reetigowlai perhaps I can say with a sure conviction that it is the rAga that you would have heard quite likely without knowing its name for quite few years in your childhood /teen days , you would have internalised it enough in your head even if the medium is not carnatic music concert.
The earliest reetigowlai that I heard was BMK's cinna kannan azhaikiran music of illayarAja, there is another lovely rAman kathai kelungal which illayarAja got a national award for that movie in telugu which was dubbed in thamizh as sippikkul muthu.AR rahman has handled it bit differently in the song azhagAna rakshashiyE in mudhalvan.
BUT one number that stands out so much from all that I have mentioned above is one rare song named thalayai kuniyum thAmaraye from the film Oru Odai nadiyAgirathu , spb and some female singer with illayarAja tuning that, you have to search "thalayai kuniyum" in youtube to get that , felt not appropriate to post it here.
Why this film detour , just to illustrate that this rAga has the lowest barrier for any one to appreciate CM, I would like to call it as
"reetigowlai -gateway to carnatic music"
Now coming back to svkashyap as to why neraval and swaras were not sung much , I guess it just got lost in the mega parent kharaharapriya as it is crowded with so many lovely rAgas as siblings . Few singers /songs who have taken reetigowlai all from increasing order of my liking
5. Neyveli sir's reetigowlai especially in the last kutcheri season where he sang neraval for makisEkaran mahaNE in tatvamaria tharamA
4. GuruvayUr appaNE appan by santhAnam which is an ambujam krishna composition.
3. and 2. I can't choose between semmangudi and madurai mani though I feel semmangudi has brought the rAga + krithi charm in an exalted state especially Janani ninuvinA, mmi for his swaras.
1. But one musician who easily beats all of them in reetigowlai is Prof
TRS , there is one rAga ratnamALichake where he sings neraval and swarams . I am assuming all of you would have downloaded that.
BUT HEAR THIS SUPER BLISS trs-thatvamariya tharama (R S) - reetigowlai - psivan especially when he cruises from 15:29 seconds bliss what a control in breadth and manodharmam with zero violin return, what a swara kalpana downpour ,
TRS is indeed a genius, #1 musician in reetigowlai race beating all the participants from ariyakudi to rithvik rAjA
.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/x7qvnv
Attn svkashyap:
You enjoy the above url , it is always best to post it in the right thread , your question is answered with this tatvamariya tharamA