மலர்ந்தும் மலராதவை # 10

Saravanan Natarajan writes:

மலர்ந்தும் மலராதவை # 10:

யாரிது தேவதை.....

Sung by SPB. Lyrics by Na. Kamarasan. Music by Gangai Amaran.

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The front sleeve of the EP record had Viji holding balloons in vibrant hues strung together. Music was credited to the wretched Gangaiamaran and so of course I had to turn over the sleeve to read the index of songs. I was not disappointed; the very first song in the list was 'யாரிது தேவதை'. And I was thrilled at unearthing this one. Like the excitement of running into a long-lost childhood friend in a mall, this discovery filled me with heady happiness. For this was a song that I had listened to often and liked as a child. Somehow as the years passed it had slipped from my thoughts, and seeing the words 'யாரிது தேவதை’ on the record cover now brought back so many memories!

The record proclaimed its year of manufacture as 1983. So என் பிரியமே (Balakumaran Movies) must have been launched with fanfare around that time, unfortunately never to find commercial release. It was directed by Sivakumar and produced by Pondy M.A. Shanmugam.

The other songs in the album are noteworthy as well. Janaki has two songs: ‘அழகிய பூமகள்’ (Vairamuthu) and ‘மழை மேகமே’ (Pulamaipithan), both bestowed with distinct allure. ‘கம்பங்கொல்லையில்’ (Malaysia Vasudevan/P. Susheela) has some obscure Priyamoorthi penning some invigorating lyrics. ‘Meri premi’ (Malaysia Vasudevan/ T.L.Maharajan/ S.N.Surendar/ B.S.Sashirekha; Lyrics: GA) and ‘பொம்பளனா ஆம்பளனா’ (Malaysia Vasudevan/ T.L.Maharajan/S.N. Surendar; Lyrics: GA) are catchy in their stimulating cadence.

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It is 'யாரிது தேவதை', however, that tops the list. Perhaps one reason why it is very special for me is that the lines come from the remarkable Na. Kamarasan who passed away recently - the maverick wordsmith who could invoke instant imagery like the haughty nonchalance of ‘போய்வா நதியலையே....இவள் பூச்சூடும் நாள் பார்த்துவா’, the cuddlesome intimacy in ‘உதடுகளில் உனதுப்பெயர் ஒட்டிக்கொண்டது’, the magnificent vistas that ‘ஒரு காதல் சாம்ராஜ்யம் கண்ணில் வரைந்தாள்' summons up, the poetic proportions that even a prosaic paean assumes in ‘கைகளில் வாரி வழங்கிய பாரி’, the sensuous flourishes that tantalize in 'நகக்குறி வரைகின்ற சித்திரமோ, அங்கு நாணங்கள் தூரிகை வண்ணங்களோ’…. Truly, Na. Kamarasan deserves a place of pride in the pantheon of tfm lyricists.

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The other reasons are, of course, GA’s tune and SPB’s tone. The nimble movements on the frets in the

opening would have happily led us unhindered to SPB had it not been for the irksome inane “first night” giggles of the தோழிகள். That however is a minor aggravation, for SPB more than makes up with his characteristic flamboyance. Watch out for the short, stifled chuckle that he allows himself in the pallavi and the nifty nuances that he fills the charanam lines with. Can you imagine anyone else singing this song?

'என் பிரியமே' never made it to the marquee. However, some humble producer bought the entire album and used the songs for the 1987 movie ‘ஊர்க்குருவி’ that had Arunpandian & Madhuri in the lead. The movie sank without a trace, and the songs never got another outing in the airwaves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKS02I_OJzo&feature=youtu.be

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