Nambinaar Keduvadhillai - Naalu veli nilam

Kumaraswamy Sundar writes:

NAMBINAAR KEDUVADHILLAI NAANGU MARAI THEERPPU

“பிரபல சினிமா பின்னணிப் பாடகி ஆண்டாள் 3.7.2016 அன்று காலமானார். அவருக்கு வயது 82. இவர் தனது குடும்பத்தினருடன் சென்னை தியாகராயநகரில் உள்ள சாரங்கபாணி தெருவில் வசித்து வந்தார். ஆண்டாளுக்கு திடீர் மாரடைப்பு ஏற்பட்டு மரணம் அடைந்தார். இவருக்கு ராஜ் பாலா என்ற மகனும், கமலா என்ற மகளும் உள்ளனர். கண்ணம்மாபேட்டை மயானத்தில் அவரது உடல் நேற்று தகனம் செய்யப்பட்டது”.

When I saw this obituary report two days back I was surprised as all along I have been thinking that singer Andal was no more. I missed or rather Vintage Heritage missed an opportunity as otherwise VH would have invited her for one of their screenings.

A. Andal hailed from Azhwarthirunagari, a temple town located on the banks of the river Thamiraparani in the Tiruchendur-Tirunelveli route. A classically trained singer Andal started giving concerts from an early age. Impressed by her talent and melodious voice, ‘Madura geetha vani’ N C Vasanthakokilam took Andal under her aegis and taught her many songs. Thus Andal received attention from connoisseurs of music .

When Turaiyur Rajagopala Sarma was summoned to score music by veteran actor T.R.Ramachandran for the film , ‘Ponvayal’ (Jayanthi Productions/1954), where TRR co-produced the film with director-producer A T Krishnaswamy, Andal made her film music debut. But the song did not become popular.

In the film ‘Nalla kaalam’ (Jaysakthi Pictures/1954) Andal had an opportunity to sing with composer K. V. Mahadevan .

If Andal is remembered to this day by the fllm music aficionados it is because of another song composed by K.V. Mahadevan (with M.K. Atmanathan) for the film ‘Naalu vaeli nilam’. Incidentally, ‘Naalu vaeli nilam’ is the first realist film in Tamil produced by S V Sahasranamam’s Seva Screens, a T.Janakiraman’s story directed by Muktha V.Srinivasan. Probably inspired from AVM’s early productions, Sahasranamam also had wished to include a poet Subramania Bharathi’s song in this film and chose this song which lines had a universal appeal :

நம்பினார் கெடுவ தில்லை;நான்கு மறைத் தீர்ப்பு;
அம்பிகையைச் சரண் புகுந்தால் அதிகவரம் பெறலாம்.
துன்பமே இயற்கையெனும் சொல்லை மறந்திடுவோம்;
இன்பமே வேண்டி நிற்போம்;யாவுமவள் தருவாள்
ஆதாரம் சக்தி யென்றே அருமறைகள் கூறும்;
யாதானுந் தொழில் புரிவோம்;யாதுமவள் தொழிலாம்
பாடியுனைச் சரணடைந்தேன் பாசமெல்லாங் களைவாய்;
கோடிநலஞ் செய்திடுவாய், குறைகளெல்லாந் தீர்ப்பாய்.

Listen:



A very pleasing tune I would credit it only to KVM looking at the arrangements in the composition. A typical maama’s tune one can also identify, relate and enjoy in another Bharathi’s song from ‘Thiurmal Perumai’, ‘kaakkai siraginiley nandalala’ and in many other songs in later films.

In the song, Andal joins A L Raghavan in singing the lines but when she repeats the line ‘thunbamey iyarkkaiyenum sollai marandhiduvom’ separately her voice sounds very sweet.

Some of us would remember a delectable Kaanada song ‘Vaanambaadigal poley prema gaanampaadi magizhvom’ sung by A M Raja and Andal. This song appeared in the TKS Brothers’ successful drama ‘Kalvanin kaadhali’ and a gramophone record was also released owing to its popularity. But when the drama was made into a film by Revathy Productions with Sivaji and P Bhanumathy, this song was cut and ‘veyyilukkaettra nizhal unndu veesum thendral kaattrunndu’ rendered by PB and Ghantasala was replaced. Felt ‘Vaanambaadigal… ‘ is more melodious and had that been retained in the film Andal would have had better fortune.

Andal also sang a song for the film ‘Kudumba vilakku’ (Nagoor Cine Productions/1956) with lyrics penned by Subbu Arumugham and music by T R Pappa .

Discussion at:
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