Tribute to Raveendran: Part 2

Saravanan Natarajan writes:

Tribute to Raveendran: Part 2

நலம் பாடுவேன் நீ வாழத்தான்...

Tamil cinema next heard Raveendran in 1986, a year in which there came as a sudden delightful deluge 4 movies laden with his treasures, filling discerning fans with joy.

Produced by ‘The Hindu’ Rangarajan, Kanmaniye Pesu was Rajasekar's adaptation of Ramesh Talwar's 1981 Hindi film Basera. The film starred Sivakumar, Lakshmi, Ambika, Ganga & Ashwini. The story was a domestic saga, a happy family rocked by a plethora of emotional upheavals- a widowed younger sister marrying her brother-in-law when her elder sister slips into a coma, and years later being forced to don the white garbs as the elder sister regains consciousness. How long can this charade continue? The elder sister discovers the truth eventually and feigns insanity so that she can go back to hospital, sacrificing her happiness for the tranquility of the household.

R.D. Burman had tuned some characteristically winsome songs for Basera and Raveendran proved his mettle by coming up with an equally alluring album. The frolicsome ‘Velakku vecha dhinam virundhirukkum’ (Gangaiamaran), with its startling dappankuthu turn midway, is among Chitra’s early successes in Tamil. ‘Rasa en rasa’ (Vaali) is a fun-filled, teasing ditty by Janaki & chorus. ‘Vaanam engal ellai’(Vaali), a breezy, stylish celebration of youth sung by Malaysia Vasudevan and Chitra, is punctuated by some brilliant interlude moments.

Presenting today, the two remaining songs of the album, two exquisite miracles, that have stayed put in a special perch of my heart all these years.

The first is ‘Nalam paaduven’ by S. Janaki.

As the last rites to the mortal remains of Raveendran were being performed by his son Saajan at Porur on 4 March 2005, Janaki, flanked by Chitra and Sujatha on either side, was part of the grief-stricken crowd that had assembled to bid the master a tearful farewell. Her thoughts must have gone back a good many years- for it was alongside S. Janaki that Raveendran made his debut as a singer in 1969; ‘Pavana Ranjini’ was a duet that he sang with the chanteuse. And though after he became a famed composer, Chitra was his pet protégé, Raveendran did reserve some select creations for Janaki- ‘Hemandha geetham’ from Thalam Thettiya Tharattu, ‘Aamukham kanda naal’ from Yuvajanotsavam, ‘Chicha chicha’ from Mazhayethum Munpe, ‘Omana thingal kidaavo’ and ‘Pon Pularoli’ from Ethiripoove Chuvannapoove.

Take this song as an illustration of the Raveendran-Janaki teamwork. The song begins as Sivakumar runs his fingers on the piano keys, remembering the happy days with his first wife Lakshmi, who has been in a coma for years. His memories go back to the early years of their marriage, and the arrival of their son, and the song she had sung in celebration of this domestic bliss…

RDB had created a celebrated solo for Lata for the equivalent sequence in the Hindi original- ‘Jahan pe savera ho’; but to me Raveendran and Janaki pip at the winning post with their ‘Nalam paaduven.’ Hark at the somber piano notes usher in the flashback to happier times of a distant past and then Janaki ushers in the joy with her high-pitched humming. And the voyage begins. Watch the pulsating interludes- Raveendran’s signatures- and the serpentine charanam, and how effortlessly Janaki takes on the challenge as only she can! Breathtaking, without taking a breath! Vaali’s lines are filled with analogies of sheer marital rapture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llvytclVP7g

For a long time, I thought this was a tune that Raveendran specially composed for this movie, but some time back, I came across his non-film album Vasantha Geethangal, and I found the Malayalam original sung by Yesudas.

The other song from Kanmaniye Pesu is, of course, the heart-tugging ‘Maname Mayangaathe’.
The younger sister watches in helpless grief as the elder takes over her rightful position the wife. And this song is the raconteur that empathizes with her quandary and counsels her to resign herself to her fate, for after all, hasn’t she been shining in borrowed feathers all these years? ‘Vaazhnthu paarthathu vaadagai vaazhkkai, uriyavaL vandhaaL- vazhi vidadi!’ sermonizes Vairamuthu. Raveendran crafts a poignant melody, and who else but Yesudas, with his melancholic mellifluousness, could have done better justice to this song!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHZ22f6HeEU

Both the songs were often requested for and aired a brief while, before being relegated to oblivion. Let us revisit these gems, and salute the memory of Raveendran.

- More in the next part....

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