A lazy friday evening in Bangalore!

I shot this just outside my office complex a few weeks ago..Nature's Palette so beautiful!

படித்ததில் பிடித்தது 1

வானமாய் இரு!

பகலும்
இரவும்
வேண்டாமா?
சூரியனாய் இரு!

பிறப்பும்
இறப்பும்
வேண்டாமா?
வானமாய் இரு!

-'இசைஞானி' இளையராஜா.

தேடியது கெடச்சாலே....

The above is a take off from one of my favorite bit songs composed by Raaja sir. This was for the film Mahaanadhi and it goes "தேடியது கெடச்சாலே சந்தோசப் படும் மனசு" (“Thaediyadhu Kedachchaalae Sandhosap Padum Manasu”) which means “When you attain/get something that you have been searching for, your heart will feel happy”

Happy?! I would feel ecstatic if I happen to get something that I have been searching for long. If getting something that you were expecting makes you feel elated what if you weren’t expecting one in the first place!

This forum has given us a lot of things that we have been searching for, for years, without much success. For some, it has provided unexpected things in the form of information, songs and good-like-minded friends. So true, isn’t it? Frankly, when I joined this forum, I never expected such a windfall of information and so many hidden treasures.

So here we are on a search.. a treasure hunt, alongwith P.Susheela, who is voicing a search of a different kind (when you listen to this song you will agree why it is a treasure).

For some, this song might be one that you have been searching for some time. For me it’s the other case. When I got this recorded last month, I never expected this unreleased movie to have such brilliant numbers and so naturally I am overwhelmed.

The song is "Ezhaip Poo Unai" from the unreleased Pudhiya AdimaigaL.

Listen to the prelude and you will know what this song is all about. As you can imagine, it mirrors the loneliness of the girl as she laments for her man’s arrival.

The first interlude signifies her wandering in search, her long wait and the pain.

When Susheela sings 'உன் முகம் பார்க்கவே உள்ளம் ஏங்குதே' ( “Un Mugham Paarkkavae ULLam Aengudhae”) you feel the pain and the longing.

The wait continues as the monsoons arrive and still there is no sight of the beloved.

It is but natural that when the going gets tough one starts to dream/think about the positive/nicer aspects of life. Our ஏழைப் பூ (‘Ezhai Poo’) hence starts dreaming. The second CharaNam is on a positive note where she says மார்கழி போனதும் மாலை சூடுவோம் (“Maargazhi Ponadhum Maalai Sooduvom”), meaning ‘lets tie the knot once this month of Maargazhi is over’. (In Thamizh culture, no auspicious events are held during the month of Maargazhi.)

…and the search continues.

தேடியது கெடச்சாலே சந்தோசப் படும் மனசு! இல்லையா?

Link to the search of the 'Ezhai Poo': http://music.cooltoad.com/music/song.php?id=447571

Happy Listening!

இன்று போய் நாளை வா! (Bon Voyage!)

(இது, திருமணமாகி தன் கணவனிடம் சேர, வெளிநாடு செல்லும் என் தோழிக்காக நான் வரைந்த வாழ்த்து!)

சென்று வா தோழி
உலகம் சுற்றி வா!

நின்று திரும்பிப் பார்க்கிறேன்
இன்று தான் சந்தித்தது போல் இருந்தாலும்
எத்தனை வேக வேகமாய்
இத்துணை ஆண்டுகள் ஓடி விட்டன!

அன்று ஆரம்பித்த அரட்டைகள்
நன்றாய் என்றும் தொடரும்.
தொலைவால் தொலைந்து போகாது.
வலை இருக்கிறது. வா வம்படிக்கலாம்!

என்று திரும்புவாய் என்ற ஏக்கத்தோடு,
எல்லோரும் காத்திருப்போம் என்றாலும்
உளமார வாழ்த்தி அனுப்புகிறோம்,
உன் கண்ணாளனின் காதல் ரோஜா காத்திருக்கிறது.

சென்று வா தோழி!
உலகம் சுற்றி வா!

A 'Bit' of Bliss!

My mobile has been chiming non-stop since last night with “Happy Friendship Day” messages. It didn’t stop there. Scraps, status updates, offline messages and what not!

Oh yes! It’s the first Sunday of August. (Did you know, that this tradition(?!), first started in the US in 1935 and ‘Winnie the Pooh’ is the UN Ambassador of Friendship?)

This was a non-event in India a few years back, when I was in college and has grown leaps and bands (oops! bounds..) in the last few years. Again, one of those sure-fire hit formula for the service providers, gift shops, fancy/novelty stores. Marketing Gimmick?? Too much commercialization of a noble relationship??

Either way, the only thing that we need is a reason to celebrate..Celebrate Maestro’s Music!

This concept has been a favourite recipe for our film-makers too (albeit with a bit of added masala) for years. Be it ThaLabathi, Pithaamagan, Nilave Mugham Kaattu, Kuselan or the most recent Naadodigal, the friendship band has held a lot of scripts together and also has helped drag the masses to the theatre. One of my personal favorite depictions of a friend is, enacted by Ben Affleck, in the highly acclaimed Hollywood flick Good Will Hunting. (Examples are abundant. I have listed only the movies that came to my mind as I was writing this paragraph).

In 2001, Vijay & Surya starred in ‘Friends’, a remake of the Malayalam blockbuster ‘chala chithram’ of the same name. Jayaram and Mukesh (alongwith the super talented Sreenivasan) played the lead roles in the 1999 original. Siddique (of Siddique-Lal fame) and ‘Maestro’ Isaignani ILaiyaraaja, respectively, directed and scored music for both versions. True to his genius, the tunes and feel that Raaja provided were totally different in each of the version to suit the tastes of the targeted audience and fans.

There is a hilarious sequence in the movie, where the friends go as ‘apparasandigal’ (apprentices) for the renovation work of a palatial bungalow. Our hero breaks into a song while working (or whiling away) and that is enough for cupid to strike! Jayaram crooned while Vijay had to hum. The song that Jayaram lip-synced to is what I term “a bit of bliss”. (Yes! It lasts just over a minute and twenty seconds)

Sreekuttan (as MG Sreekumar is fondly addressed in the music circle) sang this mind blowing piece that leaves you craving for more, precisely the reason why you will invariably end up playing it again (Like ‘No one can eat just one’-you just can’t stop after listening to this once!).

Right from the beautiful humming, the song engulfs you and you just lose yourself, as I am currently lost….for words!

It’s on loop and I am lovin’ it!

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzNkMwIAD2o

Isn’t this a reason to celebrate? Happy Listening!