Make your choice and explain

 

Make your choice and explain

This post addresses a very limited audience, particularly those Tamils born in the 1950s and perhaps 1960s. And if you have an ear for music, in particular what is called Carnatic music, you are doubly welcome. I am music–deaf, yet I venture; that is how intrepid I am.

I was a pre-teen when I saw the Tamil movie Thiruvilayadal a compilation of myths on and about Lord Siva. As usual, there were many songs but I wish to refer to two–the best, in my opinion–set to tune by K. V. Mahadevan. Lyrics must have been by two different lyricists.

Per the sequence in the movie, a highly celebrated exponent of Carnatic music sings in the royal court (a local chieftain?) and he extols himself repeatedly that he is the best in every raga (mode in western music, as Google says) that there is. The playback singer was none other than Mr. Balamurali Krishna, whom some would call a well-meaning rebel (when the received wisdom was there can be no ragas than the then existent 72, Mr. Balamuarali Krishna conjured the 73^rd!), and others, a path-breaker.

The video of the song is available in YouTube, and I have visited, re-visited the sequence almost countless times. The music is enchanting (I could not throw it out of my ear, not to speak off my brain). What is impossible to understand is that I, having had no training in Carnatic music, just ENJOY! that rendition. As per a current music maestro, one may have knowledge or not have it, but, one must have a feel for the music: “Feeling is important.” I am not agreeing with the statement except to the extent that it grants certain legitimacy to my enjoyment of the song in the movie, centred on feeling, the context being its genesis. I am also, and this is important , not unaware of the import of the lyrics in the song. One line goes, “I am the lord of music! ‘இசை தெய்வம் நானடா’” Such ego maybe justified because it is sung in playback by none other than Mr. M. Balamurali Krishna (whose name translates into “Young flautist, Lord Krishna)!

I now come to the other song, playbacked by Mr. T. M. Soundararajan. Per the storyline, Lord Siva acquiescing to the pleas of His devotee sets out to erase the above mentioned ego. He dons the role of a seller of fire wood to the commoners in that chieftain’s zone. In the night, he comes to rest on the open platform (திண்ணை) outside the residence of the egotist singer. This scene matches, by contrast, frame to frame of what happened in the Chieftain’s court. Example: Asserting His universal power, “I make you sing the songs you sing, ‘பாடும் உனை நான் பாட வைத்தேனே’”.  That is, “If you claim you are the Lord of Music, understand that it was I who made you sing!"

Lord Siva conjures four immediate avatars of himself, playing different musical instruments. Here again, the contrast is telling. When in the court, the singer has a battery of instrumentalists, here Lord Siva makes himself many of one, Himself. Yet, not a battery of instrumentalists, but only one per each instrument. He could made infinite copies of Himself, but He did only one, point to be noted.

After showing the contrasts, it is my intention to show the power of unification. The acting performance of both Balaji and Sivaji Ganesan are spotless, matching each other perfectly. The singers, Mr. M. Balamurali Krishna and Mr. T. M. Soundararajan, though I cannot say in music-perfect words, bring the majesty of both Carnatic music and the second, something else, called “Light Music, மெல்லிசை”, a travesty of justice. The music by Mr. K. V. Mahadevan is in no sense, “Light”. It is as “heavy” as Carnatic music in every sense.   The settings, the chieftain’s court in one and the திண்ணை in the other manifest the simplicity of the Lord and the ostentations of the ego. The lyrics of each match the mood in each case. If you know Tamil, you would locate the same if you visited the sites I have given the link to.

It is for the “feeling for the music”, I love one of the first songs set to tune by Mr. Ilayaraja, the mesmerising “மாச்சனே பார்ர்த்தீங்களா” in the movie Annakkili, அன்னக்கிளி.

Now, you choose, which of the two songs featured above makes your feet go more tip-tap-tippity-tap?

Raghuram Ekambaram