Reproduction of my posting in msvtimes.com/forum on March 22, 2010.
I had the opportunity of attending this program.
A few days back, I read in The Hindu an interview of Dr. Ambika Kameshwar, who has been working with special children. I didn't read the interview fully but I noted two striking things about her. One, she said she had been using music and dance with special children to make their lives more stimulating. Second was her statement that she was grateful to God for showing her the right path (of working with special children.)
And what better music to use to stimulate people than the divine music of M.S.Viswanathan (MSV)
This was a function to felicitate Viswanathan Ramamurthy(VR) by RASA (Ramana Sunritya Aalayaa), the organization Ambika has been running, to promote arts, with emphasis on using them to impact the lives of special children.
The program had two parts. In the first part, 8 songs of VR were presented. In the second part 7 dances (set to VR's songs, again) were presented. The interregnum between the two parts was used to felicitate the duo.
Dr. Ambika in her introduction said that she had heard and heard VR's songs repeatedly and developed a relationship with them. The songs were presented on specific themes. I briefly give below explanations given by Ambika on the themes and and on how the songs chosen were related to the themes. I am giving these details for some songs, which I remember. The theme is given first, follwed by the song.
1) ஏற்பு: உள்ளத்தில் நல்ல உள்ளம் - கர்ணன் sung by Nikhil
(The theme is acceptance. Living as a differently abled person is not just resignation but acceptance of what is given to them in its totality, epitomized by the lines 'வருவதை எதிர் கொள்ளடா.')
2) துணை: மலருக்குத் தென்றல் பகையானால் - எங்க வீட்டுப் பிள்ளை sung by Poorna, Ambika's daughter.
(Certain relationships/companionships are indispensable. We cannot afford to be separated from them.)
3) பேராற்றல்: கண்ணுக்குக் குலமேது? - கர்ணன் sung by Shreya
(We have talents which we may not be aware of)
4) உயர்வு: மனிதன் என்பவன் தெய்வமாகலாம் sung by Gomagan, the conductor of the orchestra, a visually handicapped person.
5) தாய்மை: முத்தான முத்தல்லவோ? நெஞ்சில் ஓர் ஆலயம் sung by Dr.Ambika
(Thaaimai is selfless love. It comes from the mother. But if a father extends such selfless love, that should also be classified as Thaaimai. Ambika said that she was the mother of not only Poorna, her 'biological daughter' but of all the children in her organization.)
6) உறவு: கண்ணன் வருவான் - பஞ்சவர்ணக்கிளி sung by Poorna.
7) ஆலயம்: ஒருவர் வாழும் ஆலயம் நெஞ்சில் ஓர் ஆலயம் sung by Nikhil and Shreya
தெய்வம்: சரவணப் பொய்கையில் - இது சத்தியம் sung by Shreya.
As the songs were presented on the dais, video stills of special children depicting the themes were shown on a side screen through a slide projector.
The orchestra was made up of differently abled people. This was the same orchestra that played a role in the film 'autograph' (for the song 'ovvoru pookkalume')
The orchestra and the singers did a commendable job, though we can't compare them to the professional groups.
Felicitations were offered by actor S.Ve. Shekar, Raghunathan of HMV, singer Rajkumar Bharathi and actor ARS. It was news to me that S.Ve.Shekar's wife is a granddaughter of G Ramanathan (GR). (S.Ve.Shekar said that this was his only qualification to take part in this function. He cited the fact of all TV and FM channels playing MSV's songs in the night as the evidence of the evergreen nature of the songs.)
Mr. Raghunathan, who has also helped Ambika in selecting the songs for the event, gave an objective presentation. He said that when there were two distinct styles represented by GR focusing on the classical aspects and CRS(C.R.Subbaraman) focusing on western and modern music, it was VR who were able to integrate both styles. The uniqueness of VR's music - the reason why their music is everlasting, stems from the fact that they have been able to control the expression of passions by setting well defined parameters and not allowing the passions to go astray, he said. He also pointed out how their songs made the listeners visualise the scenes without the need to look at the visuals. His grandchildren were able to infer the scenes just by listening to the songs.
Rajkumar Bharathi brought out the power of songs as outlined by Bharathiyaar in his Kuyil Paattu and how VR's music also held that power. ARS joined as an unlisted speaker. He said that the entire world was aware of MSV's greatness except one organization called the Govt. of India.
MSV and TKR were given the title இசை ரஸச் செம்மல், which also carried cash awards. The cash was donated by the duo to RASA.
MSV, in his his acceptance speech, expressed his craving to do more and attributed his success to the people who worked with him. He also had a special word of thanks for TKR, for guiding him and helping him. (When I entered the hall, just before the start of the program, MSV also made the entry, while TKR had already arrived and was seated in the front row. TKR stood up to receive MSV and MSV bent down and touched TKR's feet.)
On behalf of MSVTimes, Mr. Ramki presented a contribution cheque which was given to Ambika by MSV.
The second part had dances on the following 7 themes. Ambika briefly explained the theme of each song.
1) அறிதல்: உன்னைத்தான் நான் அறிவேன் - வாழ்க்கைப் படகு
2) ஆனந்தம்: ஆடாத மனமும் உண்டோ? - மன்னாதி மன்னன்
3) இனிமை: திருப்புகழைப் பாடப் பாட - கௌரி கல்யாணம் (I am not sure whether this information is right. I have been under the impression that this song is from a private album and the music is by someone else.)
4) உரிமை: அதோ அந்தப் பறவை போல - ஆயிரத்தில் ஒருவன்
5) எனது: உலகம் பிறந்தது எனக்காக - பாசம்
6) இயற்கை: ஜகத் காஹத்வயனா பகவான் - ஆத்மி - Hindi
7) முழுமை: எங்களுக்கும் காலம் வரும் - பாச மலர் (The special children have no complaints. Whatever is given to them, they accept. they have no grievances.)
I am not given much to appreciation of dance but the dances appeared to be refreshingly different. The dances were arranged by professionals. It was a new experience watching young girls (and a few boys) dancing for the songs 'adho andhap paravai pola' and 'ulagam piranthathu enakkaaga' with totally different but very appropriate dance movements. I do not know whether some of the participants are differently abled.
The last song 'engalukkum kaalam varum' was presented by special children (some of them were grown up.) I discovered a new dimension to this song, watching these children dance to this. All along, I had been thinking that this was a song of happiness (apparently carried away by the picturisation.) But I suddenly realized that this was not a song of happiness, but of hope. The lyrics only talk about expectations.
When I heard the lines,
வளரும் வளரும் என்றே காத்திருந்தோம்
மலரும் மலரும் என்றே பார்த்திருந்தோம்,
tears started rolling from my eyes because I had unconsciously related these lines to the special children.
And on hearing the last lines,
வஞ்சமில்லா வாழ்க்கையிலே தோல்வியுமில்லை
I virtually broke down. Mr. Mahesh who was sitting next to me and who was in a hurry to leave, could not get up from his seat and I had to shake him up.
It appeared that the immortal KaNNadaasan had written these lines only for these special children.
The event was the unveiling of yet another dimension of MSV's music. Just like Ambika has been using music and dance to brighten up these children's lives, she has also given me the hope that the greatness of MSV's compositions will be realized and given due recognition in future, when more and more dimensions of his songs are revealed.
A few days back, I read in The Hindu an interview of Dr. Ambika Kameshwar, who has been working with special children. I didn't read the interview fully but I noted two striking things about her. One, she said she had been using music and dance with special children to make their lives more stimulating. Second was her statement that she was grateful to God for showing her the right path (of working with special children.)
And what better music to use to stimulate people than the divine music of M.S.Viswanathan (MSV)
This was a function to felicitate Viswanathan Ramamurthy(VR) by RASA (Ramana Sunritya Aalayaa), the organization Ambika has been running, to promote arts, with emphasis on using them to impact the lives of special children.
The program had two parts. In the first part, 8 songs of VR were presented. In the second part 7 dances (set to VR's songs, again) were presented. The interregnum between the two parts was used to felicitate the duo.
Dr. Ambika in her introduction said that she had heard and heard VR's songs repeatedly and developed a relationship with them. The songs were presented on specific themes. I briefly give below explanations given by Ambika on the themes and and on how the songs chosen were related to the themes. I am giving these details for some songs, which I remember. The theme is given first, follwed by the song.
1) ஏற்பு: உள்ளத்தில் நல்ல உள்ளம் - கர்ணன் sung by Nikhil
(The theme is acceptance. Living as a differently abled person is not just resignation but acceptance of what is given to them in its totality, epitomized by the lines 'வருவதை எதிர் கொள்ளடா.')
2) துணை: மலருக்குத் தென்றல் பகையானால் - எங்க வீட்டுப் பிள்ளை sung by Poorna, Ambika's daughter.
(Certain relationships/companionships are indispensable. We cannot afford to be separated from them.)
3) பேராற்றல்: கண்ணுக்குக் குலமேது? - கர்ணன் sung by Shreya
(We have talents which we may not be aware of)
4) உயர்வு: மனிதன் என்பவன் தெய்வமாகலாம் sung by Gomagan, the conductor of the orchestra, a visually handicapped person.
5) தாய்மை: முத்தான முத்தல்லவோ? நெஞ்சில் ஓர் ஆலயம் sung by Dr.Ambika
(Thaaimai is selfless love. It comes from the mother. But if a father extends such selfless love, that should also be classified as Thaaimai. Ambika said that she was the mother of not only Poorna, her 'biological daughter' but of all the children in her organization.)
6) உறவு: கண்ணன் வருவான் - பஞ்சவர்ணக்கிளி sung by Poorna.
7) ஆலயம்: ஒருவர் வாழும் ஆலயம் நெஞ்சில் ஓர் ஆலயம் sung by Nikhil and Shreya
தெய்வம்: சரவணப் பொய்கையில் - இது சத்தியம் sung by Shreya. As the songs were presented on the dais, video stills of special children depicting the themes were shown on a side screen through a slide projector.
The orchestra was made up of differently abled people. This was the same orchestra that played a role in the film 'autograph' (for the song 'ovvoru pookkalume')
The orchestra and the singers did a commendable job, though we can't compare them to the professional groups.
Felicitations were offered by actor S.Ve. Shekar, Raghunathan of HMV, singer Rajkumar Bharathi and actor ARS. It was news to me that S.Ve.Shekar's wife is a granddaughter of G Ramanathan (GR). (S.Ve.Shekar said that this was his only qualification to take part in this function. He cited the fact of all TV and FM channels playing MSV's songs in the night as the evidence of the evergreen nature of the songs.)
Mr. Raghunathan, who has also helped Ambika in selecting the songs for the event, gave an objective presentation. He said that when there were two distinct styles represented by GR focusing on the classical aspects and CRS(C.R.Subbaraman) focusing on western and modern music, it was VR who were able to integrate both styles. The uniqueness of VR's music - the reason why their music is everlasting, stems from the fact that they have been able to control the expression of passions by setting well defined parameters and not allowing the passions to go astray, he said. He also pointed out how their songs made the listeners visualise the scenes without the need to look at the visuals. His grandchildren were able to infer the scenes just by listening to the songs.
Rajkumar Bharathi brought out the power of songs as outlined by Bharathiyaar in his Kuyil Paattu and how VR's music also held that power. ARS joined as an unlisted speaker. He said that the entire world was aware of MSV's greatness except one organization called the Govt. of India.
MSV and TKR were given the title இசை ரஸச் செம்மல், which also carried cash awards. The cash was donated by the duo to RASA.
MSV, in his his acceptance speech, expressed his craving to do more and attributed his success to the people who worked with him. He also had a special word of thanks for TKR, for guiding him and helping him. (When I entered the hall, just before the start of the program, MSV also made the entry, while TKR had already arrived and was seated in the front row. TKR stood up to receive MSV and MSV bent down and touched TKR's feet.)
On behalf of MSVTimes, Mr. Ramki presented a contribution cheque which was given to Ambika by MSV.
The second part had dances on the following 7 themes. Ambika briefly explained the theme of each song.
1) அறிதல்: உன்னைத்தான் நான் அறிவேன் - வாழ்க்கைப் படகு
2) ஆனந்தம்: ஆடாத மனமும் உண்டோ? - மன்னாதி மன்னன்
3) இனிமை: திருப்புகழைப் பாடப் பாட - கௌரி கல்யாணம் (I am not sure whether this information is right. I have been under the impression that this song is from a private album and the music is by someone else.)
4) உரிமை: அதோ அந்தப் பறவை போல - ஆயிரத்தில் ஒருவன்
5) எனது: உலகம் பிறந்தது எனக்காக - பாசம்
6) இயற்கை: ஜகத் காஹத்வயனா பகவான் - ஆத்மி - Hindi
7) முழுமை: எங்களுக்கும் காலம் வரும் - பாச மலர் (The special children have no complaints. Whatever is given to them, they accept. they have no grievances.)
I am not given much to appreciation of dance but the dances appeared to be refreshingly different. The dances were arranged by professionals. It was a new experience watching young girls (and a few boys) dancing for the songs 'adho andhap paravai pola' and 'ulagam piranthathu enakkaaga' with totally different but very appropriate dance movements. I do not know whether some of the participants are differently abled.
The last song 'engalukkum kaalam varum' was presented by special children (some of them were grown up.) I discovered a new dimension to this song, watching these children dance to this. All along, I had been thinking that this was a song of happiness (apparently carried away by the picturisation.) But I suddenly realized that this was not a song of happiness, but of hope. The lyrics only talk about expectations.
When I heard the lines,
வளரும் வளரும் என்றே காத்திருந்தோம்
மலரும் மலரும் என்றே பார்த்திருந்தோம்,
tears started rolling from my eyes because I had unconsciously related these lines to the special children.
And on hearing the last lines,
வஞ்சமில்லா வாழ்க்கையிலே தோல்வியுமில்லை
I virtually broke down. Mr. Mahesh who was sitting next to me and who was in a hurry to leave, could not get up from his seat and I had to shake him up.
It appeared that the immortal KaNNadaasan had written these lines only for these special children.
The event was the unveiling of yet another dimension of MSV's music. Just like Ambika has been using music and dance to brighten up these children's lives, she has also given me the hope that the greatness of MSV's compositions will be realized and given due recognition in future, when more and more dimensions of his songs are revealed.
கருத்துகள் இல்லை:
கருத்துரையிடுக