Saravanan Natarajan writes:
Thanks to YouTube, many of the vintage non-film classics are now accessible. Presenting today a Tamil classic from the early 40s- நித்திரையில் வந்து set in Jonpuri, written by Sudhanandha Bharathiar and sung by N.C. Vasantakokilam.
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Sudhanandha Bharathiar (1893-1990) was a talented poet with a spiritual bent of mind. His lyrics for film songs such as மாலை மயங்குகிற நேரம் ((Radha) Jayalakshmi in மரகதம்), சிரிப்பு தான் வருகுதய்யா (Seergazhi Govindarajan’s first song in பொன் வயல்) and வெட்கமாய் இருக்குதடி (P. Leela & Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi in பார் மகளே பார்) are unforgettable. It was Sudhanandha Bharathiar’s adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables that K. Ramnoth filmed as ஏழை படும் பாடு. Vasantakolilam’s ஆனந்த நடனம் ஆடினாள் and D.K. Pattamal’s எப்படி பாடினாரோ are Sudhanandha Bharathiar’s compositions that are rendered in classical concerts to this day.
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'ஹூம்...இதே பாட்ட வசந்தகோகிலம் என்னமா பாடுவா!' exclaimed my friend’s grandmother with a wistful sigh as she brought from the kitchen a plate of piping hot vadais along with a bowl of chutney. Sitting in the verandah of their house in Adyar, Chennai, we could hear some nondescript singer traverse the Ragamalika passages of ஏன் பள்ளிக்கொண்டீரய்யா in the Anantapadmanabhaswmi Temple just across the road. It was that evening during my college years that I heard the name of NCV for the first time, and the very name ‘Vasantakokilam’ (The Spring Cuckoo) sounded so musical.
A few months later, I found a HMV cassette of a NCV compilation “Old Gems” at the annual music sale in Shankara Hall. And listening to the songs, I was instantly hooked! ஆசை கொண்டேன் வண்டே, தித்திக்கும் செந்தமிழால், ஆனந்த நடனமாடினாள், அந்த நாள் இனி வருமோ, வருவானோ வனக்குயிலே...magic was in the air as I listened to her songs. That she had sung in movies as well was a revelation- the compilation included பாங்கானச்சோலை அலங்காரம் and கலைவாணி அருள் புரிவாய் (கங்காவதார்/1942)!
Nagapattinam Chandrashekhar Kamakshi (NCV’s real name) was born in 1919 in Irinjalakkuda, and the family soon shifted to Nagapattinam. Sensing his daughter’s inclination, Chadrashekhara Iyer got her to train under Nagapattinam Gopala Aiyyar. In the late 30s, he took his talented daughter to Madras, so that she may get the opportunities she richly deserved. She soon won critical notice, wining the first prize at Annual Conference of the Music Academy in 1938 and became a name to reckon with in the concert circles.
Her father got her married, but the marriage proved to be short-lived as she found her husband not inclined to encourage her music pursuits.
It was at this juncture that Saachi (C.K. Sadasivam) who had earlier worked with Ellis Dungan, and also had independently directed ராதா கல்யாணம் (1935), took her under his fold. He soon set about directing சந்திரகுப்த சாணக்யா (1940/ Trinity Theatres), with NCV playing the role of the princess Chaaya, rendering songs such as மனமயக்கம் ஏனோ and எந்த நேரம் தன்னிலும். வேணுகானம் (1941/ Jewel Pictures) followed next. The songs that NCV rendered for the movie under the baton of veteran Govindarajulu Naidu- எப்போ வருவாரோ, இன்பம் இன்பம் and புண்ணிய தினமின்றே were all hugely popular in their time. The success of வேணுகானம் heralded NCV as a singing star, and Saachi embarked on கங்காவதார் (1942/ Sundaram Sound Studios). NCV’s songs ஆனந்தம் மிக அளவில்லா ஆனந்தம், இதுவென்ன வேதனை and காவின் மனோஹர காட்சியின் helped make the film a grand success.
NCV next appeared as M.K. Tyagaraja Bagavatar’s wife in the hugely successful ஹரிதாஸ் (1944/ Royal Talkie distributors), and sang கதிரவன் உதயம் கண்டு கமலங்கள் முகம் மலரும், கண்ணா வா மணிவண்ணா வா, எனது மனம் துள்ளி விளையாடுதே, எனது உயிர் நாதன் ஹிருதயம் நொந்தே and even a unique duet with MKT: தொட்டதெற்க்கெல்லாம் தப்பெடுத்தால். வால்மீகி and குண்டலகேசி, both 1946, followed and NCV had significant roles in both films. Her last film, கிருஷ்ண விஜயம் (1950/ Jupiter Pictures) had her singing songs such as நவநீத கண்ணனே, கருணாநிதே மாதவா and பொறுமை கடலாகிய பூமாதேவி.
Even while she was donning the grease paint, NCV had steadfastly pursued her career as a classical singer, and was ranked among the top performers of the time. Many records were released containing her classical/ semi-classical songs, and NCV rose to dizzying heights of popularity. No less a personage than Tiger K. Varadchariar conferred upon NCV the august title ‘Madhura Geetha Vaani’.
The talented genius S. Rajam had this to say of NCV: "Hers was was a voice with a rich and pleasant timbre, very pliant and malleable. Although she was thin and frail, her voice combined melody with tensile strength.Her voice rang with vibrancy,a reenkara, as she crossed the tara shadja and dwelt on the rishaba. It is my impression that MS Subbulakshmi took NCV's music as a model.In the Simhendramadhyamam kriti உன்னை அல்லால் வேறே கதி, NCV sang a number of sancharas above the panchamam and in the tarashayi. Listeners were astounded by her rendition of this Kotiswara Iyer composition."
Her personal life however, was far from happy. She was ostracized by her relatives and shunned by her friends due to her relationship with Saachi. NCV fell victim to a severe attack of tuberculosis and passed away in 1951 when she was just thirty years old.
Listen to NCV’s rousing delineation of Periyasami Thooran’s ஆடு ராட்டே, follow it up with her moving rendition of Sudhdhanandha Bharathi’s அந்த நாள் இனி வருமோ, savor at leisure her exquisite treatment of Dikshithar’s ஸாரஸ தல நயனா, hark at her nonchalantly lift to divine heights Vedayanakam Pillai’s இந்த வரம் தருவான் and top it up with her soulful interpretation of Thyagaraja’s நீ தயராதா, and you will discover the enchantment of this long lost voice of yore. The voice, who, borrowing from Macbeth, “should have died hereafter…” A cuckoo whose spring that was all too short…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38X_biEHlus&index=4&list=RDw8t86GrQVlc
Discussion at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/1382554985109557/
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