Alamelu Ammal - My Grand Mother –An epitome of unconditional Love.

Smt Alamelu Ramamurthy, my dearest mother’s mother, (MM)  passed away after a month of prolonged illness on 20^th Aug 2014.  As we are nearing one year rituals (Aabhdhigam), it merits bringing a blog on this topic. 

I wanted to bring out a topic on this one year back. When my grandfather, Shri. Ramamurthy Sastrigal, passed away, I could bring an article immediately but I could not do so for my Granny.  Iam writing this after one year. This may also be “her” wish ….

She had been ailing for the past 1 month, before her passing away  and shunting between ICU in Surya Hospital in Chennai and residence at Kotturpuram thrice and finally came the end on the fateful date 5.30 PM, almost a year ago.

She was so beautiful, able administrator, faced challenges face to face, stubborn, loved all her siblings, affectionate to all the village people,. Good at kitchen, faithful wife to her husband, pious in performing her duties and above all, saw that their kids never starved for food and derailed in discipline..

Born with 3 brothers and 4 sisters,  she had not had a wonderful “childhood chidambaram life” (where she was born) which enabled her to “define her life” to execute in Semmangudi life .   Daughter of Sri.Sundaresa Sastrigal and Smt Janaki, she witnessed poverty and the full family had “prasadams” from Nataraja, the celestial God of Chidambaram. It was the only food for a dozen people in the family.  But she learnt good conduct, devotion and administrative power in her childhood, which were used at her later stage in Semmangudi. She cherished her father called her “ambuloooo” whenever he comes from Natarja temple.  Such warmth, love and compassion, she imbibed from her father and shown to all her kids.

She came to Semmangudi, as a wife of Shri.Ramamurthy Sastrigal at the age of 16 and she gave birth to her first daughter at the age of 17.  Not possible now a days as per current law and the education level.

At the young age as daughter in law at Semmangudi, unfortunately, she lost her Father-in-laws and Mother-in-law within 1 year or two.  The entire administration fell on her shoulders and how she succeeded in bringing the entire things under control is something which Shivkhera or Chetanbhagat would dare to have thought of.

Humiliated many times by many relatives, she never lost her vision. She knew very well that this would affect the growth of their children and so, took those head on and solved and those who did that had taken a humble pie and she had the last laugh !!

As a typical village again, she gave birth to 5 daughters and one son besides taking me as one of the members of the family.  Though money was always problem because of my Grand father’s “sastrigal” profession, not even a single day, I think, we starved for food.  On any day, we had curd and pickles.  Our entire family of 8-10 people, in semmangudi, had never been begging for food.

Astonishingly, if you think now days, we starve for food either because of many diseases or on account of more stresses.  Today, we don’t take food at the fixed time and also not taking healthy foods.

Actually, I even wonder - without money, my Grand Father, Shri Ramamurthy sastrigal,  would have had more stress and resisted from taking food.  But, I had never seen him or AMMA starving or resisting.  They had full meals twice a day and also had seen their kids not starving.  Incredible in today’s parlance.

Let me tell you the family tree a bit for those who read this

Smt. Devaki Balakrishnan

Smt  Vasantha Kunjithapatham

Smt. Gomathi Krishnamurthy

Smt  Mythili Muthuraman

Sri. Rajagoplan

Smt. Saraswathi venkatraman

All the above Daughters/son had grandsons/grand daughters. 

Almighty is great and all the siblings nurtured by her were present when she breathed last. In fact most of them had been present during the 10 days before her demise and even the last two days, we had enough Vishnu sahasranamam’s being chanted.  When I chanted Vishnu Sahasranamam on that fateful day, I remembered the same being taught to me by Hindi Teacher in Semmangudi during my childhood.  This, she insisted, to learn from him. Today, this is the wealth, I cherish.

She wished to be cremated in Srirangam and her rites to be performed there only and as per her wish, everything was done and it had no hiccups or problems.  It was a wonderful journey for her even after her demise.

She had seen many happy moments, agony, humilations, stabbing by her relatives and sad moments.  But she withstood by her rock solid determination which none of us living today had possessed.

It was saddest day for us when we sold the Semmangudi house 15years ago owing to settling in City and no one to take care of the house.  We all cried on that day.  We also visited twice/thrice to that house and truly crestfallen.

She was a shadow for my Grand Father.  Each and every function, whether good or bad, had been performed with great aplomb.   Such a big house and cleaning the house itself will take an hour or two.  She was able to celebrate all functions with exuberance and could administer all rituals/rites with great care.   She was made perfectionist in the process because of my GF who was another “agmark” perfectionist.

She had three parts of her life,  Semmangudi life with full of challenges, happy semmangudi life, and happiest post semmangudi life. 

I do not call her as pAtti as I had been calling her as my mother from the day one. When I grew to identify the real relationship, I continued to call her amma.

I feel any kid who was brought up under her grand parents’ custody would be more disciplined than mothers’.  I was fortunate as some of the kids.

I was also lucky to have been nurtured by  Grandmother and I was taken by her from Tiruvaiyaru, where my parents were working, to Semmangudi at the age of 3. .  As my parents were employed and as in 60s, combined family and work pressure saw my mother sent me to her mother’s house at Semmangudi.  (I have written a separate blog about Semmangudi).

I grew in Semmangudi with Varadraja perumAl and Anandavalli samEda Agastheeswarar were the Gods in Semmangdi,  If I have an iota of Bhakthi today, it was because she nurtured it in me.

I was very happy to be amongst  group of people in semmangudi.  A joint family with people like chitti, mama and periammas and grandfather and their grand children was a real ga ga situation.

As a typical village and especially a Brahmin village, my AMMA was showing such a peerless love to all the people surrounded by her.

The passing away of my mother (pAtti)  on 20^th August 2014,  ended an important chapter in my life history.

Going back to those golden days where she entered Semmangudi at the age of 16, married. till she breathed last in Chennai on that day, it was worth to have a chapter on Management Theory and present it in IIT.

Before I end this blog, I need to mention about her daughter-in-law, Smt.Bhuvana Rajagopalan.  She was one who took care of my AMMA like more than her mother.  Till her, last breath, Smt BR was like a shadow. 

For this, I had to thank Smt. Bhuvana from her heart. 

Tribute to MSV – Part IV

K.Pradeep in The Hindu dated 17^th July, writes an interesting incident.  Once, when MSV’s music was censured for being imitations of popular Hindi film tunes.  This happened when Kalai kOvil (1964) was released.  A journalist wrote with examples of the Hindi tunes that Vishwanathan Ramamurthy team had used in various films.

But, MSV’s response was so measured and frank.  He said that one thing is born out of another and that while Naushad and others like him were true composers, he was just a music creator.  He had no qualms in accepting and acknowledging his sources of inspiration, - mentions B.Vijaykumar, film historian.

Randor Guy writes in Hindu about Bilakshan-i-Todi- This is the rare raga which was untouched by even Hindustani musicians in films.  But MSV did few songs viz.,

padathAnE - Nichaya Thamboolam

Thereydu- Pasam

Satti suttatdada- Alayamani.

Though there is a separate website for MSV and his songs are preserved.  They will remain and enlighten many fans like me.  Youtube is always there to view those beautiful songs.  But Why then the lump in the throat ?  the choked feeling ?  that despair in the heart ?  some one very dear in your life had gone, though you have not even met him ?  

Because with him, has gone yet another part of the life of a generation, which laughed with him and cried with him even as his baton tirelessly wove magic for all those matinee idols with whom the mass identified itself.

Another writer echoed my views saying “It is nearly 30 years since MSV receded to the background from active composing to be precise.  But what an amazing outpouring of grief admiration and nostalgia his demise has created ?

His song “india Nadu, en VEEDu” from Bharatha VilAs is tough desi competition for VandE mAtaram of AR Rahman.

A melody like “Tannilavu ThEniraikka” from padithal mattum pOdhuma by P Susheela is like honey in your ears and how a female’s feelings are beautifully portrayed by Kannadasan and MSV due ?

So many duet songs for MGR and Sivaji were there. It was a long list and endless too.  But, there are two songs of MGR which swing my heart- oh my God”  type

Kumara pennin ullathile – Enga veetu pillai

Chandrodhayam oru pennanatho- Chandrodhyam.

Let us take two songs from Shivaji film

amathiyAna nadhiyinilE- andavan kattalai

madi meedhu thalai vaithu- Annai illam

All famous “neerarum kadalutha” – anthem- MSV will forever be part of the Tamil psyche.  He has been conferred  Isai peraringnar title by Tamil isai sangam, which is usually conferred on professional carnatic musician.

Tribute to MSV Part III

Tribute to MSV- Part III

“When the mind stills and becomes te music that it hears, when the heart recognizes that it has heard its soul mate, then you know it is MSV”- writes Ramesh vinayagam in The Hindu.

He has the greatest of them all. Original, versatile, innovative and prolific. He is a mystery.  How could he invent those exquisite melodies, those thousands of songs ?  How could he get into the minds of all the characters and sing like they would ?  How could the he make all those who heard the songs feel as if it were their own ?.  MSV was a boon to the Directors, a challenge to the singers, a friend to the lyricists, a revelation to the orchestra and above all else, a king to the people. So innovative, was he that he would just start with a raga and then change its course at will only to make it sweeter.

For example, MuthukkalO kangal begins like Madhyamavathi and somewhere along the way sounds like Darbari.  He was also expert in creating tunes devoid of a classical slant such as “Yengiruntho asaigal” or rock and roll “Viswanathan vElai vEndum.  His “laughter song”- “Sirippil undAgum” and a typical MGR  song “Pudhiya VAnam”

To me, he was a great psychologist- who knew his characters upside down and inside out. His real genius lay in the fact that he never composed anything which his characters would not sing  He never showed off his musicianship,

Can there ever be a more poignant song than “Kalamithu kAlamithu” or “Malai pozuthin”.   Can devastation be expressed more poignantly than in “Enge nimmathi”, “Yaar andha nilavu”  ?  What about “ilakknam marutho” or “Nalam nalam thirunalam” ?

Even today, these melodies stir emotions deep wihin us.  I realize he has created beautiful music that expresses every human emotion.

His creativity par takes, even with a whistle sound/humming can change the mood of the song.  Let me give you some of the songs :

NenjathilE nEE nerru vandhai – Shanthi-  Whistle sound

Ennirandu pathinaru vayasu- Annai illam- LR Easwari’s beautiful humming. It will take you a beautiful heaven.

Kallellam mAnikka-Alaya mani- beginning voice of LR Easwari will outshine the TMS voice followed.

Velli kinnamthan- Uyarntha manidhan-P.Susheela, rare background humming voice. What a beauty it is ?

To be continued.

Tribute to MSV - Part Two

Mr.Baradwaj Rangan, in THE Hindu dated 19^th July 2015, rightly echoed my views.  When people have lived a long life and when they have produced an immortal body of work, their own mortality does not seem as calamitous.

Tears are for the family.  For those who knew him only through his music, MSV will always manifest himself at will.  

I feel sad because another link to my past is gone. When I was young, my mind was a blank slate, and gradually songs and stars and movies begin to leave their mark on it.  These songs songs and stars and movies become home. Then I grew up and at some point, there was no more room in the slate. Luckily, for me, MSV was around, when the slate was still being filled

It is impossible to do more than scratch the surface in a space like this, but take “Minminiyai kanmaniyai” in the film Kannan en Kathalan.  The melody line descends like stops-sharp, distinct notes, the kind given to beginner music students so that they learn to land on a note without much of confusion.  MSV made songs whose constituents suggested one thing and the outcome was entirely different.

Listen to Madana mAligayil from Rajapart Rangadurai , MSV would fashion four different tunes for each of the four lines. Each charanam too contain astounding variations.  A rise here, A precipitous dip there. If there is a thing as “Guess the Next Note” competition, MSVs songs would be the irone.  Listen to Vellik Kinnamthan from Uyarntha manithan – instant love to music and an enigma called MSV.

Writing comprehensively about MSV is like writing a book.  One chapter would deal entirely with his association with TK Ramamurthy.  Another would delve in to his staggering mind meld with the lyrics of KannadAsan. Third would discuss the genres he adopted like big band jazz in Tamil movie song,  “ninaithadai nadathiyE mudippavan”, the instruments like bongos, the xylophone etc at his disposal. Next about the voices, at his disposal, TMS, P.Susheela, L.R.Easwari, P.B.Srinivas.  Then, look at his exquisite latter-day marvel with SPB.

Bharathi kannamma

Kana kaanum kngal mella

Enakkoru kadhali irukkinral

His mad songs like ”kettukkodi urumi melam”, “Attamenna solludi”, a karaharapriya rAga beauty.

With MSV there is no end to tell his credentials..

To continue

A Tribute to MSV - Part I

It is hard to forget MSV in my life.  My school life was woven around his music.  As a village boy, without even knowing what is a train, till I finished my 10^th Standard, a TV size radio was the only pet.  I used to tune slowly to listen to some songs, movie dialogues etc.,

Even after 10 days of his demise, I still remember MSV when I get up from my bed. Some of the feelings, you cannot share it with your relatives/friends.  Buried in your heart. Such an impact MSV created in me.  He was a genius.  Classical music seed was sown by him and by K V Mahadevan in my blood. 

Today as I show keen interest in Carnatic music and has seen inner peace and tranquility in my soul, the seed was sown by MSV positively.  Let me just narrate three songs in his film karnan, Shivaji starrer.

Ennuir thozhi- Amir kalyani beauty from P.Susheela

Marai kodukkam- Hindolam, hamsananadhi, kanada- three verses in praise of Karnan, to describe his genorisity.

uLLathil nall uLLam- Ahir bairavi beauty by Sirkazhi Govindarajan.

A small “U” turn to discuss the following songs from Tiruvilayadal, a film which was tuned by K.V.Mahadevan

Pattum nANE- Gowrimanohari, beautify song by TMS

Oru NAAl podhumA- darbAr, Todi, mohanam by evergreen Balamurali Krishna

Isai tamizh- Abheri

When the transition happened from KV Mahadevan to MS Viswanathan, it was smooth, unobtrusive and the latter continued the same flavor.

I made the above comparison to tell the fact that MSV did not destroy the classical flavor but produced some brilliant songs in Karnatic raga and non-karnatic based

He slowly mesmerized the music lovers and without even knowing brought melodies in to our heart.

Saravana poigayil neerAdi- idu sathyam- Brilliant song by P.Susheela

Van pOlave- Uyarndha manidhan-another beauty by P.Susheela

Enna enna varthaigalO-Vennera adai- Sridhar’s direction and again Susheela’s mastry

The above songs tell you the “thinking process” of a genius called MSV

I feel those residing outside India, would be missing MSV soulfully because they listen to more Tamil songs than here in India.  I personally experienced in my 6 years stay in Dubai.  On my hectic travel and away from my family, wife, new born baby, the only solace was MSV’s music.

I had, in Dubai,  MP3 of MSV (duo) music and played in my car and laughed, stunned, cried with his songs.  His pAsa malar songs made me feel the absence of a sister in my life.

His “andha nAl” song from Uyarndha manithan made me to remember my good old school days.

As S.Janaki in her tribute says “There are many memories left to be discussed, many songs left to be played. Anything in world is not enough to describe everything about this genius!!. Sir, thanks for such great songs. –

(to be continued)