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KAVIYARASU KANNADASAN

Topic started by On behalf of Sankar (@ 210.186.51.129) on Mon Dec 30 07:11:34 EST 2002.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Kaaviyathayin Illaya magan
Kadhal Pengalin Perun thalaivan
Paamara jaadiyil thani manidan – naan
Padaippadhanal yen per Iraivan

Naan Manida jaadiyai aati vaipen – avar
Maandu vital adhai paadi vaipen
NAAN NIRANDARAM AANAVAN AZHIVADILAI
ENDA NILAYILUM ENAKKU MARANAM ILLAI

These are the great lines of Kaviyarasu Kannadasan in the movie Ratha Thilakam where he acts in the movie singing these lines. ( Song.. Oru Koopayilae yen kudiyiruppu)

What a visionary he was ? Indeed, he is NIRANDARAMAANAVAN.

I share some of my observations about Kavingyar. I want all the fans of HIM to join this discussion and add more quality material in praise of his great works.

This is the only way we pay tributes to this GENIUS.

a) Raga Gyanam of Kavingyar

In the file ‘ Thiruvarutchelvar’, no one can forget the great song ‘ Mannan Vandhanadi’. This song was penned by Kannadasan and music by legendary KVM and sung by P.Suseela. I do not think we can ever get a better song in the Raga Kalyani in our tamil movies when compared to this song . This song has all the nuances of Kalyani in a capsule form.

In the Charanam, look at these lines,

Viraivinil Nee… Ni
Mana malar Tha .. tha
Thiru Marbaa… Pa
Thamadhama… Ma
Mayil ennai Ka… Ga

Ni.. tha.. Pa.. Ma.. Ga….
The words end in the avorahanam of Kalyani ( descending order of the musical notes)

Similarly, there is one stanza which will have the first letters in the arohanam ( ascending order).. I do not recollect the exact lines..

Sa…
Ri.. ri ga ma pa da ni sa..
Ka.. karunaiyin Thalaiva
Ma.. Madhi migu Mudhalva..

Do we have any such poet today ?

b) Kannadasan’s command over Language

Also, can any one forget the ‘Then’ song in Veera Abhimanu.. This duet is again a KVM song in Raga Sahana by PBS and PS.

Paarthen Rasithen pakkam vara thudithen
Unai then ena naan ninethen – andha
Malai then idhu ena malaithen

What about the ‘voor’ song in the file Oorkkaval.. PBS is the singer

Endha voor endravanae
Irundha voorai chollava
Andha voor neeyum kooda
Arindha voor allava

The great ‘ Kai’ Song ‘ Athhikkai Kaai kaai’ in Balae Paandiya.—About this song, I will dwell in detail subsequently.

c) Kannadasan’s knowledge of Litreature:

(i) There is one tamil poem in ‘Pura Nanooru’, the old tamil literature.

To know the meaning of this poem, you also need to know about the philanthrophist tamil King Paari. He was so noble and kind hearted that on one occasion, when he found a jasmine creeper without a support, he let his chariot as the support for the creeper so that it could grow. His fame and wealth was an eyesore to cheera , choola and Paandya kings and they waged a war against him and killed him. They also want to marry his daughters who were too young and the marriage proposal was stopped by Tamil Sage Avvaiyar.

The poem is written to a situation where, the daughters of Paari, on a full moon day, recalls that their father was with them on the last full moon day and he is now more now and they were grieving for his death.

The poem in chaste tamil starts as

Attrai thingal Auv Vennilavil…

Kannadasan has taken this incidence to write his song

‘Androru Naal Idhe Nilavil
Avar irundar en arugil’ in the film ‘Nadodi ‘ ( wagabond)

(ii) In Kamba Ramayanam, the poem which describes Kaiykeye seeking two boons from Dasaratha starts as

‘Aazhi sooz ulagelam Bharathanae Aaala’ and ends as ‘ Theeyavai yaavinum Sirandha Teeyal’
whereby kambar describes Kaiykeye as the worst of the worst for her act .

I think Kannadesan must have been inspired by these lines and in the movie ‘ Karnan’, there is a song by SG, Tirchy Lokanathan, PBS, TMS which is penned to the situation of Karnan performing pooja to his father Suryan ( the Sun God). There the stanza

Mannavar porulgalai Kai kondu…. Ends with ‘ VARUMAIKKU VARUMAIYAI VAITHTHOR MAAMANNAN VAZHGAVE…VAZGHA VAZGHA.

Here, he used two negatives ‘ Varumaikku Varumai’ to elate Karnan’s noble charity that there was no poverty because of his abundant charity.

Also, I feel vairamuthu must have been inspired by Kannadasan’s lines that he had sai ‘ maanatthin Maanathai vaangi vittan’ in the song ‘Poo Malai Vaangi Vanthan’ in Sindhu Bhairavi.

(iii) In one of the Sirappu Then Kinnam ( remember the yester years in Radio… Chennai Vaanoli Nilayam !!), Kannadasan himself had said that he wrote the song

Thookkamum Kankalai Thazuvattume
Amaithiyum Nenjinil Nilavattume

Since he was inspired by the lines of shakesphere in ‘Macbeth’

(iii) The famous song in ‘Vaazhkai Padagu’

‘ Neetru varai nee yaroo naan yaroo
Indru mudhal nee vaero naan vaero’

Is based on the ‘Pura Naanooru’ padal

‘ Yanum neeyum yaaraa giyaro
yendaiym numadiyum evan kollo
Sembulap peyar neer pola
Anbudai Nenjangal Tham Kalandaduvae’

(iv).. One Sanga kaala illakkiya padal was the inspiration for Kavingyar to write the famous song in “Balae Paandiya’ – ‘ Atthikkai Kai Kai’

One newly wed bride is separated from her husband since he need to be in the battle field shortly after the wedding. On the full moon day, the lady, is thinking about her husband and feeling lonely without him on a romantic night. She requests moon ‘ I am always remembering him but not sure about how he feels.. Already I am sore without him… you also do not add to my suffering with your full radiance.. instead of glowing here, you shower your moon light on the direction where my husband is so that he also gets romantic mood and gets back to me’

This is what the song

‘Athikkaai kaai kaai
Aalangai Vennilavae’

Athikkai is fig. Also it means glow in that direction ( thikku in tamil means direction / side).

What a great song.. full of name of various vegetables. At the same time, has got a different meaning in chaste tamil.



d) Ability to convey his message through his songs.

(i) Kavingyar came out of Congress but had great admiration for Kamaraj. He wanted to convey his respect and desire for an ever lasting association with Kamaraj. Hence

‘Andha sivagami maganidam sedhi solladi – yennai
serum naal parka solladi’

came in the movie ‘Pattanathil Bhoodam’. In the movie , the song was set as it to praise Lord Muruga..

Kamaraj’s Mother’s name is Sivagami !!

(ii) Similarly

Nalandana … Nalandana…
Udalum Ullamum Nalandana..

Nalam Pera vendum nee Yendru
Naalum Yen Nenjil Ninaivundu
Ilai marai kaai pol porul kondu
Yevarum ariyaamal sol indru….

Was written in ‘Thillana Moganaambal’ for as the meeting song between Sivaji and Padmini after sivaji’s injury.

But, this song is actually written with C.N. Annadurai in mind when he was ailing in the hospital and kavingyar was away from him .

One more great song by KVM in the raag Sivaranjani.


WILL WE EVER GET BACK A KAVINGYAR LIKE KANNADASAN ??

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: mythila (@ 137.237.13.20) on: Sat Mar 22 16:11:33 EST 2003
  
  Gosh!!!Mahendra, you seem to be an authority on Kavingyar!!!I couldn't get such wealth of info even from one of his sons who happens to be a friend of mine.
  
  
• From: vijay (@ 68.51.215.28) on: Sat Mar 22 20:21:54 EST 2003
  
  Mahendraj, great information. On the VM-IR issue, its interesting that you should mention the "Kanmani" song from Guna. The other day when I was listening to it I was wondering whether Kamal's comments in the middle of the song "nadu nadula Maane thene ponmaane idhellam pottukanum" was a mockery of some lyricist, possibly VM. Because the words "Maane ", "Thene" etc. were standard usages in many songs in the early and mid-eighties. Now that you mentioned this, it possibly was.
  
  
• From: R. Mahendra Raj (@ 203.106.49.187) on: Sun Mar 23 10:49:13 EST 2003
  
  Mythila, you made my day!
  
  Vijay, after seeing your post only did I realise the meaning of 'theane' and 'maanae' in this context! As you too have reaffirmed, it could have been posible after all!
  
  More on kaviarasar's generosity.
  
  According to sources each morning as early as 6.00 a.m. there would definitely be people from all walks of life awaiting kaviarasar's appearance in his residence. Amongst them film producers awaiting to book him for their next ventures; continuity of song writing schedules;creditors waiting to collect their dues; and people who want some sort of favours and recommendations etc. For the latter group of people kaviarasar never failed to oblige even if he did'nt know them. His argument - "They have come from far and alike with the confidence that I could help them so why disappoint them? After all it only costs me only a single letter-head to write a word or two to those concerned to help these souls".
  
  (Even though there was tension outside his residence kaviarasar takes his own sweet time and contemplates from his bedroom window watching the early morning sparrows. It was during such situations he wrote the song "Aalayamaniyin osaayai naan keytaen" ('Paalum Pazhamum' 1961)whilst observing the sparrows.)
  
  A retired member of the judiciary down here who was a personal friend of kaviarasar told me that he had had the opportunity to stay with kaviarasar in Chennai and follow him to the studios, Hotel Kavitha etc. Whenever the former makes a trip to Chennai he will bring along with him some duty-free liquor bottles for kaviarasar. But the generous kaviarasar usually distributes all those firewater to his cinema associates and he will settle for sosmething local!
  
  Twice or thrice he had seen kaviarasar giving some cash to a distant relative who never fails to drop by each time he is in Chennai. When this judicial member suspected that this man was taking advantage of kaviarasar's generosity asked the latter as to who he was and why was he giving him money regularly. Kaviarasar explained that he happens to be the husband of his sister who had since demised. His argument - although his sister is no more but can the bond of brother-in-law relationship be severed?
  
  Once after visiting a temple this judicial member was distributing small changes as alms to the beggars. When kaviarasar saw him he told him that by this act it will be virtually impossible to satiate the hunger of these beggars who have to wait till their pans collect the required money for their meals. Instead he asked him to follow his practise - that is, give on or two beggars the cost of two meals for the day. By this act both the giver and receiver will be satisfied as it will be impossible to be charitable to all and sundry by giving small changes.
  
  During his political active days he had incurred the wrath of some influential figure for being overly critical of him. During one assembly this figure hired a thug to set upon him. Luckily kaviarasar escaped with some minor brush offs with the help from his friends but with his shirt being slightly torn. Sometimes later, this same thug appeared before kaviarasar and sought his assistance for some money. He appeared to be down in the dumps with a prominent unshaven beard. At first kaviarasar could'nt recognise him and this man reminded him about the incident whilst shedding tears. Seeing this reformed thug with a tattered shirt kaviarasar immediately put his hand into his shirt pocket and gave him all he had and told him to buy a new shirt and the rest for his expenses. The reformed thug prostrated before him asking for forgiveness saying that he had committed an offence against a saint! Imagine the offender getting reimbursed for the shirt instead of the other way around!
  
  Whenever kaviarasar travels outstations during daytime he had this habit of stopping at wayside stalls and buying tea and refreshment for the destitutes he comes across. He was also fond of buying 'moru' by the pots wholesale and for more than double its actual price and distributing them to people along the way. According to his associates none of the people knew the true identity of this donor and he preferred that way. His argumet - the moru seller might make about Rs 5 by selling the whole can which he has to wait till evening but by buying it for Rs 10 one not only makes him happy but the satisfaction derived from this act is divine. His further argument was that the Rs 10 is nothing compared to his extravagant spending and at least he is playing his part to make the poor happy!
  
  Once he stopped by a tea stall when driving to refresh himself. The stall was set up next to a school and around this time the recess bell rang and out came the young pupils. Among them, one sharp-eyed pupil recognised him and asked him whether he was 'Paatu Kannadhasan'. Kaviarasar could'nt control his smile and thought for a while that this prefix is something new as he was known as 'kaviyngar'only. He asked the boy as to the origin of the prefix 'Paatu' to which the former replied that it used to be announced in the radio after each time his song was broadcast! Still in a jovial mood after getting this new title he then bought tea and savouries for all the pupils who had by then became curious and gathered around kaviarasar and advised them to study hard.
  
  More later, folks.
  
  
• From: Ram (@ 172.164.134.147) on: Sun Mar 23 19:34:50 EST 2003
  
  Mahendra Raj,
  It is superb and fantastic to read about our life-time kaviarasar. I have a suggestion: May be you should create a webpage and categorize kaviarasar's life accordingly. IT will benefit millions of tamil film lovers. TFM lovers will then thank you a lot.....Ram
  
  

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