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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: haris (@ 67.123.4.234) on: Tue Mar 4 00:35:10 EST 2003
  
  Sankar- As the person who started this started, can u please put a request to the admin, to cut short the initial lengthy posting by you (while starting this thread) - as it eats up 75% of the whole page? Thanks-
  
  
• From: R. Mahendra Raj (@ 203.121.0.9) on: Tue Mar 4 02:13:53 EST 2003
  
  Sankar, before I comment on the song from Chitthi let me also add on to Haris comments. Please request the admin. folks to combine all the threads on this subject into one for a free flow reading.
  
  That is one song which is meant for the Indian women for all generations passed and yet to come. I used to wonder whether kaviarasar had entered the spirit and soul of an Indian woman to write this gem. He had greatly transferred the feelings and emotions of a female from cradle to grave into this song. Of course, there are other songs by him expressing feminine views but this one still awes me. Even a female songwriter would lose out. No wonder he was a ladies' man!
  
  Incidentally "Chitthi" (1966) was telecast over the Malaysian satellite television somewhere in late December 2002. Preceding this movie was the "Chitthi" tele serial which is still being telecast in its current season. Upon seeing the two Chitthis it set my mind working. Even in that old film it was a heroine-based theme. Could it be that MR Radhika got the inspiration from the song "kaalam ithu kaalam ithu" for her to produce the "Chitthi" serial?
  
  When kaviarasar was in the height of comtempt of the human race for cheating him he penned his emotions, for a change, for the heroine. That song was "Yaarai thaan Nambuvathu Peythai Nenjam, Ammama Boomyile Yaavum Vanjam" (Parakkum Paavai 1966).
  
  That also reminds me of two incidents.
  
  Padmini who was at her pinnacle got married and settled down in the US. After a shortwhile she decided to return to her acting career in India. She was signed for the film "Kaatu Roja" (1963). When the other heroines at that period of time heard of her comeback they did a lot of backbiting for she had the talent of classical dancing to enhance her career which they lacked. Padmini cried to kaviarasar over the behaviour of these actresses. As usual, kaviarasar penned a special song for her, which he said will be her moral booster. That song was "Yenadi Roja" and the line "ponaval indru vanthu vittal endru punnagai seythaiyo.." "...ethhanai kaalangal maarinalum nan endrum ilamayamadi..". It was rumoured that this song was directed at Saroja Devi for the word "roja" in the begining of the song implied this.
  
  For the film "Manapandhal" (1961) kaviarasar penned all the songs but one song's lyrics were unintentional but were apt for the situation. The two brothers Gunasekaran and Kulasekaran were in love with the same girl. Although Gunasekaran (SSR) was her lover, due to a twist of fate, she ends up marrying Kulasekaran (Asohan). The song "Orey Raagam Orey Thaalam" in this film has this line "andru gunathodu....& indru kulathlodu manam seythu nindren" (sorry, I cant remember right now the remaining lines) happened to be the crux of the story! Gunam and Kulam, ha!
  
  
• From: Sridhar (@ 162.119.64.110) on: Thu Mar 6 12:18:41 EST 2003
  
  Mahendra Raj,
  
  I did not get a chance to read Kannadasan commenting on TMS. I used to be a regular reader of Kannadasan's 'intha vaaram santhithEn' artice when it came in Kumudam magazine where he wrote about many film personalities, but not TMS.
  
  Do you have any info on this? On the other hand I have seen TMS appreciating a lot on Kaviarasar's talents.
  
  Thanks in advance for your response.
  
  
• From: R. Mahendra Raj (@ 210.186.1.242) on: Fri Mar 7 04:44:25 EST 2003
  
  Sridhar, I am compelled to concur with you that Kaviarasar seldom talked about TMS for reasons unknown. Could it be that the latter is fond of blowing his own trumpet which characteristic despised the former?
  
  When Kaviarasar penned the song "Kadavul Manithaanaga Pirakkaa Vendum" ('Vaanambadi' 1963 - Kannadhasan's own production)he had originally used the word "saagavendum" instead of "vaadavendum" in the line "avan kaathiluthu vethanayil vaadavendum". TMS pointed out to Kannadhasan that God is immortal and therefore the word "saagavendum" should be removed. After a moment's thought Kaviarasar agreed to TMS' opinion and quickly substituted the word with "vaadavendum".
  
  When TMS released his devotional album he invited Kannadhasan to launch the same. At the launching ceremony Kannadhasan saw similarities between his work and that of TMS in the lyrics of the devotional songs. When he asked TMS about this the latter proudly replied him that since he has sung hundreds of songs written by Kannadhasan it is only natural that he gets influenced by his style of writing!
  
  Speaking of playback singers, Kannadhasan had one unfulfilled personal ambition. Although every playback singer had sung his songs (until early 1983, of course) MKThiagaraja Bhagavathar did not sing even one song.
  
  
  
• From: geeth (@ 195.39.134.84) on: Sun Mar 9 03:25:37 EST 2003
  
  a request to admin. can the title post be altered and made small. just the title Kaviyarasu Kannadhaasan will do and the rest be converted as a response posting, preferably the first posting.
  
  everytime we go to see the previous responses to read, the same title details appears taking lots of page space and give us very little to read. your alteration here will be very much appreciated.
  
  

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