Rajavin Raajangam

August 14,2010 - a day that I'll never forget in my lifetime. Met the great Ilaiyaraja (chellama 'mottai') and wowed by his simplicity. Actually, it was a book release function - Sangeetha Saagaram Semmangudi authored by Shankar Venkatraman on Semmangudi R Srinivasa Iyer. I owe my heartfelt gratitude to my darling S'mani (:-P) for taking me to the event.
The venue was Kamakoti Hall at Krishna gana sabha. The hall looks simple and elegant with acoustically designed walls. But what impressed me most was the portraits of musicians such as the Trinity, Swati Tirunaal with an inset picture of their 'ankita' mudra!!!
And when I was awed by it, Hubby dear, a classical music ignoramus that he is, enquired and I started explaining. For eg, Swati Tirunaal portrait carried an inset pic of Anantha Padmanabha swamy and Annamayya's carried Lord Venkateswara. Some of the composers and their ankita mudras are:
Tyagaraja - tyagaraja
shyama sastri - shyamakrishna
Muthuswami Dikshitar - Guruguha
Muthiah bhagavathar - harikesa
Papanasam Sivan - Ramadasa
Purandara Dasa - Purandara vittala
St Vadiraja - hayavadana....
and Ilaiyaraja's - Raja!
Here are some of the songs containing his 'ankita'- Raja rajadhi rajan indha raja (Agni Nakshatram), raagangal thaalangal nooru raja un per sollum paru (Valaiiyosai from Kamal-starrer Sathya), poongatru soodaachu rajaave yaar moochu (nan thedum from Dharmapathini, an excellent work in Hindolam), rajavin mutham kollum rojapoo kannam (poongaatru un per solla from Vetri vizha), rajanodu rani vandhu serum (Sathi leelavathi) etc.
The range of ragas that IR handled is simply stunning - from the very ubiquitious Kalyani (amma endrazhaikkadha, kaatril varum geethame), rare Chakravaaha (metti oli kaatrodu, poongatre neeyum) to the rarest Andolika (raaman aandalum raavanan aandalum).
An interesting thing I heard in the event - Semmangudi mama had only two pictures in his room, lord Balaji of Tirupathi and our own IR! And once when he was asked why Raja's picture in his room, Semmangudi replied: "Ivar talkie musicoda doctor da, ivar padam illama eppadi?"