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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: sankar (@ 203.124.138.34) on: Sun Mar 2 01:37:40 EST 2003
  
  Dear Mahedraraj - thanks for your great inputs.. I will diagress a bit to 'krishna gaanam'...All the songs here are GEMS..I just want to stress on a particular song in this collection which I wonder, how come KD had got such a thought to write this particular.
  
  Imagine meeting one of your early day friends after a gap of say 3 or 4 decades.. the first question will be 'ennai therigiradha'? ( Do you recognise me?)..
  
  In the song
  KANNAPURAM SELVAEN, KAVALAI ELLAM MARAPPEN,
  KANNANIN SANNADIYIL ENNAERAMUM IRUPPAEN.
  
  he had written about how he will feel if he visits THIRU KANNABURAM, a great Vishnu temple. In this song, he dwells in detail about the temple and in the last stanza, written as
  
  YETTUZHUTHAI SOLLI KITTAE NERUNGIDUVAEN
  ennai therigiradha ENDRAE KAETTIDUVAEN
  KATTI ANNAITHU ENNAKKU KAI KODUPPAN KANNAN
  KARPOORA MANAM KAMAZHUM KAAL PIDIPPAEN _ UYVAEN
  
  The point to be noted is, his ability to bring out his inner feelings in word form and able to make everyone experience the same feelings when they here the song.
  
  No wonder MSV , whenver sings the song PULLANGUZHAL KODHUTTHA MOONGILGALAE, in his light music programmes, instead of ending with ENGAL PURUSHOOTHAMAN PUGAZ PAADUNGALAE, will sing as ENGAL KANNADASAN PUGAZ PAADUNGALAE... he is right!!!!!!
  
  
  
• From: R. Mahendra Raj (@ 203.106.49.190) on: Sun Mar 2 04:21:06 EST 2003
  
  Thanks Harris and Sankar for the comments.
  
  Even Rama Kanappan, Kaviarasar's assistant after Panchu Arunasalam, noted in his book that in all probabilities Kaviarasar's soul should be resting in Bhirundavanam in the heavens above and singing live songs of praises to Lord Krishna himself. That much he had penned about Lord Krishna.
  
  Just because Ilayaraja and Gangai Amaran were at the airport to see Kaviarasar off to Chicago (the last) both claimed the rights to the song "pullanguzgal koduthha moongigale". However, MSV makes it a point to render this song in practically all of his concerts. Of course he had changed the last stanza as mentioned above. One can actually see him choking with emotion when he mentions kaviarasar's name at the last stanza. Such was his affection for kaviarasar.
  
  In the mid fifties Kannadhasan and NSKrishnan (another legend)were boozing in the latter's house. NSK related to him as to how is gardener cried to him over the latter's son who left him after getting married. NSK added that the gardener, out of spite, preferred to tend to coconut trees which was part of his profession instead of tending to his own off-spring. ("thennaiya petthaal ilaneeru pillaya petthaal kanneeru"). This line invoked much thought in kaviarasar and he was awaiting a suitable film song to incorporate it.
  
  Nearly 15 years later he infused this line into the song "yaarai nambi naan poranthaen pongadaa ponga" (Enga Oor Raja 1968.) That was a terrible long period all of you might think. But the accompanying incident puts to rest your opinion.
  
  One morning kaviarasar was in his office-cum-studio, probably busy with his own film "Karuppu Panam" when a young boy appeared. He inquired as to who he was and the boy replied that he was the new office boy to work for his studio. Kaviarasar thence asked him for his name and the boy replied "Thirumaal Azhagar". This name stuck to him and in a short while he was on his way the studio where the film "Kalai Koyil" (1964) [ jointly produced by MSViswanathan & Sridhar]was being produced to write the songs. Whilst in the car he was still thinking of the young boy's unique name and he wasted no time to include it in the song "deviyin thirumugam oruvanuku thirumaal azhagar iruvaruku" in a sitational song scene for this film, all within a matter of minutes! This goes to show that whatever impresses kaviarasar must be shared with the masses no matter what the time frame is.
  
  The song "aasayae alaipole nammellam malai mele" (Thai Piranthal Vazhi Pirakkum" 1958)was written on a cold night, in a car, on the silver foil of a cigarette packet when he could not find a piece of paper. Kaviarasar and gang; which included Tiruchi Loganathan, were returning home after attending a function outstations when they were put on traffic hold at a railway crossing. It was during this time that kaviarasar had the inspiration to write this song. Tiruchy Loganathan was much impressed with the lyrics that he begged kaviarasar to recommend that he be given the chance to sing this song. The wish was fulfilled and the song is still a moral booster even after more than 4 decades.
  
  Bye for now!
  
  
• From: dj ron (@ 67.116.24.35) on: Sun Mar 2 05:48:39 EST 2003
  
  kannathan is the best
  
  
• From: geeth (@ 195.39.134.84) on: Sun Mar 2 07:52:44 EST 2003
  
  "thennaiya petthaal ilaneeru pillaya petthaal kanneeru"
  
  we used to discuss among friends if kavinjar was mentioning about a son or children in general when he says 'pillaya peththaa'.
  
  in the same song another interesting line that follows the above is -
  paanayile sorirunthaal
  poonaigalum sonthamada..
  
  
  
• From: sankar (@ 203.124.138.34) on: Mon Mar 3 23:02:42 EST 2003
  
  Tku Mahendraraj.. I want to get some inputs from KD's fans about one particular song which, even today, I sit spell bound after going through the lines and what thinking must have run into his mind when the song was penned.. the song is a lullaby in Chitti and sung by PS.
  
  KAALAMADI KAALAM IDHU KANNURANGU MAGALAE
  KAALAM IDHAI THAVARA VITTAL THOOKKAM ILLAI MAGALAE
  
  where, the step mother puts her child to sleep saying that for a girl (lady), the childhood is the only time she gets to sleep and if she misses it, she has to wait till her old age to enjoy a sound sleep. Also, it explains the responsibilities on the ladies at various stages of their life. Going by the lines, i took it for KD ( hope i am not wrong)
  
  miga arumayaana paadal...
  
  

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