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MM NEVER APPROACHES THE SONG BASED ON RAGA

 
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N Y MURALI



Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Posts: 920
Location: CHENNAI

PostPosted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 5:10 pm    Post subject: MM NEVER APPROACHES THE SONG BASED ON RAGA Reply with quote

Dear friends,

Recently I happened to see the shooting of the programme ‘Enrum Msv’ BY ‘Mega TV’.
A recording of the song was going on. The song was ‘Adi Ennadi Ulagam’ from ‘Aval Oru Thodarkathai’. While the camera was on during the recording of the song MM called his assistant Mr. Ananthu and whispered something in his ears. I was very curious what he would have told. The suspense was broken when the song ended. When the song was about to end with the rhythm ending, Mr. Ananthu started an ‘aalapana’ of the raga of the tune of that song. Once that was over MM told Mr. Aadhavan to see how a carnatic raga has been changed as a light music. He turned towards his orchestra and asked what raga that was. He could have stopped with that. He went ahead and said this is the same as the raga ‘kaadal kaadal endru pesa’. Based on this somebody said it was the raga ‘Dharmavathi’. But his keyboard player was quick to mention that this is raga ‘Hemavathi’. Now MM commented ’Dharmavathiyo, Hemavathiyo yedho oru vadhi’.

The reason I quoted this instance is that it shows that he never approached this song as a raga based melody. In fact not only this, but all his songs he would have approached it as a melody only and not from any raga.

Immediately I started thinking myself how other MDs could have reacted to this particular interesting situation. Since most of them compose the song based on raga they could have told the audience that this is composed based on the raga ‘Hemavathi’. This is the 58th mela kartha raga it contains so and so aarohanam, avarohanam etc etc. They could have also quoted that Shri Thyagaraja composed this keerthani in this raga, Shri Dikshadar has composed this keerthanai and so on. The audience would have kept their fingers on their nose wondering about what a composer after THYAGARAJA.
They would have used this incident for a perfect PR campaign.

But MM after composing this song in that raga never said he approached this composition on a raga based. He said it just happened that it was in that raga.

But that does not mean that he is does not support carnatic music or ragas. In fact the micro second when has conceived in his birth, Goddess Saraswathi graced him. But as a human being he had to learn a formal music so he learnt from Shri Neelaganda Bhagavadhar. The first public appearance for his music was through a kuthceri in Trivandrum at the age of 13!!!.

He himself mentioned in a radio programme about the importance of learning the carnatic music as a foundation for anybody who wants to be a composer. But to get yourself bogged with the luggage of tradition could hinder your growth as a creator. I can quote an example. Take for instance our Satellite Launch Vehicle which puts the Satellites in to orbit. This is famously called as SLV3. The word SLV means Satellite Launch Vehicle and the number 3 denotes that it has 3 stages. All the 3 stages are filled with the fuel which helps the rocket to get lifted and escape the earth gravitational pull. Once the first stage fuel is consumed the stage is disconnected from the rocket. Because it would make the rocket lose weight so that the next 2 stages can consume less fuel and go more height. If they feel that that we cannot neglect the importance of the first stage and should not leave it alone then you cannot proceed further. You have to fall with all your baggage.
MM is like that. If traditional Indian music is his first stage, then he went to the next stage with Western music as the second stage and all other sundries in the third stage. The moment he left the first stage he was able to grasp faster in the second stage and still faster in the third stage. But he knew that without the first stage he could not have lifted off at all. That is why he advices youngsters to learn carnatic first for any career in composition.

Unfortunately others get struck in stages because they carry the baggage called tradition. Unfortunately the world also believes the tradition.

I always wonder about what melody Lord Krishna would have played in his flute. Raga Aaanada bairavi? Or ‘Thodi”?. Nobody knows. But one thing I am sure that whatever he played was divine since he was able to make the cows or the Gopikas who listened his music were in unison with him.

I hate people when they say MM music is cinema song which involves love affair etc whereas traditional music is only about the bakthi. While I do not discount the fact that they have to respected and kept in high esteem, at the same time if I can achieve the same divinity feeling when I hear his ‘Pullong kuzhal kodutha Moongilkale’ why not I use that because that appeal to me.

In fact nobody other than Lord Krishna would have taught us how to use the concept of love for divinity. If any lyric writer today has written ‘Geedha Govindam’ it would not have passed the Censor Board approval.

So why not the song 'kaadal kaadal endru pese kannan vandhanoo' can take us to Lord Krishna as long as we see the song between us and KRISHNA.



Regards,

N Y MURALI
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VaidyMSV & Sriram Lax



Joined: 15 Apr 2007
Posts: 852
Location: chennai

PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dear shankar

some songs missed in your list

1. kannan ennum mannan payirai - vennira aadai
2. kannanukku maalai - uzaikkum karangal
3. kannan varuvan kathai soluvan


may be a few more

re enrum MSv - i agree in total with you . Infact i even suggested Mr Athavan to bring in guests to pep upthe show.

i am sure TKR would be better as not only he would advise the composition styles , but also incidents relating to that - or shankar ganesh or singers , vaalee would do justice .

athavan agreed my point , but said , he is trying t open up MSv a bit - but
it has only marginally succeeded , and SPM episode was good


all of us know , MM is a master in making use of trumpet in music , but cannot blow his own . its really sad .

i didnot find the programme last week in 10 am slot - is it stopped or timing changed ...

i really want MSv times to arrange a meeting with the master , so all of us has chance to put questions , to bring out , and this can be with vaalee , singers etc .

LET US DO IT , BY HIS 80YEAR COMPLETION WHICH I THINK COMES IN JULY . LET US HAVE A ONE DAY IN KAMARAJAR ARANGAM . AND DOCUMENT THE SAME , FOR FUTUTE . WHOLE DAY OF MMS MUSIC OF DIFFERENT ERA ,IT WOULD BE FASCINATING . I KNOW IT WOULD BE COSTING A LOT SO LET US FORM A COMMITTEE , AND START THE WORK NOW .

LET US RELEASE THE BOOK ALSO DURING THAT FUNCTION .


MY APPEAL TO ALL MSV FANS TO JOIN IN THIS - LET US NOT FAIL LIKE GOVERNMENTS , CINE PERSONALITIES , OR POLITICIANS IN RECOGNISING HIS FEATS

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