‘Aasai povathu vinnile’ from Naam Pirandha Mann

Saravanan Natarajan writes:

June 24 marks the birth anniversaries of two of the stateliest colossi of Tamil Cinema. Muse and Music were born on this day a year apart…. What better way to celebrate Kannadasan and MSV than to recall one of their myriad magnificent collaborations….And as always, we do not indulge in a superfluous search from the surface of this mighty ocean, we dwell deep into its recesses and lay our hands on a glistening pearl that lies in a forgotten crevice…..

‘Aasai povathu vinnile’ from Naam Pirandha Mann
Sung by S.P. Balsubramaniam
Lyrics by Kannadasan
Music by M.S. Viswanathan

* * * *

‘Have you seen ‘நாம் பிறந்த மண்?’ was Kamalhasan’s query to Shankar when the director first narrated the story of his ‘Indian’ to him. Hearing the gripping outline of an aged freedom-fighter who becomes the nemesis for his wayward son, Kamal must have been engulfed by a sense of déjà vu, for Shankar’s narrative bore startling similarities to ‘நாம் பிறந்த மண்’. Kamal’s thoughts must have raced back to more than two decades when ‘Vietnam Veedu’ Sundaram met him with the script and offered the upcoming actor the role of the rebellious, well-meaning son.

நாம் பிறந்த மண் (Vijaya Arts/ 7.10.1977) had Rajasekhar’s story being drafted into Sundaram’s riveting screenplay and dialogues. It was produced by ‘The Hindu’ S. Rangarajan. Rangarajan had earlier tasted success by producing ‘கெளரவம்’ (under the banner ‘Vietnam Movies’) with Sivaji Ganesan in the lead and with Sundaram as the director. This time around too, Sundaram was initially appointed as director, but cameraman A. Vincent took over the direction later on. The titles credit the screenplay to both Sundaram and Vincent.

The movie recounted the life and times of a fictitious revolutionary freedom fighter called Sandhana Thevan. The first half of the movie is filled with his daring exploits, how even while leading the blameless life of a respected village-head during the day, Thevan heads a clandestine band of brave youngsters who strike terror at the British bases in the night. Not even his wife and sister are aware of his dual life. Thevan has to suffer untold miseries when his identity becomes known- his sister is molested and left to die, and he gives himself up to the British at the tearful entreaty of his wife. Thevan is released from prison when India attains independence. He has now lost all his ancestral wealth, and his son Ranjit grows up to a life of scarcity and poverty. Ranjit is disheartened by the depths to which the family fortunes have sunk, and he longs to restore to his proud father and long-suffering mother all that they have lost. All his attempts to secure employment are in vain, and he resorts to crime as an easier means to wealth. But he has not accounted for the anger of his principled father, and events then move to a tragic climax.

If Sivaji Ganesan’s performance as Thevan leading a dual life was marked by majestic histrionics, his restrained underplay as the father who refuses to sacrifice his lofty principles was heartwarming. Kamal as the frustrated son brimmed with righteous fury and anguish. K.R. Vijaya played Thevar’s wife Deivanayagi, and hers was a dignified portrayal. Gemini Ganesh as another revolutionary Joseph, Nagesh as the faithful family retainer Thavasu, ‘Fadafat’ Jayalakshmi as Thevan’s sister Papa and Reena as the British Sergeant’s wife were all well cast in their respective roles.

* * * * *

The proceedings were punctuated with several interesting twists and some emotional highpoints- the playful banter between Deivanayagi and Papa accentuating the deep affection they have for each other, the young revolutionary Viswanathan venturing out on a valiant mission on the night of his wedding and killing himself after shooting the British collector at Maniachi Junction, Deivanayagi nursing the British child who is down with chicken-pox and proclaiming the oneness of Mary and Maari, the amazement of Joseph when he discovers that Sandhana Thevan is none other than his employer ‘Vettaikkaara’ Thevan, the daring encounter that James and Thevan have with the British troops in the still of the night and their seeking sanctuary in a church, all the men in the village sporting bandages in their legs to foil the attempts of the British when they try to trace Sandhana Thevan through his wounded leg, the moving episode where Thevan escapes from police to attend the funeral of Joesph’s mother, Thevan rescuing the British commander from a pit into which they had fallen together, the unblemished loyalty of Thavasu even when Thevan has fallen upon bad times, the arresting arguments between the principled father and practical son with the anguished mother playing the eternal arbitrator, the moving scene where Thevan and Joesph meet after many years, the undisguised pride in Thevan’s eyes when Ranjit buys back their ancestral house and presents it to his parents, and how the same eyes fill with tears of shame and rage when he learns the secret of his son’s sudden affluence, the inexorable end…. The movie was also well made technically with Vincent’s cinematography and Mohana’s art direction presenting with pulsating life the ambiance of a feudal village down south in pre-independence India.

Despite everything going for it, நாம் பிறந்த மண் was a commercial failure. Perhaps the public were tired of another Sivaji movie having a father-son tussle, or it could be that the image of Chappani (16 வயதினிலே was released a few weeks earlier, on 15 September 1977) had the public in a trance which they were not willing to come out of.

* * * * *

But knowledge to their eyes her ample page
rich with the spoils of time did ne'er unroll;
Chill Penury repress'd their noble rage,
and froze the genial current of the soul…

- Thomas Gray (Elegy in a Country Churchyard)

The proud Thevar remains proud and principled, while the Thevar magan languishes in abject penury. He has grown up listening to tales of the fabulous wealth that was once theirs, the acres of land that yielded bountiful harvest year after year, the huge amounts that his father gave away in charity, the thousands of people who were fed by his family during temple festivities…. But all he has known first-hand is poverty and deprivation. He is not educated, not because he was a dunce, it was because his impoverished father could not afford to educate him. Much like the children of poor families whom Thomas Gray alludes to in the above verse, knowledge to our man’s eyes did never unroll. As a result, this illiterate youngster is unable to find a job. And when he does get a job in a wine shop, his enraged father comes to know and puts an end to that soon enough…. What does he do…he cannot bear to see his long-suffering mother scrimp and scrounge and starve herself even while trying to feed her husband and son… he cannot bear to see youngsters of his age enjoying life when he is stricken by perennial poverty… How true was the sagacious old woman when she observed ‘கொடிது கொடிது வறுமை கொடிது, அதனினும் கொடிது இளமையில் வறுமை!’

Frustrations galore… he lands a job as a crooner in a hotel… develops dubious contacts from there…. gets trapped in a vortex of crime that fetches him the riches that he has always longed for…He despises himself for what he has become, his inner conscience and his principled upbringing gnaw him to penitence, yet he stifles the alarm bells, justifying crime as a necessary evil… His is a brooding, introspective lot that evening… the usual revelers gather in the hotel, but he is lost in the labyrinth of his wretchedness…. And so he narrates his travails in a song that he croons....

ஆசை போவது விண்ணிலே
கால்கள் போவது மண்ணிலே
பாலம் போடுங்கள் யாராவது
பாடி ஆடுங்கள் இன்றாவது....

In the prelude to the song, Vincent employs some imaginative touches that capture the above philosophical lines of the bard… the first shot shows Kamal walking on the road (கால்கள் போவது மண்ணிலே), the next one shows an airplane in the sky (ஆசை போவது விண்ணிலே), and then…there are montage shots showing him meeting shifty men, receiving mysterious consignments (பாலம் போடுங்கள் யாராவது)…The scene then shifts to the interiors of the hotel where Kamal sings, a girl sways to his song, the bacchanalian audience intent on their own pleasures indifferent to the angst that peeps through his lines (பாடி ஆடுங்கள் இன்றாவது)….

And as his wont, Kannadasan lets his lines reflect the inner turmoil of the character… And the thoughts of the great writers of the world creep unintentionally into his poetic lines… Oliver Goldsmith’s ‘The nakedness of the indigent world may be clothed from the trimmings of the vain’ finds new meaning in ‘கட்டிடம் ஜொலிக்கிறது, அஸ்திவாரம் அழுகிறது.’ Ella Wheeler Wilcox would have discovered a kindred soul in Kannadasan had she happened to hear ‘யாரும் சிந்தட்டும் கண்ணீரை, நீங்கள் தெளியுங்கள் பன்னீரை’, for the line is a sardonic leaf out of her own ‘Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone…’ And had John Milton who wrote ‘These evils I deserve, and more…Justly, yet despair not of His final pardon, Whose ear is ever open, and His eye gracious to re-admit the suppliant’ and Alexander Pope who declared ‘To err is human, to forgive divine’ lived in the time of our bard, they would have doubtless saluted the heart and shook the hand that interpreted the same thoughts so eloquently in

தெய்வம் சில நேரம் சிந்திக்கும்
மண்ணில் பல பேரை மன்னிக்கும்
இந்த மன்றத்தில் ஆடுங்கள்...
அந்த மன்னிப்பைக் கோருங்கள்....
இறைவா.....
என்னை மன்னித்துவிடு......

As for MSV, he must have been delighted to obtain this philosophical soliloquy from the bard, and he sets it to a simple tune that brings to the fore the somber undercurrent of the lines. It is a stylish composition of the master wherein the first four lines of the charanam are but a variation of the pallavi’s tune. The first three charanams close with didactic reflections, while the last charanam ends with a desperate cry to the Lord for forgiveness. In perfect congruence with the plush interiors of the opulent hotel, MSV employs the guitar, drums and trumpets to tantalizing effect. There are four charanams, and alternate interludes are similar. The second and fourth interlude open with the bells that jingle in the glittering sequins of the danseuse’s dress, and as the singer’s thoughts fly to his mother amidst her domestic drudgery, MSV’s violins wail in empathetic anguish...

The sharpest weapon in MSV’s arsenal though, is SPB. How fetchingly does he portray the misery of the on-screen singer… Listen to the cynical chortle in ‘இன்பங்கள் தூங்குவதில்லை.....துன்பங்களும் அப்படித்தான்’ and the hushed sob in the final plea, ‘இறைவா.....என்னை மன்னித்துவிடு!’ Frustration, anger, guilt, rationalization, resignation, and prayer… all delivered with operatic flourish parade in mesmerizing succession in SPB’s song…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEAAUcOkZ74

Discussion at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/2047444261953956/

மலர்ந்தும் மலராதவை # 30

மலர்ந்தும் மலராதவை # 30

ஆறுகள் தோறும் நீர் வரும் காலம்.......

Ilaiyaraja has often suffered the misfortune of some of his painstaking works being squandered on movies that were never released. M.S. Viswanathan, on this count, was largely fortunate, except for stray instances in later years such as முன் ஒரு காலத்திலே (remember ‘மங்கை ஒரு திங்கள்'?) and Plus 2 (recall ‘நினைவுகளின் ஊர்வலங்கள்’?), besides a couple of MGR non-starters.

Of course, in MSV’s halcyon days in the 60s, the number of movies that were released was significantly lesser; only established veteran producers were in the fray, and all the projects that were embarked upon were completed and released in due course.

In the light of this, it came as a surprise to me to know of this movie from the 60s- ‘ஞாயிறும் திங்களும்’ that was was inexplicably abandoned midway.

* * * * * *

I happened to listen to this song just once many years back on Radio Ceylon’s மந்த மாருதம். The announcement was just ‘அடுத்த பாடல் ஞாயிறும் திங்களும் படத்தில் ஜானகி பாடியது’. The lovely song persisted to linger on in memory and I kept returning to Lata’s Albela number ‘Dheere se aaja’, but I couldn’t glean any further information about the movie.

The next I heard this film’s name was when actress Devika mentioned it in an interview. When asked about the best roles that came her way, she mentioned நெஞ்சில் ஓர் ஆலயம், நீல வானம் and மறக்க முடியுமா. She then went on to reminisce on ஞாயிறும் திங்களும். Apparently she had a dream role in the film whose other actors were Sivaji Ganesan, Muthuraman & K.R.Vijaya; to my joy, she even recalled this song ‘பூமகள் மேனி’ filmed in the beautiful Berijam Lake above Kodaikanal.

Years later, in a recording center in Chennai, I met an old-timer who had come there seeking songs of K.B. Sundarambal. We fell into conversation about the film songs of KBS, and from that gentleman I was startled to learn that KBS was roped in to play a pivotal role in ஞாயிறும் திங்களும். Even more startling was his nonchalant addendum that MSV had recorded 3 songs with KBS for the film, for I had hitherto been under the naïve assumption that MSV was one composer for whom KBS had never sung! I was still in an incredulous daze at this discovery, when the aged gentleman added to my amazement that he thought that ஞாயிறும் திங்களும் might have been a project of Director Sridhar!

I was now more eager than ever to lay my hands on this intriguing album. I reached out to friends even in distant Colombo and Kuala Lumpur. But the hunt, dogged though it was, was leading nowhere. This album seemed to me to be one of Tamil film music’s best-kept secrets!

At long last it was at the cunning little recording center down South in Virudhunagar, which proved to be a beguiling cornucopia of mythical treasures, that this search too found its elusive goal. The taciturn gentleman in charge made me speechless with joy by pointing out two records of ஞாயிறும் திங்களும் - one LP and one EP. The year of manufacture was mentioned as 1965. The LP had 7 songs (Traditional / Kannadasan): ‘வகுத்தால் வகுத்த பகை'- a soulful virutham by KBS, ‘பட்டிலும் மெல்லிய பெண்ணிது- a great duet by the evergreen TMS/ P.Susheela duo, ‘பன்னீர் பூவே பாதி நிலாவே’-a breezy G.K.Venkatesh/ L.R.Easwari duet, the serene ‘சீறு தமிழ்ப்பாலுண்டு வெற்றிக்கு வேல் கொண்டு’ that progresses into a stirring 'ஓங்கார குடிக்கொண்டு’ (KBS), ‘கானகத்தில் நீரெடுக்க’- a poignant TMS/ P. Susheela duet, ‘நினைவுகளே நில்லுங்கள்’- a reflective TMS solo, and ‘கேட்ட வரம் கொடுக்கும்’- another KBS gem. I realized that I had the last song in a HMV cassette of KBS film hits titled ‘பழம் நீயப்பா’—mysteriously credited therein to காரைக்கால் அம்மையார்!

The EP had this lone ‘பூ மகள் மேனி' on either side ('இருப்பக்க இசை' in Radio Ceylon parlance)

When I first posted this song in Tamil Film Music Page way back in 2004, the response was

overwhelming, with many a film song aficionado delirious with joy at this treasure being unearthed. Today, of course, this song, like many other obscure ones, can be found at the click of the mouse…

During a conversation with good friend Murali Srinivas sir, who is a great fan of Sivaji Ganesan, we got talking about this movie. He informed me that the movie was nearly completed when it was given up due to reasons unknown. Even his enquiries in this regard with Ramkumar, son of the thespian, were futile.

However, Murali sir was able to lay his hands on some old issues of ‘பேசும் படம்’ that had information on ஞாயிறும் திங்களும் and was kind enough to forward the relevant pages to me. The project, apparently, was produced by ‘Sakthi Productions’ and directed, not by Sridhar, but by R. Sadagopan, who had worked as Director Bhimsingh’s assistant. The movie was scripted by Valampuri Somanathan. The project was initially announced with Gemini Ganesh playing the second male lead with a newcomer called Sashirekha. However, due to unknown reasons, they were replaced by Muthuraman and K.R. Vijaya. Again, Viswanathan & Ramamoorthi were initially entrusted with the sound-track, but by the time the project actually commenced, the duo had parted ways and the album went to MSV.

So, listen on to this stillborn song; hark at the master music-smith conjuring up vistas of a brook bubbling prettily amidst verdant valleys. While the flute evokes the mystic magic of the mountains, the santoor sprays over the listener the silver slivers of the streams… the lines are all about the joyous beauty of Spring, how flowers blossom heralding the arrival at of Spring, and bees that hover over the flowers for nectar…. The lines then speak of a young girl for whom the Spring brings in its wake the joys and the ache of falling in love…... Janaki’s lines are filled with youthful longing, each repetition of her ‘வசந்த காலம்’ gets bedecked in vivid, vibrant hues- wistfulness, an angst whose very pain is pleasurable, a pensive melancholy, languorous yearning, forbidden fantasies….. The remarkable songstress happily weaves magic for a composer who never gave her rightful due…..

Song: Poomagal meni
Film: Gnayirum Thingalum (Unreleased)
Vocals: S. Janaki
Lyrics: Kannadasan
Music: M.S.Viswanathan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-Y0JqxdKGc&feature=youtu.be

Discussion at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/2003657862999263/

மலர்ந்தும் மலராதவை # 5

Saravanan Natarajan

மலர்ந்தும் மலராதவை # 5:

‘இது காலாக்காலம்’ from வலம்புரிச்சங்கு.

Sung by P.Jayachandran, S.Janaki & Chorus. Lyrics by Kannadasan. Music by Gangai Amaran.

* * * *

Another hidden jewel from the GA casket. From the EP record I gathered that the album was released in 1980. வலம்புரிச்சங்கு (Art creations), with Subhashini and Malayalam actor Jose in the lead, had some amazing songs by GA. ‘சிப்பிக்குள்ளே முத்துப்போலே' (GA) is a folksy feast by Vani. ‘காத்தாடப்போகிற' (Pulamaipithan) is an archetypal Malaysia Vasu solo.

‘என்ன சுகமோ’ (Pulamaipithan) is an enticing Yesudas solo and was at one time a great favourite of Radio Ceylon. Stylish and suave in inception, with caressing humming bits, GA works with Pulamaipithan to craft a dreamy song of joyous romance. Yesudas sheds his melancholic moods and sets our hearts aflutter as he hops, skips and jumps with the sheer ebullience of being in love and the physical intimacy.

'இது காலாக்காலம்', of course, is the delightful pick of the lot. Bringing in a whiff of the salt air, the song tells the story of a seaside romance. The dancing waves provide the merry backdrop throughout the song, and GA comes up with a simple, instantly captivating tune. With memories still fresh of rendering ‘சித்திரச்செவ்வானம்’ for Raja, Jayachandran stays on at the shore to do similar honours to GA. After the initial stifled giggle, Janaki joins Jayachandran later in the first charanam, singing her lines with élan.

Cast your net, and haul these pearls ashore…

https://youtu.be/4yEQ4z6N208

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30ztf2aUbho&feature=youtu.be

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/1789083397790045/

KANNAN KOVIL PARAVAI IDHU - AKKA

Saravanan Natarajan writes:

கண்ண(தாச)ன் கோயில் பறவையிது...

It is the birthday today of the dulcet diva. When I called her to wish her this morning, I just played the opening lines of her own 'ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுகள் ஆயிரம் பிறவிகள் பூமியில் பிறந்திட வேண்டுகிறேன்..'. Vani ji sounded moved and happy “So kind of you, Saravanan!” she exclaimed, filling me with a pleasurable thrill, for I had not spoken a word until then! “I know it is you” was her simple explanation when I asked her how she guessed who the caller was, for I had called her old-fashioned land-line and she had no way of noticing the number. I was at a loss for words, and as if to ease the silence, she went on to enquire pleasantly about the well-being of my family, mentioning my wife and son by name. I could hear her cell phone ringing and even as I tried to end our conversation with my wishes and prayers, she continued unhurriedly talking to me, conveying her blessings and thanks. Blessed I am, truly!

It is my pleasure to celebrate this joyous occasion by posting a song that has remained close to my heart ever since the first listen decades ago- Thanks to Radio Ceylon, an ennui filled afternoon transformed to sheer enchantment as I listened transfixed to Vani ji’s soulful soiree...

The first time I met Vani ji at her home, I started off by referring to Kannadasan’s singular tribute to her in his ‘சந்தித்தேன் சிந்தித்தேன் ’ (originally serialized in குமுதம் as ‘இந்த வாரம் சந்தித்தேன்’). She folded her palms in salutation to the greatest bard of our times. ‘That write-up gave me a honor that even a Bharat Ratna cannot equal’ she commented. As memories seem to rush in, she continued musingly, ‘Kannadasan Sir has worked with generations of singers…great singers who have done justice to his lyrics over the decades, yet to think that he chose to single me out for that rare honor, of being the only singer he devoted an episode to, I’m overwhelmed!’ she said humbly, her eyes moist with emotion.

‘That morning, when the Kumudam issue containing his write-up on me hit the stands, he called me up at 6 and said ‘வாணி, உன்ன பத்தி என் மனசில தோன்றதெல்லாம் எழுதி இருக்கேன். படிச்சு பாரு', she recollected with a smile. She went on to share with us some special memories of Kannadasan. “He looked upon me as a member of his family. Once when he was celebrating his birthday with only his family members, he took Jairam ji and me along with his family to Madurai, and we were fortunate to be with them during the special pooja at Meenakshi Amman temple, and share some intimate moments with his family’

Vaniji and Jairamji seemed to be lost in memories of the Kaviyarasar and the special relationship they shared with him- After a pause, Vani ji continued ‘Again, another time, when he was contributing to some Annadaanam scheme, he called me and affectionately demanded ‘வாணி, நீயும் உன் பங்குக்கு ரெண்டு மூட்டை அரிசி கொடு ’- that was how close he was to us.’
‘A great man. His simplicity, goodness of heart, limitless creativity and humility are qualities that set him apart. I am privileged to have sung so many of his songs, and blessed to have received his good wishes and fatherly affection in abundance’ she said feelingly.

‘I am happy that Kannadasan Sir’s family still continues to shower affection on us. Even last week I had been to Kannadasan Pathippagam –Sir’s son gifted me a book titled ‘கண்ணன் கோயில் பறவை...'

I couldn’t resist interrupting her flow of thought and said excitedly ‘That’s one of my favorite songs!’ Vani ji smiled indulgently, and….did what I was waiting for with bated breath….she sang the pallavi, and the first charanam of that spellbinding classic. Oh, the ageless allure! Her voice, as sweet as ever, took us briefly to another world, another time, when giants like Kannadasan, MSV & Vani Jairam were making magic with Tamil film music….
* * * * *

‘Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air’

I can never, never understand why this magnificent composition did not hit the popularity charts.
The movie அக்கா (1976) had K.R. Vijaya in the title role, with Jaiganesh, Vijayakumar and a debutant Vijayabala (who was never heard of since) as her co-actors. The புன்னகை அரசி essayed the role of a vocalist Kamala. Her love for her younger sister and the villainous machinations of her husband formed the crux of the narrative.

The movie opens with a series of mysterious events. Vijaya makes her appearance well into the proceedings as part of the flash back narrated by her sister, and this is the song where we are introduced to the acclaimed vocalist Kamala…

கண்ணன் கோயில் பறவை இது
கருணை மன்னன் தீபம் இது
அண்ணல் கடலின் ஓடமிது
அதுதான் இப்போது பாடுவது...

What a virtuoso performance!! இதில் கண்ணன் கோயில் பறவை யார்- கிருஷ்ணகானம் படைத்த கவியரசரா, அதற்க்கு மெட்டமைத்த மெல்லிசை மன்னரா, இவ்விருவரின் கூடத்தில் அகல்விளக்காய் ஜொலிக்கும் வாணியா....அல்லது மூவருமா? I used to wonder at Vani’s exclusion from the immortal MSV- Kannadasan collaboration ‘Krishna Ganam’, released the same year, wherein all the popular singers of the time found place. I get the answer every time I listen to கண்ணன் கோயில் பறவை இது...perhaps MSV and Kannadasan felt this song equaled if not surpassed that album! The rendition is punctuated by spellbinding and swift Swara sojourns (particularly towards the end) and amazing alaapanais. The brughas are reminiscent of the great S. Varalakshmi in her prime. Also mention must be made of the subtle variations in each repetition of the refrain 'அதுதான் இப்போது பாடுவது'. A wonderful ragamalika, which MSV had masterfully woven in Hamsadhwani, Charukesi, Aarabhi, Dhanyasi, Behaag….

Many may recognise the similarity in structure, which this song shares with the pathos filled தேவியின் கோயில் பறவை இது - (Janaki), from அவளுக்கென்று ஒரு மனம் . Both songs are by Kannadasan and tuned by MSV. While the line ‘அது தான் இப்போது பாடுவது’ recurs at the end of each verse in this song, the corresponding last line in தேவியின் கோயில் is 'கண்ணீர் எழுதும் கவிதை இது'. And most lines end with 'இது' in both songs. However, while தேவியின் கோயில் is an emotional cascade, கண்ணன் கோயில் is a classic, soulful Krishnaganam, which Kannadasan created with poetic lyrics in ode to his favorite God.

I leave you with this song and with Kannadasan’s eloquent tribute to his Vani in his சந்தித்தேன் சிந்தித்தேன் – “முறையான சங்கீதப்பயிற்சி உள்ளதால் எளிய கர்நாடகத்தில் வாணியின் குரல் ஒலிக்கும் போது அதன் சுகமே அலாதி. ஏழு சுரங்களில் பாடலை நான் எங்கே கேட்டாலும் என்னை மெய்மறக்கச் செய்து நிற்கவைக்கிறது. பானுமதி, வரலக்ஷ்மி, சூரியகுமாரி போல் வாணியின் குரலும் தனித்தன்மை வாய்ந்தது. அவர் குரலில் ஒரு குடும்ப சுகம் இருக்கிறது. எல்லா பாஷைகளிலும் அவற்றினுடைய த்வனி தவறாமல் உச்சரிக்கும் வல்லமை பெற்ற வாணி ஒரு ஆயுட்கால பாடகியே. பெயர் பொருத்தம் பலருக்கு அமையாது- வாணிக்கு அமைந்திருக்கிறது. வாணி உண்மையிலேயே ஒரு கலைவாணி தான்!"

To add anything to that would be sheer arrogance!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mWDq7GbOp0


https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/1403282769703445/

THANGA KUDATHUKKU POTTUM ITTEN - MARIAMMAN THIRUVIZHA

Saravanan Natarajan writes:

The King's Treasuries- 4

நானே நெருப்பல்லவோ....

இந்தத் தொடரில் இன்று நான் தேர்வு செய்திருக்கும் பாடல்.... கண்ணதாசன் , சுசீலா, இளையராஜா என்ற மூன்று உன்னத கலைஞர்களின் கூட்டில் உருவான ஒரு மறந்துபோன பொக்கிஷம். தமிழ்த் திரையிசையின் முடிசூடா ராணியாக திகழ்ந்தவர் சுசீலா. தன் இனிய குரலால் கோடானு கோடி தமிழர்களின் நெஞ்சமெங்கும் நிறைந்தார், நிறைந்திருப்பார். நாளை இந்த வேளை தன் பிறந்தநாளை அவர் கொண்டாடுவார். அந்த இனிமையான கொண்டாட்டத்தை நாம் இன்றே தொடங்குவோம்...

வலுவான கதை, அற்புதமான நடிப்பு, செவிக்கு இதமான இசை - இது எல்லாம் இருந்தும் சில படங்கள் ஜெயிப்பதில்லை. 1978இல் வெளிவந்த 'மாரியம்மன் திருவிழா' என்ற படம் இதற்கு அத்தாட்சி. ஒரு பெரிய பண்ணை வீட்டில் திருமணம் செய்து கொண்டு போகிறாள் ஒரு பெண் (சுஜாதா). அங்கு தன் அன்பாலும் பண்பாலும் எல்லோர் மனதையும் கொள்ளை கொள்கிறாள்.

குறிப்பாக தன் கணவனின் தம்பியிடம் (சிவகுமார்) தாயைப்போல பரிவு காட்டுகிறாள். அந்த இளைஞனும் அவளது அன்புக்கு கட்டுண்டு அவளிடம் பெற்ற மகனைப்போல் உரிமை கொண்டாடுகிறான். இந்த உறவு அந்த வீட்டில் சிலருக்கு எரிச்சலூட்டுகிறது....நாளிடைவில் கேட்போர் பேச்சைக் கேட்டு அவளது கணவனே (டெல்லி கணேஷ்) அவளுக்கும் தன் தம்பிக்கும் உள்ள புனிதமான உறவை சந்தேகப்படுகிறான்...அவள் உடைந்து போகிறாள்...அந்த மூவரின் தவிப்பும், நெஞ்சை நெகிழவைக்கும் இறுதி கட்டங்களும் திரைக்கதையின் மிக அழகான தருணங்கள்...

சிறு வயதில் இந்தப் படத்தை தொலைக்காட்சியில் பார்த்த ஞாபகம் ..என் அபிமான நடிகை சுஜாதாவின் மிகைப்படுத்தாத, கண்ணியமான நடிப்பு என் மனதில் இன்றும் நிற்கிறது. Subtle and heartwarming performances in challenging roles were always her forte! இன்று இப்படத்தின் பிரதி எங்கும் கிடைப்பதில்லை... கோலாலம்பூரில் உள்ள கொலம்பியா ரெகார்டிங் சென்டரிலும் எனது தேடுதல் ஏமாற்றத்தையே அளித்தது.

இந்த படத்தில் இடம் பெற்ற ஒரு பாடல் சிறு வயதில் கேட்ட உடனே என் மனதிலும் இடம் பிடித்து விட்டது..

அந்தப் பெண் தன் குழந்தையை உறங்க வைக்க ஒரு தாலாட்டு பாடுகிறாள்...அந்த இரவு வேளையில் அவள் பாடலில் எத்தனை அர்த்தங்கள்...தன் நெஞ்சின் குமுறல்களை அந்த தாலாட்டின் வரிகளுடன் இணைத்து தன் பக்க நியாயத்தை எடுத்துரைக்கிறாள்...இது போன்ற கட்டங்களில் கண்ணதாசன் இயக்குனரின் வேலையை எளிதாக்கிவிடுவார்...இந்தப்  பாடலிலும் அவரின் வரிகளில் எத்தனை அழகுகள்...தாலாட்டினூடே அந்தப் பெண் தன் புனிதத்தை எவ்வளவு ஆணித்தரமாக பதிவு செய்கிறாள்!

தந்தைக்குத் தான் இந்த முந்தானை...
தந்தை கொடுத்தார் செந்தேனை
தாய் அறிந்தே வரும் பிள்ளையடா...
தாரம் தரம் கெட்டதில்லையடா

இளையராஜாவின் மெட்டில் இந்த வரிகள் எவ்வளவு சுகமாக அமர்கின்றன...பாடல் வரிகளை முன்னிறுத்தி மெல்லிய சோகக் கீற்றுகளை சுமந்து வரும் இடை இசையின் நேர்த்தி பாடலுக்கு எவ்வளவு மெருகு சேர்க்கிறது! சுசீலாவின் குரல் இனிமைகள் இந்தப் பட்டுப்பஞ்சணை மேல் தூவிய அன்னச்சிறகுகள் ...அவர் பாடலில் தான் எத்தனை புரிதல்...வேதனையின் விளிம்பில் ஒரு வியாஸம்...தாலாட்டுப்பாடலுக்கேற்ற கனிவு, காயப்பட்ட நெஞ்சின் குமுறல், பொய் களங்கத்தை எதிர்கொள்ளும் ஒரு பத்தினியின் கோபம்...அத்தனை உணர்ச்சிகளும் அளவிற்கேற்ப வெளிப்படுகின்றன. திரையிலோ சுஜாதா...சுசீலாவுக்கு சற்றும் சளைத்தவர் அல்ல...மடியில் தவழும் குழந்தையை நோக்கும் போது வாஞ்சையை வாரி வழங்கும் விழிகள், தனிமைப்படுத்தப்பட்ட தன் நிலையை எண்ணும் போதோ அதே விழிகளை சூழ்ந்திடும் வாட்டம், விரக்தியான புன்னகையை உதடுகளில் சுமந்து வலம் வரும் அந்தப் பாங்கு...அந்தப் பாத்திரத்தின் பரிதவிப்பை எவ்வளவு நளினமாக, நெஞ்சைத் தொடும் விதமாக உணர்த்துகிறார்...

"நெருப்பினையே அவள் சாட்சி வைத்தாள்" என்று சீதையைப் பற்றி பாடிவிட்டு, "நானே நெருப்பல்லவோ!" என்று முத்தாய்ப்பாக முடிக்கும் போது சுசீலாவின் குரலில் ஒலிக்கும் அந்த கம்பீரம்...ஆஹா....சுஜாதாவின் தீர்க்கமான பார்வையில் மிளிரும் அந்த தன்னம்பிக்கை...மின்னலென வந்து மறையும் அந்த நொடிப்பொழுதில் அங்கே கலை அற்புதமாக வாழ்ந்துகொண்டிருக்கிறது!

பி.கு: 2007இல் விடுமுறையில் சென்னை சென்றிருந்தபோது ஒரு திருமண வரவேற்பில் சுஜாதாவை சந்திக்க நேர்ந்தது. மகன் மற்றும் மகளுடன் வந்திருந்த அவர் அடக்கமாக ஒரு மூலையில் அமர்ந்திருந்தார். திரையில் பார்ப்பதை விட இன்னும் அழகாக இருந்தார். The years had been kind to her….She had aged gracefully. மிகுந்த சங்கோஜத்துடன் அவரிடம் சென்று 'நான் உங்கள் தீவிர ரசிகன்' என்று என்னை அறிமுகம் செய்து கொண்டேன். ஒரு அன்பான புன்சிரிப்போடு என்னைத் தன்னருகில் அமரச் செய்தார், தன் மகனையும் மகளையும் அறிமுகம் செய்து வைத்தார். அவரின் படங்களைப் பற்றி பேசிக்கொண்டிருந்தோம். அப்போது நான் இந்த 'மாரியம்மன் திருவிழா' படத்தில் அவரின் நடிப்பை புகழ்ந்தேன். அந்த அழகான கண்கள் ஆச்சிரியத்தில் விரிந்தன. பின்பு கலகலவென நகைத்துவிட்டு சுஜாதா கூறினார்- "மாரியம்மன் திருவிழா படத்தை நீங்களும் நானும் தான் ஞாபகம் வைத்திருக்கிறோம்!"

இன்று சுஜாதாவும் இல்லை...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4oeYOBffNM


Discussion at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/1384248878273501/

Vasanthangal varum munbe from Lalitha (1976)

Saravanan Natarajan writes:

Continuing to remember the giants whose birth anniversaries fell on June 24th, let us dive deep into the MSV/Kannadasan ocean one again, and see what pearls we come up with this time…

* * * *

Two versions of ‘Vasanthangal varum munbe’ from Lalitha (1976)

Ashutosh Mukohopadhyay (1920-1989) was a popular Bengali writer and journalist many of whose engrossing stories have found celluloid adaptation. The most famous among them perhaps is the story ‘Nurse Mitra’ that was adapted by the brilliant Asit Sen as Deep Jwale Jai (1959). Asit Sen remade the classic in Hindi after 10 years as Khamoshi (1969).

Another of Ashutosh Mukohopadhyay’s stories that was made into a successful movie was Saath Pake Bandha. The story was fairly simple. The wealthy Archana falls in love with a principled college professor Sukhendu, despite the considerable differences in age and status. She goes ahead and marries him, unmindful of her haughty mother’s opposition. However, the idyll does not last long, the dream turns into a nightmare. Archana’s domineering mother sows the seeds of marital discord by her constant disdainful gibes at Sukhendu’s impoverished circumstances.

The hurt Sukhendu becomes cold and aloof. Archana remonstrates with her mother, but her entreaties fall on deaf ears. Things reach a point of no return when Sekhendu demands that Archana severe all ties with her family. Caught between the two, she suffers and watches her marriage collapse. Sukhendu and Archana separate. Years roll by and finally when they meet, they find their defenses crumbling, and reunite with an understanding that the long years of separation had bestowed them with.

The movie ‘Saath Pake Bandha’ (1963) had the legendary Suchitra Sen playing Archana, with Soumitra Chatterjee as her Sukhendu. Chaya Devi portrayed with aplomb the snobbish mother and Pahadi Sanyal performed with restraint the role of the affectionate but helpless father. Hemanta Mukherjee scored the background music for the movie which did not have any songs. Directed by Ajoy Kar, ‘Saath Pake Bandha’ was a great success with Suchitra Sen walking away with the Best Actress Award at the prestigious Moscow Film Festival in 1963.

Anil Ganguly remade this movie in Hindi 11 years later, and ‘Koraa Kaagaz’ (1974/ Shreeji Films) remains a celluloid masterpiece of eternal appeal. As the piteous Archana torn under divided loyalties, the petite Jaya Bhaduri stands tall in her sensitive, delicately nuanced performance. Vijay Anand’s portrayal of Sukhesh was marked by dignified subtleties. Achala Sachdev was perfectly cast as Archana’s meddlesome mother, while A.K. Hangal was the natural choice for the father. Kalyanji-Anandji’s compositions such as ‘mEra jeevan koraa kaagaz’ and ‘rootE rootE piyaa’ have acquired the status of cult classics over the years.

Our Valampuri Somanathan was drawn to this story of marital discord and decided to tell it anew for the Tamil audience. He drafted the screenplay and wrote the dialogues, besides producing and directing the movie. Lalitha (1976/ Girnaar Films) had Sujatha and Gemini Ganesh essaying the lead roles. While Sujatha was an apt choice to bring forth the tumultuous suffering of the character, Gemini Ganesh looked aged and tired. Perhaps the choice was intentional, for even Vijay Anand had looked old beside the vivacious Jaya, and the story itself was that of a mismatch in age and wealth. Sukumari and Calcutta Viswanathan played Lalitha’s parents. The surprise however, was Kamalhasan in the role of Lalitha’s brother. The episodes relating to his love for Sumitra and the scenes involving veteran Thangavelu who played Sumitra’s father temper the somber proceedings with some light moments, even while leading to a startling twist.

* * * *

M.S. Viswanathan’s music was a delectable highpoint. Armed with Kannadasan’s bounty, the Mellisai Mannar composed a set of scintillating songs. Besides lending his own mystic mystique to Vasanthangal varum munbe, MSV summoned all his favourite singers to do the needful and then called upon the venerable Thevaram singer of the Kapaleeswarar Temple, Lalgudi Swaminthan to render a few traditional verses. Thus we have the folksy ‘ennamma aaththOra kuruvi’ rendered by TMS & L.R. Eswari with characteristic gusto. Vani Jairam sings the endearing ‘kalyaaNamE oru peNNodu thaan’, the equivalent of Lata’s ‘rootE rootE piyaa’ in the Hindi version. SPB and Vani team up for that unforgettable ‘sorgathilE mudivaandhu, sondhathilE nilaiyaanadhu’, where Vani’s lines sum up the growing disillusionment of Lalitha. P. Suseela and MSV sing two versions of ‘vasanthangaL varum munbE’, MSV’s fitting answer to Kalyanji-Anandji’s touted ‘mEra jeevan koraa kaagaz’. MSV further springs a surprise by getting Lalgudi Swaminathan to chant the Thevaram verse ‘maNNil nalla vaNNam vaazhalaam’ which flows into ‘Oradi kadavutkaaga’, where Kannadasan’s lines glitter as veritable treatises on marriage vows and the spiritual union that the seven steps enshrine. K. Veeramani and Sripathi join Lalgudi Swaminathan midway and whole song takes on the aura of a benedictory hymn.

* * * *

I walked a mile with Pleasure,

she chattered all the way;

But left me none the wiser,

for all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow

and ne'er a word said she;

But, oh, the things I learned from her

when Sorrow walked with me!

- Robert Browning Hamilton (Along the Road)

The deed is done, the estrangement complete. She is left only with memories, a handful of them sweet, most of them bitter. She distances herself from all that is familiar by taking up teaching in an obscure school, with solitude her sole companion. Time is relentless in its march, and as each year comes and goes even loneliness becomes a way of life. And as she walks one day along her usual pathways, a thousand thoughts come cascading, even as this song is heard in the background.

The Hindi version had the haunting ‘mEra jeevan koraa kaagaz, koraa hi reh gayaa’, easily among Kishore Kumar’s best efforts.

Kannadasan, as his wont, gives a précis of the entire proceedings in poignant lines.

vasanthangaL varum munbE veyil vandhadhE

mazhaik kaala mEgankaL kalaiginRadhE

pon aanaaL….. vilai illai

kaN aanaaL….. imai illai

Her life seems to be a travesty of nature…she has never danced in the sheer rapture of spring, for her the scorching summer had arrived early. As she walks along paths full of rain that remains unshed, her thoughts within are as bleak as the landscape without…

ilai uNdu malar uNdu kani illaiyE

kani onRu kai vandhum kiLi illaiyE

avaL veeNai tharum paadal orE raagamE

anandham adhil illai orE sOgamE….

She had on her side beauty, youth, wealth, intelligence and unending love, yet all these could not help her hold on to her marriage. Time, they say, is the best healer; but again, absence, they say, makes the heart fonder. So she walks along the same paths as she has been walking, thinking the same thoughts as she has been thinking…. Hers is a penance in grief….

kavi onRu varum enRu yEdaanavaL

sila naaLil veRum thaaLil kOdaanavaL

panikkaalam kuyil paada koodaanavaL

padikkaamal mudikkinRa paattaanavaL

The lines in the Hindi version sum up the lonely life of Archana as ‘kOraa kaagaz’, meaning a blank sheet of paper. Our bard ushers in the same reference in ‘kavi onRu varum enRu yEdaanavaL, sila naaLil veRum thaaLil kOdaanavaL’, and goes on to describe her wretched life as an unfinished song.

maNachchinnam kazuththOdu sirikkinRadhE

manakkinnam neruppaaga kodhikkinRadhE

ninaikkinRa manam mattum ninaikkinRadhE

thadukkinRa vidhi yEnO thadukkinRadhE

MSV designs a ghazal-like ambience for the soliloquy, and keeps the orchestration to an austere minimum, as if to accentuate the desolate undercurrent of the song. The opening guitar that continues as an unobtrusive presence all through the song, the tabla nodding in hushed empathy to the lines, the santoor and the lone flute in the interlude paint the canvas with shades of sorrow…

Who else but Susheela to bring in the gamut of brooding introspection… Her lines are soaked in sorrow, her honeyed tones drenched in grief, as she brings to life the master’s painstaking work.

Listen to P. Susheela singing ‘vasanthangaL varum munbE’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFJyMTevUj8

And here is the elusive version sung by the master. It has been many years since I saw the movie on TV, and if I remember right, it was Suseela’s version that made it to the screen. I wonder then at MSV’s version… and at the different placement of the charanam endings, at the flute singing a slightly different note here… MSV’s arresting voice was made surely for songs such as these… his voice here is the weary howl of the soul… The late ‘Santoor’ Vishweshwaran once revealed that MSV would sing each of his compositions hundreds of times before the recording, coaching the singers with infinite patience on each note, each nuance... He would not give up until he had extracted what he had wanted…. Truly that was a golden age of film music…

Listen to MSV singing ‘vasanthangaL varum munbE’

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Deivathin thereduthu - Paattum Bharathamum

Saravanan Natarajan writes:

The Master and his Muse

24 June is a hallowed day in the annals of Tamil Film History for it is the birthday of 2 of the greatest colossuses who bestrode the Tamil Cinema like none other. One of them a lyricist nonpareil and the other a matchless composer. What is common for both of them is that they have never been accorded the recognition they so richly deserve… National Film Awards, Dadasaheb Phalke Awards, Padma Awards have all continued to elude them, while we continue to watch with growing dismay lesser mortals being honored year after year. On second thoughts, I feel it no longer matters, they have long outgrown these acknowledgements and recognition so late is not going to bring them any additional glory. The unquestioned love of generations of Tamils for this Poet Laureate and Monarch of Music is the priceless jewel that glitters in their crowns.

Serendipity happened when Kannadasan and MSV came together and they enriched the fabric of Tamil Film Music with their exquisite collaborations. Indeed, for many Tamils, the 60s and early 70s, the prolific years of Kannadasan and MSV (with TKR till 1965) constitute the golden years of film music. The sheer poetry of the lyrics and the tantalizing tunes embellished by the novel nuances and grandeur of orchestration so well complemented each other that each song was a marvel, an object of art, a masterpiece. The singers who sang the songs and actors who acted in the sequences considered themselves blessed, the directors found their work made simple and the producers laughed all the way to the bank…
* * * * *

I am celebrating this day with an exquisite collaboration of these 2 giants. No, it is not a song from their golden years, not from a successful film and not even a song that would find place among their 100 most popular collaborations or mp3 compilations… yet like an intricate casket containing some precious pieces of jewelry that lies hidden in some forgotten nook of the King’s Treasuries, this album contains some scintillating songs that surely deserve a kinder destiny…

‘Paattum Bharathamum’ (1975/Arun Prasad Movies) had music and dance woven into a storyline surcharged with emotion. Much against his wishes, a young business baron is persuaded to be the chief guest in a dance recital. Little does he realize then that his life would never be the same again. For the nimble feet, graceful steps and jingling anklets of the striking young danseuse offer him a glimpse of an intriguing new world quiet alien to his own. The tycoon falls in love with… the dance…and the dancer. As is the inexorable norm, the romance begins with a row, and our hero even learns and masters dance to prove a point!

She relents finally, and he woos and wins her. But he had not reckoned with his wily father who cannot bear the bourgeois becoming a bohemian. The old man contrives circumstances that lead to our hero suspecting her morals. Hurt and humiliated, she goes away, carrying his child in her womb. Realization of his father’s machinations dawns on him rather late, and the years pass by as he waits with penitence and patience for her return… She returns, with their son accompanying her…. Music is in their son’s blood too…. The young man is a pop icon… The awaited rapprochement forms the climax.

Produced and directed by P. Madhavan, the movie starred Sivaji Ganesan in the dual roles of father and son. The pivotal role was played by Jayalalitha and her powerful performance matched that of the thespian. Sivaji’s portrayal of the businessman suffering the pangs of separation from his beloved was marked by his usual stateliness. Least said about the ‘son’ Sivaji, the better though. (How I wish P.Madhavan had chosen Kamalhasan to play the son!) Playing the son’s love interest, Sripriya was cast opposite Sivaji for the first time. Gopikrishna, ‘Major’ Sundararajan, Vijayakumar, R.S.Manohar, M.R.R. Vasu, Sukumari and Manorama formed rest of the dramatis personae. Story and dialogues were by Balamurugan. Editing was by R. Devarajan and Cinematography by P.N. Sundaram.

The dances were choreographed by P.S. Gopalakrishnan, Gopikrishna and Salim.
An impetuous hero who is goaded to mistrust by circumstances, an alluring danseuse as the heroine, and an engrossing story with music as the mainstay- P. Madhavan B.A. (1928-2003) must have thought excitedly that he had chanced upon another ‘Thillana MohanambaaL’ and mounted the movie on a lavish scale. However, though the magazine reviews hailed ‘Paattum Bharathamum’ as several shades better than the kind of movies that Sivaji was acting at that time, the movie did not fare as well as expected.
* * * *

Nevertheless, ‘Paattum Bharathamum’ cannot be forgotten, not at least by connoisseurs of music, for it is one of the finest albums of MSV in the 70s. A musical subject such as this would have filled the Master with joy and he sat with the Kaviarasar to extract the best out of the bard. The songs glitter with lyrical and musical magnificence. The album begins with the irresistible ‘mazhaikkaalam varugindRathu thEn malarthOttam therigindRathu’ that opens with MSV’s sonorous recitation ‘thirisoolam saththiyam puliththOlil thaththuvam naagamaNi mandhiram naanmaRaigaL sundaram’. Vani Jairam at her evocative best brings the lines alive with forlorn yearnings.

The lilting ‘maanthOraNa veedhiyil mELangaL ragam’ by TMS and P. Suseela is a dainty duet wherein she expresses her surprise that this magnate should know music! He proves that commerce can marry art in the next song, ‘ Sivakami aadavandhaal Natarajan enna seivaan, nadamaadi paarkkattumE – endhan udanaadi paarkkattumE’ (TMS & PS again)– a dance competition that ends with his ‘eye-opening’ triumph. ‘ulagam neeyaadum sOlai mugilgaL thaalaattum maalai’ is another winner- this one by TMS & Vani is as graceful as the movements of the peacock that the lines portray. TMS has another majestic solo, ‘aadhi sakthi vizhipOla vetRi nadamaadugindRa sivanaathanE’. And SPB makes merry with the boisterous ‘My song is for you’ that ends with a rollicking Jugalbandhi that climaxes with a rollicking ‘Ennadi Rakkamma’.
* * * *

The remaining song is the one that tugs at my heartstrings at every listen.
‘Deivathin thereduthu deviyai thedu’ by TMS.



What is the worst of woes that wait on age?
What stamps the wrinkle deeper on the brow?
To view each love one blotted from life's page,
And be alone on earth as I am now...

- Lord Byron (Childe Harold)

He has acted in haste and is now repenting at leisure… But all his repentance is not going to bring her back. All his attempts to locate her have been futile. So he waits resignedly, for she would surely return some day… Oh the aching emptiness!

kaRpanaikku mEni thandhu..kaal salangai pOttu vittEn
kaal salangai pOna idam ..kadavuLukkum thOndRavillai…
deivaththin thEreduthu dEviyai thEdu
dEvikku thoodhu solla thendRalE Odu
aavikkuL aavi ananda yEdu,
avaLillai endRaal naan veRum koodu
paavaikku pOttu vaithEn naanoru kOdu
paadi paRandhadhamma iLankuyil pEdu

He dons the anklets again in her memory, and as his ruminative steps resonate on the rostrum of life, the years pass him by… season follows season in unfailing monotony… he knows them not, for he experiences each of them within- he is scorched by the summer of remorse even as memories of their spring of romance come flooding in. Monsoon laden clouds find hospitality in his grieving eyes, while her smile seems as beguiling and just as fleeting like a drop of dew in a winter morning…

neer vatRi pOnadhendRu, ninaivinil vedippu
nenjathil thOndRuthamma vasanthaththin thudippu
maamazhai mEgam indRu kaNgaLil iruppu
margazhi paniyandRo avaLadhu sirippu

Absence makes the heart fonder, and filled with shame at how he had wronged her, he draws parallels to the women of the great epics who had suffered similar separation – Seetha and Shakuntala. Like Kamban and Kalidasa who immortalized their tragic heroines in their works, to him she is the epitome of his art. And though age had caught up with his outwardly appearance, his heart remains youthfully athirst in love…. It is not time for the curtains yet… the show must go on…

kambanai koopidungaL seethaiyai kaaNbaan
kavi kaaLidasan avaL sakunthalai enbaan
nayagiyE enathu kaaviya ellai
narai vizhunthaalum nenjil thirai vizhavillai...

The Kaviarasar dips his pen in angst and the lyrics cascade in poetic analogies. The Mellisai Mannar weaves the lines into a heart tugging Chakravagam, and whom else could he entrust the ballad to but TMS! The seasoned songster opens his account with lines redolent with contriteness, and MSV’s Shehnai responds like drops of tears shed hurriedly. Hark at the unobtrusive percussion that lends its reassuring support throughout the song- the hallmark of the master! The interludes mark the passage of time, and each one is remarkable in its arrangements. The song stores surprises till the very end…. A pulsating postlude lasting for more than a minute, ending with TMS reciting jathis with inimitable majesty…

Yes, TMS was already past his prime then. Yet, I would rank this song as among his very best and he brings so strikingly the august sedateness that the composition demanded. I remember listening to it so often on radio in the late 70s, and recall an inexplicable sense of loss engulfing my childish thoughts…

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‘Thendral vandhu veesaadho’ from Sivagangai Seemai (1959/ Kannadasan Productions)

Saravanan writes:

A vintage classic, this time. A song that moved me to tears when I first listened to it as a child, and had remained close to my heart all these years. And every time I read of a brave soldier losing his life defending his country, lines from this song come to sorrowful recall.

‘Thendral vandhu veesaadho’ from Sivagangai Seemai (1959/ Kannadasan Productions)
Sung by S. Varalakshmi & T.S. Bagavathi.
Lyrics by Kannadasan.
Music by Viswanathan-Ramamoorthi.



Sivagangai Seemai (1959) was Kannadasan’s labour of love, He wrote the script & lyrics and produced the film. It was his second venture in the wake of the success of Maalaiyitta Mangai the previous year. Sivagangai Seemai was directed by K. Shankar, and had a talented star cast led by T.K.Bagavathi, SSR, P.S.Veerappa, OAK Thevar, S.Varalakshmi, Kumari Kamala, M.N.Rajam and others.

Much has been discussed about Sivagangai Seemai- that Kannadasan embarked on this project as a challenge to Sivaji’s Veerapandiya Kattabomman which was also being made at the same time, and this flamed further the simmering animosity between Kannadasan and Sivaji Ganesan. Unfortunately for Kannadasan, Sivagangai Seemai was consigned back to the cans within no time of its release while the successful Veerapandiya Kattabomman was acclaimed as a magnum opus. Kannadasan ended up with a huge financial loss.

Sivagangai Seemai might have been a failure, but it was surely a failure that made history. For it remains among the best historical films made in Tamil. Kannadasan's native soil was the canvas, and he was familiar with its glorious culture, history, geography. He had a keen sense of the period, and his passion ensured that Sivagangai Seemai was much more than a commonplace costume drama. The film is immortal for another irrefutable factor- its wonderful songs composed by Viswanathan- Ramamoorthi.

Kannadasan had not written mere situational lyrics here, the lines and soaked with with poetic magnificence. Each song ought to be savored conscientiously, for the sheer poetry bedecked in V-R’s imaginative tunes feelingly rendered by a galaxy of talented singers fetches this album a place of pride in the annals of Tamil film music.

The film had 16 songs in all:

Saanthu pottu thalalanga - P. Leela, Jamunarani & chorus ( recorded earlier for an abandoned MGR project based on Maruthupandiyar)
Veerargal vaazhum dravidar naattai vendravar kidaiyaadhu -TMS
Muthu pugazh padaithu - S. Varalakshmi & (Radha) Jayalakshmi
Kottu melam kottungadi kummi kotti paadungadi- Jikki & chorus
Chinna china chittu Sivagangaiyai vittu- Jamunarani & chorus
Vaigai perugivara- C.S.Jayaraman & P. Leela
Maruvirukkum koonthal (traditional verse) - V.N. Sundaram
Aalikkum kaigal -V.N. Sundaram
Kannankaruthaa Kili kattazhagan thotta kili - P. Leela & chorus
Kanavu kandaen (happy) - TMS & T.S. Bagavathi
Thanimai nerndhadho - S. Varalakshmi
Thendral vandhu veesaadho - S. Varalakshmi & T.S. Bagavathi
Megam kuvindhadhamma – P. Susheela
Sivagangai cheemai -TMS, Seergazhi Govindarajan, A.P. Komala & chorus
Vidiyum vidiyum endrirundhoam - T.S. Bagavathi
Kanavu kandaen (pathos)- T.S. Bagavathi

* * * *
Circa the last years of the eighteenth century…

The (East India) Company is gradually establishing its complete control of the land using its crafty ‘divide and rule’ policy to subjugate the local chieftains and rulers.
Kattabomman had just been vanquished and hung from a roadside tamarind tree.
Oomaithurai, Kattabomman's brother escapes from the Company's penitentiary and seeks refuge with the Marudu brothers (elder played by T.K. Bagavathi, and the younger played by Mustafa)
From my limited awareness of this history, the Marudu brothers were Poligars (or PaalaiyakaarargaL/ Feudal Chiefs) who were ruling what was known as Sivagangai Seemai(consisting of Thekkoor, Okkoor, Siruvayal, Poongudi, Tirupattoor, Narikkudi, Tirumayam, Mukkulam, Naalukottai and Nattarasankottai).

The Company gets a hint of Oomaithurai’s whereabouts and Major Welsh (played by Wahab Kashmiri) comes to arrest Oomaithurai. The Marudu brothers realize the strength of the company's army and ammunition and do not want an open confrontation. They plead for Oomaithurai's life.
But Major Welsh does not set much store by dignity or compassion; and in the very presence of the Marudu brothers make bold to arrest Oomaithurai. This brings matters to a boiling point- in the film, S.S.R, called Muthazhagu, the fiery army chief of the brothers, has been purveying inflammatory remarks all the while, and in time the younger Marudu is also provoked into challenging the Company's men.

Welsh and co. beat a hasty retreat, but make no secret of the action against the Marudhu brothers that is sure to follow. The senior Marudhu in fact chastises the younger for precipitating the state into war.
It is at this juncture, when the rumble of the white man’s guns seem imminent, when turbulent clouds of war loom threateningly...and the feudal land and its traditions seem on the verge of being annexed by the almighty Union Jack...that the wives of the Marudhu brothers sing this heartrending lullaby to their little children-the infants who are blissfully unaware of the historical forces that are crisscrossing their destinies. This lullaby is sung in the shadow of the clash between sword and gun...You know which is set to win...

This lullaby was picturized on S. Varalakshmi and Tambaram Lalitha who essayed the roles of the wives of the Marudu brothers. S.Varalakshmi sings for herself and Bagavathi sings for Tambaram Lalitha.

* * * *

We’ll keep for another day dwelling at length on Varalakshmi (she was the enchanting common factor to both Veerapandiya Kattabomman and Sivagangai Seemai) and Bagavathi (a favorite singer of Kannadasan, he had her sing ‘Annaiyin naattai pagaivargal soozhndaar’ in Maalaiyitta Mangai and ‘Kannodu vin pesum jaadai’ in Kavalai Illadha Manithan). In fact both these gifted singers find laudatory references in Kannadasan’s Sandhithen Sindhithen.
Kannadasan lives on in songs such as these. Though a fire-spewing Dravidian orator at that time, his essential humanity and aversion to blood and gore came through in this lullaby and he expressed it in sublime pathos.

Many of us would have been struck with gloom at each reading of the lines ’Rose a nurse of ninety years, set his child upon her knee - Like summer tempest came her tears-‘Sweet my child, I live for thee.’ (Alfred, Lord Tennyson/ Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead); admiration tinged with sorrow would have overcome us when we read “You ’re wounded!” “Nay,” the soldier’s pride touch’d to the quick, he said: “I ’m kill’d, Sire!” And his chief beside, smiling the boy fell dead’ (Robert Browning/ Incident Of The French Camp); we would have been plagued with despair at ‘Two noble sons fell by their guns, their names in glory shine; And a mother weeps on the River Thames, and a mother weeps on the Rhine’ (Eric Bogle / The Thames And The Rhine); but ‘Thendral vandhu veesaadho’ is in a league of its own….each line is resplendent with poignant lyrical beauty, and moves the listener to moist eyes, and to sigh at the futility of war and the wanton devastation that it brings in its wake.

The two women wonder wistfully whether tranquil times will visit their abode ever again…they sing musingly of the rich culture, glorious traditions and ancient history of their land and speculate if all this would be snatched away by the war, and express helplessness over the deprivations that their children may have to endure. The highpoint is of course, Varalakshmi’s emotional cascade, proclaiming with pride the courage of their warriors who are to take leave of their womenfolk and children and march on to the warfront, at the same time she tremulously expresses apprehension about their fate, whether their valiant men would return from the battlefront, or perish fighting for their land….

A song. A saga.

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Ullam Urugaatha - Thisai Maariya Paravaigal

Saravanan  writes:

Presenting a forgotten MSV gem for Vaikasi Visakam today:

Every morning while driving to work, at a particular interchange I observe a flock of white birds that come flying towards the North, but change their course abruptly and veer towards the East. And noticing this unfailing sight day after day, I often wonder what makes them do this at that particular point of their flight—are they obeying a summons that only they could perceive? And it is but inevitable that the poetic title of this Tamil movie comes to mind....

 P.S.V. Pictures’ Thisai Maariya Paravaigal had Saratbabu and Sumalata (debut) essaying the lead roles. It was an engrossing tale that raised caste-related issues in a heartwarming narration. When Ganga (Sumalata) and Rangamani (Saratbabu) are about to get married, the truth comes out that Ganga is not the daughter of the Unchaviruthi Brahmin as supposed, but the child of a low-caste convict.

The subsequent pandemonium that erupts in the orthodox village, Ganga’s voluntary conversion to Christianity and becoming Sister Mary, and how she saves Rangamani’s life in the end while making the supreme sacrifice herself were all told in a befitting manner. The sensitive caste and religious issues needed tight rope walking, and director S. Jagadeesan pulled it off successfully.

Master M.S.Viswanathan’s score was an important ingredient in the film’s success recipe.

Kannadasan narrates the twists and turns in the story in a single song ‘Kizhakku paravai merkku parakkuthu’ and TMS is ideally placed in the role of the raconteur. The wonderful Jayachandran- Janaki (with some kids joining the fun) song ‘Raja vaada singakkutti’ (also by Kannadasan) was a Radio Ceylon favorite. Listening to Abhayambika’s short Sanskrit verse, followed by Balamuralikrishna’s soulful rendition of Vallalaar’s ‘Arutjothi deivam ennai aandukkonda deivam’ is a moving experience. Pulamaipithan’s ‘Adra melathai raja’ (Kovai Soundararajan/LRE) is a bold attempt to expose some of society’s hypocrisies.


The song I choose to present here is the soulful ‘Ullam urugaatha’. The situation of the song presents an arresting irony. The old grandmother of Rangamani, Kaasi Paati (superb cameo by veteran T.V.Kumudini), who had valiantly waged a doomed war for society’s acceptance of Ganga, is now on her deathbed. She expresses her dying wish to her grandson Rangamani – as in earlier, happier times, she wants to listen to Ganga play the Veena and sing a devotional song. Rangamani hesitates, for Ganga is not Ganga of yore, she is now Sister Mary. But when the old woman herself entreats Mary (‘Karthar melae paada vendiyavala, Kandan melae paada solrennu thappa ninaikkadhe’), Mary cannot refuse this request of the beloved Paati.

And so we get to see the remarkable sight of a sister of the seminary singing an emotional paean to Lord Muruga. The maadha koyil mezhuguvarthi goes back to glitter as an agrahaarathu agal vilakku, albeit for a few transitory minutes—and who else but Vani Jairam to enact this definitive moment, investing the lines penned by Kannadasan with the heart and soul that they demand…

The swift movements on the Veena merging so seamlessly into the somber church music bring forth the paradox...and this juxtaposition is interspersed throughout the song.

What a fervent appeal to the Lord—Vani scintillates in this stirring song surcharged with emotion. ‘Kanda…azhagu thirukkumara…Senthil…amudha vadivazhaga’ – what a moving rendition!

Exquisite!

The distant tolling of the Church bells is heard, even as Mary plays the Veena at the ailing matriarch’s bedside. And as she bends over the Veena, the shadow of the cross that hangs from her chain falls on the framed picture of Muruga. The old woman’s eyes brim with tears of serene bliss and as the song ends, her soul is freed from the shackles of human bondage and passes on…her last wish fulfilled. Mary prays for her soul to repose in peace and leaves the house. Love and affection know no restraints of religion or caste…

Song: Ullam Urugaatha
Film: Thisai Maariya Paravaigal (1979)
Singer: Vani Jairam
Lyrics: Kannadasan
Music: M.S. Viswanathan




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