Karunalaya nidhiye song by GNB

[Meenalochani]

Dear Members,

I have been searching for a long time a version of the song "Karunalaya nidhiye" in the raga Hindolam and composed by Sri. Vedanayakam Pillai. I am interested in the version sung by GNB only. If it is available with someone in the forum, could you kindly e-mail it to me?
Thank you ver much.

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Meenalochani: There was a 12" gramophone record-came out in 1946/47--with Karunalayanidiye on one side and I think Nalla Sagunam Nokki Chelladi(Shnamughapriya) on the other side--we had one in our family archives--with so many moves and change of ownership over the last 70 years,we have lost it.It was brought out by HMV--these were the First 12"" records at that time--the earlier ones were smaller in diameter. Around the same time--almost simultaneously GNB brought out Vasudevayani(Kalyani) both sides--Alapana,Kriti,neraval,swaram and Tani(by Palghat Mani Iyer) and Sonnadai seyda in another record--ALL these were brought out almost back to back and sold very well(it cost Rs. 4 @ that time!!).
On a personal note --2 years back in Cleveland--in a chat with Trichur Ramachandran(along with VKV,Udhay and Ajit--all fellow forumites) I imitated GNB's introduction of the Kalyani(vasudevayani)alapana starting from the mel Shadjam(in keeping with the opening of the song in Mel Shadjam)--when I asked TVR to forgive my temerity in imitating his Guru he remarked in Tamil--Neengal edukku Bhayappadanum--Nangal ellam Bhayappadanum(Why should be afraid--we the musicians have to be afraid of rasikas like you!!!.

NOW WHAT HAS THIS GOT TO DO WITH YOUR SIMPLE QUERY? MY RESPONSE IS LIKE THAT OF THE POLITICIAN--COVER EVeRY POSSIBLE GROUND EXCEPT ADDRESS THE ISSUE RAISED!!!!!


You may try HMV--if they have master which I am sure they have there may be scope for reissue in another format--CD etc.

[Meenalochani]

M.K.Ramasubramanian Sir,

Thanks for your very enjoyable reply to my question especially the part in the UPPER CASE!!! Well, you have certainly given me some suggestions to get a copy of the song which does not seem easily possible. I want to say here that I find everything about the song Karunalayanidhe is so beautiful (the lyrics, ragam in which it is set and the way GNB has rendered the song). I am in possession of a good collection of GNB concerts but I cannot find the song in any one of them. I have the renditions of the song by Sanjay Subramaniam and Unnikrishnan and they are quite good also. But I need to have a copy of the sing by GNB if possible. Can anybody in the forum help me?

Meenalochani

[pvs]

Meenalochani,
I vaguely remembered having it somewhere but couldn't locate it. Thanks to Sri MKR's info about the related recordings, I found it in an unnamed file! How do I send it to you? Okay if I post a link here?
~ S

[Meenalochani]

pvs sir,

Thank you very much for your kind response. Sure, you can post a link here.

Meenalochani

[pvs]

Here it is - https://www.mediafire.com/?f6r6cu004txa3f5
file could use some noise cleaning up.

[Meenalochani]

pvs Sir,

Thank you very much for the song. I just listened to it and I thought that GNB's voice sounded a little bit different but not much. I am thrilled to get the song I have been searching for such a long time. I really appreciate the help from this site members.

Meenalovhani

[VK RAMAN]

I remember listening to my Dad singing this some 60 years ago. Thank you for refreshing my memory.

[pvs]

The voice sounds different likely because it is a much younger GNB, singing at a higher pitch. this was cut on 78 rpm discs, at least a decade or more before concert recordings were more common around the end of 50's. There is a distracting hiss in the background though. Also, like you mention, I do not think he sang this on the concert stage, at least on recorded concerts.

Welcome, VKR.

[sivachinta1965]

Dear Rasiaks

Is the song about Jesus Christ? Vedanayakam was a Christian!

Sivaprasad

[pvs]

Sivaprasad,
Vedanayagam Pillai was a Christian, but his songs were mostly secular by intent and even titled so. He did not refer to a particular deity apart from the occassional 'karthAve' the Tamil equivalent of Christ. 'Chittam eppadiyO ayyA' is another one of his works rendered by KVN to great effect is also about the Christ. 'nAle nalla nAl, punniyam seyyum ' is yet another.

[Meenalochani]

pvs sir,

1 totally agree with what you have written in your message. Vedanayakam Pillai songs are full of Bhakti and devotion and many of his songs are very popular with carnatic singers, for ex. Chittam eppadiyo. In the song Karunalayanidhiye, there is no particular mention of any particular God. In my mind, it is a masterpiece creation of Sri. Pillai

[venkatakailasam]

Tamil Poet Samuel Vedanayagam pillai wanted his songs,including devotionals,on our concert platform,so he made them all universal in appeal. He generally avoided reference to God or Christ,he would use the word Ayyyaa....,he only knew whom he had in mind.

All except one particular song --Chittam eppadiyo ayyaa nin chittam eppadio--- in Nadanamakriya,where he revealed his heart with an explicit reference to "Karthar".Only if we listen carefully to the 2nd line of anupallavi......"Karthare nee yennai kaividuvoyo?",we can see it is a chritian hymn!...

It is changed as kantane in the lyrics ...do not know at what level...
Lyrics:
cittam eppaDiyO. rAgA: nAdanAmakriyA. cApu tALA.

P. cittam eppaDiyO ayyA nin
A. uttamanAga ennai uyartiDUvAyO kAntanE nI ennai kai viDuvAyO
C. vADi nondEnE mei jnAna kaNmUDi naindEnE nADi ALvAi enru
nambi vandEnE pADum vEdanAyakan parugum shen tEnE

KVN, with his broad catholicity of mind,hailing from Kerala,found the song beautiful as a lyric and sang it without any reservation.His rasikas, mesmerized by lyric and kvn magic,started asking for it in all concerts.Thus the song became very popular before some over observant traditionalists noticed it was a christian hymn,a rare one indeed in our traditional kutcheri platform.

KVN simply disarmed critics with his sweet smile,Lalgudi and other instrumentalists put it on their regular repertoire.

Even today,its one of the most frequently heard songs in youtube and other media.

Listen to it here:
003-cittam_eppaDiyO_nAdanAmakriyA-KVN-vEdanAyakam_piLLai...

http://mfi.re/listen/cynv0358q3wiq27/00 ... piLLai.mp3

[Meenalochani]

I have a beautiful rendition of Chittam Eppadiyo staring with a touching virutham by Aruna Sairam. It is an mp3 file and I do not know how to post it here. Please someone help me with suggestions. It cannot be missed. Thank you.

Meenalochani

[venkatakailasam]

I have consulted GNB'S brother Shri GN Balakrishnan...

"This is the recording cut , I think between 1946 to 1949.

I confirm that it is my brother's voice only. Thanks and regards. ..."

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Re: PVS's post# 9 re: the hissing noise.. My speculation: It was a 12 inch record and the gramophone table was smaller and the record used to "Bob" with the needle and we used to hear this "hissing" noise even when it was just released!!This may not have been 'filtered' in subsequent re-recordings!!

As a sidebar,as youngsters myself,my sister and aunt used to "deliberately" "crank" the gramophone halfway and the record would die in the middle(it would need a full crank to hold the record!!),giving an impression of sruthi infraction!! How cruel!!
I am sure I am destined to have 100 more Janmas being born tone-deaf for those "pranks"!!!

back to the Vedanayakam Pillai's secular compositions and GNB's patronage,GNB was very receptive to any new compositions irrespective of who the person was and what was the person's religious disposition.

Example: In the late forties--in and around Independence--Mayuram Viswanatha Sastry approached him--Mr. Sastry in his own patriotic fervour had composed songs in Sanskrit(patriotic songs in Tamil were very popular those days) and wanted GNB to set them to tune and sing them--which he promptly did--Jayathi Jayathi Bharata Mata(kamas) and Samarasabhavana(Bimplas)--if I am not mistaken even these came out subsequently as records.

Another amusing anecdote concerning GNB and Tamil Composers--Isai Tamil Selvar Ilakkumana Pillai(Arasi/CM lover/Annamalai may be familiar with the poet/composer. The time was in the early forties when the Tamil isai movement was vigorously championed by kalki and others and the conservative vidwans resisted the movement.

Lakshmana Pillai came up with a bright idea of taking Thygaraja krithis and LITERALLY translating them into chaste tamil and setting them to the same tune as the original. He came to GNB with the song Alagalalla in Madhyamavathi(the song describes young Rama -how handsome he was with the hair tousled). The literal Tamil translation came as "SURUNDA MAYIRGAL(locks of hair) ADIDAK KANDU --ARANMUNI(Viswamitra) ANANDAM KONDU" in Rupakam talam and asked GNB his opinion who is reported to have suggested that the tamil word he had used for describing locks of hair be replaced with a much more "refined" word like "KEsam"(which in sanskrit means hair)--Mr,Pillai demurrhed and therein died that experiment!!!

GNB as everybody knows was a wonderful racounteur and if I had only a tape recorder or knew shorthand to note down his anecdotes,that would have us all rolling in "stiches on the aisles"!!!

[rshankar]

Lakshmana Pillai came up with a bright idea of taking Thygaraja krithis and LITERALLY translating them into chaste tamil and setting them to the same tune as the original

I guess it was left to Dr. Balamuralikrishna to complete this task much later - I think he has done a wonderful job.

[cacm]

As an ASIDE there was a gentleman from Kerala (Achutan Nair was his name I think) who used to give concerts-accompanied by none other than T.K.Murthy- of Thyagaraja kritis exactly translated into ENGLISH BUT sung in the same raga, thalam, swarasthanams etc. Actually in '66 I was driving on BROADWAY near Times Square IN NYC explaining TO M.S. about Times Square, Theater District etc when T.K.M. who was in the back seat suddenly broke into song in Karaharapriya ragam singing "VERY GOOD BROADWAY" (Chakani raja Margamu)- with Neraval very broad broadway-M.S. BROKE into appreciation & asked me to pull into a side street so we could all hear T.K.M'S ENGLISH VERSION IN FULL! & it ended with APPLAUSE BY all present including T.S.!...... :ymparty: :-ss

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

VKV: I am sure there are many stories about TKM's anecdotes during the 1966 tour-- which I am sure YOU can recall(unfortunately I was not present in 1966 but I know TKM has a story for every kutcheri during that tour--one of them-where he was involved in a minor car accident bumping against a tree in Boston(when my cousin-- who was a student @ harvard--was the driver!!)--TKM with his exaggeration embellished that incident much to MSAmma's amusement!!!
Musicians of those times had a vast reservoir of jokes/anecdotes--if only they had chosen to publish humor books they would have made as much money as they made in Music!(Keen observers of places/people they visit--a story about every host that they have ever stayed with--the idiosynchrisies of people--ofcourse one has to have a "thick" skin when one's "Ox" is "Gored"!!!

[cacm]

MKR, YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! Actually MSS, LGJ, & OTHERS WERE VERY GOOD! Unfortunately I can share them only with persons close enough like you....VKV