Saravanan Natarajan writes :
மலர்ந்தும் மலராதவை # 24பனியே வா…பஞ்சுமழையே வா…
In the local Malayalam radio channel that has been my companion for so many years now while driving to work, I wait eagerly for the ‘Classic song of the hour’ which features a Malayalam song from the not so distant past, i.e. the 70s and 80s. And a typical week would feature these songs in that slot: Sunday: ‘Devadhaaru poothu’, Monday: ‘Oru madhurakinaavin’, Tuesday: ‘Ormmathan Vasantha’, Wednesday: ‘Mainaakam’ and rounding off the week on Thursday with ‘Vaishaaka Sandhye’….And the man behind each of these melodies? His name would be mentioned without fail…either as ‘Shyam Maash’ with reverence or as ‘Shyametta’ with affection.
My friend Suresh, who is from Kerala, is a great fan of Shyam’s works. ‘He is from Tamil Nadu, you know!’ I once claimed to him, with a touch of pride. ‘But you never appreciated his worth, did you?’ was Suresh’s contemptuous jibe…and the dart struck home, for it was but the truth…I could see shame usurp the place vacated hurriedly by pride…
Shyam joins the ranks of M.B. Srinivasan, B.A. Chidambaranathan and Vijayabhaskar…. talented Tamil composers who found opportunities and recognition only in other languages. Can you believe that between 1974 and 1997, Shyam has composed music for more than 200 Malayalam movies, many of them blockbusters with hugely popular songs?
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In his native Tamil, however, the unassuming music-smith found less than 40 movies come his way, with a fourth of them remaining unreleased. Yet, when you recall that his was the baton behind Janaki weaving a pensive fabric in ‘கலீர் கலீர்’, SPB wooing in that winsome ‘உன்னை படைத்ததும் பிரம்மன்’, or Janaki again invoking a soulful ‘ராதாகிருஷ்ணா’ and then staying put at that incredible pitch holding her breath for what seems to be an eternity, an ebullient SPB teaming up with Kausalya to render my friend OISG's favourite 'நினைத்திருந்தது, நடந்துவிட்டது', a tremulous SPB hitting the high notes in ‘பூமாதேவி போலே வாழும்’, a young Deepan Chakravarthi ruling the airwaves alongside Janaki in ‘ஆனந்த தாகம்’, Yesudas & Vani treating themselves to a semi-classical outing in ‘வானம்பாடி ஜோடி சேர்ந்து’, Susheela singing that stirring psalm ‘செல்வமே தெய்வீக மலரே’, or even in the midst of the golden Ilaiyaraja years, SPB and Janaki finding time to savour and serve delectable treats such as ‘புறா ரெண்டு வானில் சென்று’, ‘காதல் கனவுகளே’, 'இதயம் இதயம் முழுதும் மோகங்கள்' …
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As I have mentioned earlier, in the late 90s, I was assisting (in a small way) a journalist friend when he was writing about film music artistes for a film fortnightly. We discussed about Shyam and works. I compiled for him a list of Shyam’s albums in Tamil and lent him all the songs of Shyam that I had in my collection. Shyam, the man, however remained obscure, far from the limelight. I had not even seen a photograph of his. Most recording centers, while having many of his albums, had credited them wrongly to other more popular composers.
A few years back, on one of my annual visits to Chennai, good friend Kumaraswamy Sundar suggested that we meet the elusive Shyam. I jumped with joy at the prospect! Sundar, with his vast network and ingenuity obtained Shyam’s phone number, spoke to him and got ourselves invited for a leisurely conversation. Thus, late one evening, we found ourselves ensconced comfortably in Shyam’s well-appointed living room. The aged composer welcomed us both with warmth and courtesy. He enquired all about us and when we mentioned his songs and our admiration for his works, he seemed delighted…. He showed us some treasured photographs and at my request, went down memory lane, sharing with us reminiscences of his life and times…He spoke in pristine Tamil, often interspersing his lines with pithy English quotes...
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Samuel Joseph was born on 19th March 1937 in Guindy, Madras. His father, Thangaraj Joseph, and mother, Mary were school teachers. His mother played the organ in the local church. Samuel was thus drawn to music at an early age. He did his schooling in the famed Corley Higher Secondary School (it was Corley High School at the time) in Tambaram. His father gifted the teenager Shyam a second-hand violin and the boy learned to play it himself, progressing soon to playing at the local church. And during his college years at MCC, he learned western classical music from the acclaimed Dhanraj Master. With the help of R.K. Shekhar, Shyam became acquainted with M.B. Srinivasan and became part of the ensemble that played the music for the stage plays of MBS. After securing his degree, Shyam enrolled to study law in Madras Law College. However, even while reading a dry legal brief, his thoughts were on some music notation sheaf...
He eventually dropped out of college and became a full-fledged musician, entering Tamil Film Music as a violinist in the troupe of veteran C.N. Pandurangan. He later worked under SMS for 'Nadodi Mannan'.
His father, however, did not want Samuel to be associated with the tinsel world. In an interview, he recalls those years thus: “My parents strongly disapproved. But I had to do what I did. I wanted to excel as a violin soloist, but earning a livelihood was paramount and I played for music troupes. In due course, I moved from the second row to the first in the troupe, then played solo and finally became an assistant to music directors. I've played for M. S. Viswanathan, R. D. Burman, C. Ramchandra, Madan Mohan, Ravi, Salil Chowdhry, T. K. Ramamurthy, Pendiyala, Veda, T. Chalapathi Rao and S. Rajeswara Rao”.
It was when he was asked by MSV to play the violin for the classic ‘தங்க ரதம் வந்தது’ (கலைக்கோயில்), that he realized his knowledge of Carnatic music was woefully inadequate. And to address this need, he underwent rigorous training under V.R. Gopala Iyer, father of Lalgudi Jayaraman. The great master became very attached to this sincere and talented young man. 'Though I am a Christian, the master often invited me to play the violin in his Pooja Room!' an emotional Shyam recollected to us, raising his hands in reverence. In later years, Jayaraman asked Shyam to compose the introduction and finale and conduct the orchestra for the famous Thillana album- 'The Dance of Sound'.
How Samuel evolved into Shyam is an interesting story. When he was a violinist in MSV's orchestra, MSV found it simpler to address him as Sam, which in due course became Shyam! “`Sam' looks ridiculous when written in Tamil. So it has been `Shyam' ever since. The name is convenient and endearing” said Shyam in an interview. "I even started receiving cheques in the name of Shyam!" recalled Shyam to us with a guffaw. He spoke about MSV with utmost admiration and recalled his experiences of working under the Master. I know from my friends in the MSV fans club that Shyam has graced many a MSV related event.
ARR’s father R.K. Sekhar helped Shyam a great deal in those early years. It was he who introduced Shyam to Salil Chowdhry, and soon Shyam was assisting Salilda in his Southern sojourn. Salilda grew to like Shyam so much that he declared that Shyam must have been his younger brother in a previous birth!
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As mentioned, Shyam has been a prolific composer in Malayalam. “I knew nothing about Malayalam films, but veteran actress Sheela insisted that I do music for the film, `Manyashri Viswamithran'. I had started out as a composer in Tamil cinema for her film, `Appa Amma'. After `Manyashri Viswamithran', I was paid the advance for `Akkaldaama' and `Kamam Krodham Moham'," he recollects.
And thus began a glorious innings in Malayalam. Shyam brought in a whiff a fresh air in Malayalam Film Music, introducing western classical music that harmonized well into a native milieu. He also introduced the concept of Theme Music- Remember the magnificent theme music of the famous CBI movie series? Shyam worked with almost all the Malayalam lyricists of the time, always ensuring that his tunes enhanced the beauty of the lyrics. This despite the fact that Shyam did not know the language. Directors like I.V. Sasi and Joshi became so enamored of Shyam's compositions that they made him a permanent fixture in their movies. (31 movies for I.V. Sasi alone!)
Have you listened to S.Janaki’s award winning rendition of ‘Kasturimaan kurunne’ from the Malayalam film Kanamarayathu? It is a delightful experience. Follow up with it Vani making classical magic with characteristic élan in ‘Pranaya sankalpame’ from Nirakuttu. And top it with the graceful ‘Sruthiyil ninnuyarum’ sung by Yesudas in Trishna. You would realize why Shyam remains a revered name in Kerala to this day. Shyam won the Kerala State Award for Best Music Director twice, in 1983 and in 1984.
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Shyam’s career in Tamil has been a chequered one. He was working with Veda, when the latter passed away suddenly. Modern Theatres (Veda's regular patrons) did not have to look far for Veda's successor, and their கருந்தேள் கண்ணாயிரம் (1972) saw Shyam making his debut in Tamil, working jointly with the talented guitarist Philip. The melodious 'நேற்று வரை விண்ணிலிருந்தாளோ' (SPB& Vasantha) and the jaunty Baila 'பூந்தமல்லியிலே ஒரு பொண்ணு பின்னாலே' (SPB & Manorama) made his debut a memorable one.
Shyam and Philip then worked for a movie called 'அக்காவுக்கு கல்யாணம்' that was never completed.
Shyam's first independent assignment was Sheela's 'அப்பா அம்மா' (1974). 'நெஞ்சத்தில் போராடும் எண்ணங்கள்' , the alluring SPB-Janaki duet that Shyam composed for R.C. Sakthi's offbeat 'உணர்ச்சிகள்' (1976) could not elicit the acclaim it deserved- the timing was such- it was released one month after Ilaiyaraja's bravura entry with 'அன்னக்கிளி'.
Yet Shyam persevered, and in the following years, crafted some stunning numbers in the Tamil projects that came his way. Jayadevi and Mouli seem to have collaborated regularly with Shyam. Most of the movies that he worked for were small-budget affairs with small time actors and many were commercial failures. Yet, if the songs linger in memory, it is surely due to the genius of Shyam.
A list of Shyam’s albums in Tamil that I recall:
1. கருந்தேள் கண்ணாயிரம்- 1972 (Shyam-Philip)
2. அப்பா அம்மா- 1974
3. உணர்ச்சிகள்- 1976
4. மனிதரில் இத்தனை நிறங்களா-1978
5. அல்லி தர்பார்- 1978
6. தேவதை-1979
7. பஞ்சகல்யாணி-1979
8. நீ சிரித்தால் நான் சிரிப்பேன்-1979
9. நான் நன்றி சொல்வேன்-1979
10. தேவைகள்- 1979
11. மற்றவை நேரில்- 1980
12. ஸ்ரீதேவி- 1980
13. அந்தி மயக்கம்-1981
14. கண்ணீரில் எழுதாதே- 1981
15. வா இந்த பக்கம் -1981
16. குப்பத்துப் பொண்ணு-1982
17. நன்றி மீண்டும் வருக-1982
18. இதயம் பேசுகிறது-1982
19. இனியவளே வா -1982
20. கள்வடியும் பூக்கள்-1983
21. ஒரு புல்லாங்குழல் அடுப்பூதுகிறது-1983
22. நலம், நலமறிய ஆவல்-1984
23. குழந்தை யேசு -1984
24. குயிலே குயிலே-1984
25. சந்தோஷக் கனவுகள்-1985
26. விலாங்கு மீன்-1985
27. விலங்கு-1987
28. பாசம் ஒரு வேஷம்-1987
Besides these, Shyam worked painstakingly on some movies that were never released:
29. கல்லுக்குள் தேரை (titled later as ஜாதி பூக்கள்)
30. சலனம் (probably released, circa 1982?)
31. புதிய பயணம்
32. வேலைக்காரி விஜயா
33. புனித மலர்
34. காலடி ஓசை
35. குங்குமக்கோலங்கள்
36. ஊஞ்சல்
37. இது கதையல்ல
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Spry and energetic even at this age, he is an active member of the IPRS and works enthusiastically for the welfare of his fellow musicians.
Shyam's wife Violet has been source of unstinting support in all his endeavours. Their 2 sons live in the US and visit their parents in regular intervals.
I could not meet with Shyam subsequently. However, I have spoken to him in intermittent intervals. In a recent conversation, he informed me that an ardent fan in Kerala has brought out a Malayalam book titled 'Shyamasangeetham', a detailed look at Shyam's works in Malayalam. 'எனக்கு தான் மலையாளம் வாசிக்க தெரியாது ராஜா!' said Shyam with a wry chuckle.
Shyam has been running a music school called 'Geetanjali' for the past many years in Chennai. The school became so popular that there now branches in many parts of the city- Tambaram, Anna Nagar, Adyar to name a few. Students are taught Carnatic Music by erudite teachers in 6 semesters spread over 3 years. The syllabus for the new academic year is being released today, 3 March 2018, at a grand function with a performance by Vani Jairam.
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Presenting today few of Shyam's compositions from some unreleased movies:
First is the beguiling 'பனியே வா' from சலனம். சலனம் was the dubbed version of I.V. Sasi's 1981 Malayalam blockbuster 'Tusharam', The story was a gripping murder mystery and vendetta, set in the backdrop of an army officer's life in Kashmir. This song is filmed on the army officer and his newly-wedded wife going around Kashmir in horseback, escorted by a tourist guide. The guide breaks into a song in Hindi and the lady wants to know the meaning. The army officer sings the same lines in Malayalam. Shyam got SPB to render the Hindi lines and Yesudas to sing the Malayalam lines. The song 'Manje vaa' became hugely popular.
I have heard 'சலனம்' was actually released in a few centers, but found no takers. I found the record in a recording center in Bhavani and got this song recorded. SPB and Yesudas sing the Hindi and Tamil lines respectively. Kausalya chips in for the lady. Lyrics by an obscure Bharathipriyan. The song was a தமிழ்ச் சேவை இரண்டு favourite in its time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZZXaPiG7Ng&feature=youtu.be
Do you think SPB might have thought of this song, even for an infinitesimal second, when he composed 'மேகம் முந்தானை' for துடிக்கும் கரங்கள்?
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Next, let us listen to 2 gorgeous songs from the unreleased 'கல்லுக்குள் தேரை', rechristened as 'ஜாதிப்பூக்கள்' (not that the change of name helped its fortunes any!) Yet these songs are sure to bring a smile of pleased recognition for many of us who were avid Radio Ceylon listeners in the 80s.....
First is the classical treat 'வா வா ஆடிவா', marvelously rendered by Jayachandran:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWMvClBSiIk&feature=youtu.be
The second is the joyous Jayachandran-Janaki duet 'பூ மாலைகள் தோள் சேருமே':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dfx0JRGQTI&feature=youtu.be
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The last surprise I have for today is the endearing 'மஞ்சள் மாலை நேரம்' from 'இது கதையல்ல', another movie that never saw the light of the screen.
The situation seems to be of the heroine pleading to the hero for understanding and empathy. Janaki brings to play her famed histrionics here; she is coy, coquettish in the beginning and gradually becomes forlorn and tearful... Shyam conjures up a simple, appealing tune embellished with care by the dainty humming voices...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvrojLm547Y&feature=youtu.be
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As I am writing this post, I am reminded of the set of adorable songs that Shyam crafted for a little known 1983 movie called 'கள் வடியும் பூக்கள்'. The movie was sent back to the cans with scant ceremony. Yet I cannot help recalling with a wistful sigh the summer of 1983 when the cuddlesome 'வானம் பன்னீரைத் தூவும்’ found place in the morning பொங்கும் பூம்புனல் parade; the rollicking ‘நினைவிலாடும் அழகோ’ featuring in புது வெள்ளம் would be a godsend to drive away the ennui of the afternoon; and as the fitting finale of இரவின் மடியில், Yesudas with his 'மழைக்கால மேகங்கள்' would caress one as a gentle zephyr in the still of the night....
'Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air....'
The ancient lines of Thomas Gray seem so apposite when one thinks of Shyam and his scintillating works....
Discussion at :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/1905939796104404/
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