Classical Ilayaraja - 12

I wrote these articles in 1994 and 1995 while at University of Houston graduate school. I posted them in usenet groups (recreation.music.indian.classical). Now that I have my own blogspot address, I wanted to bring these articles to my blog. Thanks to www.tfmpage.com/ci who had hosted them thus far, I found my own articles and brought them here. 






Thamizh film actress Kushboo has been deified to the status of a Goddess
and a temple has been built for her in Trichi! Often I hear news like the
deification of Jayalalitha, M.G.R., and other related "chota" news like a
man in rural Thamizhnadu seeing God M.G.R in his cow's eye! These are all
instances that narrate the conspicuous births of Gods, or rather, the
conspicuous deification of ordinary human folks. Given the evidence that
these farcical news items do happen in the gullible Thamizhnadu, one has
the right to make conjectures that Jesus Christ could have been a very very
ordinary man, just like Kushboo. He could have had good human qualities and
could have helped his neighbours to buy kerosene from ration shop and old
ladies to cross busy roads like Bhagyaraj in "inru poi nalai vaa"! His
unfortunate, pathetic death at an young age at the hands of local villains
could have created a sympathy wave. And now, in this 21st century it will
be castigated as an outright act of profanity, if someone dares to question
the divinity status of the messiah.

In any religion, Gods seem to make their genesis in a very subtle way.
Particularly, in Hinduism, the births of Gods and the appearance of temples
in a region are so insidiuous. The onset invariably starts with a small
stone or a rock under a neem tree turning holy (it is heaven's secret, how
these stones are selected!). Sandal paste and "kunkum" appear on the stone
shortly and a group of people start worshipping the stone. A cascade of
events follow and a figurine appears there to replace the stone. The
figurine might take any shape in the world, a huge "Phallus" like Lord
Shiva, an elephant headed form like Lord Ganesha, a cow headed form like
"Thumburu", a fierce looking lady like "Mariatha"... Soon, a nomenclature
comes into vogue to denote this newly born "God". It could be anything, a
highly calloquial one like "vedi uppu Beerangisami" or a beautiful Sanskrit
word imported from the Indus valley! As an appendage to the name, a story
too, comes into vogue, to denote the relationship of this new "God" to the
older Gods, like "Lord Shiva's uncle's son". Look at this place after 100
years...! No kidding, a grand temple has come into being there! Loud
speakers are in eternal function, broadcasting divine songs by Seergazhi
Govindarajan, L.R.Easwari, Veeramani! You may find some of our imbecile
brotheren doing "anga pradarshanam" with their tongue bloody and impaled
with a holy needle! Oh, mother Nature! When is this alarming increase in
the population of Hindu gods going to stop (small "g" intentional)!

Carnatic ragas are like Hindu Gods. Their birth in this world is so subtle.
A tune can be born from the harmonium of Illayaraja just in a matter of few
minutes. But, ragas? Ragas encompass all the tunes in the world. A tune
could be created by Illayaraja. But, ragas? Do ragas have creators? Ragas
creep into "being" from amidst the masses. No single person creates a raga.
Can any person in this world raise his hand and claim patency to the
creation of Lord Shiva or Vishnu? The creation of gods is the result of a
community effort! Similarly ragas are the unintentional creative result of
the musical community. The creation of a raga is not bound by any time
frame. It might take ages for the ragas to take form. The form of a ragam
is not static. It keeps on changing with ages, like the present day Lord
Ganesha sitting before the computer screen with sunglasses and dirty jeans!
Remember seeing this form in your neighbour's kolu during Dasara festival?
Really?!

Thodi is one of the greatest of the ragas. It is the 8th melakartha ragam.
We know that there are 72 melaragas in carnatic music. These 72 melakartha
ragas are divided into groups of six, according to the numerical order.
Each of this group is called as a chakram. Thus we have a total of 12
chakrams. The first 6 chakrams (comprising 36 ragas) use suddha madhyamam
and the later 6 chakrams (comprising 36 ragas) use the prathi madhyamam.
Within each of the chakrams, all the 6 ragas will have the same poorvaanga
swaras (ie., Sa Ri Ga Ma). The difference is only in the utharaanaga swaras
(ie., Pa Da Ni Sa). Each chakram has a got a name to denote it. The 2nd
chakram is called as the Nethra chakram. Thodi is the 2nd ragam in the
Nethra chakram.

Has Illayaraja ever tried his hands on this great ragam? Yes! Just in one
song alone so far. Was he successful? Perhaps not! The challenge that
Lakshmi Parvathi poses to Chandra Babu Naidu is nothing when compared to
the challenge that Thodi poses to the cinema music directors. If Illayaraja
tuned a song in the Thodi scale (Sa Ri1 Ga2 Ma1 Pa Da1 Ni2 Sa), then it
will sound like Sindhu Bhairavi! Because, just playing the notes of Thodi
in the harmonium will only manifest the ragalakshanam of Sindhu Bhairavi
(even though Sindhu Bhairavi has Ri2 in its arohanam, using Ri1 plainly
without gamakam in the arohanam will be perfectly Sindhu Bhairavish). Thodi
and Sindhu Bhairavi are so closely related to each other, yet so different.
The drastic difference is because of gamakam. But for Sa and Pa, all the
other swaras of Thodi have aesthetically beautiful, terrific gamakam. So,
to get Thodi ragam out of Thodi scale, you've got to shake those swaras
(Ri,Ga,Ma,Da,Ni), like the way a Richter 8.0 earth quake shakes California
once in a while! California residents may stay at home despite such shakes,
but the cinema rasikas would simply leave the theatre at once, to "drink"
beedi or cigarette, if the swaras started shaking in a cinema song!

Illayaraja's attempt came in the movie varusham padhinaaru. The song is
"gangai karai mannanadi". It is pure Thodi. Within the constraints of
tuning a cinema song, he has tried his best to give a proper Thodi, with
all the gamakams. K.J.Jesudoss has sung that song. In the pallavi and
charanam the "heavy" Thodi identity is quite clear. But, in the interlude
music, the raga degenerates to a "lighter" status, Sindhu Bhairavi. In his
Saramathi ragam song, padariyaen padippariyaen (sindhu bhairavi movie),
when Chitra sings "sonnadhu thappa thappa" he has introduced an unwarranted
Thodi sangathi there. Why did he do that? Also, he had erroneously used Da
Pa Ma (like Marga Hindolam), in Saramathi. When the movie was released,
Ananda Vikatan made a big issue about these gramatical mistakes in that
song, and even interviewed vocalist Dr.S.Ramanathan regarding this matter!
One of my friends said that he heard Ceylon Radio identifying the ragam of
"akkam pakkam parada" (unnal mudiyum thambi), as Thodi! What a joke! Sindhu
Bhairavi ragam is like potato curry. My wife can cook it, your wife can
cook it, all wives can cook it! Illayaraja has cooked it many times, from
mani osai kaetu (payanangal mudivadhillai) to maniyae manikuyilae (nadodi
thendral). Akkam pakkam is one such Sindhu Bhairavi cooking! Let us not
praise our wife as excellent for this potato curry, which doesn't need any
skill to cook!

Thodi is unique among the 6 Nethra chakra ragas. Even though these ragas
share the same Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa, look at the way the gamakam of Ri,Ga,Ma has
evolved so specially for Thodi! Denuka is the immediate next ragam to Thodi
(the 9th melam). In his Denuka krithi "theliyaledu rama", Thyagaraja swamy
has preferred to use these swaras plainly without much gamakam, like in
Sindhu Bhairavi ragam! How did these adjacent ragas evolve so differently
from each other? Can we question the Ganesh getting an elephant face, and
the Kumeresh getting a beautiful human face, in the differential evolution
of the sibling gods?! I know of a song in which Illayaraja has used the
Denuka scale. The song is aen soga kadhaya kaelu (thooral ninnu poachu). He
predominantly uses Ni3 in this song (like in Denuka) and occasionally Ni2
(like in Thodi). The next raga to Denuka (the 10th ragam) is natakapriya.
Recently I happened to listen to one superb Natakapriya song tuned by
Illaya- raja! It came as a pleasant surprise in the movie moga mull. The
song is "nenja gurunadhanin"! It is a lovely song! The situation is similar
to the one in sindhu bhairavi, where distraught hero Shivakumar, begs for
alcohol and sings the song "thanni thotti thedi".

In moga mull, the hero Rajam is a music student. He gets a chance to
perform in the house occasion of a local big shot. He refuses that chance.
Later, his guru (Nedumudi Venu) falls sick and needs lot of money for
hospitalisation. So, the hero becomes a victim of circumstance and is
forced to go to that big shot for monitary help. The villain makes the hero
sing in his house when there is no occasion. All his friends form a crowd
and sit before the hero. While he sings, the insensitive audience talks
aloud, giggles, and humiliates the hero in all possible ways. The song is
"nenjae guru nadhanin" in the ragam Natakapriya. Arun mozhi has sung this
song. Fantastic job! I have heard a classic krithi "geetha vadhya" in this
ragam. If I remember correct, the Ri,Ga,Ma had been handled like in Thodi
(with gamakam) in that krithi. Illayaraja has used plain swaras in this
song. But, even then it is very classical and the raga identity is quite
clear. Oh, what a pathetic situation it is, to be in a financially needy
state, and to unwillingly sell one's music skill to a shameless crowd that
is absolutely deaf to music! That scene only reminded me of the nowadays
very popular marriage reception katcheris! Amidst the total chaotic
environment of maamis (talking about their jewelry), maamas (talking about
their gas trouble) and kids (playing with water gun), the musician has to
sing! Often the musicians eyes will be tightly shut up, feigning full
engrossment in his music! If not for the eye closure, who will come to save
the musician from seeing the terrible audience!

To get the prathi madhyama ragam of any sudhdha madhyama ragam, just add 36
to the order of the ragam! The prathi madhyamam of Thodi (8th) is the 44th
melakartha ragam. It is Bhavapriya. Illayaraja has tuned a song in this
scale too. That is kandhu pudichaen (guru sishyan) song. The upper half of
this ragam will be like Shanmukhapriya, and the lower half like
Subhapanthuvarali. Reportedly, some big shot (Sudha Raghunathan or some-
body) told about this song in the TV (Doordarshan). It seems that they
wondered how Illayaraja could use this ragam (normally implying sad mood)
to suit a situation in which Prabhu humours Rajni about his new,
clandestine love affair with Gowthami! Can we dare call this song as set in
the ragam Bhavapriya? I don't know. But, it is definitely an appreciable
thing to notice him venturing into unchartered areas in scale selection,
say like Bhavapriya.

Those mothers living in squalor in the Nungambakam railway station might
not have any idea about "naalanaavuku moonu samacharam" and might populate
the station with their innumerable underweight kids! That is bad for India!
As a mother, even Thodi doesn't seem to have any idea about family
planning! But, that has turned out to be good to the musical heritage of
India! Oh boy, how many kids (janya ragas) has it given birth to! Most of
the janya ragas of Thodi are hardcore classic ragas. The trinity seem to
have enjoyed very much, composing in Thodi and its janya ragas. One of its
prime janyam is Dhanyasi. Sa Ga Ma Pa Ni Sa; Sa Ni Da Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa.
Probably these ragas can never be made light and presented to the common
rasika! Illayaraja used one of the Thyagaraja krithi in Dhanyasi in the
movie moga mull. Again, the situation is similar to sindhu bhairavi, where
Shivakumar goes to a katcheri and takes over the singing of the musician on
the dais. Illayaraja used the Thyagaraja krithi "lochana" In the ragam
Dharbar to indicate the kind of musical talent that Shivakumar has (despite
loosing his sobriety). In moga mull, a drunken musician gets on the stage
and sings with a lot of abhaswaram. The hero gets on the stage and then
sings "sangeetha gnanamu bhakthi vina" in Dhanyasi. K.J.Jesudoss has sung
that song in the movie. In that situation there is a strong lecture by the
hero's guru that many present day musicians take alcohol etc! Does not a
musician (or any public figure) has every right to do whatever he wants in
his personal life? Let him drink McDonalds, smoke 555, and have a couple of
women in bikini (as cinema villains often do) around him! As long as his
hedonistic pursuits do not affect his public performance, why should we
care? Lest, alcohol companies might sue us for causing a drastic decline in
their sales!

Sudha Dhanyasi is another janyam of Thodi ragam. Sa Ga Ma Pa Ni Sa; Sa Ni
Pa Ma Ga Sa. You can also (more appropriately) call it as a janyam of
Nadabhairavi. Illayaraja has been very generous in using this scale. MSV
made an indelible mark in this ragam earlier by presenting "neeyae unaku
enrum nigaraanavan" in balae pandiya. That is really fantastic! He has
wonderfully used the Ga and Ni with gamakam in the song. Illayaraja's first
Sudha Dhanyasi is perhaps siru ponmani in kallukul eeram. Later he gave
ragavanae (illamai kaalangal), pudhiya poovidhu (thendralae ennai thodu)
poojaikaetha poovidhu (?movie), vizhiyil vizhundhu (alaigal oivadhillai),
theem thanana (?enakkul oruvan), manasu mayangum (sippikul muthu), masi
maasam (dharmadurai), nanjai undu punjai (unnal mudiyum thambi), kotti
kidakudhu (theertha karaiyinilae), kadal vanilae (rasayya), unnai edhir
parthaen (vanaja girija). In many of these songs he uses other swaras like
Ri2 etc., and hence cannot be called as pure form. In nanjai undu, he has
not used any foreign notes. Then is it classical ragam? No! K.Balachandar
(a boot licker to Illayaraja at that time, so that he could sell the movie
by publicizing Illayaraja's name), made a big arguement in the movie that
even "nanjai undu punjai" was a pure Sudha Dhanyasi. Dear sir, to call
something as classical, you should present it in a real classical form!
Just going up and down the scale wouldn't make the raga form appear in that
tune! Use the gamakam, use the nuances of the ragam, then even Semmangudi
will call it as Sudha Dhanyasi!

If one changed the kaisiki nishadham (Ni2) of Sudha Dhanyasi to kaakali
nishadham (Ni3), then is there any ragam like that? If so, what is it
called as? Illayaraja has given a couple of songs in this type of scale.
One of them came in the movie poonthotta kavalkaran. Radhika gets pregnant
and then the song goes in the background! I have read in my school biology
class (with lot of curiosity!) that a sperm and an ovum "join" to form a
baby! Look at the way the poet says about this scientific phenomenon in his
poetic language.... Sindhiya vennmani sippiyil muthaachu!! What a nice
euphemistic way of saying a vulgur thing! Gangei Amaran proved himself as a
poet in that song! Illayaraja's tune is so wonderful in that song. It is so
melodious. Vijayakanth specifically said about this song in one of his TV
interviews! Another song that I know in this scale is "o vasantha raja" in
neengal kaetavai. Since Illayaraja changed the Ni2 of Sudha Dhanyasi to Ni3
and made a new ragam out of it, can he proclaim himself as the creator of
this new ragam?

Perhaps Balamurali Krishna was very much pleased with his wife's filter
coffee early in the morning every day. He has created a ragam called as
Abhayambika! Perhaps Kunnakudi expected Jayalalitha to give medical college
admission to his last son (like MGR did for his older son). He has proudly
joined the sycophant family of ministers and created a ragam called as
Jayalalitha. If these conceited musicians called themselves as the creators
of those ragas, then Illayaraja too, could...!

Lakshminarayanan Srirangam Ramakrishnan,
Department of Vision Science,
University of Houston College of Optometry,
Houston, Tx 77204.