First published before 2013
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Old Malayalam Film-songs' English annotations
VED from VICTORIA INSTITUTIONS
It is foretold! The torrential flow of inexorable destiny!!
Old Malayalam film songs are wonderful. Most of them lend a most mesmerising sensation to the hearer. The style and tone have been set and led by Vayalar Ramavarma. Such others as P Bhaskaran, Sreekumaran Thampi, and others have more or less tried to equal him in calibre.
In recent years, I did start feeling that Sreekumaran Thampi can be considered to be an equal to Vayalar. And in the case of some songs, his talents and skills can even surpass that of Vayalar.
However, over the years, there were no compelling standards or parameters to which film songs could remain loyal to. Standards deteriorated. There were attempts to cover the defects with loud music, and boisterous sounds.
So, what is so great about these old songs? They convey a most elevated feel to the human psyche. In feudal Malayalam, everything is slotted into various social and mental levels. Starting from that of extreme lowliness to the heights of divine attainments. These songs generally lend a very ennobling aura to the human beings.
There are the chakravartinis (ചക്രവർത്തിനികളും), salabanjigas (സാലഭൻജികകളും), rajashilpis (രാജശിൽപികളും), ajantha shilpams (അജന്താശിൽപങ്ങളും), anthapurams (അന്തപ്പരങ്ങളും), agraharams (അഗ്രഹാരങ്ങളും), rathisukhasares (രതിസുഖസാരേകളും), mayalokams (മായാലോകങ്ങളും), manoharinis (മനോഹരിണികളും), anuragapaurnamis (അനുരാഗപൗർണ്ണമികളും) and much else. Then there are the thenvarikkakaad (തേൻവരിക്കക്കാട്), and such other exotic sounding places.
However, the reality of Kerala life is much more mundane. It has no connection with the sweet dreamlike world depicted in the songs, which more or less make use of Sanskrit words and usages with gay abandon.
The reality of communication in Kerala is rough, and tough, and often uncouth towards those one does not respect or revere. Here, everything comes embedded with servility or pejorative codes (വിധേയത്വം നൽകൽ അതുമല്ലങ്കിൽ തരംതാഴ്ത്തൽ കോഡുകൾ) connected to financial and social status; and also to age (current times).
Beyond that, the modern language of Malayalam is only a rampant expansion of the colloquial lingua franca of South Central Travancore, which may have been standardised to a significant extent by the Christian Missionaries of the London Missionary Society, when they converted a lot of lower caste communities into Christians.
The original language of Malabar, which was also called Malayalam, literally has been wiped out in the last 40 and odd years. This language also did show extreme potentialities to bring out fascinating literary creations. However modern generations of Malabar wouldn’t understand this language. Modern generations in Malabar, if they hear it, would literally laugh at it.
But then both the original Malayalam of Malabar, which can now be identified as Malabari, and the newly created Malayalam of Travancore are terribly feudal.
Malayalam songs can seem to be more beautiful than most English songs, because they visualise a world that is not in existence, and cannot be conceived in English. And doesn’t exist in India.
Feudal languages generally have this quality of being extremely beautiful. Even French songs used to be mentioned as beautiful even by Englishmen, who traditionally did view many French items with disdain.
I wrote these annotations of Old Malayalam Filmsongs many years ago, with no specific aim in mind.
It may be noted that what I have written is more or less annotations of the song lines or verses. However, due to my limited knowledge of Sanskrit words and usage, and also of the literary side of Malayalam, this annotation may not be of resounding quality and correctness from Sanskrit and Malayalam perspective.
However, I have made an attempt to capture the general mood and pulse of the songs in English words. I am more or less satisfied with what I have done with regard to some of the songs. In the case of others, I feel that I could have done better. Maybe I would do some rewriting of them later.
It may be mentioned in passing that it is these songs, created with much monetary expense, that has created a feeling that Malayalam is a fascinating language, when actually it does contain a very dangerous social structure philosophy.
The theme of the song is deceptively simple. Yet, as Jayabharathi dances out her aching, worshipful, and deeply erotic yearnings under the sparkling, beaded night sky, the lyrics soar far beyond ordinary earthly realms.
The studded ethereal spheres of the Gandharvas and Apsaras (ഗന്ധർവ്വനഗരങ്ങൾ), their golden townships lining the pulsating Aakashaganga — ആകാശഗംഗ (the flowing Milky Way) — unwrap themselves from their shrouded celestial veils. The words ring out with powerful timbre, pitch, and resonance.
Her appeal is to Indukala — the enigmatic, shadowy yet golden moon — the eternal voyager across mysterious celestial expanses. As the moon winds its way, decorating and adorning the dazzling Gandharva hamlets on its path, beside the Rasakreedasaras (രാസക്രീഡാ സരസ്സിന്നരികിൽ), the enchanted waters of divine erotic play, it chances upon a solitary hermitage.
There, in the darkened woods lining the valleys of Ramagiri (രാമഗിരിയുടെ മടിയിൽ), she would glimpse her gorgeous lover, as handsome as the Yaksha of Kalidasa’s tales.
Into that blossoming, fragrant heart, in that foliage-chalet by the waterfront of the blue-hued stream (നീലനദിയുടെ കരയിൽ), you must go. And deliver my message of love, adoration, worship, and passionate yearning.
Sitting in bashful coyness in her lonely hamlet beside a remote tea plantation, under the lazy gaze of the all-seeing moon, and sensing the electric pulses of the enveloping night air, Jayabharathi dances out her sensual desires. There is an uncontrollable erotic charge in her swaying and arching movements.
The magnetic pull of her lovely, twining figure is undeniable as she dances beneath the twinkling canopy, bathed in the soft halo of silvery moonlight. Her swinging curves carry unspoken promises, as do her suggestive postures and graceful contours.
She has done a splendid job. For her lover, far beyond the darkened valleys and towering slopes, does feel the whispery undertones of her soft sensual cravings.
Vayalar in splendid sync with Devarajan!
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: P. Madhuri
Film: Nakhangal
Year: 1973
Director: A. Vincent
Lead Actors: Madhu, Jayabharathi
Is the song alluding to the Sun on its glorious journey seeking the golden sunset at the far ends of the day? It would be a mighty foolish conclusion to think so.
It is the lightly clad maiden with the dangling earrings who is the true subject — there is no doubt about it. She arrives carrying the same promises of joy as the Aadimaasa sun, along with whispers of both celebration and ominous portents.
As she hastens away, one wonders: where is she hurrying from? From the vicinity of the golden dawn? From the golden house of the Almighty? Or has she emerged from the courtyard of the still, luminescent crescent moon?
Where is she hurrying to? Is it towards her own sunset in the dark harbours of life? Is she heading to the sacrificial altars where fiendish monsters await in supreme repose, ready to saunter into the dark, watery horizons?
The mood is deeply pensive and the music brooding. Vayalar and G. Devarajan are in perfect alignment — as always!
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: K.J. Yesudas
Actors: Jayabharathi, Prem Nazir, Adoor Bhasi
Film Production: Excel Productions
Director: Thoppil Bhasi
Year: 1972
The mood is electric; it is an invocation to his queen — the queen of his hearts! He waits in his turnery, for her to enter on her naked feet and lend the benediction.
Salabanjikas (സാലഭഞ്ജികകൾ), the sculpted devadasis, would receive you with flowers in their hands. In the hallowed panchaloha campanile corridors, earthen lamps would bloom. Heavenly maidens with alluring thirst in their eyes would swarm around; and rudra veenas (രുദ്രവീണ) will hum on their own!!
In the whispery moonlit moments, gorgeous marble damsels would clothe your steps with pearls; lustful wanton lasses would incline you to be my spiritual mate. In the attic bed, I would cover you with blushes.
The tune is definitely that of a prayer; as one would pray to one’s goddess. The song is also that of worship for the deity, the female goddess who should come to lend him the divine fulfilment. Words loaded with scholarship that sways to the perfect rhyme of ethereal music. Vayalar and Devarajan!!!
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Film: Chembarathi
Year: 1972
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: K.J. Yesudas (and P. Madhuri version)
Director: Bharathan
Scintillating allusions to sexual yearnings abound. Here is sensual beauty in its fathomless form — akin to the immortal Ajantha sculptures (അജന്താശിൽപങ്ങൾ).
She is called upon to fill (അലങ്കരിക്കൂ) his night with revelry and dazzling dance, with her ageless beauty and grace, and her supernatural loveliness (സ്വർഗ്ഗലാവണ്യമേ) to pave his path with passionate flowers.
It is not only Vayalar and Devarajan at their creative peak, but also Prem Nazir and Sheela. Sheela postures the erotic appeal of the fabled Ajantha sculptures in most enticing perfection.
How is Prem Nazir able to encase so much beauty and depth into so casual a theme as ordinary romantic love — clad as he is in nothing more than an ordinary mundu and shirt!
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Music: G. Devarajan
Film: Aranazhika Neram (അരനാഴിക നേരം)
Director: K. S. Sethumadhavan
Year: 1970
Singers: K. J. Yesudas
Actors: Prem Nazir, Sheela
It is the yearning for an idol fit for worship — for her to drape in offerings of flowers (പുഷ്പാഞ്ജലിയിൽ പൊതിയാൻ). She would decorate his body with sacred passions; into its depths, sweet elixirs of longing would be poured (അമൃത് നിവേദിക്കും).
In the hallowed secrecy of soundless nights (രജനികൾതോറും രഹസ്യമായി), she would come with her offerings for the daily bliss of passionate, ritualistic mating. She would fill his fragrant bowls with ever-fresher oblations.
In those feverish moments, she would forget everything and dissolve into a heavenly world (മായാലോകത്തിലെത്തും).
Vayalar has fantastically carved, in superb words, the secret world of female fantasy as it merges with deep cravings for one’s own lover. The music has a mellowed, intimate quality as it moves in slow cadence, in careful rhythm with the tender theme. G. Devarajan’s music blends divinely with Vayalar’s delicate delineation!
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: P. Susheela
Film: Panchavan Kaadu (പഞ്ചവൻ കാട്)
Year: 1971
Producer: Excel Productions
Director: M. Kunchacko
Actors: Prem Nazir, Sheela, Sathyan
Childhood memories stream through these lines, evoking the sweet passions that ripple all along in this song. The rolling mountain stream is the Poonthenaruvi (പൂന്തേനരുവി), the sweet little sister of Ponmudipuzha (പൊന്മുടിപ്പുഴ). It speaks of long years of close association — two adolescents sharing the same fondness, sensual inclinations, and thirsts.
On the slopes of the same hillock, in the same greenish shades, they grew up together; drifting around, robed in frocks of silvery moonlit foliage, pinching flowers as they went along (പൂക്കളിറുത്തുനടന്നു).
With blue-tinted dreamy eyes, ringing waists, and bashful stories on their lips, they lazed around in cosy companionship (കഥകൾ പറഞ്ഞുമയങ്ങി). Oh, can such pulsating remembrances ever die? Can tidal waters ever stand still (ഓളങ്ങൾ നിലയ്ക്കുമോ)?
The chiming tune that rings throughout the song is in perfect harmony with the pulse of youthful dreams. Sheela, with her sheer mood of youthful abandonment, appeals directly to our innermost romantic feelings and stirs mysterious, faraway figments in our hearts.
Beyond all this, one must also admire the directors of these old movies who, with their modest equipment and slender resources, could pack so much beauty into the simplest of scenery. Gay damsels in splendid joy, dancing in perfect rhythm with the gushing stream and its spraying waters — it is pure visual celebration.
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: P. Susheela
Film: Oru Penninte Kadha (ഒരു പെണ്ണിന്റെ കഥ)
Year: 1971
Director: K. S. Sethumadhavan
Lead Actors: Sheela, Prem Nazir
This is a song with a sobering depth embedded deep within. Actually, several powerful themes move in the background. One is the forbidden infatuation and love between Karuthamma and Pareekutty — a love doomed to disastrous consequences, as it pierces through the rigid walls of social hierarchy and threatens to puncture them.
Then there is the fatal forced marriage of Karuthamma to a man she detests, even though he himself is a person of sterling character. That is the real tragedy of the story.
The pulsating music rhymes perfectly with the swaying moods and waves of the sea, which stands there, unwavering in the background, with seeming nonchalance.
The song oscillates between the forebodings of the ill-fated romance and the rejoicing of the seafaring folks, for it is the season of harvest in the high seas. Sparkling fortunes await them in the swinging waves and tugging depths.
There is apprehension in the minds of the fisher-folk about what harvest the far horizons hold — whether it will be an ordinary one or something that brings them riches. The eagles that soar in the heights (മാനത്ത് പറക്കണ ചെമ്പരുന്തേ!), can they foresee the booty and bounty that awaits in the distance?
These are the more obvious themes. Yet, there is another powerful theme encoded in this song that elevates it to one of superb scholarship. It is the sublime link in the world of codes between a man and his woman. It is she who stands guard over his life, strength, and potential — and acts as the wall of protection against ill-luck and misfortune.
As he ventures into the seas with nothing steady to hold on to, surrounded by swaying waters, it is the fidelity of his wife that stands as the only unwavering anchor (അരയത്തി പെണ്ണ് തപസ്സിരുന്ന്). It is intangible, yet powerful and dependable. Here, fidelity is not merely sexual loyalty, but encompasses the many other associations and obligations that the feudal codes of Malayalam language enforce.
Many a seafarer has braved the thundering seas and returned alive because his woman stood firmly by him. Yet, there were also those unfortunate ones who trusted women of loose fidelity and weak mental stamina — they never came back, forever claimed by the waves (കണവൻ അല്ലേലിക്കരകാണൂല!).
This song has a profound link to the world of codes that govern human life and even the deeper designs of our universe.
Persons interested in the theme of secondary codes that lie behind life and the universe may read these writings of mine.
The genius of Vayalar needs deep fathoming. Salil Choudhury stands in close proximity. Sheela has acted superbly as Karuthamma. The film director is a man with an exquisite eye for detail.
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: Salil Choudhury
Singer: K. J. Yesudas
Film: Chemmeen (ചെമ്മീൻ)
Year: 1965
Director: Ramu Kariat
Lead Actors: Sheela, Madhu, Sathyan
Her tender form — so soft and mesmerising! As she opens in the encasing darkness like a tuneful flower. There is temptation in the air as she yields to her wild passions and unwraps her attire in the flimsy cover of the see-through mist (മഞ്ഞിൽ മുങ്ങിയീറന്മാറും).
The wild appeal of unopened sprouts, as if stirred awake by her lover. Intense longings and powerful cravings in their unbridled form.
Oh, the bubbling desires roused in the hugging cold (മൂടിവന്ന കുളിരോടെ), cloaked in gentle devotion for the lover — hasten to quench my yearnings and my thirsts!
A song that is both tender and brazen. Sharp allusions to the delicious charm of the female body are immodestly spelt out, yet they blend beautifully with the eager mood of the composition.
As for visual appeal, the promises held in the crevices, so evident, are easy and sweet on the eyes. There is a whisper of the erotic in the words and in the swaying heaviness of the female form. Definitely pleasing and never vulgar!
One gets a glimpse of the fabled licentiousness in the genius of Vayalar in this song — yet rendered so politely! Devarajan arranges the soft and measured tone of the ache in these desirous yearnings and hopes with divine finesse.
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: K. J. Yesudas
Film: Oru Sundariyude Kadha (ഒരു സുന്ദരിയുടെ കഥ)
Year: 1972
Director: Thoppil Bhasi
Lead Actors: Jayabharathi, Prem Nazir
One of the great songs that proves that in the Age of Vayalar, all film songwriters had to rise to his level; otherwise, they had no place in Malayalam cinema. In those misty early years, there was no compromise on quality.
It is a most romantic song, perfectly befitting the scene:
Oh, thou adoring luminance, pour out your honey and scatter flowers upon me. Let not your affection go awry, nor wither away — O gleam of lovely light!
This sparkling romantic exchange is all bells and twinkles! The playful nightingale has begun its melody of adoration (കളിപറഞ്ഞിരിക്കും കിളിതുടങ്ങിയല്ലോ!). The unfading season of affection has come visiting the souls.
In the skies, the stars are in rapt attention. Lured by soft sensual stories (മാനംകഥപറഞ്ഞു, താരം കേട്ടിരുന്ന ആകാശമണിയറയിൽ), soundlessly, like a trespasser, I have sneaked into your heart. Without anyone — neither the people nor your own senses — knowing, I have captured your feelings.
It is a great song! And it is aptly enacted by Prem Nazir. The charm he radiates, the love, the affection, and the sweet thrill of that solitary discourse — it is wonderful! Sheela stands in perfect synchronisation with him.
The mood of mystic love, the confidence of doubtless affection, and the possessiveness of perfect attachment all stream out beautifully in the scene.
I have not given the literal meaning, but only the sense and feeling that possesses the mind as one listens to the song.
Lyricist: P. Bhaskaran
Musician: Usha Khanna
Singer: K. J. Yesudas
Film: Moodalmanju (മൂടൽമഞ്ഞ്)
Year: 1970
Director: Sudhin Menon (also known as Sudin Menon)
Lead Actors: Prem Nazir, Sheela, Adoor Bhasi, P. J. Antony
The pounding pulse that sets aflame the mood of the girl at the mere mention and sight of her youthful lover. He is the elephant minder of the feudal lord’s household.
The lassies are young, cute, green, and juvenile — and of course, of highly impressionable age. The uncontrollable physical effect of adolescent infatuation in one is well paraphrased by the other.
The penance, the patience, and the triumph of romantic dreams! There is catastrophic tumbling inside as the ringing chime is heard, triggering uncontrollable blushing in her cheeks as he appears (പെണ്ണിന്റെ കവിളത്ത് തുടുതുടുപ്പ്).
The flutter in the eyes! What could have stirred it? The desperation to partake in the merriment at the shrine, or the yearning to fuse with the god who crowds your mind?
This tender lassie! There is danger in hanging about unfettered (മദംപൊട്ടിനിന്നാൽ പറ്റൂല!); the lord’s elephant minder shall definitely catch and shackle her.
The scenery is picturesque. The mood is one of gaiety. There is bliss and colour all around. It is a wonderful song with a ringing tone in the music, perfectly rhyming with the brilliance of glittering love and flustering ardour!
Lyricist: Yusufali Kecheri
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: P. Madhuri
Film: Sindooracheppu (സിന്ദൂരച്ചെപ്പ്)
Year: 1971
Director: Madhu
Lead Actors: Madhu, Jayabharathi
The mad yearning of the lover; the unspeakable sweetness in the passionate haunting; the melody that stirs infatuated rapture in the honeyed flower — to possess and to be possessed!
The arrival of spring! The harping of the birds!! The clipping beat of the streaming waters!!!
The butterfly has come dressed in yearnings (ആശകളും ചൂടി വരവായി!) — he, the bringer of lovely feelings!!
Bathed in mist, in the hazy dawn, with dreams in his eyes, he has come to see you! The bard who fills the jungles with his tunes (കാടാകെ പാടും ഗായകൻ).
I have not seen the film, so I cannot speak from the background of the story. Yet, the scene itself is beautiful. Prem Nazir and Sheela are in near perfection. Prem Nazir looks sweetly romantic, and Sheela is wonderful. Their chemistry is deep and infectious. The romantic ambience feels markedly different from the shallow romances of modern cinema.
The shaded nature and dense woods in the background add greatly to the effect. One is moved by the realism and the unspoken, whispery obsessions that linger — powerful and magnetically charged.
Lyricist: P. Bhaskaran
Musician: Usha Khanna
Singer: S. Janaki
Film: Moodalmanju (മൂടൽമഞ്ഞ്)
Year: 1970
Director: Sudhin Menon
Lead Actors: Prem Nazir, Sheela
A very beautiful song! It captures the infatuations of the forest folk.
He enquires of the blue kingfisher — his own special kingfisher (എന്റെ നീലപൊന്മാനെ) — about its deepest yearnings. Is it the wrappings of silvery sunlight, or the greenish textures of the trees that it longs for?
There is celebration and festivity in the shrines today (ഇന്ന് കാവിലെല്ലാം കാവടീ), and everywhere else. Oh, little bird! It is time to shape the bridal pearl lace. Oh, my mind! Intoxicate thyself with honeyed thoughts! (മനസ്സെ തേൻകുടിക്കൂ നീ!)
There is rhyme, support, harmony, and warm reception in the lover’s response. Would the little bird lend me both the shiny robe as well as the foliage-woven one?
It is time to go home, time to return to the nest, you tender little twitterer (കൊച്ചൂപീലി പൂവാലി!). It is time to thread the tender green garland. Oh, my thoughts! Souse thyself with honey!
Their thoughts are perfectly in sync.
He sings: You cute little plumed person, dweller in the delicious woodlands where luscious trees flower! I have heard your singing (നിന്റെ പാട്ടു ഞാൻ കേട്ടു). Oh, my mind, be in tuneful rhyme.
The scene is beautiful, and the mood is one of perfect romantic synchronisation. Vayalar is in his prime, and Salil Choudhury has also shown his calibre.
However, there is something more that needs to be said about this scene. It depicts the Adivasi people who live in the Wynad district (once dense forests). In reality, they do not look like this. Exploited, starved, and driven off their lands, they currently present a far worse picture.
In fact, this film is somewhat like Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi, where Gandhi is portrayed by a man of British nationality, half-English blood, and perfect English demeanour — making Gandhi look like an Englishman. Actually Gandhi was the son of the Diwan of Porbundar kingdom.
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: Salil Choudhury
Singer: K. J. Yesudas
Film: Nellu (നെല്ല്)
Year: 1974
Director: Ramu Kariat
Lead Actors: Prem Nazir, Jayabharathi, Mohan
I have not seen the film and thus do not know the context of the song. Yet, it is a most beautiful composition.
The very aaahah that commences the song immediately pulls the listener into a dreamy, faraway, and mystical mood. The voice is superb and resonates sharply with the gay, playful temper of the song.
It is an entreaty to the Southerly Wind (തെക്കൻകാറ്റേ!), which has come to Thirumandhamkunnu (തിരുമാന്ധാംകുന്നിൽ) after a futile search for flowers in Thrikkakkare and Thirunakkare.
May I see the insides of your cute, tuneful flower basket (ഓമൽപൂപാലിക)?
Oh, there is thali mulla (താലിമുല്ല), and also chen-thamara thalir! There is parijatham, adorned with the reddish hue of chandan from the golden dawn (പ്രഭാതചന്ദന തിലകംചാർത്തിയ). Then there is nishagandhi, which has enthralled you, wild with shameless passion. So why this thulasipoo, which has been predestined as an offering?
Isn’t there rajamalli, and also anuraga mandhari? Moreover, there is naithalambal, decorated with flying sparks glowing in the moonlight! There is also vanajyothsna, which has made you frantically passionate with love. Then why this thulasipoo, which has already been offered away?
The lines are beautiful, and the native names of the flowers feel sweet and touching. The swinging tune of the music and the swaying cadence of the words match each other perfectly. Devarajan is in perfect pulse with Vayalar!
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: P. Madhuri
Film: Line bus
Year: 1971
Director: K. S. Sethumadhavan
Lead Actors: Prem Nazir, Sheela, Adoor Bhasi
The scene seems to depict the signalling of the lover to his beloved. The kindling hum and the bells beckon her. She is within earshot.
This is a song that rings strong reminiscences in me. The film came out when I was in my fifth class. The lines bring back memories of walking through a particular lane at night, under the canopy of a luminescent dark sky. There was a juvenile romance in my mood.
The lines have a heady feel about them and there is a powerful sense of love in the air — worshipful love in its most intoxicating form! As he sees his beloved in the dark hours, with stars twinkling in the moonlit skies.
There is timid diffidence in her as she stirs out towards his nearness. Rightful fear, overcome by tempting infatuation. There is intense mental wrenching. The inner struggle is obvious; deep, arduous cravings tug at her.
In the far enticing heavens, the moon decorates the nuptial arena; the singing of the nightingale adds magic to the feelings. Thoughts are persuasive and eager, packed with coy anticipations.
She comes alone, brimming with unbridled fondness. In a pose of artless acceptance!
Yet, she is the goddess of my prayers (ഞാൻ തൊഴുന്ന കോവിലിലെ). The queen of fulfilment of my sensual fantasies. The rhyme and song of my thoughts. I shall wed her in these blue-tinted night hours (താലിചാർത്തും ഞാനീ... നീലരാവിൽ!).
The song is vibrant and gripping. It lingers long in one’s romantic thoughts and touches deeper feelings connected to faraway times. The tune also has a most delightful quality.
Beyond that, the camera work accentuates the lassie’s rounded features, stirring unchaste meditations in the viewer. There is an undertone of shrouded promises in the forbidden events — even as the music tolls as in a wedding ceremony!
Lyricist: Yusufali Kecheri
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: K. J. Yesudas
Film: Sindooracheppu
Year: 1971
Director: Madhu
Lead Actors: Madhu, Jayabharathi
It is a very special scene where romantic revelry gets entwined with spiritual aspirations. There is luscious prose and lovable poetry in the scenery — a most wonderful celebration for both the eyes and the soul!
Vayalar’s fabled control and command over words and phrases, as well as his deep knowledge of the complex themes of the Puranas, are clearly visible here. It would be difficult to grasp the core meaning of all the lines unless one has good familiarity with Sanskrit, as Old Malayalam film songs are ultimately built upon Sanskrit words and usages — something I do not possess in depth.
The lover, Aromalunni, is equated to Kannan — Lord Sri Krishna. Her entreaty is that He should adorn his angelic features with the kanakambara garland twined by her (ഞാൻ കോർത്ത കനകാമ്പരമാല!).
Who are you, young lass, who has come through the solitary pathways of the hamlets of Yamuna, through the glittering vrichchika maasa moonlit silvery gardens of Vrindavan, seeking this Dwarakapuri — my abode, the home of Sri Krishna!
I am your lassie, who came running across a million births hearing the call of your flute, to the Gomedakamani-bead-paved laps of Govardhana (ഗോമേദകണിമുത്തുകൾ ചിന്നിയ). Yes, I am your gopakanyaka, your grazing girl.
You are my Radha, he rejoins — my lovely, gorgeous Radha! The Radha of Vrindavan who crazed me with spirituous passions.
My much-loved darling, could you decorate this gracious regal scene?
There is an explosive bursting of mental revelry!
Bearing the celestial golden hues (വെൺമതികലയുടെ പൊന്നാഭരണം ചാർത്തി)!
Displaying Cupid’s arrows (മന്മദപുഷ്പശരങ്ങൾ) on the bosom!
You still appear for carousing in the nightly hours!
Those beautiful dark hours that drive me wild and eager (എന്നെ മദാലസയാക്കറുള്ള മനോഹരരാത്രി)!
The rhyme of the gushing waters (ജലതരംഗതാളം)!
The drumming din of the Yamuna!
The bustle of the bells and the splendour of the peacock dance!
Oh, Kannaa! The lolling tune of your wild flute! The hymn that made me a cosmic dancer!
Is there all this in your remembrances (ഓർമ്മയുണ്ടോ!)?
The song is wonderful, and the scenery is befitting. There is also an intense dazzle in the vibrant music. It is Devarajan rhyming with Vayalar right through the core of the theme and our senses!
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singers: K. J. Yesudas & P. Susheela
Film: Aromalunni
Year: 1972
Director: M. Kunchacko
Lead Actors: Prem Nazir, Vijayasree, Sheela
It is the ancient theme from the age of the Tretha Yuga (ത്രേതായുഗം): that of a solitary stone in the wilds transforming itself into a graceful lass by the mere touch of the hallowed toes of Sree Rama, the young prince betrothed by Sita.
When pierced by your nails that day, did the sculpture of this lovely damsel — shaped years ago by some nameless artist (ഏതോ ശിൽപി) — enliven itself? Or did it merely stir the silent yearnings already present in you?
You are that figurine, and I, the sculptor. See!
Oh, you poesy chipped in stone (കല്ലിൽ കൊത്തിവച്ച കവിതേ!), what is it that caused the chiming of your golden bracelets? Oh, you dazzler with blushing bosoms, what has caused the kindling of your sensual textures (നിന്റെ മേലാസകലം തളിരിട്ടതെങ്ങിനെ)?
Oh, you stunner, attired in petals have you come! Would you not bathe me in passions (എന്നെ പുളകങ്ങൾ കൊണ്ട് പുതപ്പിക്കുകില്ലയോ)? Oh, you bloom, pierced bare by Cupid! Is not your gorgeous honeyed nectar meant for me?
The story alluded to from the Ramayana has some connection to a peculiar theme of infidelity. In this film also, there is an element of adultery or something similar — I cannot recall exactly.
Then the lines: “When pierced by your nails that day......enliven itself” — it may, in a singular manner, allude to the theme of the film in which the female arrives with a terrible disease, which gets cured by the touch of the doctor (the hero). This more or less gives her a new life.
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singers: P. Jayachandran & P. Susheela
Film: Vazhve Mayam
Year: 1970
Director: K. S. Sethumadhavan
Lead Actors: Sathyan, Sheela
I have not seen this film, but the lines drip with luscious yearnings for the lover she chanced to meet in the twilight hours of the electric dusk. It was that tipsy hour when, on the darkened tips of the castle towers, the golden moon had hued and slashed itself into a hallowed curve. In the temple grounds, the fig-tree vicinity stood bathed in shaded moonlight.
Oh, my friend, on the pradakshina way (പ്രദക്ഷിണവഴിയിൽ), my divinity did appear — he came in person. Not one blessing did he give, nor did he linger to speak (വരമൊന്നും തന്നില്ല, ഉരിയാടാൻ നിന്നില്ല), yet with soundless words he said something.
I gave him no flowers and none of my offerings, nor did he take any. No naivedyam of passions was offered (നൈവേദ്യം നൽകിയില്ല!). Only my filling eyes decorated the divine form in sparkling colours.
The dark scenery, the bewitching passions etched in her soul, and the eerie mood of the setting day all lend a vibrant mood to the song. P. Bhaskaran is in a wonderful creative form here!
Lyricist: P. Bhaskaran
Musician: T. K. Pukazhenthi
Singer: S. Janaki
Film: Vithukal
Year: 1971
Lead Actors: Madhu, Sheela
There is a mesmerising mood in the air. The dark shaded waters, the slow-paced row-boat, and of course the cherubic features of Prem Nazir add greatly to its intensity. The effect is one of perfect intoxication, as one feels the tingle and the unbelievable charm of fervent love, longing, and separation.
Divine is the mood.
Revelry unfolds in the nightingale’s hall of music, and there is the bittersweet tinkling tune of yearnings in me (രാഗവേദനാമഞ്ചരീ!).
There are stirrings in the silver-beaded waves and an unsteady bashfulness in the rapturous gale.
The glassy clear sandbanks (പഞ്ചാരമണൽക്കരയിൽ) stand bathed in the misty radiance of twilight (പൗർണ്ണമിതൻ പാലൊഴുകി). Sweetened remembrances of you gush through the pulsating core of my heart.
In the fragrant pearly-beaded moonlight (മുത്തുമണിചന്ദ്രികയിൽ), why is there no chiming of the dangling bells in your earrings? In the hallowed world of celestial melodies, there is an ecstatic spreading of the tunes of you!
The music brims with the soft pace of unfettered feelings. The lines are wonderful. The settings are perfectly in sync with the divine mood of the theme.
Lyricist: Sreekumaran Thampi
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: K. J. Yesudas
Film: Kaalachakram
Year: 1973
Lead Actors: Prem Nazir, Jayabharathi
Oh, Ye Messiah of Jerusalem! Jesus, my Lord! When, oh when, will you come again before my candle-lamp, O Son of God?
We have grazed the grasslands of Bethlehem; our penance is done (ബതലഹേമിലെ പുൽത്തൊഴുത്തു ഞങ്ങൾ മേഞ്ഞുകഴിഞ്ഞു!).
The assemblage of the poor, the despoiled, and the oppressed waits with passionate eagerness to welcome the arrival of their Lord.
Here it is not Judea! No Judas is here!! The wooden cross built on Golgotha is nowhere to be seen.
Oh, You Messenger of God from Jerusalem, this is Your kingdom — and Yours alone!
The streets of Israel have been draped; the pavements have been decorated!!!
With tender olive leaves in their hands, the enslaved, the powerless, the anguished, and the tormented (അടിമകളും ദു:ഖിതരും, പീഡിതരും!) have all stirred, with dreamy eyes. Here there is no Caesar, no Pontius Pilate, and no barbed crown in the ravines of Calvary.
This is Thy kingdom! Thine alone!! (നിന്റെ രാജ്യം, ഇതു നിന്റെ രാജ്യം!)
The theme of this song reflects the spirited passion for social justice that echoes in many of Vayalar’s works. In many ways, Jesus was a supreme rebel against the injustices of the existing social order. There is an ever-increasing relevance to the earthly embodiment of Jesus — the rebel who struck terror in Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem, which had become a den of corruption and exploitation. This is a largely forgotten theme in conventional Christian theology.
For, the nation is run by vile, self-serving, corrupt, and feudal officialdom. Where is this Saviour? When will He appear in our midst to lash His whip at these freebooters of national wealth?
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: K. J. Yesudas
Film: Adimakal
Year: 1969
Director: K. S. Sethumadhavan
Lead Actors: Sathyan, Sheela, Prem Nazir
The entreaty is to Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Let Thy name be celebrated! As a benediction, let Thy righteous love and affection reach us!
Through the green pastures, where the winds have been sown only to reap whirlwinds (കാറ്റുവിതച്ചു കൊടുങ്കാറ്റു കൊയ്യുന്ന മേച്ചിൽപുറങ്ങളിലൂടെ!), and as daylight is failing, we — the grazing lambs — stand helplessly searching for our Shepherd, forlorn and weary!
Powerless and grief-stricken, we stand with frenzied hopes, wearing our piercing crown of thorns and bearing our cross, knocking and calling at the heavenly doorways promised to us!
Vayalar and Devarajan are in perfect rhyme with the divine mood and entreaty of the song!
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: K. J. Yesudas (with chorus)
Film: Nadhi
Year: 1969
Director: A. Vincent
Lead Actors: Prem Nazir, Jayabharathi, Sathyan
Love urged on by rightful lust, on the verge of unbridling itself, with powerful temptations lending scope to wild imaginations — that is the theme that moves through the song. The focus remains invariably on the waist and its surroundings of the lassie. The place holds a mesmerising charm.
As she stands with her dripping coverings and busies herself with more plunges into the pond, oh, to behold the scene! To imagine the crevices as the fissures of a half-opened flower! To rein in the longings of his fingers!!
As she bends, with her back to him, to sketch on the ground, again the lover’s lustful feelings run riot, as does his infatuation! It is love — passionate and lustful!!
Vayalar with his brilliant words, and G. Devarajan with his divine tunes!!! Yet, the scene would have been much more powerful had Prem Nazir been the actor. He remains the master depicter of raw and lovely passions.
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: K. J. Yesudas
Film: Gayathri
Year: 1973
Director: P. N. Menon
Lead Actors: Jayabharathi, Raghavan
This song was originally written by the German Missionary Volbrecht Nagel, who arrived on the coasts of Cannanore (North Malabar) in 1893. He later moved south, mastered Malayalam, He later moved south, mastered Malayalam (possibly from the Christian settlers from Travancore), and composed many hymns. The song was first written in English and then translated into Malayalam.. The song was first written in English and then translated into Malayalam.
The version featured here is an adaptation by Vayalar with music by G. Devarajan. While the song is beautiful, it would be unfair to attribute its core beauty entirely to Vayalar.
In the vehicle of Time, I journey alone to my Lord’s dwelling. It is a solitary trip to reach back to my homeland. Brief is the time for this earthly stint to end — just a minor span before I shed my mortal coils.
In the hazy hours of the night, I sleep in my God’s hands. Even in those sleepy hours, the wheels of my wagon roll steadily forward towards my goal.
In the early hours, I rise still in my God’s hands. Even in those wakening moments, the dreams in me surge forward to my destination (അപ്പോഴും എൻ മനസ്സിന്റെ സ്വപ്നം മുന്നോട്ടോടുന്നു).
To yield to the appeals of worldly pleasures is not apt at this time (ഈ പ്രപഞ്ചസുഖം തേടാൻ ഇപ്പോഴല്ല സമയം!). I need to reach my native land and call upon Jesus. The urgency in me is unbridled.
Lyricist (Adaptation): Vayalar Ramavarma
Original: Volbrecht Nagel
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singers: P. Leela & P. Madhuri
Film: Aranazhika Neram
Year: 1970
Director: K. S. Sethumadhavan
Lead Actors: Prem Nazir, Sheela, Sathyan, Ambika
Anubhavangal Paalichakal: Can one say that this was a wonderful movie? The answer would belie the very sense of the word. It was a theme of horrible dimensions. The portrayal was divine and at the same time heart-rending. The very name of the film bespeaks the experience: Withering Endeavours. I am not sure if the translation is apt. One could also use terms such as Cataclysmic Experiences or Futile Experiences.
It is the pain that many extraordinary persons on grand ventures have experienced — the disloyalty of a follower, a confidant, or a spouse. Here it is the infidelity of the spouse. Many great personages have been saddled with undeserving consorts who neither understand nor make any effort to understand the grand schemes their husbands are working on. The pain of betrayal by cheap confidants is great and has catastrophic effects. The tragedy of illustrious persons being held hostage by extremely commonplace spouses!
The theme is of epic proportions and there are many insights to be garnered from the terrific scenes. For one thing, the emptiness of the grand illusion called the “Universal Brotherhood of the Working Class” — a more or less unworkable theme in a nation functioning on extreme feudal languages, wherein everyone stands selfishly for himself alone, crushing all others in the desperate scramble to reach the supreme heights of feudal language usage.
The second item of notice is the terribleness faced by a husband who is actively fighting a powerful enemy (the police force) when he is suddenly told of the possible infidelity of his wife. The sudden knowledge that one of his powerful props has fallen. The desperation, the terror, the pandemonium in the mind, the absolute breakdown of carefully laid plans, and the utter senselessness of the whole situation — all because an irresponsible woman is holding the strings and rattling them.
The third theme is the horrifying breakdown of the innate instinct for survival, evident when the protagonist hesitates and ponders over handing himself over to the police — a solitary moment of pardonable mental vulnerability.
The fourth theme is the Indian Police Station, where the people of the subcontinent scarcely receive decent behaviour. Once inside police hands, it is literally like being in the grip of primitive savages who gnaw at the very basic nobility of the human soul.
The fifth theme is the scenes from old Ernakulam. Persons familiar with the place may be able to identify the locations and notice some discrepancies in the distances shown.
Oh, Ye Prophesiers, say — is radiant hope far away? Is radiant daybreak far away!!
Cataclysmic changes in the golden red soils of the early dawn (ആദിയുഷസ്സിൽ ചുവന്ന മണ്ണിൽ നിന്നാ യുഗസംഗമങ്ങൾ);
The crashing of the towering pillars of faith in the windstorm;
Powerless on the waysides stands Godhood;
Dharma needhees — the supreme codes of righteousness — are in untroubled musings in their hermitage.
In the Bharatha battlefields, where histories are to be rewritten, the dazzling war chariot led by the young cattle boy is falling apart in the bloody soil. In this terrible Kurukshetra land, Arjuna stands alone, defenceless, without weapons! On their pyres, the noble philosophies are kindling.
The scene is that of a man totally broken down — his mind in fire and his goals in doubt. Vayalar’s words are of resounding quality, and Devarajan’s music is above reproach. The dark scenery is in total sync with the tragic theme. The film director also deserves high praise.
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: K. J. Yesudas
Film: Anubhavangal Paalichakal
Year: 1971
Director: K. S. Sethumadhavan
Lead Actors: Sathyan, Sheela, Prem Nazir, K.P.A.C. Lalitha
Superb lyrics by Sreekumaran Thampi.
It may not be quite right to attempt a word-to-word translation from Malayalam to English. The language structures are different. Beyond that, Malayalam contains ennobling feudal codes that give an extra celestial halo to revered entities. These codes have no direct equivalent in English.
However, let me try an annotation.
First, a note on the key word ‘Ezhilampala’. This is a tree also known as ‘Yakshipala’. The word ‘yakshi’ carries supernatural connotations — a seductive female entity who appears in the eerie hours of the night to bewitch and seduce unwary wayfarers with her captivating physical charm and erotic beauty. Her aim is to satiate her thirst for blood. Though sometimes translated as ‘witch’ in English, a Yakshi has no real connection with Western witchcraft.
The flowers of the Ezhilampala tree are said to emit a powerfully sensuous fragrance. It is believed that when this tree blooms fully, Yakshis in their lustful mood are irresistibly drawn to it.
Whether this Yakshi is the same divine female deity worshipped as the consort of Gandharvas is unclear, as Gandharvas are usually associated with Apsaras, music, and celestial beauty rather than blood and gore. There may be some overlap or mix-up in folklore.
In this song, ‘Ezhilampala’ is most likely used to evoke the amorous, arousing fragrance of its flowers.
Annotation (not literal translation):
He: ‘Ezhilampala’ is in sparkling bloom! The clusters are in joyous celebration... Over there on Vellimala, Velimala!
She: The twosome cuckoo lovers, who come tweeting the ‘elelam’ tunes, have uttered their stirring ‘kurava’ call... Over there on Vellimala, Velimala!
He: In the golden sweetness of my moist dreams, parijatha flowers were swaying in glorious delight.
She: The hilly ribbons of my mind stood robed with the hallowed golden Asoka flowers.
He: Like a celestial lotus, you, my lovely partner, have tumbled upon me.
He: To merge with you forever has my heart yearned in tender worship.
She: In the silence of the lonely twilight hours, I have wept in aching longing for you.
He: In those tender hours, when hungering for your luscious nearness, as a tuneful poem have you, my lovely partner, come alongside me.
Lyricist: Sreekumaran Thampi
Musician: Vedpal Verma
Singers: K. J. Yesudas & P. Susheela
Film: Kaadu
Year: 1973
Director: Ramu Kariat
Lead Actors: Madhu, Vijayasree, P.R. Varalakshmi
This song is from the film Pickpocket, which I was told was a rather mediocre movie. I have not seen the film and do not know the story.
The lyrics are by Pappanamkodu Lakshmanan. I do not know much about his other writings, but the lines in this song are superb for their poetic quality. In fact, the entire piece is a string of beautifully crafted poetic images.
The quaint ambience of romantic love, as enacted by Prem Nazir and Vidhubala, is most mesmerising. The scenic beauty of the surroundings is picturesque, and the bristling breeze in the background adds to the charming visual celebration.
The words are loaded with the powerful three-dimensional depth of Sanskrit-derived terms (abundantly found in Malayalam). It is not easy to transfer the spacious substance and layered sense of these words into the relatively planar word-codes of English. Each word, in its rightful place, creates a singular, stirring sensation in the discerning mind.
Here is my attempt at annotation (not a word-to-word translation):
1.
In the tuneful night-time hours (കാവ്യയാമിനിയിൽ),
in the gushing flow of sweet showers of ardour,
is it the intoxicating silvery night-air (which unfolds the sparkling strings of twinkling dreams),
or is it the goddess of gentle love (who arranges the fragrant bed),
or is it my lover (who comes from the sides of the lovely Gangetic stream of hugging fondness)?
2.
Is it a shower of honeyed yearnings,
or a sprinkle in the mind of moist parijatha flowers,
or is it the hallowed music that stirs in the aching din of gentle mating,
or is it the tuneful tender songs of hungering love (sung by divine damsels) (ദേവകന്യകൾ പാടിയാടും പ്രേമകാകളിയോ)?
3.
Is it the draping gusto of the night hours (യാമങ്ങൾ പകരുന്നോരുന്മപാദമോ),
or is it the sheen of erotic arousal in the feminine eye (പൂമിഴിയൽ തുടിക്കുന്ന രതിഭാവമോ),
or is it the gripping mood of fulfilment in the wedding hour,
or is it the oral melodies pouring out of dreams?
4.
Or is it the bustling pleated tunes of rapturous princesses in eager ecstasy?
Lyricist: Pappanamkodu Lakshmanan
Musician: M. K. Arjunan
Singers: P. Jayachandran & Vani Jairam
Film: Pickpocket
Year: 1976
Director: J. Sasikumar
Lead Actors: Prem Nazir, Vidhubala
Again, I write from the background of not knowing the story of the film. Yet, the song is simply wonderful, the way it has been entwined with the cherubic looks of Prem Nazir and the sweet, graceful figure of Vijayasree. She moves her divinely chiselled form for her angelic lord to behold. The splendour of the surroundings — etched in lush greenery, blue slopes, and misty horizons — adds terrific loveliness to the evocative words Devikulam Mala, Thenaruvikkara, and Onnamkunnu!
The soft breeze in the scene further enhances the luxurious feel of both the words and the visuals. Prem Nazir certainly possesses the physical charm to seduce the eager lass who darts about, kindling unbridled aphrodisiac arousals in the beholder.
Vijayasree is seen rejoicing in an effusive liberty that seems to have dawned upon her — the slave-damsel of the wooded hills. She displays a feeling of unrestrained freedom. She is shy and coy, yet also brazen in the way she flaunts her features through unspoken hints of what lies purposefully concealed. Her emancipator is evidently Prem Nazir. He has to unravel her in every sense of the word.
The lines, if translated into English in their bare verbal meaning, might not convey their resounding beauty. Yet, let me try to capture their total three-dimensional content:
He: On Devikulam Mala — the mountaintop of the Goddess’s pool — by the shores of Thenaruvi, the stream of honey/nectar… Literally, by the banks of the torrent of sweetened waters on the celestial pool of the goddess!
She: Oh, you silver-hued divinity inside the sweet-scented Thazhampoo! (പൂക്കൈതപ്പൂവിനുള്ളിലെ വെള്ളിദേവാ!)
He: Oh, Kamadeva! Oh, goddess of endearment — have you run out of your arrows?
She: In the tender soil-bed dug out by the rhythmic twirl of the whirling waters, I had planted my kumkuma plant. Oh, you who pinched the first tender sprout from it — I, who came to sow on the lower slopes, am now shackled to you in endearment.
He: From now on, you are royalty — not a bound-to-the-soil slave!
She: Slicing the tender sprouts of soft rush grass (ഓടപ്പുല്ല്), I cut the straws one by one. Oh, you who eagerly gulped down the honey I offered in the hollow of the bamboo-measure vessel (തേൻ മുളനാഴി) — I, who came to hold oil-wick lamps for the deity on Onnam Kunnu, am a bound-to-the-soil slave.
He: Nay! From now on, you are a lady — not a servant girl of the despotic landlords.
I cannot say for sure whether this is a song of pure love, or of love interspersed with mutual sensual cravings and offerings, or merely one of physical seduction. Prem Nazir, though exuding an almost effeminate charm, can definitely enthral the lady with his sweet words and promises of sweeter kisses. Vijayasree folds and sways her rounded figure in ways that spell out the hidden magic in the creases — reminiscent of the marble figures of semi-clad Greek goddesses!
Beyond that, three real geographical locations are mentioned: Devikulammala, Thenaruvikkara, and Onnamkunnu.
G. Devarajan’s music is superb. The tune is fabulous. Both, along with excellent photography, make this a truly great song to listen to and watch.
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Film: Thenaruvi (1973)
Director: Kunchacko
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singers: K. J. Yesudas & P. Madhuri
Lead Actors: Prem Nazir, Vijayasree
I think all the songs from Thriveni are of fabulous beauty and splendour. Since I have not seen the film, I cannot speak about the background of these resounding song sequences.
There are so many elements in this song that deserve discreet appreciation. Both Prem Nazir and Sharada possess a poetic beauty in their faces, expressions, forms, and merriment. An effeminate charm exudes from both of them. One cannot easily decide who is more lovely to behold — is it Prem Nazir or Sharada?
What is portrayed is wayward romance pasted all over the visual space, carrying the same luscious sweetness as viscous honey trickling down from wild beehives in dense woodlands.
Even though there are no overtly sensual, licentious, or erotic words, nor any naughty undertones in the lyrics, Sharada’s playful bounciness teems with an erotic bustle brimming with supernatural overtones. It feels as if mind has met mind — and mind alone — bereft of all physical encasements.
Prem Nazir, though obviously enjoying the attention, acts difficult to entice. Yet Sharada can easily break through the fleeting façade of his fake nonchalance and brittle unconcern.
Houseboats of yore, pushed along with bamboo poles, have become a rare sight on many lakes and rivers over the years. Yet the feel of the swaying waters and the gentle waves in the lakes and rivers certainly injects an intoxication of an enticing kind in those who love placid waters and charming waterways.
The music is by G. Devarajan. Perhaps he could enter at will into the ethereal world of the celestial muses and return with exquisite tunes and instrumental music of an unearthly pitch and timbre. He has wonderfully twined these rustic words into a soft and sweet stream of extremely pleasing melody. The way he has done it, these common pastoral words curve in and out with a gushing flow, as if they have their own entwining physical form and urges.
Vayalar has been able to pull out extremely appealing words from Malayalam itself, without having to mine heavily from his fabled Sanskrit scholarship. These words, clothed in splendourous chiming tunes, add a delicious wrapping upon Sharada’s slender features and her sharp, stunning gestures. So sweet and appealing are they that the awesome love and affection she portrays through her streaming, swinging body movements could simply resound in the viewer’s mind for a long time. Everything in the song casts a bewitching spell — even the way Sharada joins Prem Nazir in moving the boat. The joyous ring of artless fondness beyond care can be seen, heard, and felt.
Words like കണ്ണൻകുളങ്ങരേ, കളഭക്കുളങ്ങരേ, ഏഴാംകടൽക്കരേ, യക്ഷിക്കടൽക്കരേ and such attain a stupendous deliciousness in the way they have been tuned.
And what are her admissions? That she has loaded the boat with feverish yearnings for her gorgeous lover from the sides of those icy ponds. Placing her kalamundu upon her shoulders and charging her dreamy eyes with cravings and thirsts, she has taken aboard her beloved.
On to the shores of the Seven Seas, where the winged Sirens have waited through the ages to lure unwary sailors, she has unloaded tender coconuts and fragrant roses. And then, garlanding her beloved with beaded pearls scooped from the eerie depths of the high seas, she has spread him on her lap — for her to feel and delight in his sweet loveliness.
The way Sharada acts out her affection and her brimming physical urges in brief yet stirring movements is both electrifying and breathtaking. The way she swings and sways in tuneful oscillations can seduce the eager viewer. She is lovely to the core!
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: P. Susheela
Film: Thriveni
Year: 1970
Director: A. Vincent
Lead Actors: Prem Nazir, Sharada, Sathyan
This is a song of appeal to Swami Ayyappan, who resides high up in the mountaintops of Sabarimala, amid the once densely green stretches of the Sahyadri ranges.
There is a slightly intriguing historical fact about this temple and the deity Ayyappan. In Native Life in Travancore written by Rev. Samuel Mateer in 1883 (page 200), the shrine on the mountain slope is mentioned as the temple of the Mala Arayans. These people were not Hindus — if the Brahmin/Vedic religion is taken as the standard definition of Hinduism.
“It has been observed that in cases of sickness sometimes Arayans will make offerings to a Hindu god, and that they attend the great feasts occasionally; but in no case do they believe that they are under any obligation to do so, their own spirits being considered fully equal to the Hindu gods.”
Over the years — perhaps beginning from the 1930s — almost all populations that did not fall under the categories of Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jain, etc., came to be defined as Hindus. Along with this metamorphosis, their temples, spiritual traditions, and shamanistic practices were gradually absorbed into the broader identity of Hinduism.
Note: The following is not a word-to-word translation. It is an attempt to capture the total sense and devotional mood of the Malayalam lyrics.
Thedivarum kannukalil
തേടിവരും കണ്ണുകളിൽ
Rushing to the aid of seeking eyes!
Concealed in the cascading gleam of holy lanterns (തിരുവിളക്കിൻ കതിരൊളിയിൽ കുടിയിരിക്കും സ്വാമി!)
Stirring and enlivening the faded flowers!
Residing in shining campanile shrines!!
Ayyappa Swami! Ayyappa Swami!!!
Treading stony hillocks and thorny mounts,
Rousing the villodichan-song-twittering pipit in my insides,
With streaming tears and empty hands
I have reached here!
Command forever my safety
And utter Thy blessings upon me!
With awe and adoration,
I bow to You,
Ayyappa Swami!!
My refuge! Ayyappa Swami!!!
You are Vishnu, Shiva, and also Sree Muruga!
You are also Parashakthi and Buddha!
Ayyappa Swami!!!
The ages, the creations, and the logics —
You are everything!!!
Command forever my safety
And utter Thy blessings upon me!
With awe and adoration,
I bow to You,
Ayyappa Swami!!
My refuge! Ayyappa Swami!!!
Into my stretching hands
Wouldn’t You pour the teeming riches?
To my dwelling
Wouldn’t You come as my little brother (എന്റെ വീട്ടിലൊരു കൊച്ചനുജനായി കൂടെ വരില്ലേ)?
With feverish passion
We reach Your hallowed premises.
Forever be our keeper!
Ayyappa Swami!!
Our eternal refuge, Ayyappa Swami!!!
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Musician: G. Devarajan
Singer: K. J. Yesudas
Film: Swami Ayyappan
Year: 1975
Director: P. Subramaniam
Lead Actors: Prem Nazir, Sheela, Srividya, Kaviyoor Ponnamma (with Kamal Haasan in a special role as young Ayyappan)
Akkarappacha means “On the other side, the grass is greener!”
Since I have not seen the film, I need to write solely by listening to the words in the song.
For some reason or other, this is a song which I have found quite attractive. Words seem to acquire a very rounded and curvaceous rolling feature in this song. Or rather, words with some kind of fabulous oily rounded wholesome smoothness are there in this song.
It is not easy to forward the delicious roll of these words into English. In fact, the universal fact might be that all feudal languages do have an eerie tone of sweetness that shall defy all attempts to render them straight into planar languages like English.
Sir W. Ouseley, in his ancient work “Oriental Collections,” (1797) has indeed mentioned that: “Many of the Hindu melodies possess the plaintive simplicity of the Scotch and Irish, and others a wild originality pleasing beyond description.” (sic)
It might be noted that the Celtic languages of Great Britain might also be feudal languages. The Celtic languages of Great Britain include Gaelic (Scotland), Irish (Ireland) and Welsh (Wales).
As to Sir W. Ouseley mentioning the melodies of South Asia as ‘Hindu melodies’, it is certainly an error that seems to have sprung up from another erroneous belief of the Continental Europeans and also of the English writers and administrators of the English rule period. That everyone in this subcontinent, who is not a Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or Jain, must necessarily be a Hindu.
The fabled Ettumanoor Mahadevar temple was quite a famous temple in the Travancore region of South Asia. Ettumanoorappan is mentioned as Lord Shiva. And this song does allude to the Shiva-Parvathi fables from the Puranic antiquity of the subcontinent. However, there does seem to be some kind of a mix-up between Shamanistic spiritual worship systems of South Asia and the Hindu (Brahmanical) worship systems in the words mentioned in the song. However, I am not very sure about this.
The temple festival, Aarattu (ആറാട്ട്), is conducted on the Thiruvathira Nakshatra day (തിരുവാതിരനാൾ) in the Kumbam (February–March) month every year. On the 8th and 10th days of the 10-day festival, the elephant idols in thick gold covering (ponnaan) are brought out and kept for darshan.
Oh Ettumanoorappa, to You who enters regally on a parade of seven and a half golden elephants (ഏഴരപ്പൊന്നാനപ്പുറത്ത്), my devotion, worship and my total submission (തൊഴുന്നേൻ, തൊഴുന്നേൻ, തൊഴുന്നേൻ), do I place upon Thy sacred naga-coiled (തിരുനാഗത്തളയിട്ട) holy feet!
The line does slightly allude to the Naga worship / serpent worship antiquity of the location. In Travancore, many a Nayar household did have a tradition of serpent worship right from the hoary days of yore. Even though it is generally mentioned in a spiritual mood that these divine serpents are different from the terrestrial serpents, it is a fact that a Cobra family or even more than one family used to reside inside Nayar households in a most royal fashion. They were quite tame, and would not attack anyone unless trodden upon. In fact, they were treated as deified beings and attended to with the topmost decency and respect.
Whether the Brahmins (the real Hindus) also have this tradition of serpent worship is not very clearly known to me. There had been, of course, a lot of mixing up of spiritual traditions between the Hindus (Brahmins) and the various other populations' Shamanistic worship systems over the centuries.
The song is a prayer to Ettumanoorappan, whose regal entrance and parade is on the seven-and-a-half elephant idols spiritual tableau.
When I come in the early daybreak hours, for beholding the propitious sight (kanikaanaan) of Thy idol dazzling in heady sandalwood-flower carpel-camphor creamy adornment (കളഭമുഴുക്കാപ്പ്), would You not offer me, in the chalice (കുമ്പിളിൽ) of my worshipful hands (തൊഴുകൈ), the holy waters (തീർത്ഥജലം) of the celestial river (തിരുമുടിപ്പുഴയിലെ) that flows from the tresses of Thy divine hair-tuft?
This is followed by the Panchakshara mantra homage to Lord Shiva. Nama Shivaaya! നമഃ ശിവായ! It is a five-letter code mantra: Na Ma Shi Vaa Ya. What powerful software codes of reality are encrypted into the insides of these letters or sounds is not known. However, interested readers can check this book: Software codes of mantra, tantra, witchcraft, black magic, evil eye, evil tongue &c.
In the Thiruvathira-day night hours (ആതിരരാവിൽ), when the divine radiant damsel of the towering Himalayan heights (ഹിമഗിരികന്യക), Your betrothed lass Parvathi, drapes Your angelic figure (തിരുമാറിൽ) with Your much-loved koovala flower garlands (കൂവളമലർമാല്യം), would You not offer me the delicious glitter of Thy cosmic crescent, to wear as Thy twinkling emblem on my forehead?
Koovala tree is considered to be a divine tree in Shiva mythologies. This tree is a much-loved tree of the Shiva-Parvathi divine duo. It is said that this tree is given a place of prominence in Shiva temples. The thorns of the tree represent, it is said, the Shakthi figure, the branches the Vedas, and the roots the Rudra-form of Lord Shiva.
The lyrics are by Vayalar Ramavarma. As always, his command over words and usages is of the mythical kind. His legendary scholarship in Sanskrit needs no mention. The feel of the boundless infinite, the feel of the unfathomable depth in Shamanistic rituals, and also the feel of the inscrutable invincibility of ancient gods, can be felt in the slow-paced rolling of the words.
As to the tune and tone of the song, it is also set deliberately in a very slow-paced tempo, so as to stay in step with the esoteric tenor of the song and words. The sharp rising and falling din of the distinct drum-beat that accompanies the rolling words also, if heard precisely, does induce a spellbinding effect in one’s mind and sensation. It is another legend who has crafted the tune — Devarajan!
Lyricist: Vayalar Ramavarma
Music: G. Devarajan
Singer: P. Madhuri
Film: Akkarappacha (അക്കരപ്പച്ച)