Home   Forum   Wiki   Notes   Register   FAQ   Sitemap   About Us   Contact Us  

An Interview with Vani Jayaram

Topic started by Neel D (@ 24.98.42.169) on Thu Aug 15 09:10:17 EDT 2002.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Visit http://www.vanijayaram.com

---

Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: guest (@ 164.164.94.115) on: Tue Aug 20 03:52:08 EDT 2002
  
  It will be good if somebody types the interview in English to help others who can't listen from net and who are non-Tamilinans
  (but great fans of VJ)? thx in advance
  
  
• From: vkr (@ 209.11.42.194) on: Tue Aug 20 06:12:47 EDT 2002
  
  kaumudi& neeld, I am agreeing with your answer. native singer are not geting ecrougement you are correct in saying. spbala and psuseela are like tamils in my opinion and also sjamnaki. anybody is having vani jaryram gujarati songs or oriya songs with them? is there any section on vani jayram website? caN any one give me confirmation about naaz email? i get this rom sg discussion, naaz99@yahoo.com and plsx confirm somebody? thank you.
  
  
• From: Neel D (@ 24.98.42.169) on: Tue Aug 20 09:15:28 EDT 2002
  
  >> But VJ doesnt seem to have been a leading singer in the 90s in Malayalam. Why has that been the case? Or is there something I have overlooked. <<
  
  av, I think you already know the answer to your question.
  
  
• From: sivaselvam (@ 63.170.144.101) on: Tue Aug 20 09:34:07 EDT 2002
  
  Hi NeelD,
  
  First when I wrote my last posting I was posting my thoughts on earlier postings and not as an answer to any particular opinion. If you felt that I was replying you indirectly that is not my intention Pal!
  
  "I never said non-natives should be discouraged."
  
  I did not say you did.
  
  "That is what you get for being a native. If VJ had born in any state other than TN she would be a Goddess in that state."
  
  It occured to me that you are implying she was not fully utilised for TFM because she is a native. I dont think that was the reason. The reason I guess is soon after she entered IR entered TFM and ruled. I feel IR had not given many chances to her and I feel IR gave more chances to SJ even at the cost of PS.
  
  "That is your misinterpretation. I only am saying that the natives should be encouraged."
  
  I am only saying the BEST should be encouraged, nourished and cherished and that includes VJ too.
  
  "At least VJ did better than the poor ladies like B.S.Sasirekha and Uma Ramanan."
  
  In my view PS has overshadowed many in her time. With her entry Jikki and Leela grdadually faded away and LRE got few here and there.
  
  Later SJ and VJ entered and they along with PS were singing 95 % of the songs. And I feel these three were reigning supreme and others got very little chances.
  
  I agree Uma Ramanan, Shailaja, Sasirekha and TK Kala are good and they should/must have got more encouragement. IR and MSV could have given them more chances that what they got. But I feel unlike ARR, MSV and IR then gave chances to only those they thought as the BEST suited for a given song. This I am not saying as a matter of fact but I could not think otherwise.
  
  "When VJ,BSS,UR,TKK,LRE,etc are all right under your nose and can do a great job, what is the need for the singers who were either technically inadequate or had bad pronunciation."
  
  Here I do not agree with you. Though I bet these are very much better than many of the singers today, then their chances were taken only by other equally if not more worthy singers like PS, SJ and VJ.
  
  I do not think she got very less chance, but by the time she entered SJ also entered and they along with PS were contending for the songs.
  
  I do not even an iota feel PS and SJ are technically inadequate or had bad pronunciation.
  ( Because the singers you have mentioned were over shadowed by only these two. I dont think they have lost to the curent pack many of them are indeed technically inadequate or have bad pronunciation)
  
  I feel PS, SJ and VJ all are equally good and who is better can only be individual and subjective opinion and can not be generalised. In my own case my favourites among these three were rotating many a times but they were/are always in top three.
  
  "what is in common between VJ,BSS,UR,TKK,LRE, etc. They are all Tamils. No one can deny that these women are talented."
  
  I do not deny either.
  
  "But why did not they get consistent offers. It can be one of two things. Either they are not pushy enough to go grab opportunities, or they are being discriminated."
  
  I differ from you on this. There could be reasons other than the above two.
  
  
• From: sivaselvam (@ 63.170.144.101) on: Tue Aug 20 09:45:17 EDT 2002
  
  VKR,
  
  "spbala and psuseela are like tamils in my opinion and also sjamnaki"
  
  I agree totally with you.
  
  There are many I know of who speak have telugu as their mother tongue but been living in Tamil Nadu for ages and very much if not more comfortable with Tamil. Most of them identify themselves with Tamil language and culture. ( Some of them identify with both cultures). They are even bilinguals at home. I firmly believe that nativity is not by birth but my how one feels. There of lot of instances in history one can quote for example Napolean was not born in France but no one can say he is not french.( or Rajini was not born in TN but I am inclined to
  regard him as Tamil)
  
  
• From: Naaz (@ 24.76.127.63) on: Tue Aug 20 19:04:09 EDT 2002
  
  Hello there -
  How pleasant to see an exlusive thread just for the interview! Another Neel D initiative - and as usual - a good one!
  I was away at a Pacific Coast writers' retreat for two weeks. No cellphone, no computer, no email, no blackberry. Just meditation and writing. Pure bliss. Only just returned this morning, and have not had time to read all the comments regarding the interview...Will do so in the next few hours and will respond to any concerns / queries shortly.
  Catch you all later. Adios for now.
  
  
• From: Neel D (@ 24.98.42.169) on: Tue Aug 20 23:34:54 EDT 2002
  
  sivaselvam,
  
  Let me make this clear. When I said technically inadequate and bad pronunciation I was in no way referring to PS or SJ.
  
  Let us forget the female singers for a moment. Did you ever wonder why Deepan Chakravarthy, T.L.Maharajan, TKS Kalaivanan, Rajkumar Bharathy, AV Ramanan, S.Sivachidambaram, SN Surendar, Malaysia Vasudevan, etc. couldn't become big in TFM. Except M.Vasudevan all others I have mentioned were not even given enough chances to prove their talent in TFM. What to all these men have in common?
  
  Anyway, I have argued this "nativity" thing in too many threads too many times. This will be the last, at least in this thread, I hope.
  
  
• From: vijay (@ 68.51.203.216) on: Wed Aug 21 00:46:37 EDT 2002
  
  NeelD, your argument could be valid for the present times, but in the 80s and before I dont think any sort of intentional discrimination was made based on nativity. The singers you have mentioned all are good but not great. In fact in your list I feel, MV and UmaR were given more songs than they were due. UmaR has been given plenty of great songs by IR right from the 80s up until very recently. Some of MV's songs could have gone to other singers in your list. (In fact,I have never understood why UR has always been given only decent-to-great songs by IR.) And S.N.Surendar was barely bearable in "poovadai kaatru" from Gopurangal Saivathillai. Also I agree with Sivaselvam when he says "nativity" hold lesser meaning when the so called other state singers(SPB, KJY, SJ etc.) have almost lived their entire lives in TN and have made TN their home.
  
  If SPB,KJY,SJ,PS,Chithra etc. were given more songs in the 70s and 80s its because they happened to be better singers (and also happened to possess pretty decent pronunciation). The diction-killing trend in the name of gimmick became prevalent only in the 90s.
  
  
• From: Saravanan (@ 213.42.1.174) on: Wed Aug 21 00:50:48 EDT 2002
  
  Vijay,
  
  While I do agree that SN Surendar wasn't a great singer, 'Poovadai kaatru' was not spoilt by him-
  that credit(!) must go to Krishnachandar!
  
  
• From: Neel D (@ 24.98.42.169) on: Wed Aug 21 09:32:43 EDT 2002
  
  vijay,
  
  Most popular playback singers sounded ordinary, meek and unimpressive in their early songs. They only got better with time. The singers I have listed never got time to prove themselves.
  
  Other than the songs I have aleady listed UR also gave hit songs in Thendrale ennai thodu and Keladi Kanmani. IR really did not give her all that many songs as you think. He has given her a few songs over a long time period, that's all.
  
  Let us just face it. Anyone who speaks a language other than Tamil in Tamilnadu is looked up as someone special or superior by Tamilians. Which is totally not the case when you go to other states and speak Tamil, unless you are a dropdead gorgeous woman like Hemamalini, Rekha or Ramya. I think you and sivaselvam are so emotionally caught up in regarding non-tamil artistes as Tamilians, however good they may be. But whether those artistes regard themselves as Tamils is a whole different story.
  
  
• From: Naaz (@ 24.76.127.63) on: Wed Aug 21 09:45:30 EDT 2002
  
  To all those who addressed their appreciation personally to me ( also via email - it is a long list,) and all those who tuned in and commended the interview in general - a heartfelt thanks.
  At the very outset let me state this unequivocally:
  The first and bigger thanks belongs to TFM Page for making the "Vani Jayaram Songs" thread possible;
  to all the informed and passionate participants who have made the thread a fine example of sharing and respectful debate;
  to Neel D for going out on a limb and inaugurating a website of VJ songs (it must cost money - and many hours of selflessness) which, together with the multifarious discussions, inspired me to arrange the interview;
  to all those who sent in their questions when the announcement of the project went out;
  and to Vani Jairam for accepting my request with grace and enthusiasm.
  
  This success is a shared honour.
  
  From what I have been able to glean from the posts in this particular thread, I believe the interview has ushered in some new joy, and some of the old pernnenial ghosts. It has been yet another moment to leapfrog from appreciation to analysis.
  Perfect. I couldn't have asked for more.
  
  Here's my take:
  
  s0 : "Her answers were elaborate... needing hardly any prompting from naaz."
  That is the ultimate compliment, and thank you for noticing. Any interview - be it with a cardiologist or a carpenter or a composer - is always (and ought to be) about the SUBJECT. A good interviewer is a catalyst and should never ever try to impress her/his interviewee with evidence of their "research" or "scope/depth of knowledge." The questions should succintly define the parameters without limiting the scope of the yet to be articulated answers. An intelligent and forthcoming subject like Vani Jairam is an interviewer's ideal, someone who does not seek false adulation (as some interviewers are wont to doing) or a crown of verbal laurels before every new question. She is sufficiently aware of her accomplishments (as pointed out by Saravanan) for there to be a need to parade them at every given opportunity. A journalistic delight in every sense.
  
  "I wish she had sung a few bars...."
  This is a paraphrased refrain, and evidence of a rather common expectation. This is also an expectation that is usually reserved for singers/ musicians (authors, painters, composers, brain surgeons, athletes, directors...are more or less exempt,) as one assumes that the singer/musician should be only-too-willing to demonstrate their expertise. After all, what could be a reason for not doing so?
  Had the interview been a televised event, this might have been a possibility. I still have some reservations about such a request: The main and only reason being we already KNOW the repetoire of the SUBJECT, hence why should we demand impromptu evidence? Don't get me wrong - I do recognise the desire behind such a request, but depending on the artiste, this can play out in different ways. Hence, I consciously avoid this tricky moment in my journalistic work. We know she is a singer (and a fine one,) and she shouldn't be put in a position (particularly on the phone,) to demonstrate her expertise to us. Yes, it would have been nice for sure, but the evidence is out there aplenty.
  
  "Wish she had answered naaz's question regarding her work with the 4 MDs..."
  Saravanan, she did (I did press on.)
  But unfortunately, right at that moment, halfway through the answer, the phone line went dead. The songs she listed were from her award-winning work in Aboorva Ragangal, Shankarabharanam, Meera, Swatikiranam and while she was mentioning Azhagey Unnai Aaradhikiraen and Seethakokachilaka - that thought was cut off. I had no choice but to delete that segment, as I did not want to offend with a "retake."
  
  Vani Jairam also spoke at length about her work in Marathi films (and natya sangeeth) and her work in Bengali films. I decided to omit them as they seemed like digressions and I did not want the interview to become too unweildy. I kept the bit about her work in Gujarati and Oriya films just for the details about state awards and her tenure in those regions. That seemed to have some archival merit.
  
  There was also a section on YSKB which I dropped from the final cut. It came at the very end, and I was not sure if it worked with the overall format and structure.
  
  I hope this background tour gives you a sense of how things unfolded during the conversation. With great care, I limited my interruptions and rejoinders and allowed Vani Jairam to talk freely, without inundating her with details and trivia.
  By all accounts, I believe she measured up with characteristic aplomb.
  
  Thanks for listening!
  
  
  (A note to all past, present and future lampoonists amidst us -- from the recently appointed high-priest of vanijayaram bhajanamandali:
  Trust me, my intellectual life would be nothing without a healthy sense of irony. I love and groove to irony.
  But dropped definite articles, wrong comma splices, mismanaged time/tense formations and countless dangling modifiers - all speak of an essential grammatical inadequecy. Either stop overreaching before it is too late. Or, better still, pay attention next time. God (even a bitter one) is still in the details.)
  
  
  
  
  
  
• From: vijay (@ 208.61.227.242) on: Wed Aug 21 10:42:51 EDT 2002
  
  NeelD, Uma Ramanan didnt give any "hit" songs by herself. I would attribute 80% of the credit for her "hit songs" to IR :-) Remember, IR also gave hits with singers like Jency who were not great either. I am not sure how much value UmaR added to an IR composition. Very less I would assume.
  And Uma Ramanan got more than her fair share of songs. Right from Panneer Pushpangal days to the recent Kaatrukenna veli. I feel many of her songs could have gone to the more talented Chitra or SJ or even Swarnalatha.
  
  " I think you and sivaselvam are so emotionally caught up in regarding non-tamil artistes as Tamilians, however good they may be."
  
  No, if you assume so, please remove that notion :-) I myself am greatly upset at the fact that present day talented singers like MadhuB or Harish or Rajkumar Bharati are being sidelined and replaced with Udit, Sukhwinder Singh etc.
  
  But I dont see any reason for IR or MSV to discriminate based on nativity. IR(who is a tamilian himself) had a fairly good amount of say in his choice of singers and lyricists when he was in his peak. So why should he discriminate based on nativity? What is the motive for him to do so or what does he stand to gain?
  
  I feel in the 80s and before discrimination was made in most of the cases between singers who could sing/pronounce well and those who could'nt. What I am upset about is the recent trend, that which became popular in the latter half othe 90s.
  
  

---

List all pages of this thread

Post comments