A song I’m in love with, rather mad about for the last few days. It’s only rarely you come across a song that you want to listen to even a hundred times continuously over and over again and yet not get bored. So what makes this song so special? Or atleast to me? I just can’t contain the beauty of it, it’s music, lyrics, Shweta Pandit’s mesmerizing voice and rendition and the classical base on which it’s composed. So felt like writing on it!
The song begins with a beautiful lilting note and that plays in the background throughout at a lower volume. The Pallavi goes like “Idhayam inda Idhayam innum ethanai inbangal thangidumo….”, and the next line is similar with only the word ‘Inbam’ replaced with ‘Thunbam’. May seem to be an easily written and simple line but they are very very true and relevant. The fact that we could relate to it so well beautifies it even more!
Every other line that follows is deep and lovely too. For example, “kaayam yaavaiyum thetri kondu idu marubadiyum ninaikkirade”, “ethanaiyo kadalai idu vizhungum….”, “vendum vendum endru….thullume”, are also so genuine and show the nature of heart. Na. Muthukumar has used a different tool here. Unlike many other lyricists who commonly take up to writing about ironies like fire and the Sun becoming cold, water and night turning hot, etc. , he simply calls it “Idu thavithidum neruppa, illai kulirndidum neera….”, and only the third line employs an irony “Idu pani erimalaiya…” and that keeps the suspense and resplendence of the song soaring. Lines that deserve a mention are the next ones.. “Ullathile arai undu vaasalillai….ulle vandidum ninaivo thirumbavillai….”. This kind of an imagination is new and awe inspiring! How could someone think so brilliantly! Especially, “Ulle vandidum….” How true it is! Thoughts that come in don’t go out of our minds so easily. Greatly conceived and expressed!
The interlude that follows is a set of Swarams. A few pieces of music resemble (not copied definitely) the ones of Ennavale from Kadhalan, but it's not Kedaram.
The song is based on Reethi Gowlai Ragam (Courtesy : Sindhuja :))
Words of the second stanza are profound too. “Engum bodu idu vizhikkum….vendum endre idu nadikkum....”, again a nice realization. An admirable aspect is Shweta’s pronunciation. Hailing from a north Indian background, her efforts to take care of the diction of Tamizh words is commendable. In fact, even those who know the language well may sometimes be less accurate in doing it but she pronounces exactly. Be it the lines “Kadavulin pizhaiya….”, “kulirndhidum”, etc, the ‘zha’, “I” sounds are so clear and well pronounced. With regards to the lyrics now, initially, “Kadavulin pizhaiya….” may rage up some who think such a question is wrong. On listening to it for the first time I was upset too, but the next line immediately took care of the answer, justifying that an opposite idea is tried and of course Muthukumar is a theist too so it’s just a poetic license he employs! (“Illai padaithavan kodaiya….” )Another notable aesthetic of the two lines is the play with the Tamizh alphabet. The “Ka Pa” interchanged. On to the next line! “Kelvi illa vidaiya?!” O My God! The movie was released long back but I listened to it only sometime ago, and was amazed that it resonated with a poem I had written on same lines. Answers without a question. And the ending is as good as the rest of the lines!
Above everything, the erudition of the poet can be seen from the fact that though the entire song just talks about a sensitive topic of ‘heart’ and the reason could be anything for describing it on such lines, and need not necessarily be love or romance, it doesn’t use a single romantic word explicitly, that too in today’s world of cinema where every song is based only on that idea. It may or may not be implicitly meant, but it’s definitely a difficult job to restrain from usage of such words and yet touch every heart that listens to it! We too can associate with other things like friendship, relations or anything. The song definitely needs a great appreciation for this very aspect itself.
Ok, writing so much on the lyrics doesn't mean its music is venerated any less. It’s a treat to the ears with the Carnatic touch, and the originality of composition. Yuvan Sankar Raja has done a great deal of work in meticulously taking care of its non resemblance to other previously composed ones. His discernment to stifle background music and make it softer, so that the singer's voice and spirit are made to reach the listeners well is worthy of praise.
Most importantly, Shweta’s Bhaavam or the feel with which she sings the entire song, thrashing away all the language barriers, melts one’s heart. Special mention of “Sollume….”, “pani erimalaiya”, “engum bodo….” “Nadikkum….”, "enna nadakkummmmm....".
Idhayam inda idhayam innum ethanai murai idil moozhgidumo :)
