Flight Plight

Flight journeys are not for the squeamish...for the faint-hearted I mean. The human mind may soar, but the human body is intrinsically, firmly anchored to the earth. Little wonder, air travel is somehow not natural. There is an element of the bravado in it, almost like bungee-jumping!


Let's face it- we all go through it.　Our denial is not going to change the fact about Air Travel. It is just　not as easy as stepping inside a train compartment. We naturally relax into the environs of the train- slip our suitcases below the berth, kick-off the footwear in a hurry, change into some relaxed pajamas and have the liberty to stretch our legs in full　or sit cross-legged or even do a head-stand if　we chose to! The ease, the freedom and the informality of it all!

Air Travel presents a contrasting picture of sorts. It's a tight-fit from the moment you step in- like squeezing yourself in a size-0 skinny-pair of jeans, when you actually belong to a commodious extra-large and beyond!
The seat is compact and so is everything else.　A single　posture into which you compress your　whole frame and have to hold it for 16 hours flat! Every movement has to be measured.　　One　careless move and you would have jabbed your neighbor’s sides with your elbow or knocked his spectacles off...when you tried to stretch your arms. When food is served, it needs a different skill altogether- the table is miniscule, the items many and space at　an absolute　premium. It's like a Mumbai chawl.　Elbows tucked to the body, you nibble at it- as a squirrel would. Attention has to be full and complete- else,　you could topple and bring down the entire food-pyramid topped with a coffee-cup....and watch it helplessly run down your trousers, your neighbors and into the aisle! At the end of the journey, there is confirmation that you can successfully do another job- the job of a contortionist!


Part of the problem of Air-Travel is the fear-factor. Already the mode of travel is unnatural. The exaggerated safety-instructions kick off a few more butterflies in the belly! The seat has to be upright, the waist-belt fastened and the mobile switched off.　The cabin lights have to be dimmed and windows open in full. It's as if...if we got even one of these things wrong, the plane wouldn't take-off....or worse...leave it!　It needs just one non-compliant person to forget to switch off his mobile- it could completely upset this delicate apple-cart!


If we watch the safety drill, it's as if anything and everything　could happen. Forewarned is forearmed one might say....but the safety-information lets our imagination run riot!　Oxygen masks could rain down, the plane could land in water, you may have to bob around in the middle of the ocean on a　floatation-device (which is of course placed under the seat)..... and sometimes, use an enormous slide to slip out of the plane in a tearing hurry!
"Sir, are you ok sitting at the emergency-exit seat?" asks a polite airhostess. Ruffled as we already are, it's tough to give a cogent answer. Our gut-reaction is often, "Madam, am I at a greater risk　in sitting here?　Would I need to hold the door-shut if it were to accidentally open in mid-air? Is there any such possibility...and if there is, I am out of here...for sure!" Unfortunately, there is no exit-strategy, strapped as we are, to our safety-belt. We mumble a　quick yes...and resign ourselves to fate and a few prayers!


But once you are 20000 feet in the air, you're not edgy anymore. The jangled nerves relax, the seat-belt sign is off and　life is balmy once more! The dazzle of the sunshine, the ink-blue sky...and occasional wispy, cotton-like clouds floating by- air-travel has its unique window-shows!
You've eaten the choicest of chocolates of the world. It doesn't matter. When the airhostess gets the tray with the toffees.... all nicely arranged....and lights up the display with a brilliant smile, it's a different feeling altogether. It's suddenly tough to make a selection of one or two. There is an irresistible urge to reach for the candies by the fistful...or taking possession of the entire tray!
You hear the swish of the coke-cans　being opened, the orange-juice poured out, the aroma of fresh coffee and an occasional "Tomato-Juice, no ice please!"


The background sound fades away　to the　crisp voice of the pilot from the cockpit. "We've begun our descent...." He ends　his short speech with elan.　"As part of the crew, we thank you for flying our airlines. We wish you the very best in　your journey ahead!" Such elegance, such poise! Surely, train-travel cannot match this sophistication by a distance!


As the plane prepares for the final-landing, I can see my neighbor scrutinizing my features- my knuckles going white, my clenched jaw. "Relax...relax!! I told you　Air Travel is the safest means of transport! Haven't you seen the numbers? Getting knocked down when you are walking on the footpath has a higher probability!" The argument is compelling. I relaxed till he threw in the rider. "But yes, I do agree. It's a boolean!"　 "What do you mean...it is a boolean?" I shot back. "Well....it means the answer is 1...and sometimes, a 0...but never in-between!" he trailed away...before breaking into a fit of wicked laughter!

Ganpati Bappa Morya!

In the making....

This year's Ganesha....seated gingerly over mooshik!

Weekend doodle: Ganesha at Meenakshi Temple, B'ghatta Rd

Ganesha- Pencil-color sketch... Saturday morn..done on location!

Weekend breezy sketch - ink and pencil-color

View from Narasimha Temple, Bannerghatta Rd



Last month's sketch- At sister's place, Detroit!

Of bags and baggage!

The baggage-claim area is a great leveler. Prince or pauper, business-class pampered mogul or the economy-class huddled software engineer, regardless of your tag, you have to jump through the same hoops when it comes to picking your baggage. It is inescapable.


If you land in India, the great Indian mela starts right here, at the baggage-claim area. It's a lot like our traffic, never a dull moment. Carousels, running conveyor belts, suddenly-stopped-running belts, baggage on the belt, baggage outside the belt, baggage-about-to-tip-over from the belt, travelers, attendants, side-kicks, everything choc-a-bloc...you name it! It isn't easy for the flight-weary or the faint-hearted. Regardless of how we are built, our baggage for sure, is made of sterner stuff.


They say that a home-raised village-cow is equipped with its own biological Google-map!  Even if you were to abandon it miles away, it will make its way back to the owner with unerring accuracy. 
Our baggage does even better. We are challenged when it comes to our multi-leg international flights-  to find the correct flight, the correct gate and wade through miles of airport-terminals, corridors and security-scanners. Surprisingly, the baggage manages to do all this, that too unaccompanied with effortless ease! It's baffling. Little wonder, we question and repeatedly, "Does the baggage go all the way to San Francisco or do I pick it up at Dubai?". "No sir! It is checked all the way to San Francisco!" We are forced to confirm one more time. "You mean I pick it up....er...er....at San Francisco directly?" "Yes sir", comes the blunt reply.
And sure enough, it's there for you at the carousel at San Francisco- blinking with the same beady eyes, just the way you left it at Bangalore! It's simply unbelievable!


If ever our baggage had a catwalk of their own, their two minutes of fame, where a hundred eyes stayed glued to them, it has to be at the conveyor belt. Unlike a regular catwalk, you don't have to be an eye-candy to be a head-turner here. In fact, the more unconventional your looks, the more points you get. Just think about it- all your branded suitcases file past...prim and proper. And suddenly, out of the blue, stumbles along.....this box of Alphonso mangoes! Just a simple cardboard box, wriggling its way, with a vernacular script scrawled all over, from some nondescript place on this planet. It has no zips, no handles, no bells or whistles! If you have to lift it, it is by the scruff of the neck- by the coir-rope which keeps the box together. As make-shift and raw as that, but it invites all attention! And as it floats by, through the crack in the cardboard lid, you spot the little yellow of the ripening Alphonso mango! You break into a smile, run your tongue over your lips- it's so overly inviting, standing right there at the carousel! The Alphonso mango gets more shutter-bugs than anyone out there!


A 14-hour flight is grueling. It's hard on the body for sure, but it takes a greater toll on the mind, reducing you to an absolute zombie. Suddenly, you can't recall anything about how your luggage looked! It's a state of total blankness. You can't recall if it was black or navy-blue or red, rectangular or triangular. As the pieces of luggage float past, your sleepy brain gives you opposite messages. Either it urges you to reach out for every piece out there because they all look familiar or it tells you to stay aloof because none of them seem vaguely related. You kick yourself. At least, you could have spent that one minute to tie a friendship-band of sorts, some terribly ugly ribbon which would have made life simple. Now, it's a lost cause. You drift off and think about Rama. The other day, he would have felt just as helpless, reduced to a mute spectator, watching Vali and Sugriva clawing at each other! They both looked alike, much like these suitcases so that he couldn't tell one from the other.  The solution was simple. Sugriva wore a garland the next day and now, Rama could unerringly aim his arrow at Vali. It was a simple and effective plan.
I took a leaf out of this episode.  On my way back, I tied this most eye-piercing green, fluorescent ribbon at the handle of the black suitcase. But life isn't as easy as the Ramayana narrative. To my utmost surprise, at the Bangalore airport, a dozen black suitcases all landed up, with the same ribbon at the handle! Imagine what Rama would have done had Vali also turned up with a garland the next day? For sure, he would have broken his Kodanda bow in two, and moved on... to other vocations in life!!!


Sometimes, an enormous waiting game gets played out. The last few get to play this game, and yes, you are one of them! Suddenly, no one wants to pick up suitcases from the ring any more. The suitcases keep spinning and spinning for eternity. Each time, you look at it expectantly, only to realize that it's the same one which picked your curiosity the last time too! "Why are they even there in the first place...if no one wants them!" you feel like yelling. The problem is- all the players out there... are equally affected by a sudden bout of amnesia. No one remembers his suitcase anymore. Each one is waiting for the other to blink first, take his suitcase and move, so that the last man standing can take the left-over and leave!! This war of attrition can be terribly draining, and played out at a point when you can barely stand.


Suitcases are like us. Each one has a distinct personality. I believe, we deserve the suitcase we get! There are party-animals out there, who have hit it off with other suitcases, in the course of their journey. It is evident that they have had a great time- they come bunched up, all heady and excited, tumbling down.....almost falling over each other...and off the conveyor belt!! And then, there is the loner. The rest of humanity has walked away with its bags and you stand alone at the carousel. It is terribly lonely out there.....with carousels stretching till the horizon and not a soul in sight. (This is of course the US). You feel you could get mugged. That's when the loner ambles along, shuffling his feet, on the conveyor belt, with not a care in the world! You have half a mind to give him a nice kick in the back. He richly deserves it, but you restrain yourself. At least, he showed up. Otherwise, you would have had to file a missing claim, which would be another headache!


Gently, I open suitcase flap and peer into the contents for confirmation. There is an overwhelming sense of relief- to spot a bright-red jockey brief! It is surely mine! I yank out a trolley, stack-up the suitcase, wheel it past the sliding door......and melt into the sunshine! I have just one thought running in my mind. The next time, I am going to play it real safe. My suitcase will be easiest to spot. He's going to be dressed like Superman, with my red-jockey on the outside! Surely, no one would have thought of that!!




San Francisco Airport- Sketch done on location! (Air Alaska in foreground)

The magic of Munnar

Every place has a story- not one, but several. Without them, it is just another place, another clutter of trees and hills, and nameless hamlets. It is the stories which breathe life to the place and give it that special character.


Munnar has its stories- we've heard many over the last couple of days. Sitting on these clump of rocks, we silently ponder over them. The setting makes these stories more engaging.


Behind us, looms the Aanamudi Peak which overlooks the entire Munnar valley. It is the highest speak in South India, taller than even the Doddabhetta, the more well known peak in the Nilgiris.
The Aanamudi Peak- majestic and stately, lives up to its name (aana - elephant, mudi- head). It looks like a colossal elephant- complete with the gentle slope of the back, the dome-shaped head and the curve of the trunk. It is pure rock- shaved off all vegetation. A damp-streak here, a dried trickle there.....breaks the monotony of the rock façade. Perhaps, it is juice from the elephant in "musth", perhaps, dried tears of a bygone tale. We would never know.


The story of Munnar is the story of tea. The earliest inhabitants of Munnar were the "Mudhuvans", the adivasis, who made these hills their own. They were driven out of the plains and climbed these hills. A sturdy tribe, they brought all their possessions strapped to their backs. Hence, the name "mudhuvans", the "back-people".  The tribe can still be seen in pockets, just as they were...eons ago.


As per a popular story, 150 years ago, an Englishman scoured this part of the country. Tired and exhausted, he flopped down at a Mudhuvan home. The Mudhuvan family nursed him with a concoction which gave him instant energy.  The drink was tea! The rest, as they say, is history. We do not know whether the world-wide fascination for tea had its origin in China or at this Mudhuvan home. For Munnar, this chance episode would change its future. Around 1880, the British Officer Munroe, purchased the land around Munnar from the chieftain Kannan Devan.
Soon, the slopes were cleared and tea was grown. Thus was born the Kannan Devan brand of tea. The tea estates would change a number of hands in the next 100 years- the Finley Group followed by Tata. Now, KDHP (Kannan Devan Hills Plantation) is a co-operative enterprise, where every employee on these tea estates, shapes the future.


Tea is everywhere. It has literally taken over these hills. The dazzling green of tea, with its characteristic crisscrossed, block-shaped contours, meets the eye on every turn. It's as if these hills were covered with a full coat of fluorescent-green icing....and then chopped up into chunks of cake. Above the tea-line, the hills are bordered with the Eucalyptus.


The eucalyptus was not native to Munnar at all. It has its own story. The seeds were smuggled from Australia, in a pair of socks! Now, it competes with tea as the most recognizable feature on these hills.


Our musings are interrupted as the wind picks up at Aanamudi Peak. Ahead, the hills are stacked row upon row, right up to the horizon. Clouds float like wisps of cotton on the distant hills. Beyond those distant hills is Kochi, some 125 km away. That's how we got to Munnar- a 3 hour drive from Kochi airport. The drive took us through Kaladi, the birthplace of the saint Adi Shankara and we crossed the Purna River. The route was scenic and characteristic of Kerala- an unbroken row of houses on either side of the road. 1.5 hours of winding road eventually got us to Munnar.


Munnar gets its name from "moonu-aaru"- confluence of three ("moonu") rivers ("aaru"). The rivers are Kanniaar, Nalla Thanniaar and Paarvati-poothanaar". They join at Munnar and the combined flow speeds to the West and empties itself in the Arabian Sea.
There is little water in the river this time of the year. You have to visit the place in August, after the rains. That's when the rivers come to life- fed by the running water from these hills.


At the confluence of the three rivers, we see a confluence of the three great religions. On one side, is the ancient Subramanya Temple, on the other is a Masjid and the Carmel Church occupies the third side.
About 200 years ago, a Sufi saint, Pir Mohammad walked on these hills. His dargah at Pallivaasal is revered by all devotees.


Munnar is known for its spices. Our trip to Spice Garden was informative. These are the spices which brought the Europeans to the Malabar 500 years ago- nutmeg, vanilla, betel and cardamom, the king of spices.


Whether it is Ooty, Kodai or Munnar, their story is inextricably linked to the British. As the tea estates mushroomed, you required transport. The British built a mono-rail, a regular-rail and even a ropeway. All this happened at the turn of the 20th century. A flash flood in 1924 wiped off Munnar and with it, the rail too. The train would never run again. Today, the tourist gets a chance to visit "Top Station", which was the last station for the rail in those days. Presently, there is no train, no station. A viewpoint is all that greets us. A sudden fog robbed us of the view too. On a bright day, the viewpoint overlooks Theni and the plains of Tamil Nadu. Before we hit "Top Station", we went over the Maattupatti Dam over the Paarvati-Poothanaar River. On one side, is the expansive lake, with tourists making a beeline for the boats.


The story of Munnar...is eventually nature's story- of rolling hills and picturesque valleys, of tea-meadows and dense jungle, of cloud-kissed mountain peaks and deep ravines, of mountain streams and dried waterfalls, of sudden fog and incessant drizzle, of the "neelakurinji" flower and the Nilgiri Tahr, of misty mornings....and the nightly chorus of the Cricket.....


Aanamudi Peak gets darker by the minute.  The wind is stiff. The wisps of cotton suddenly take a turn from the distant hills and collide with us....face on! You can feel the moisture and the sudden dip in temperature. I thought I felt a touch upon my shoulder. I turn around. There's no one. The clouds let out a deep sigh...There is surely some presence on this Peak. Is it the presence of that English lady, fresh from England, who was so enchanted by these hills upon arrival, that she said....she wanted to be forever in this place? How portentous those words were. Two days later, she died of Cholera. She lies buried in these hills. That cloudlet, that cotton-wisp, is that perhaps her white skirt fluttering in the wind......and that sigh, perhaps her trailing voice......and that touch upon my shoulder, perhaps....perhaps....


Quickening our pace, we bolt for the bus.
Munnar has secrets, which will be hers......forever!






Ink and watercolor- done on location at the "Fog", Munnar

At the "Aveda", Kumarakom- watercolor on a rainy day!

Quick sketch...just before leaving Kumarakom- Vembanad Lake view.

An essay on Papanasam Sivan

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to listen to a lec-dem by Gayatri Girish and Dr Radha Bhaskar. The topic was Papanasam Sivan's compositions. It was an eye-opener and in two hours, we got a peek into Sivan's greatness. I jotted down a few points during the program. This is a breezy essay based on what I recall. Errors if any....are entirely mine!

 

Sivan- Tamil Tyagayya:

 

The Trinity occupy a pride of place in Karnatic Music. Their contribution is so immense, that every composer is classified as either belonging to the "pre-Trinity era" or the "post-Trinity era". Amongst the post Trinity composers, Papanasam Sivan reigns as one of the most prolific composers.

 

Fondly, he is called "Tamil Tyagayya". It's as if Tyagaraja was reborn to compose....this time in Tamil. We have about 500-odd compositions of Papanasam Sivan. Of these, about 50 are in Sanskrit and some in "mani-pravaalam" (combination of languages) and the rest, entirely in Tamil.

 

Papanasam Sivan modeled himself after Tyagaraja. Like Tyagaraja, most of the compositions are in "madhyama kaala" (middle-tempo in terms of speed). The kritis are brisk and energetic- a technique which Tyagaraja perfected to ensure that the listener's attention doesn't waver.

 

Like Tyagaraja, most of the kritis are personal in nature. It's as if his personal outpourings in a variety of moods, took the shape of these songs. The colloquial, conversational style of language also stands out in his compositions, much like Tyagaraja.

 

Sivan deviated from Tyagaraja on one point. In Tyagaraja's compositions, we often see a repetition in tune- the tune which he uses in the anu-pallavi is borrowed in the charanam. We don't see this in Sivan's compositions. Here, he seems to have followed Dikshitar, where every stanza has an entirely original score.

 

Sivan used the mudra "raama-daasan". But we find the mudra used sparingly- unlike Tyagaraja.

 

Tyagaraja's isha-devata was Lord Rama. Sivan's isha-devatas were Kapaaleeshvara and Karpagaambaal (Shiva-Parvati) at the Mylapore Temple in Chennai. Many of his compositions are addressed to these two deities.

 

Range of compositions:

 

Sivan's compositions range from "pada-varnas" to keertanas to thillanas. He has explored every genre. The program (by Gayatri Girish and Dr Radha) opened with the rendition of "shri vaataapi ganapatiye" in praise of Lord Ganesha in the raga Sahana.
Next, the pada-varnam in the raga Dhanyasi was presented. In pada-varnams, we find the nice crisscross of swara-sahitya for every line. This is unlike regular varnams, where we may not find sahitya for every line sung with swaras.
Sivan has composed similar pada-varnams in ragas like Sriranjani, Mayamalavagaula and Natakurunji to name a few.

 

In keertanas, we find songs with a single charanam  (ending-stanza) as well as with multiple charanams. If there are multiple charanams, we find examples where they have a single tune and others, where each stanza is individually developed.

 

The beautiful keertana "thiruparankundra vela" in the raga Hindolam was rendered as an example where the multiple charanas maintain the same tune.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM412sBxvpQ

 

A contrasting example was presented as the well known piece"ka va va" in the raga Varali. Here, the charanas are not repeated.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCCdH5kusH0

 

 

Variety of bhavas:

 

We see a gamut of emotion splattered over Sivan's many compositions. Some examples quoted were the following:

 

• nayaka-nayaki bhava: where the Lord is addressed...as if by the beloved. We see this in Natakurinji pada-varnam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asipFmKxdF4 

 

•  thaai-sey bhava (mother-child relationship):  We see this in the famous Shanmukhapriya kriti "parvati naayakaney sharanam". Here, we have the line that a child may forget its mother due to indifference, but the mother can never commit that mistake. So too...should the Lord protect Sivan (and thereby us too!).  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHqNPqcSnLY

 

•  Another example is "karunanidhiye thaaye" in the morning-raga Bowli. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWAHVNuX5eg

 

•  Self-deprecation: "Hey Shambho, why did you create...this despicable me?" Sivan asks in this poignant kriti in the raga Mayamalavagaula. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9zIWJgGnAk

 

•  "Enough! O Lord! No more births please!" We see this emotion in kritis like "piravaa-varam thaarum" in the raga Lathangi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl_ztdFchdc

 

•  "Lord, May I always be in your smaranam": We see this bhava in the kriti "Venkataramana" in the raga Lathangi again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ZlTT6b_NI

 

• "Lord, may I always worship your feet": (paada-sevanam). An example is the kriti "tava charanau mama sharanam" in the raga Thodi. (Can't find an audio track).

 

• nindaa-stuti: "Using sarcasm to take a dig at the Lord (and indirectly praise him)". Lord Shiva has Kubera, the deity of wealth at arms length! Still, he goes around begging for alms. "This duplicity....does it befit you, my Lord!?" questions Sivan. We see this in the composition set to the raga Surati called "pichchaikku vandeero". Interestingly, there is reference to Shiva as a "gudu gudu paandi"- the one who dresses up oddly and wildly!

 

Range of ragas:

 

Like the Trinity, most of Sivan's compositions are in the "rakti-ragas"- the time-tested ragas which give "instant relish". These are ragas like Thodi, Kalyani, Kambhoji, Shankarabharanam, Kharaharapriya, Bhairavi etc.

 

Sivan believed in delineating the raga's svaroopa in the first stroke in his songs; leaving no ambiguity at all. Sangatis (different nuances in which a particular phrase/line in sung) are built like a gopuram- from the simple to the most ornate...successively. An example is the kriti "kundram kudi konda velava" (raga Thodi). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgVqoJwuPYg In keeping with the lyrics, the sangatis are also stacked like a mountain (kundram) (adukku-adukka)!

 

One of Tygaraja's priya-ragas, is Kharaharapriya. Tyagaraja has composed around 20 kritis in this raga. So too, Sivan has composed around the same number- each time delving into a totally new facet of the raga. An example is "jaanaki pathey", exploring the raga in an altogether different way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Blq-y8gpWJM

 

Sivan's other well-known compositions in Kharaharapriya are "senthil andavan" and "srinivasa thava charanam" and "daya villaya".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZbW5ZQW8eQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_F0YFmImkg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-O-BppE3VQ
Interestingly, both Shyama Sastri and Dikshitar don't appear to have composed any song in this raga. It is odd. This raga is entirely Tyagu's bastion and after him, this Tamil Tyagayya's!

 

 

In the well known kriti "aadum deivam", he starts with an unusual opening for raga Kambhoji- "ni dha pa"...but quickly follows it up with "ma ga pa dha sa" leaving no doubt whatsoever. This kriti is also a lovely example where the words and the sangatis are so apt. We see the "oscillation, the dance of notes" in the way the phrase"aadum" is sung.....just the way Lord Shiva would dance...as the kriti describes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-JEKADz9N8

 

In the kriti "malarinai thunaye", raga Ritigaula is presented with no ambiguity from the start. There is no confusion with the related raga Anandabhairavi at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWKNOlwEO7M

 

Foray into "lighter" ragas:

 

In addition to rakti ragas, unlike the Trinity, Papanasam Sivan has a number of compositions in the so called "lighter" ragas which are very popular.

 

In the raga Valaji, we have "paadamey thunai".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9XwHoo2N2s

 

In the raga Shivaranjani, we have "tarunam idhu" in praise of Lord Ganesha.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbgHU5IfEc8

 

In the raga Tilang, we have "shri ganesha charanam".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoMXjplFXFU

 

In the raga Bhimplas, we have "kannan madhura" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emYKUmsIINU

In this kriti, Sivan identifies with a flute and how it has the fortune to stay pressed to Lord Krishna's lips!

 

How can we miss Sivan's most elegant kriti in the raga Behag?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhPRBRGZx1Y

 

Sivan had a particular fascination for the raga Hindolam. We will see in the next section how he has treated the raga in different ways.

 

Variety of themes:

 

While devotion is the bed-rock in Sivan's compositions, we find other ideas too.

 

During the atheistic movement in Tamil Nadu, Sivan composed "deivam illai endru sol vendaam" again in the raga Kharaharapriya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzq3LtWq8gg
The song says- "That God doesn't exist...may we never make that statement!"

 

Sivan has composed a kriti in Hari Kambhoji on the poet Subramanya Bharati "paamaalai".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-O-BppE3VQ

 

He has composed kritis on nature, on Tamil language and songs imbued with patriotic fervor.

 

Interesting aspects in Sivan's compositions:

 

The use of swarakshara- (the opening letter of a word and the swara in which it is sung...perfectly match)

• sa-ma-ga-nalolaney sa-dashiva - Hindolam

 

• parvati nayakaney sharanam.... - Shanmukhapriya

       saarvabhaumaney - (same song)
       nee marava....(same song)

 

• maa-ramanan - Hindolam
• paarkadal..... - the kriti "Mahalakshmi" (Shankarabharanam) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5FG5NGK644

 Madhyamakaala sangati: Swift, double phrasing as seen in Dikshitar's compositions. We see this in Sivan's Madhyamavati kriti "karpagamey". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcSSV-rihXQ

Hindolam in 3 speeds:

He has composed kritis in Hindolam in all 3 speeds. It is interesting to see how the gamakas are handled differently in each case.

• maa-ramanan - vilamba kaalam (slow tempo) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eds5YA_LzO0
• Saamagaana lolaney -madhyama kaalam (medium tempo) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgm7tkSWLh8
• nambi kettavar evarayya - durita kaalam (fast tempo) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV0JLe1nwfc

Use of rhyme (praasa):


We see the usage of rhyme in many compositions. An example is the Bhairavi kriti "shri vishwanatham bhaje".
The lines end (antya-praasam) with rhyming words...."deeksham", "kataaksham"..."mahoksham" etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0JM6JJD8ps
There are compositions where we see "diviteeya praasam". Here, the second letter rhymes in each line.


 Composition with no base "sa":


A raga is recognized in terms of the arrangement of other notes with respect to the base-note, the aadhaara, the shadja, the "sa". Sivan's "Devi neeye thunai" stands out as a composition where he has cleverly suppressed the lower "sa" and still brings out the flavor of Keeravani.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkNujASrFpM

 Tala:

An entire section in the program was devoted to enumerating the different talas used by Sivan in his compositions.

A musician apparently dismissed Tyagaraja's compositions as ordinary because he employed no complex talas. Tyagaraja composed "chede buddhi maanura" as a rebuttal of sorts. In this composition, he began the kriti before the "samam", creating a novel tala pattern. Sivan has used the same approach in one of his compositions.

 The conclusion:

A fleeting mention was made about "enathu manam", (my absolute favorite!) in the raga Hari Kambhoji https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfFNQOwSvHI

This kriti is in Tamil. It was used as an example to contrast it from other kritis which follow the "manipravala" format. In manipravala compositions, Sanskrit and Tamil are intertwined. It looks as if the kriti is in Sanskrit, till we find the usage of usage of Tamil also. 

Breaking the norm, Sivan composed a mangalam in praise of Lord Ganesha. Normally, we begin anything with an invocation to Ganesha. That the end and the beginning are the same....or perhaps to convey that there is no beginning and no end...as in a circle, Sivan employs this technique.

The concluding remarks were wonderful. Ragas are like uncharted territory. It is only through the compositions of these masters that we can hope to give them a swaroopa, an unmistakable structure. Hence, the importance of looking into these compositions with a keen eye. Though manodharma sangeetam is an important part of Karnatic music, where the artist explores a fresh facet of the raga each time, these keertanas have to serve as the guide, as the flag-post. Each raga is a journey into a mirage.....We feel we have arrested it completely, till we find there's something more...and more! It is an endless journey....and an enjoyable one!

And finally, no artist is bigger than the art. In our own small way....we take the cup of our hand....to gather a few droplets...a little trickle....from the ocean of music!