ஒரு வானவில் போலே...எம் வாழ்விலே வந்தாய்...~A short series in celebration of the 75th birthday of Jayachandran~
- Saravanan Natarajan
Part I
The day is done, the evening rays make way for the moonbeams… in the lovely hillside hamlet, children stop their games and rush home….the cowherds hasten to tether the cattle safe in the sheds….pairs of surreptitious lovers steal a last kiss before heading home…. Young women chatting across the mud-baked walls return to their hearth, weary farmers complete their ablutions and stretch their legs, elders gathered at the tea-shop put an end to the heated arguments on the political developments of the day, older women finish their prayers at the temple and sit on their verandahs, the priest locks up the temple and returns home…. They sit, in silent anticipation….
For it is the time of the evening when the villagers forget their worries for a few minutes, they sit in transfixed silence as they are transported briefly from their mundane routine to another world…a world of rapturous enchantment…. The hamlet is enveloped in bewitching music….. it is the time when the village vagabond, the enigmatic Vellaichami opens his taciturn mouth and sings…evening after evening, he sings…., he sings ballads of romance to an invisible inamorata…. Had he loved her and lost her? Did she leave him for another man? Or was she no longer in this world? There is sorrow in his song, pining in his lines, the ache of solitude in his tone…
ராசாத்தி உன்ன காணாத
நெஞ்சு காத்தாடி போலாடுது
பொழுதாகிப் போச்சு
விளக்கேத்தியாச்சு
பொன்மானே உன்னத் தேடுது....
- writes Vaali, and not considering SPB or Vasu to whose lot would have fallen such rustic ruminations at the time, or even Yesudas whose sombre vocals were always tinged with an innate thread of melancholy so needed for this song, the perspicacious Raja sends for Jayachandran. And the rest as they say, is history.
The song remained the monarch of the airwaves for most of the 80s. And as for Jayachandran, he found himself catapulted overnight to the dazzling glare of the limelight. The song has retained its perennial appeal to this day…It finds place unwaveringly in most TV singing contests… why, even at an Onam music event in Sharjah in 2015 which I attended, Jayachandran, who was singing his Malayalam hits, had to give in to the repeated requests from the wholly Malayali crowd for this Tamil song…. The packed hall then listened in mesmerized silence and rose in unison to give the singer a standing ovation…… Though he was an integral part of Tamil film music right from the mid-70s and was the voice behind many a melody, for many of my friends, this song was their first big introduction to Jayachandran, the ‘Bhava Gayakan’….
* * * * * *
It was while going through my audio collection and listing Jayachandran’s Tamil songs chronologically for a journalist/writer friend sometime in the late 90s, that I realized anew the richness and variety of songs that Jayachandran had got to sing in the 70s and early 80s, much before ‘வைதேகி காத்திருந்தாள்’. Again, when I was fortunate to meet up with Jayachandran for a leisurely conversation in 2016, I gleaned that it was the memories of his earlier songs that he treasured the most- his songs for MSV, in particular, hold a special place in his heart…
Jayachandran turned 75 on 3 March this year. While the Maestro’s 75th birthday has been celebrated in a befitting, grand manner, the landmark birthday of the unassuming Jayachandran has passed by, unnoticed. I thought it would be fitting to celebrate the singer and his works, here in dhool, with a short series on his magnificent works over the decades…
* * * * * *
Paliyath Jayachandran was born on 3 March 1944 to a family that had roots in a royal lineage. His father Ravivarma KochaniyanThampuran nurtured a passionate interest in music and was a good singer. His mother Subhadra encouraged her son in his musical leanings and the child JC learned singing and Mridangam. As a student of Irinjalakkuda National School and later the Christ College, JC was hugely popular in cultural events in the vicinity. K.V. Ramanathan, his music teacher, prophesised a great future for the boy.
In the late 50s, there were two teenagers in Kerala who walked away with the top prizes in all the youth music events- Yesudas (elder by four years) and JC. At the 1958 State Youth Festival, Yesudas bagged the best classical vocalist award, while JC won the twin prizes of best light-music vocalist and Mridangam player.
After completing his graduation in Zoology, JC moved to Madras where he had secured a job in Parry & Co. He also learned music from Balamuralikrishna for a while. Observing this young man singing in a programme sometime in 1966, cinematographer Vincent recommended him to the makers of the Prem Nazir starrer ‘Kunjali Marakkar’ and it was thus JC made his debut in film music, singing 3 songs in his very first album under the baton of veteran B.A. Chidambaranath.
However, even before the belated release of ‘Kunjali Marakkar’ in 1967, JC’s two solos ‘Manjalayil mungithorthi’ and ‘Thaarunyam Thannude’ for ‘Kalithozhan’ released in 1966, written by P. Bhaskaran and composed by Devarajan Maash became hugely popular.
The genius M.S. Baburaj was the next composer to harness the vocals of the young singer, and what a tender, caressing delight the song ‘Anuraga gaanam pole’ (Udyogasta/ 1968) turned out to be!
The song stole the air waves despite the overwhelming and all-pervading presence of Yesudas, who was rapidly making Malayalam film music his absolute monarchy. Even today, there are many old-timers who go misty-eyed at the very mention of the song. Requested to sing the song in a 2014 Kairali TV interview (JB Junction) , JC paid his respects to the venerable Babuka and went on to render the lilting lines:
Composers such as Dakshinamurthy Swami, K. Raghavan, A.T. Ummer and M.K. Arjunan invited the young singer to render their compositions all through the late 60s and early 70s.
Listen to this dainty JC- Janaki duet composed by A.T. Ummer for the 1969 movie ‘Aalmaram’:
And it was finally in 1971 that JC came to the notice of the Master, and serendipity happened when MSV summoned the youngster to sing for him… and JC's entry in Tamil film music was inevitable....
~ To be continued……-
Part II
* * * * * * *
MSV, despite being a Malayali by birth, did not get to compose much for Malayalam movies. Lack of time could be one factor. In fact, after the bilingual ‘Genoa’ in the early 50s in which he was one of the composers, MSV’s tunes were next heard in Malayalam only in the 70s. The trickle swelled into a stream in the 80s when opportunities in Tamil started dwindling. In all, I could recollect only around 75 MSV albums in Malayalam, including the dubbed ones.
And despite the overriding presence of Yesudas and MSV’s liking for Jolly Abraham, JC found many memorable compositions of the Master coming his way.
As I said, MSV did not venture into Malayalam cinema all through the 60s. In the early 70s, K.P. Kottarakkara (the writer of ‘பாசமலர்’) scripted and produced a racy thriller ‘Lankadahanam’ that related the rescue of a kidnapped woman (Ragini) by a CID officer in the guise of a music teacher (Prem Nazir). The script having ample scope for music, the veteran writer persuaded MSV to work on the soundtrack.
Thus ‘Lankadahanam’ (1971) marked the entry of the Master in Malayalam Cinema. And in this very first film that had 8 songs, of which Yesudas got to render a whopping 5, the Master summoned JC to render 2 solos. Kottarakkara had introduced the young JC to MSV and requested that he be given a chance to sing under the famed baton. And it was thus that JC got to render the 2 solos, which would also gone to Yesudas in the original scheme of things. The youngster stole the heart of the Master by his intelligent grasp, diligent application, expressive vocals and clarity of diction. And wonder of wonders, JC managed to hold his own, despite the omnipresence of Yesudas in the album.
Listen to ‘Thiruvaabharanam’, the first song that JC sang for the Master:
MSV was so besotted by JC that in his next Malayalam outing ‘Manthrakodi’ (1972), JC was the only male voice, singing 2 solos and a lovely duet with P. Susheela.
1973 saw the release of K.S. Sethumadhavan’s Prem Nazir- Nandita Bose starrer ‘Panitheeradha Veedu’. And it was singing Vayalar Ramavarma’s immortal lines heralding the beautiful misty morning in the hills- ‘Suprabatham… Neelagiriyude sakhigale jwalamukigale’ for the Master that JC bagged the coveted State Award for the Best Singer. How evocatively JC manages to bring across the simple philosophy of the lines- man’s wonder at the mysteries of nature, his own short and transient stay on the earth and how nature’s work would always remain unfinished….
* * * * * *
It was in the same year that the Master escorted JC to Tamil film music. By the end of the 60s/ beginning of the 70s, the astute MSV perceived the winds of change in the taste and trend of film music. Among the changes was the need to bring back the variety in voices which was prevalent in the 50s. By the turn of the 60s when the MSV-TKR duo were rapidly ascending their unassailable position in Tamil film music, MSV restricted his singing ensemble to TMS and Susheela, and sent for PBS and Easwari when additional voices were needed. Janaki’s was a mere guest appearance, perhaps at the insistence of directors like Sridhar. From the mid-60s onwards, PBS was gradually replaced by TMS even for the actors whom PBS had been singing for.
However, few years later, MSV thought it fit to bring back variety in the vocals in his albums. He introduced the talented SPB in 1969 and gave the youngster more and more opportunities as the 70s unfolded. Yesudas, who had sung only 4 songs for MSV in the 60s, found frequent summons from the Master in the 70s. The 70s also witnessed the Janaki’s best collaborations with MSV. And the advent of Vani into MSV’s fold added glitter to the array of artistes in each album. And all this, even while TMS and Susheela were still going strong. It was at this juncture that MSV brought in JC to add some vivid hues to his vibrant canvas.
The first Tamil film song that JC got to sing was ‘தங்கச் சிமிழ் போல் அழகோ’ for மணிப்பயல், a Sathya Movies low-budget venture directed by A. Jagannathan. Pushpalatha accompanies JC with her humming in the song filmed on AVM. Rajan & Jayanthi. JC surprised MSV with his flawless and unaccented Tamil. The Master little knew that anticipating this moment, JC had learned to read, write and speak Tamil for years! A usual romantic duet gets its appeal enhanced by the tender tones of the newcomer.
* * * * * *
The next Tamil song that JC got to sing was ‘பொன்னென்ன பூவென்ன கண்ணே’ for Sridhar’s அலைகள். அலைகள் was based on a story titled ‘துளசி’ that Sridhar had written way back in the 50s.
The early 70s were not happy years for Sridhar. His Hindi adaptations of ‘சிவந்த மண்’ and ‘அவளுக்கென்று ஒரு மனம்’ had bit the dust (even ‘அவளுக்கென்று ஒரு மனம்’ had not done as well as expected), his venture with Sivaji ‘Hero-72’ was stuck and he was facing a financial crisis.
It was then that he decided to work on his ‘துளசி’. ‘துளசி’ in turn was inspired by Shantaram’s 1939 epic ‘Manoos’, a stark theme that depicted a policeman’s repeated attempts to rehabilitate a prostitute whom he falls in love with. On this basic theme, Sridhar crafted a heart-warming screenplay with several twists that construct the beautiful relationship between the policeman and the homeless girl whom he meets again and again in a series of coincidences that make up this mystery called life.
Dissatisfied with AVM. Rajan whom he had picked for the lead role, Sridhar trashed the reels that had been canned and started anew, introducing the handsome Vishnuvardhan in Tamil, with the talented Chandrakala essaying the female lead.
Inspector Raju (Vishnuvardhan) had given asylum to Lakshmi (Chandrakala) even earlier in his house. But it had been wholly out of pity for the homeless girl and to protect her from the lecherous world. However, this time, he realizes with wonder that he has fallen in love with her, and is enraptured by her inner and outer lustrous beauty. The couple stroll along the verdant avenues of Yercaud, and with the sylvan tress swaying in benediction, Raju sings an ode to his love and avers that better things are in store for her, her troubles belong to a distant past.
MSV calls JC to render this soothing soirée and JC is salubrious as the breeze of the tall trees, mellow as the melting evening sky, placid as the waters of the lake, fluffy as the clouds overhead….He is Hope, he is Compassion, he is Understanding, he is Solicitude…..and, he is Love….
The video:
* * * * * * *
In the next year, the Master bade JC to team up with L.R. Easwari to render that rollicking ‘மந்தார மலரே’.
‘நான் அவனில்லை’ was the home production of ‘Gemini’ Ganesh. Based on Acharya Atre's Marathi play 'To Mee Navhech' and directed by KB, it was an interesting tale of a beguiling conman who travels from place to place, assuming varied identities, luring pretty women and making them succumb to his charms and part with their money. And even when he is facing his comeuppance, his glib unrepentant defence is ‘நான் அவனில்லை!' ‘Gemini’ Ganesh was 54 years old when he played the title role of the debonair deceiver, and it ranks among his most memorable performances ever.
For the 3 song sequences filmed on ‘Gemini’ Ganesh, MSV employed the vocals of PBS, SPB and JC. While PBS got to render Hindi lines in the song ‘நான் சின்னஞ்சிறு பிள்ளை’, SPB crooned the beguiling ‘ராதா…காதல் வராதா’.
And JC’s Mandhara Malar blossomed next, spreading its Malabar fragrance all over Madras…. MSV ushers in the unique ambience of the ‘God’s Own Country’ by his Chendai dominated orchestration. The song conjures up images of graceful Kathakali movements with alternating swift and languorous moments. And teaming with that slice of ebullience called Easwari, JC is the surprise element here….Throwing aside for this caper his cape of genteel gentleness , JC is Youth, with all its brazen cheek and mischief…
~ To be continued….~
Part III
Continuing on the fascinating trail of JC’s works under the baton of MSV, we discover an obscure little song from a movie that was released in 1974, the same year as ‘நான் அவனில்லை’. However, neither the movie nor the song is remembered today, the former rightly so, while the latter certainly deserved a kinder destiny. The movie was ‘எங்கள் குலதெய்வம்’, one of the myriad K.R. Vijaya- centric projects that write themselves a remarkable chapter in the 70s pages of Tamil Cinema.
This one tried to follow in the success trail of Devar’s ‘வெள்ளிக்கிழமை விரதம்’ released earlier in the same year, and had Jayachitra and a snake playing pivotal roles. For a first-night sequence featuring the lead pair Vijaya & Muthuraman, MSV crafts a melody that borrows a sliver of silver from the moon, a waft of caress from the breeze, a whiff of heaven from the Jasmine….and sends for Janaki, by then a more frequent voice in his ensemble, to pair with his find of the season- JC
அன்புமிக்க மாப்பிள்ளைக்கு
* * * * * * *
In one of the mystifying imponderables that make up Cinema, JC did not find place in any of MSV’s Tamil albums in the next year, 1975. Remember, it was the year when the Yesudas flag soared high with MSV giving him that iconic ‘அதிசய ராகம்’, besides songs that cornered the airwaves such as ‘மலரே குறிஞ்சி மலரே’ and 'நீல நயனங்களில்'. Even SPB had to console himself with only ‘அன்பு மலர்களே’ and 'இதழே இதழே தேன் வேண்டும்’ gaining popularity in his works with the Master. SPB’s ‘My song is for you’ paled in the dazzle of TMS’ haunting ‘தெய்வத்தின் தேரெடுத்து’. Albums such as 'அவன் தான் மனிதன்’, ‘பாட்டும் பரதமும்’, ‘மன்னவன் வந்தானடி’ and ‘வைரநெஞ்சம்’ justified the trust that MSV continued to place in his beloved TMS.
However, MSV did not neglect JC when it came to his works in Malayalam in 1975. JC got to sing 4 songs for the Master, including ‘Kalabhuchuvaru vecha meda’, the Malayalam version of SPB’s 1974 hit ‘கடவுள் அமைத்து வைத்த மேடை’ for the dubbed ‘Aval Oru Thudarkadha’ which hit the screens in 1975.
* * * * * *
The next year, 1976, was a year when a windfall of wonders came JC’s way. The Master seems to have made up for neglecting JC the earlier year and lavished his largesse on the talented singer.
Let us take up first the songs that JC got to sing for the young Kamalhasan, and our thoughts fly of course to the 2 delightful numbers in ‘மூன்று முடிச்சு’. In a delightful irony, the heroine of the movie is shown as an ardent fan of Yesudas; the hero even addresses her as “Miss Jesudas” when he still doesn’t know her name 
‘மூன்று முடிச்சு’ was KB’s adapatation of K. Vishwanath’s 1974 Telugu movie ‘O Seetha Katha’. It was the first film in which the teenaged Sridevi was introduced as a heroine. Kamalhasan appeared in a guest role, while this was Rajinikanth’s first major screen appearance in Tamil, making his mark as Prasad, the stylish villain who has a change of heart in the end. (Interestingly, Kamal had played Rajini’s role in the 1975 Malayalam adaptation of the same story ‘Mattoru Seetha’).
It is an inter-college cultural show hosted at ‘Valluvar Arts College’. An Anadiplosis (அந்தாதி) competition is announced on the subject of love. Sivachandran and Meera (whom Balachander would introduce formally the next year in ‘Pattina Pravesam’) are among the participants. Balaji (Kamal) and Selvi (Sridevi) are in the audience and the romantic lines they listen to transport them to world of their own…and we see them, not skiing down Alpine slopes or bungee jumping in New Zealand, but merely strolling amidst the ancient trees of the Adyar Theosophical Society! How naive were the celluloid lovers of 1976!
What wonderful lyrics by the Kaviyarasar, interwoven so skilfully into the Anadiplosis structure!
Unobtrusive music by MSV, he knows well when to play from the side-lines, for don’t the lyrics themselves have music in them? Nonetheless, the Master shows his craft in the enchanting chorus bits in the interludes. The ‘hahaha' ending in 'ஆசையென்னும் வேதம்’, as though prompting JC of the word he has to commence with, and the ‘namthananthanam’—ending with ‘வீணை அவள் சின்னம்’, giving JC his cue again are simply out of the world! Vani’s humming along with JC’s pallavi, and her voice merging with the chorus in the end, give this song such a dreamy finish…..
ஆடி வெள்ளி தேடி உன்னை.....
This song perhaps marked the beginning of a glorious partnership- the first of the bewitching series of duets that JC got to sing with Vani. I have always felt an inexplicable sense of bliss listening to this pair of crooners. Following in the path laid down by MSV, Shankar-Ganesh reaped a bumper harvest of JC-Vani duets all through the late 70s and early 80s. Raja had tethered together this pair for few marvels as well, all of which we shall see later in this series. During a conversation with Vani ji, I had expressed my partiality for her duets with JC, and she smiled in pleased acquiescence.
The other song is, of course, the perennially popular ‘வசந்தகால நதிகளிலே’. Kannadasan continues the same scintillating ‘அந்தாதி’ structure here as well, and the song basks in a lovely lyrical play in the same pattern.
Here we find Balaji and Selvi, with the unwelcome addition of Prasad- Two Men and One Woman in a Boat (with due apologies to Jerome K Jerome!)- innocent Balaji happily playing the mouth organ, blissfully unaware of his bosom friend’s infatuation with Selvi, Selvi trying to ignore Prasad, and revel in the boat with her beloved, and Prasad, rowing the boat, with his disarming smile masking his evil machinations….
MSV ushers in a lilt that is as languorous as the balmy day, limpid as the waters of the lake, lovely as the love that shimmers in each gaze, every gesture of the young pair. JC and Vani vie with each other in bringing hues of youthful effervescence to the lines…and the Master takes over in style when after the terrible catastrophe- he sings a few triumphant lines for Prasad, who looks on with ghoulish relish even as Balaji’s suddenly orphaned mouth-organ is seen floating on the water….
* * * * * * *
The other song that JC sang for Kamalhasan in 1976 was ‘அன்பே உன் பேர் என்ன் ரதியோ’ from ‘இதயமலர்'. Maniyan’s story revolved around a young girl called Radha who discovers that she was a child bride when she is about to accept a proposal from another suitor. I recall a brilliant performance by the talented Sujatha, supported by Kamalhasan and Vijayakumar. The movie is today remembered more as the only directorial venture of Gemini Ganesh- he directed part of the movie, with Thamarai Manalan taking over mid-way. (I have a vague memory of ‘Sowcar’ Janaki having a role in directing part of the movie as well).
MSV retains Vani for both the duets in the movie and while he summons Yesudas for the buoyant ‘செண்டு மல்லிப்பூப்போல்’, he saves for JC the lovelorn ‘அன்பே உன் பேர் என்ன ரதியோ’. JC and Vani, with their sprightly tones and clarity of diction, add layers of exquisiteness to the poetic flourishes of Pulamaipithan. Each ruminative query of a dreamy JC elicits lightning responses from the vivacious Vani…..
* * * * * * *
Let us end this page of the 1976 diary with a JC song from a….MGR movie! Many of us know the bejeweled Dwijavanti by JC and Vani for MGR’s last movie, but many are unaware that JC had sung even earlier for a MGR movie, though it was a background song and not lip-synced by MGR. ‘நீதிக்கு தலைவணங்கு’ was the movie; the song is heard when the rich Vijay (MGR) leaves home after yet another argument with his father...
Vying vainly for attention amidst a caressing Yesudas (‘இந்த பச்சைக்கிளிக்கொரு’) and a joyous TMS ( கனவுகளே), a brooding JC (எத்தனை மனிதர்கள் உலகத்திலே) went wholly unnoticed. Yet, the song is no less in allure- Na. Kamarasan’s poetry tuned by the Master turns into a soulful soiree. A train song that chugs into the night with a train of thoughts….a sigh of sorrow, a shrug of scorn….
JC would go on to sing some more memorable ‘train’ songs in later years- For Raja, for Gyan Varma….
~ More to come from the JC- MSV collaborations…..~
Part 1
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