Arasi (Smt. Rajee Krishnan)

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 15 Feb 2007, 20:58

coolkarni
would love to hear that kalyanaraman if that can be shared publicly....

Suji Ram · Post by **Suji Ram** » 15 Feb 2007, 22:46

Well done CML,

Now I see a rasika in you !

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 15 Feb 2007, 23:03

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 16 Feb 2007, 02:34

Coolkarni
Got it! You were referring to
http://www.sangeethapriya.org/Downloads ... uvanti.mp3

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 16 Feb 2007, 20:25

cmlover:

Here is a rough sketch that I came up with during an interrupted sleep last night. It has a pastoral tint but that backdrop could be embellished further. But I wanted to give you a taste of it so that you can experiment with it (perhaps arasi can help in changing/reshaping words).

ARRangarai tanilE azhagazhagAy An^iraiyAm
kARRinilE kalan^du (or kUDi) vanda isaiyinilE mayanginavE!

mAyavanin kuzhalisaiyil sokkininRa Avinattai
Ayarkulap peNDirellAm EkkattuDan nOkkinarE!

taNNoLi nilavinilE tavittuninRa mangaiyarai
kaNNanavan kArmugilAn kAkkavaittE tanittuninRAn
eNNattil nilaittuviTTa nIlamEnik kaNNanaiyE
tiNNamuDan pORRininRa kanniyargaL kaNakkilavE!

I wonder whether the verse would lend itself to rendering in kAvaDiccin^du.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 16 Feb 2007, 20:43

Here is a Thamizh conversion

ஆற்றங்கரை தனிலே அழகழகாய் ஆனிரையாம்
காற்றினிலே கலந்து ( or கூடி)வந்த இசையினிலே மயங்கினவே!

மாயவனின் குழலிசையில் சொக்கினின்ற ஆவினத்தை
ஆயர்குலப் பெண்டிரெல்லாம் ஏக்கத்துடன் நோக்கினரே!

தண்ணொளி நிலவினிலே தவித்துனின்ற மங்கையரை
கண்ணவன் கார்முகிலான் காக்கவைத்தே தனித்துனின்றான்
எண்ணத்தில் நிலைத்துவிட்ட நீலமேனிக் கண்ணனையே
திண்ணமுடன் போற்றினின்ற கன்னியர்கள் கணக்கிலவே!

I don't know how to get the other "na" in Anirai and ninRa, ninRAn etc.

Correction: It should be "kaNNanavn" instead of "kaNNavan" in the third line from the bottom.

arunk · Post by **arunk** » 16 Feb 2007, 21:13

mahakavi: If this is on the cmtransliteration editor, then try A^nirai.

Similarly sokki^ninRa or if you may split the word sokki ninRa if thats ok.

Also there is no need to explicitly specify as ^ndu as in kala^ndu - just kalandu should work. To me, that is more preferably as it avoids script specific idiosyncracies unless absolutely necessary.

Arun

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 16 Feb 2007, 21:28

mahakavi,
Didn't realize you are really a kavi! Great!

You set the scene well. You say you are running it by us before you are going to say--'that's it'--am I right?In which case:
AniRaiyum appeals to me.
EkkamuDan nOkkinarE flows better.
kanniyarO kaNakkilavE rather than kanniyargaL kaNakkilavE.

Curious, though. kaNNAn En thaniththu ninRAn?

arunk · Post by **arunk** » 16 Feb 2007, 21:37

arasi wrote:kaNNAn En thaniththu ninRAn?

To torment them on purpose - So tanittu as in "stood alone (purposefully)"

Very nice mahakavi!

Arun

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 16 Feb 2007, 22:20

arunk:
Yes, the conversion was done with your scheme. I was used to using ^ after the letter. Now I know I should use it before.

As for "tanittu ni^nRAn" your interpretations is exactly what I had in mind. Ever the teasing and tormenting Krishna!

arasi:
wow, vashishTar vAyAl brahmarishi? No, I wasn't rooting for that.
Your corrections do embellish. I wrote that mainly because of your passion for KaNNan-based lyrics. You can pretty much say I dedicated it to your kavittuvam. A lowly offering, perhaps.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 16 Feb 2007, 23:30

Thanks for the offering. I am flattered.
What if I say, murugan based?

True, I think there are more murugan songs than those on kaNNan in my tamizh compositions. I have to double check.
vashishTar goes by another name on the forum...

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 17 Feb 2007, 00:55

Sub/Arasi

here is my interpretation

http://rapidshare.com/files/16779305/Atrankarai.mp3

Of course non traditional but that is how I feel it! Wish there were more lines to expand so that the girls can finish their huskings along with it

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 17 Feb 2007, 05:42

cmlover:
That was really good with a country flavor. This could be a song for the guys who irrigate the fields from the river with an anchor/pole and a barrel (ERRam). I was also reminded of the song in PaDikkAda mEdai (?).

By the way what was the husking about? Is the girl singing with you in the background cleaning/peeling the vengAyam for sAmbhAr?

meena · Post by **meena** » 17 Feb 2007, 05:54

cml
oh wow, a duet, very nice, is it Mrs. CML?

I was also reminded of the song in PaDikkAda mEdai (?).

is it Parkadal Alai Mele ?

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 17 Feb 2007, 07:30

Since mine is an empty nest I had to loopin my wife for the chorus and she was angry that she had to drone with moi! I vaguely remembered the songs of the dehusking women ('nel kuththu') from the village days! No idea what raga it will fall into! Only DRS maybe able to fit it into one with his vast experience in native tunes!

It was fun for a change!
(which song in padikkaatha medhai? is it 'orE oru oorilE...' The tune will not fit...)

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 17 Feb 2007, 08:27

cmlover/meena:
I may have misstated the movie. It was Sivaji Ganesan and Sowkar Janaki (?). Some line goes as "...angam kuRaindavanai azhagillA ANmaganai mangaiyargaL ninaippaduNDO sollamma maNampEsi muDippaduNDO....". That is all I remember. Sivaji was born with one less arm in that movie. Maybe it is "BAgappirivinai". No I don't remember anything now. It was a long time ago.

As for your wife singing along with you, it was really generous of her. I thought she was 'uRiccing" the onion while going along with you. But the paddy pounding is a good accompanying rhythm for this.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 17 Feb 2007, 08:32

arasi wrote:Thanks for the offering. I am flattered.
What if I say, murugan based? True, I think there are more murugan songs than those on kaNNan in my tamizh compositions. I have to double check.
vashishTar goes by another name on the forum...

OK, if they are Murugan-based, here is one:

villinaiyotta puruvam vaLaittanai vElavA vaDivElavA.....

Oh, Oh, I just now remembered somebody plagiarized this song 90 some years ago. How did the mahAAAAAAAAAAAkavi know that I was going to write this? He preempted me. I shall not prosecute him. He is my favorite anyway.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 17 Feb 2007, 09:20

villinaiyotta was sung divinely by maestro VVS in a 72rpm. I guess somebody has it...

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 17 Feb 2007, 09:38

Don't you think Bharati describes himself thru his description of vaLLI - 'Sollinai tEnil kuzhaitturaippAl, Siru vaLLiyai kanDu Sokki maram ena ninranai ten malai kATTilE'!

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 17 Feb 2007, 09:51

Yes, Bharathi meant that vaLLi's voice was melodious but we can imply that Bharathi's words themselves are tEninum iniyavai

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 17 Feb 2007, 10:16

Wow! Move over, SPB, CML is here! The song reminds me of ATROram koDikkAlAm, arumbarumbA veTRilaiyAm, pOTTA sevakkudillE, pon mayilE un mayakkam--PaTTilum malarAm Mangai sErndu viTTAl?Lovely to hear Madame CML chanting along.
Guess what, VVS's villinai was one of the songs he sang at the all bhArathi songs concerts that is the very first of its kind, no doubt. His tuning combines the folk with the classical admirably. Though his sister later sang with him on the record, at the debut performance in Ettayapuram, someone you know sang just that one song with him

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 17 Feb 2007, 10:35

Wow! Can we have that recording? Or better sing it for us! It was one of my VVS favourites. Actually Bharati set it in PunnagavaraaLi. Do you know why VVS tuned it as a kaavadi chintu ?

You are quite right! My sub conscious was thinking 'aatrOram koDikkAlaaM...'.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 17 Feb 2007, 10:49

When I am back in the US, I will sing it for you--meanwhile, VK or Lakshman may have it.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 17 Feb 2007, 21:21

arasi wrote:What if I say, murugan based? True, I think there are more murugan songs than those on kaNNan in my tamizh compositions. I have to double check.

arasi:
Since you declared your dual-deity preference, it has been a case of "Sleepless in the South" for me. So here is another attempt. I used the "marudam" landscape for KaNNan. The nearest Murugan temple in the Eastern US is in Baltimore. But let me take you to the "neydal" environs of India.

singAra vElavanin sannidiyE sorgam
mangAda sIrmEvum sendil mAnagarinilE (singAra..)

viNNavarum viya^ndiDa sUranai muRiyaDittu
maNNavarum pugazh^ndiDa vAgaimAlai sUDiya (singAra..)

so^ndamuDan kaDalalaigaL a^ndiyilE sIrADa
indiranum tanmagaLai viruppamuDan ta^ndiDa
si^ndaiyilE sevvELin sEvaDigaL tanaippORRi
sa^ndadam aDiyArgaL manamuva^ndu senRiDum (singAra..)

சிங்கார வேலவனின் சன்னிதியே சொர்கம்
மங்காத சீர்மேவும் செந்தில் மாநகரினிலே (சிங்கார..)

விண்ணவரும் வியந்திட சூரனை முறியடித்து
மண்ணவரும் புகழ்ந்திட வாகைமாலை சூடிய (சிங்கார..)

சொந்தமுடன் கடலலைகள் அந்தியிலே சீராட
இந்திரனும் தன்மகளை விருப்பமுடன் தந்திட
சிந்தையிலே செவ்வேளின் சேவடிகள் தனைப்போற்றி
சந்ததம் அடியார்கள் மனமுவந்து சென்றிடும் (சிங்கார..)

As usual, arasi, you are invited to smooth out the rough edges.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 17 Feb 2007, 22:07

Bravo! An inspired piece, indeed!

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 17 Feb 2007, 22:43

someone you know sang just that one song with him

wow, wow! hope someone recorded it - can't believe we have a real legend in our midst!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 18 Feb 2007, 02:14

Sub
Pouring it on! My imagination is running riot. How is this?
http://rapidshare.com/files/16950106/Singaravelan.mp3

If you didn't like it blame it on Sivaratri since I kept awake late night I had to do somethhing drastic to get the reverb of Rudram from my system

Took a small liberty at the end to maintain the chandam (hope you don't mind)

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 18 Feb 2007, 04:39

cmlover:
I heard it just now. Cool! Yeah, the last word vandiDum goes equally well. It felt like mandrams recitation too--post Shivaratri rudram experience?

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 18 Feb 2007, 09:16

Sub
That was indeed a casual attempt and certainly not based on any vedic accents (I will never dare pollute!) but is a mundane popular filmy tune! I leave it to you or others to guess

To recompense here is a serious attempt

http://rapidshare.com/files/16995376/Si ... nTake2.mp3

Note that I have taken further liberties on the chandam but the charaNam has to be fixed (which I didn't attempt). But I did try to lift it up for the concert platform for any musicians among us to have a go! The viruttam is from Arunagirinaathar kandar alankaaram (#106).

as arasi certifies you do have the potential to be a 'kavi' and in due course evolve into a 'mahakavi' with the grace of Lord Muruga! keep meditating on that divine ShaDAkShara:
OM sharavaNa bhava

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 18 Feb 2007, 11:05

Wow, that is a real blast, cmlover! You really expanded it. When you started the swaras it stopped. Was it intentional or did the upload fail?

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 18 Feb 2007, 11:12

That was intentional ! My kalpana svaram is rusty and I need preparation

Also need a rhythm accompaniment to do it right!

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 18 Feb 2007, 21:44

I understand, cmlover.

I gratefully accept (from you and arasi) the title "micro-kavi" or "mini-kavi". I don't intend nor do I have the skills to gradualte upwards from that level.

Another thread dealt with the genesis of a composition--the process, the context, and the culimination. I wrote those two pieces inspired by all the attention that was bestowed on arasi. In my own mind, I conceived it when I was tossing and turning in bed in the middle of the night. The subject theme came to me first, then the ambience/setting for the song, and then the words started forming. When they started rolling, I got up and jotted down the rough format. In the morning I went over it and changed a few words, rearranged a few and that is it. I didn't attempt to refine it further, as you noticed about the candam, nor did I have any musical instruction ever to think about the fit for (or even hum the song in) any rAgam. Hence the rough edges in the two songs I wrote.

Thank you for trying to give "life" to my two songs. I feel elated that you chose to do so.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 18 Feb 2007, 21:58

By the way, in hindsight, writing such songs with some fairly good diction is not that difficult if one is serious about it. I read an aprocryphal anecdote about a current movie lyricist that he was charging upwards of Rs. 100,000 for each "dabba" song while charging much less for songs a la Kannadasan's style. While questioned about it he answered, it seems, that it is more difficult to write dabba songs and since the movie-going public likes them anyway it is appropriate to charge more for such songs. Let us try---

dingri dingri dingA dingA ingE vA akkA
mangAttA kiTTE pOyi sokkA vAngi vA
singAramAi kundhi summA pATTu pADa vA
dingri dingri dingA dingA bangAru kaDaikki vA!

Now can I peddle this song to Kollywood? Perhaps I can write a couple of more stanzas and you can record it. We can then send it in a disc to Kollywood. Sigh...

venkmal · Post by **venkmal** » 28 Feb 2007, 01:08

please u/l thru send space or any easy way. thx could not d/l this. thx in adv

vmal

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 28 Feb 2007, 01:46

here you go
http://www.sendspace.com/file/fgh3y8

ninjathegreat · Post by **ninjathegreat** » 10 Mar 2007, 11:09

cml sir, great singing!

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 30 Mar 2007, 04:55

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/03/30/stor ... 210200.htm

Congrats again Arasi.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 30 Mar 2007, 04:57

Arasi visited us last weekend. We had a great time. She is a wonderful person, simple, unassuming and full of life and a wonderful sense of humour. And that kindness and a large heart come through very clearly. Have a good rest and be back with us Arasi. Look forward to your nice posts.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 30 Mar 2007, 06:47

Nice review arasi! Eagerly await your arrival.
Is the reviewer 'Sulochana Pattabhiraman' the famous old time AIR artiste ?

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 30 Mar 2007, 08:54

CML,
Sulochana Pattabhiraman is Vidushi Sulochana Pattabhiraman who writes very insightful reviews for the Hindu, unlike most (if not all) the other performing artists who delight in lampooning others' performances.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 30 Mar 2007, 10:00

thanks Shankar for the clarification!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 01 Apr 2007, 08:33

DRS,
Thank you for your kind words. It was a pleasure visiting you, Sahana and that Pruthvi who was so much fun to be with. Sahana's lunch was a treat--so was her company and song. As for you, well, I knew you were young, but not this young--for such a scholar, vAggEyakAra, etc, etc.
Wish I had come to England earlier so that I could have been part of the award ceremony--could have met Jayaram, Sriram, Kiransurya, Ahiri, Jyotsna and others. I looked at the award plaque adorning the wall and felt mighty proud.
Go forth and amass many accolades and be a proof that your being young or my being old

doesn't have to be in the way of being a vAggEyakArA or anything else, for that matter...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 01 Apr 2007, 10:04

Little Pruthvi! Your dad sang a sankEti lullaby besides two other compositions to me. His singing to you was moving. The gist of the song was: don't you cry, my precious! Not so much, so that your tears would flood the fields and flow like kAvEri and reach the sea! Instead, may sAvitri shower wisdom, and saraswathi knowledge on you, my little one! Now, go to sleep, my baby!

And did you? You dared him and didn't budge an inch! Atta boy!

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 01 Apr 2007, 15:51

The composers' conference must have resulted in many a musical idea! Congratulations on the Hindu article as well!

Suji Ram · Post by **Suji Ram** » 01 Apr 2007, 22:49

Was that lullaby in nIlAmbari ?

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 03 Apr 2007, 06:42

Suji Ram,
No. It is based on the 'lAli lAli' DRS's mother sings. According to the composer, it is a scale he extrapolated from two or three swarAs of the lAli. SR2G2 M1PD1| DPMGRS ||
It does not map any known rAgA as such. It is a derivative of 19, 20 or 21st mELAs--since N is absent.
Mark you, the enjoyment of the lAli was mine--all the technical stuff I have quoted above are his

Suji Ram · Post by **Suji Ram** » 03 Apr 2007, 22:59

arasi wrote:Suji Ram,
No. It is based on the 'lAli lAli' DRS's mother sings. According to the composer, it is a scale he extrapolated from two or three swarAs of the lAli. SR2G2 M1PD1| DPMGRS ||
It does not map any known rAgA as such. It is a derivative of 19, 20 or 21st mELAs--since N is absent.
Mark you, the enjoyment of the lAli was mine--all the technical stuff I have quoted above are his

Thanks Arasi,
DRS, Interesting...this must have been sung in madhyama Sruti?

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 03 Apr 2007, 23:17

Suji Ram wrote:Thanks Arasi,
DRS, Interesting...this must have been sung in madhyama Sruti?

Yes indeed.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 04 Apr 2007, 20:18

Vijay,
Thanks for your post. Only here on the forum am I called a vAggEyakArA. You would have observed that the reviewer is not on to it--like many others. I am still fielding the question: so, who tuned the songs?

To my knowledge, only a single song of mine came as mere words, some years ago. I have not been able to tune it, to this day. Wherever the songs come from, they come as songs, not as lyrics alone. I burst into songs as I stir the pot, take a walk or just start the day--which particular days, I have no clue! All I know is, if I walk to the nearest sheet of available paper, it is a poem or a prose piece. If I don't, it is a song

Funny, I don't need to write it down for a while. It stays in my memory most of the time...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 22 Jun 2007, 03:59

Here is a Bilahari composition of mine. Sumitra Nitin sings it, Charulatha Ramanujam plays the violin and R. Sankaranarayanan the mrudangam...

http://rapidshare.com/files/38564895/Su ... s.mp3.html