T.R. & Bala - "Oru Pon Manai"

Dawn, Don, Darling, and Dash
Dawn, don’t confuse it with Sunrise, the time at which the sun is six degrees below the horizon, a line which separates the earth from sky, in the morning, a time I never enjoyed this till date. I usually prepare for my examination in the night till 3’o clock even, and still it continues as I use to write my Java, ASP codes in the nights, and never care about my pet name ‘Raakkozhi’ which entitled by my friends. I tried a lot to see the dawn, but none of my digital diary, alarm clock, neither my Sony Ericsson helped to wake up me. But whenever I wake up from my bed, I want to start the day with two morning melodies, one is “Putham pudhu Kalai” sung by S.Janaki and “Oru Ponmanai” from Mythili ennai Kaadhali.

Mythili ennai Kaadhali is a musical hit movie music scored by ‘All rounder’ T.Rajendar. There are, I think nine songs in this movie, in which I like this song ‘Ponmanai Naan” sung by SP Balasubramanium. This song is based on the Raaga ‘Bouli’, which is exclusively for giving the feel of the dawn. There are many morning dawn-raagas are there, but in my view, Bouli and Boopalam are the top.

“Dandanakka, Yeai Yeai Dannakaka”, please don’t criticize an artiest who can able to give some nice melodies, meaningful poetic lyrics; he is T.Rajendar, simply TR. In his early stages, he gave preference to melody, and then switched to fast numbers. Still, in my view he is the don of Drums-usage.

Whatever it may be, either melody, may it fast disco, may it sad mood, may it “tappanguthu”, may it some few lines songs, whatever it may be, TR approaches a singer, who can feel any kind of songs, SPB. TR is a great fan of SPB and in one of his interviews he told that if he were a girl, then he will love and SPB and will marry SPB. Hence, by forgetting TR’s nick name of “Ashtavadhani”(an allrounder), I use to call him as a dash, dash is an euphemism for avoiding the Tamizh word “Sakkalathi”. (Sorry)

The acronym SPB stands for, in this song “Soft”, “Peace”, and “Bhaavam”. We can brand a successful singer by means of the way he starts and finishes a song. In this song, the humming of SPB is truly a heavenly feeling, he starts with a very low pitch, and ascends to a medium, and make some lullaby effect in the middle, and rockets the high pitch, and comes to the low pitch again with same pace, simply marvelous, actually those seconds are a trip to heaven from earth without visa.

Also I want to make a note on SPB’s pronunciation and pause which he gives in this song. Just listen to the word “thadagathil” in the first stanza, the way he pronounces that word, simply he is the master. SPB literally falls when articulates “thamarai poomeddhu vizundhanavo”, and trembles in “Kaamathil Thadumaari”. And he applies usual nice laughing (keenly listen) in between. And I’ve no words to explain his “Madhi thanil kavi serkudhu”, and “Endhan Paravasam”. Then ofcouse the finishing touch, “Salaghaittal oru maadhu”, the only way to express is a simple 'great'.

I don’t know what remuneration SPB got for this song. Once the famous composer Shankar-Ganesh praised SPB like this “He is the only singer not sings for payment, but for composer’s satisfaction” , what a true statement. But in this song, SPB did two-men works. He sings this song beautifully and did some ‘Jadhi’ work along with, listen “Thakadhimi thakadimm”, and "nadhidhinna". I think soon I’ll go crazy and you’ll see me in “Gunaseelam” along with SPB’s photo.

SPB, he is darling of dulcet.

Fact file:
1. TR always gives liberty to SPB to do the improvisation.
2. TR always wants SPB to laugh in between the songs, and gives small spaces for that, just listen the song “Kuthuvilakagha” from Koolikaran, great smiling by SPB.
3. AR Rehman was working as a keyboard player under TR, and SJ surya was working as an assistant with TR.
4. TR movies are always with the 9-alphapbet titles.

Quiz:
SPB sang the first song for TR, but who is the music director for that film!!!!

With Love

S.Balasubramanian
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