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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: OISG (@ 193.188.97.152) on: Sat Feb 8 23:49:42 EST 2003
  
  MahendraRaj
  
  "Thamarai KannangaL" by MSV? I used to think about the structural similarities with "Maanikka Theril" from "Thedi Vantha Maapillai" ,particularly in the charanams.What is the source of this info?These movies were moreor less during the same time -1969-1970.
  
  Same with "Unakkenna Kuraichal"-I still feel that it is an MSV song than a V Kumar song,with due regards to VK.
  
  
• From: R. Mahendra Raj (@ 210.186.0.235) on: Mon Feb 10 03:19:39 EST 2003
  
  Geeth
  
  The couplet which you had mentioned is found in one of Kanndhasan's own books. Time and again this piece has been going around and in the process the name of Kanndhasan has been left out. Even recently I happened to watch the movie 'Junior Senior' on tv where the hero Mamooty recites this couplet in a suspense form. Alas, the author's name was left out again. If only these movie guys could give the credits it will popularise Kavriarasar's name amongst the present generation.
  
  OISG
  
  You are absolutely right. I cannot recall the sources as I usually gather from the various reading materials.
  
  When Rajni Kanth was in the prime of his career he was virtually working around the clock so much so that he was stressed out. Perhaps to relieve the stress he had been over indulging in drinks. It was about this time that he and MGR had a fallout. I do not wish to go into details but a fallout with MGR means one's downfall. Rajni approached K.Balachander, his gurunathar, about his predicament. KB reiterated that life would not be easy if one is not in good terms with MGR. He suggested to Rajni to run wild in Mount Road on a hot mid-day just to prove that whatever he had been doing against MGR was not of his own doing. Rajni did just that but then he was labelled a mad man after this incident. Although it helped the situation with MGR he nevertheless began to feel depressed again. He was acting in the film "Billa" at that time. It was here he met up with Kanndhasan who was doing the songs for the same film. He opened up his emotions to Kaviarasar and the latter grasped the situation well. He assured Rajni that this was a turning point in the life of the former. He further assured that the time was not far for him (Rajni) to overtake the popularity of MGR. In short he will be a superstar soon. It was Kanndhasan who gave him the title 'superstar' way back in 1979. He immediately penned the song "Naatil Enakoru Oor Oondu..." for this film and said that some day he will acknowledge this predictive song. If one were to hear this song in verbatim now he or she will understand Kaviarasar's "dheerka dharishinam". In real life Rajni became an admirer of Kannadhasan after this incident. He even went to Kannadhasan's house to hand deliver the invitation to his wife for his wedding although Kanndhasan was no more around. Such was his indebtedness to Kaviarasar. The above song along with the other song "My name is Billa" has some semblance to the lyrics. Bye for now!
  
  
• From: R. Mahendra Raj (@ 210.186.2.229) on: Tue Feb 11 01:44:26 EST 2003
  
  Just for record - the word 'Kannadhasan' has appeared in many songs after his death begining from the song "Kalithaasan Kannathasan" (Soorakottai Singgakutti - 1984)by Vaali. I even heard a latest film song yesterday over the radio(the title I can't remember)incorporating Kaviarasar's name. Correct me if I am wrong to say that amongst the Tamil poets mentioned in films and songs Kanndhasan leads them all. Even Bharathiyar has been relegated. Could it be that Kannadhasan appealed to the general masses than only a confined literary group? Perhaps it is also part of divine's plans as historically we have been ruled and influenced by 'iyal isai and naadagam' which is why we see Tamil cinema stalwarts like Annadurai, MGR, Karunananeedhi, Jayalalitha and Rajni Kanth (the latter although not directly) became popular in politics. By the way, can anyone out there have statistics as to how many songs bear Kanndhasan's name in songs which came after his death in 17.10.1981? It wwill be helpful. For starters I can think of Soorakottai Singgakutti, Annamalai, Arasayil, Minsara Kanna, Kaadhal Mannan, song "Kannadhasane Kannadhasane Vanthuvidu" (film someting ending with..poo).
  
  
• From: nataraj (@ 202.131.136.145) on: Tue Feb 11 02:40:25 EST 2003
  
  kannadasan's suryakanthi songs download
  
  

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