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Hindi Is Sweet, Tamil Is Not

Topic started by Neel D (@ 24.99.73.50) on Thu Jul 31 08:28:30 EDT 2003.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Hindi is sweet, Tamil is not - Says Karthik Raja

In an interview aired Tuesday (July 28) on Singapore's Oli Tamil Radio, to a question Karthik Raja replied that he likes composing for Hindi movies because the language is so sweet and makes his composition sound sweet. He went on to say that he thinks that that sweetness is missing in Tamil.

When the interviewers (two women) asked him about the current generation of singers he said that after SPB and Hariharan there has been no new male singer who is versatile. He added that the new male singers are all so monotonous.

The two women interviewers spoke in pure Tamil and only in Tamil. Karthik Raja's vocabulary was about 70% English and 30% Tamil. (At the end of the interview, the interviewers thanked him for his efforts to speak in Tamil.)

The interviewers asked who were the singers in his latest album, Karthik replied "Vijay Parakash, from Mumbai". The interviewers repied, "yeah, north indian singers' voices do have a vaseegaram".

I was so impressed at the maturity, diplomacy and the pride in heritage of the interviewers (the two Singaporean women).

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Responses:

• From: Ravi (@ 192.147.58.6) on: Thu Jul 31 08:31:48 EDT 2003
  
  Mmm... in a way its disheatening to see how IR's children do not carry the legacy of their father. IR was one who respected Tamizh (not that he was a fanatic) and cherished and respected old Tamizh literature, kavidhai and songs. But this is lacking in his kids. I even saw an interview of Bhavatharini in Vijay TV once. She was constantly speaking in English when the programme was in Tamizh. I feel this happens mostly with Tamizh people only. They feel low to talk in Tamizh - I dont understand why?
  
  
• From: Speaker (@ 210.193.17.10) on: Thu Jul 31 08:58:07 EDT 2003
  
  Ravi, pl do not go by one person. he posted what he understood from the interview. I also listened the interview, the tone was never ever like what Neel D try to project. I donot know any motive for this as this forum is famous for drubbing anyone in anyway related to IR. All the statements are quoted in out of context. Why neel you not quoting what he said about Udit etc. Any way some of the points in the interview :
  KR in Singapore as part of his new moview Ragasiyamai. He is upbeat about the songs. He thanked the producer for providing full freedom. KR himself sung one song with ShreyaG (he sung(said) two lines from this song) Before singing he said he is quite nervous and tried singing them. He used quite a lot of english words. But he said sorry that he used english sentence, he said that he's not fluent in sutha thamizh. he is quite open, friendly & ofcouse quite shy. In relation to question posted in comparing YSR, KR was quite happy that YSR is doing very well now. He spend most of his time in activities related to music. One thing which he said need to be noted. producers and friends always think KR is quite reserved, this makes producers not approach him because of this personanity but on moving with him they felt his quite jovial and many people mention to him, that they never thought so in the beginning. for ragasiyamai he is using vijay from mumbai. he said that his voice has "vaseegaram" but didnt attribute that mumbai singers have vaseegram as quoted. Finally, media artists in Singapore are well trained in Tamizh and they do speak very will. Particularly radio artists like Meenatchi sabapathy, Azhagiya paandian, Mohomad ali. Kudos to them.
  
  
• From: Raj (@ 206.97.63.112) on: Thu Jul 31 09:03:56 EDT 2003
  
  Ravi: If you are from Madras you would know why? I visited Madras in 95 and was talking in Tamil to those who came to see me. They were all replying in English. I asked one visitor why he was replying in English. He answered that he was not comfortable in Tamil and that he attended English medium schools where Tamil was not compulsory. It was optional. If his Tamil was bad, his English was not that good either. Blame it on the schools. There is a mistaken notion that you need to learn in English medium to 'go to America' !!! All they have to do is to look at all the Chinese from mainland China here. They carry an English-Chinese dictionary with them. You are right. This is peculiar to Tamilnadu!
  
  
• From: Mumbai Ramki (@ 203.193.152.204) on: Thu Jul 31 09:28:01 EDT 2003
  
  Speaker ,
  Good explanation ..Though i did not see that interview ,i feel that KR would not have told that !!!!
  
  Vijay Prakash has sung in Poo Vaasam in ANbe SIvam !!!
  
  
• From: sarat (@ 128.192.5.203) on: Thu Jul 31 09:44:43 EDT 2003
  
  digression
  
  chinese are not exactly social birds in the US. on most campuses you would never catch a chinese having a conversation with an american or a non-chinese unless he/she has some work to get done.
  thambi guys definitely do really well in a social setting here...
  
  
  
• From: Ramki (@ 161.150.2.26) on: Thu Jul 31 09:50:49 EDT 2003
  
  Neel D is perfectly right. Those were the exact words KR told in oli.
  
  
• From: Mumbai Ramki (@ 203.193.152.204) on: Thu Jul 31 09:56:32 EDT 2003
  
  If he had referred to Singers ,then partly (NagaS ,do u agree with this :)) ) ,but if it is language ,defintely not !!!!!
  
  
• From: Neel D (@ 24.99.73.50) on: Thu Jul 31 10:10:45 EDT 2003
  
  I spared a major controversy by not writing Karthik Raja's reply to the question about musicians working at night.
  
  
• From: Naaz (@ 24.87.30.219) on: Thu Jul 31 10:23:17 EDT 2003
  
  Neel D -
  
  Would you know if there is a transcript of this interview? Or if it is going to be published in any journal/fanzine/egroup? I'd like to read / hear the interview in its entirety before making any remarks. Help - if you can.
  
  
• From: Ravi (@ 192.147.58.6) on: Thu Jul 31 10:31:25 EDT 2003
  
  Speaker, I appreciate your views. My view posted above is not any hatred towards IR but something like 'aadhangam'. Of the many talents of IR, I used to appreciate his devotion towards the Tamizh language. Its not that I am just I am just going by one person's words. I have seen many of their interviews where they stick to English most of the time. Yes, I do agree its each individual's preference which doesnt reflect on what kind of person they are but as I said its only my 'aadhangam' - somewhat similar feeling as seeing a Tamil poet's son never speak a work in Tamil.
  
  
• From: fan (@ 202.9.180.208) on: Thu Jul 31 10:34:33 EDT 2003
  
  karthik raja is right in a sense . that's is why we tamils listen to, other than tamil, hindi songs only. hindi is sweet and tamil is great and ancient and very difficult to master.
  
  
• From: be as open as the universe (@ 68.77.150.45) on: Thu Jul 31 13:00:29 EDT 2003
  
  I appreciate karthik raja' frankness. shows what a secure guy he is. let us agree on one thing, Indians from north to south are the most open minded people and we are not fanatics (other than those many imbeciles from Delhi that wonder why Tamilians don't speak hindi), that explains how a moghul inspired concotion like Hindi became the national language!!!
  
  i think hindi is a lot of "h"aas and "dh"aas and "l"aas ;---) that makes it interesting than malayalam or tamil, which abhor most pretentiousness and is very down to earth. Hindi is not as wholesome or balanced as tamil or even Sanskrit. but, again lightskinned people have to adopt all manners of pretentiousness to distinguish from the darker people of the soil!;--) (hey, i am somewhat fair skinned, but i always enjoy being dark - which i quickly become with a day in the sun. u feel real real and yet you feel the maya of reality! the fleetingness of everything beautiful or ugly.) if IR had been fair skinned, i doubt he would've been felt so much and expressed all that thru his music.
  
  well, most paranoia and prejudice originated with skin color. also national pride is a danger. look at the Japs, Germans, Russians & Chinese, Paks - yes, there is a lot of achievemnet for the nation, but look at the people - insecure, aggressive, broken, old, tired, frustrated - all because they just believed too much in themselves, their language, their religion. any group of people can only learn from the Tamils and the British - open mindedness to learning from other cultures, mapping, transcribing, exchanging knowledge and ever willing to give - that enriches the culture more than any aggressive attitude.
  
  way to go, Karthik Raja, but don't forget to contribute your best to Tamil too. (I am wondering where Tamil film music would've been if IR had shifted base to Hindi films.)
  
  
• From: vijay (@ 68.51.215.28) on: Fri Aug 1 03:14:14 EDT 2003
  
  KR could have been genuine in his comments. His best album so far came in Hindi -Grahan. Kehte hain jisko is mesmerising.
  
  
• From: Mythila (@ 208.220.245.72) on: Fri Aug 1 05:05:12 EDT 2003
  
  In KR's case, I think it is the case of sour grapes. I doubt if he would have sung in the same notes if he were as successful in Tamil as his younger bro.
  This doesn't diminish my liking of KR's Ullaasam, Manickam, Alexander, Dum(**)3,Album
  
  
• From: G.Ragavan (@ 164.164.94.123) on: Fri Aug 1 07:02:42 EDT 2003
  
  If anyone can upload the interview, then it'll be better to comment. It is not correct to do before that.
  
  But one thing I am sure. If he couldn't speak in thamiz fluently, I want to what he speaks at home. I am really surprised. I hv heard him speaking thamiz properly in an Sun Tv interview long back.
  
  For heavens sake, please dont encourage such things in the name of frankness and honesty. Whether it is with ARR or KR, it is the same.
  
  
• From: MADDY (@ 203.94.233.38) on: Fri Aug 1 07:09:53 EDT 2003
  
  and ppl. stop putting IR's name for everything that his sons do... did u guys appreciate IR for "kadhal Kondein"??? then y do you guys pull IR's name into this....
  "I spared a major controversy by not writing Karthik Raja's reply to the question about musicians working at night."
  wat did he reply to this.. tell me neelD let us see how much maturity this guy has attained in the last 3 rys...
  
  
  
  
  
• From: Neel D (@ 24.99.73.50) on: Fri Aug 1 22:37:16 EDT 2003
  
  Ramki, thank you.
  
  Naaz, if Oli rebroadcasts it I will let you know.
  
  Maddy, the interviewers asked KR if he works at any particular time of the day like some musicians say that they prefer to work only at night. KR replied that he can create music any time of the day and that artistes who say that they can create art only at certain time of the day are not really artistes.
  
  
• From: MADDY (@ 203.94.218.171) on: Fri Aug 1 23:16:26 EDT 2003
  
  kabhi nahin sudrega naa KR....he'll never change....thnx Neel for ur info....
  
  
• From: Mumbai Ramki (@ 203.193.152.200) on: Fri Aug 1 23:42:06 EDT 2003
  
  I think everybody assumes that KR attackes ARR when he made the above statement .But i don't see that .What he has said is independent of whether ARR works in night .Infact YSR ( iam not sure ,though) works in nights too .SO i very well doubt if is referring to ARR !!
  
  

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