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?"

RAJA RAJA THAAN

Woke up this morning with a not-so-gud mood. But plenty of work to do. So, tuned in to radio. A couple of my god IR's songs and after that an ARR's. Nanna re nanna re number from Guru where Hubby dear's fav plastic figure drenches in the rain and 'dances' with her typical plastic smile, pallu swaying in the wind and showing facial wrinkles (no, they are character lines, says hubby!). It then struck me its just a 3-yr old song but still I can't remember any of those lines. Compare this with IR's rain songs.

Numbers like Megham Kottatum (Enakul Oruvan), Oho megam Vandhadho (Mouna raagam), Anthi mazhai megam (Nayagan), Vaan megam (Punnagai mannan) and not to forget the ever-green Aathadi Ammadi (Idhayathai Thirudaathey). I still get under the shower and shake my leg while hearing it; leave alone the lines i still remember those heavenly interludes of IR in all these songs. I think IR transcends time; his tunes grow on you while ARR is only seasonal.

Being a die-hard IR fan that I am, earlier I used to quip my friends telling that "ARR songs are like the guys u see on road/mall/beach - stay in ur mind for a short time whereas RAJA songs are like ur 'murai paiyyans', ennaikume saaswadham!"