http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/1000.html
Listen
- dhooL team writes:
The soul of music slumbers in the shell
till waked and kindled by the master’s spell;
And feeling hearts, touch them but rightly, pour
a thousand melodies unheard before!
- Samuel Rogers (Human Life)
Upon reaching this milestone, we take immense pleasure in looking back… at the appearance of SOTD with ‘sakhiyE’ from andhimantharai on June 11, 2002, and the remarkable voyage of discovery that it has been to all of us ever since. Ranging from Vasanthakokilam to Chinnaponnu, we have had an astounding array of singers gracing our portals. Songs spanning over 6 decades have made it to the SOTD, covering every conceivable genre- themmaangu, therukkoothu, verum kuththu, villupaattu, Jazz, instrumental pieces, stirring devotionals, classical treasures, immortal dialogues… we have featured them all. We have revisited forgotten melodies, unearthed rare riches and resurrected little-known composers and singers of yore to rightful glory. We have been surprised at songs from unreleased movies; we have been startled by the Tamil forays of Hemant Kumar and Shamshad Begum. We have expanded our horizons- exploring and embracing the musical delights from the other southern languages and Hindi. SOTD has triggered from informed posters engrossing discussions, animated debates, acrimonious exchanges, witty repartees, even studied silences… We have to confess we have not been all that regular, especially of late, but our enthusiasm and passion remain undiminished.
This, then is surely the best time to acknowledge with gratitude your constant encouragement- your responses have indeed meant a lot. Thank you! We hope to continue traveling together, rediscovering and celebrating the priceless legacy of Tamil film music…
And to roll on the revelries, here is a once popular masterpiece from an unsung melody-maker:
Song: Oraayiram kaRpanai
Film: Ezhaikkum kaalam varum
Singer: S.P.B.
Lyrics: Vaali
Music: V. Kumar
Listen
Another of those myriad obscure movies from the 70s, Ezhaikkum kaalam varum (1975/ Sarada Combines) had Muthuraman and Subha is its cast and was directed by S. Rajendrababu. What keeps this failed and forgotten film remaining entrenched in memory is the sheer magic of the unassuming Kumar- with characteristic munificence Kumar gave the film an album it doubtless did little to deserve. Take the lilting Yesudas-Suseela duet ‘mOham ennum raagam paadum’ for instance- so many evenings of the late 70s remain precious in memory when this delight wafted through Radio Ceylon’s mandha maarutham. And as for that rollicking ‘aattathin thalaivanum paattinil thalaiviyum’ wherein SPB, Swarna and Saibaba have had a blast; how ingenious of Kumar to merge the Tamil lines seamlessly with the opening lines of Charlie Rich’s 1973 hit ‘The Most Beautiful Girl’! Not content with this bounty, the album then claims for itself the two versions of ‘Oraayiram kaRpanai’, one by Suseela and the other more popular one by SPB. While the solo by Suseela is a woman’s forlorn appeal to her lover, SPB’s song is an endearing ode to music, and thus selects itself to mark our milestone.
‘He was a very nice man…. I am fortunate to have sung many of his songs,...’ said a ruminative SPB. He was speaking of V. Kumar when a contestant in yesterday’s edition of ‘ennOdu paattu paadungaL’ chose to sing ‘oru naaL yaarO’. Heaping heartfelt accolades on the late composer, SPB said that at a time when M.S. Viswanathan and K.V. Mahadevan were riding high, it was no mean achievement for a debutant composer to carve a distinct niche for himself, and Kumar did that. With unique rhythm patterns and inventive orchestration, Kumar brought new meaning to the word ‘melody’. Take the SOTD as case in point; with the piano as the mesmersing mainstay, Kumar crafts an immortal homage to music… SPB seems to bare his soul as he brings to life Vaali’s lines that in turn echo our diehard passion for music as well…
eththanai kaalam vaazhnthaalum
ennenna kOlam koNdaalum
en uyir naadham sangeetham..
geethamE.. naadhamE.. Odi vaa....
Let the celebrations commence!
- Here is a slice of SOTD with the help of graphs:
