, only to end up a discomfiting debacle.

It was Radio Ceylon's repeated airing of the film's songs that kept ‘Thaniyaadha Dhaagam' from making an unobtrusive exit from public memory. Ibrahim, who was much impressed with A.A. Raj's music skills during the making of 'Oru Thalai Ragam', entrusted Raj with the music of 'Thaniyaadha Dhaagam'.

The album has 6 songs in all. An obscure lyricist called Uma Nagabhushanam wrote 5 of them, while Kaaraikizhaar penned the remaining song. Vani Jairam's 'malaraadha malarellaam malaravaikkum' heralds so bewitchingly in Bhoopalam the serene beauty of dawn. 'unnai maRakavillai naanE, ennai maRandhadhellaam yEnO' would surely rank among the best songs in B. Vasantha's chequered career. 'yaarukitta solluRathu, deivam oorai vittE poivittaal, yaarukitta solluRathu' has a subdued TMS having a scornful shrug at the imponderable twists of destiny. Malaysia Vasudevan makes merry in 'aaha malligaippoovE, aaha maadhuLampoovE'.

The delightful 'poovE nee yaar solli' by Malaysia Vasudevan & S. Janaki lingers to this day in the memory of avid radio listeners of the early 80s. It is such a charming composition, liberally stocked with alluring arrangements and polished progressions; the graceful prelude beginning with SJ’s dreamy humming, and the remarkably refreshing structure of the Pallavi itself make us immediately conscious of an uncommon composer having an innovative, uncluttered thinking. I get the feeling Uma wrote the imaginative lyrics first and then A.A.Raj set them to tune. Janaki adds to the appeal of the song with her inimitable embellishments, the delightful brughas that adorn her each repetition of ‘poovE’, the ‘Oh, come on’-ish coquetry with which she cuddles to his ‘kOvil kalasam pOl en dEvi’, and the stifled gasp of pleasure that escapes her at his ‘ivaL ponnudal sivakkattum en karam pattu’ all bespeak her consummate artistry.

Listen here:

 

The remaining song from the album is the haunting 'avaL oru mOhana raagam' . Punctuated with delectable sitar vignettes, this this pathos song has SPB honoring A.A. Raj with a magnificent rendition.

Listen here:


A.A. Raj never got to compose music for films again. He set to tune some non-film devotional albums. 'Sri Raghavendra Suprabhatham', written by J.H.B. Acharya and sung by PBS & S. Janaki is one glittering instance of such ventures. 'Anandam Anandam' a compilation of wedding songs sung by P. Susheela is another popular album composed by Raj. Raj was an active member of the Cine Musicians Union that strives for the welfare of the instrumentalists who work for various Music Directors. He even had a stint as its president in 2001.

Destiny did not quite play fair with this musician of abundant talent; fame and fortune evaded him till the end. He passed on, unsung and unwept. But to us, Raj will live on in the few unforgettable songs that marked his tryst with Tamil cinema. Avar oru mohana raagam.

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