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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: R. Mahendra Raj (@ 203.106.163.85) on: Wed Feb 26 02:03:34 EST 2003
  
  Sankar, correct me if I am wrong but this song ('etharkum oru kaalam vendum')is written by Vaali. I will verify later.
  
  
• From: R. Mahendra Raj (@ 203.106.163.85) on: Wed Feb 26 03:19:40 EST 2003
  
  As it is a well-known fact that Kannadhasan consumed alcholic drinks. Note that I used the word 'consume'as many negative remarks have been made against him on account of this weakness by his opponents. A veteran trade union leader in Malaysia who was a very close friend to Kaviarasar once said this to me. 'I have joined Kannadhasan in his many drinking sessions with his friends although I (trade union leader)myself am a teetotaler. Not once I saw him drunk or staggering in spite of consuming heavily. It is usually those friends around him who become stupor". No wonder he was regarded as "thalladum bothayilum kavi paadum kavingyar".
  
  He once noted in his autobiography that he seldom writes once he starts drinking. However, he had had made exceptions to this rule. 'Ulagam Piranthathu Enakaaga Odum Nadigalum Enakkaaga'(Paasam ), 'Aandavan Padaichan Engitta Koduthaan' (Nichiya Thamboolam) 'Iraivinil Aattam Pagalil Thookam' (Navarathiri) etc. were written when he was in good 'spirits' (pardon the pun)!.
  
  But there was one song where he deliberately drank to the maximum to write it. When K.Balaji was producing the film "Vasantha Maaligai"(1972)he showed the clippings of the song scenes from the original Telugu version in his private theatre. When Kaviarasar saw the scene it rang a bell. He was nostalgic about his younger days and his old flame. This flame used to repeatedly advise Kannadhasan to refrain from drinking as it was detrimental to his health and curtail his talents as a songwriter. Thus he wrote the song "kalai magal kai porule unnai kavanikka aal illaye" pacifying himself whilst being nostalgic about his earlier days! The 'kai porul' in this context refers to nobody but himself! One of the rare occasions where he wrote for himself.
  
  Coming to 'Sangey Muzhangu'. MGR wanted a song depiciting the evils of drinking for this movie as it was at that period that the ban on public drinking was lifted. Many distressed housewives appealed in person to MGR to do something. What can MGR do as a person? Naturally he sought the advice of Kannadhasan who was an 'authority' on this subject. Together they came up with the song "Silar Kudipathu polle nadippaar Silar nadippathu polle kudipaar, Silar paatinil mayanguvaar, Silar bottleil mayanguvaar". A beautiful fast paced philosophical dance song with MGR and Helen. Thats the genius in Kannadhasan. He can glorify the effects of drinking and at the same time spell out the evils of consuming the same. This song bears testimony to the ill effects of drinking by none other than the 'authority' himself.
  
  Whilst on this subject let me narrate another background story.
  
  Once when Kannadhasan, Viswanathan Ramamurthy and A.Bhimsing sat in session to write and compose a situational song for the film "Phazani" (1964/5)in the studio floor, a studio hand was seen walking with a foreign whiskey bottle. Kannadhasan immediately stopped the boy and enquired as to the price of the imported stuff. That boy replied that it was Rs.1500. Immediately Kaviarasar passed the hat around to collect but it barely reached Rs500. Asking the boy to wait Kannadhasan telephoned his brother AL Srinivasan who was the producer of "Pazhani" at the latter's house asking him to advance Rs1000. ALS wanted to know the urgency and Kannadhasan in all innocence told him the truth. ALS chided him over the phone for being a wastrel and bluntly refused to advance any money.
  
  After putting down the receiver Kannadhasan told the studio hand to try his luck somewhere else and back he went to the business of writing the situational song. MSV and the gang were eager to know the outcome of the telephone call to which Kannadhasan replied that today was not their day! He wrote the song and scooted off. Only when composing the tune did MSV realise Kaviarasar's frustration over the incident. The song was "Annan Ennada Thambi Ennadaa Avasaramaana Ulagathile". The 'avasaram' in this context was the foreign liquor!
  
  Bye for now!
  
  
  
• From: Sankar (@ 203.124.138.34) on: Wed Feb 26 23:29:24 EST 2003
  
  Mahendraraj. (1). reg endharkkum oru kaalam undu..MSV mentioned in his interview that it was by kavingyar and hence i did not verify.. pl share your findings - i will stand corrected.. I think we can start a seperete thread on VAALI as well !! (2) regarding annan ennada... your info is superb.. the situation matches more to the subsequent lines ' AASAI KOLVADHIL URTHAM ENNADA KAASILLADAVAN KUDUMBATHILAE' !!
  
  I located a link of kaviyarasar's arthamulla indhumadam in english.. wish to share with his fans if the do not know about this.
  
  http://www.geocities.com/ramaninaidu/kanna.htm
  
  
  

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