B for Banter, and Balu

B for Banter, and Balu
I’m not going to lie, nor going to pretend to show me as a gentleman of music lover, by saying I love only melodious songs, never liked songs of teasing and fun. I love any kinds of songs, may be love mostly melodious, but the fast paced teasing and fun songs also my hot picks. For this kind of songs, both the singer and the composer should pretense some comical sense to the words of the lyrist. There are many songs which made me to love the compositions, and love the singers, who sang those teasing songs, in which I love SPB’s style of singing those banter songs with his usual amusements an trademark laughing and improvisations, till date, and for ever, the song “Aatha Aathorma” is a divinity song for me, and SPB sang many songs in this category, once such song is “Thaluki Thaluki” from the movie “Kizhaku Vaasal” music by Ilaiyaraaja.

From Shri Semangudi, an erudite of music, to Ramu, an amateur of music, there are many fans, lovers of Raaja’s music and songs. Hence, its Raaja’s duty to fulfill the need of all kinds of musical fans, for erudite, Raaja has to compose some raga based songs, and for amateur, Raaja has to compose fast paced songs, which is usually teasing and banter songs, he always ends with a foot tapped numbers to satisfy the backbench fans, and this song “Thaluki Thaluki” is one such song.

Once director-actor R.Parthiban who loves to innovate something different always, quoted and called a singer as his “Chella Poriki” (Darling-Rogue) as he admires that singer and he praised then the way that singer sang the teasing songs “College torandhutuchu”, “Yaai Kala”, “Silku, Siliku” and many for Paarthiban. That singer is SPB and known for his stylish way of singing the banter songs, this song “thaluki thaluki” also a masterpiece of SPB. In this song, SPB with full of Zeal and amusements, and punches with laughing and teasing, I think for singing this kind of songs, SPB considers himself as the hero, here in this song also he represented the hero Karthik’s character very well with his mischievous voice.

Raaja always plays with SPB, and use to ask “Bala, why do you always laughs between Song da?”, and SPB use to reply “It’s my style da, if you not like this, remove it”, but it never happened, ofcourse who will hate SPB’s apt laughing. I happened to see one of the stage show of Raaja-SPB in a video tape, in which SPB before singing this song “Thaluki Thaluki”, asusual praised Raaja, and explained that he recorded this song twice, as Raaja wanted some laughing along with “Sirichu Sirichu” lines. Everyone knew the result, SPB fulfilled Raaja’s request beautifully with his laughing.

We are really blessed with composers like Raaja and singers like SPB, and his banter songs.

S.Balasubramanian
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Alters Amalgamation, complies coherent

Alters Amalgamation, complies coherent

In the 1980’s, mostly there was only two names in the Playback section of the movie’s title cards, SPB and S.Janaki. This pair took the fans’ souls with their melodious voices. No musicians and producers wanted to change this winning combination, neither the fans. In the early 1990’s Ilaiyaraja changed this winning combination and created a new winning combination of SPB and KS Chitra. Sporadically, Raaja used another successful combination of MSV’s times, SPB and P.Susila. If Raaja nexus this combination meant, he decided to give a melodious number to the Tamizh Film music. There are many notable hits from this combination under the baton of Raaja, who will forget the “Pesakudadhu” from “Adutha Vaarisu” or “Thenn Madurai” from “Tharmathin Thalivan” . To the above all, I like the popular song from this combination “Muthumani Maala” from Chinna Gounder.

Chinna Gounder was directed by RV Udyakumar, who was successful director, then, with a series of hits like Kizhaku Vaasal, Eajaman and Singaravelan. The specialty of RV Udyakumar is that the maximum of songs were penned by him only, and all the songs are evergreen hits. This song also penned by RV Udhaykumar and the music scored by Raaja. No need to say about Raaja’s music, he usually sketches the lyrics with his baton, and the resultant will always be a finished product, and this song “Muthumani maala” is one such product.

In the process of designing a finished product, executors play a vital role; in this song, SPB and P.Susila portray the role of executors, and assist the composer with their mellifluous voices.

RV Udhayakumar’s favorite singer is SPB and he always wanted SPB to render the maximum songs from his pen. Once, RV Udhayakumar praised SPB “Balu sir paadina, ennoda ezhuthukal Ezhundu Aanandha nadanamadum” (If Balu sir sings my songs, then words of my songs will dance in ecstasy), what RVU said was hundred percentage true, just listen to the line “Megamdan nilava muduma”. Also, SPB produces the elusive expression to the words of RVU with his expressive way of singing. There is a line “Asai peshula paadhi moochula lesa degam suuderaaa”, when utters the “Moochula”, he ventilates neatly and while in “lesa” he goes nimble, and finishes with his usual elastic effect of “suudera”, he is an singer with effective emoticons.


I like S.Janaki very much; she is my sole favorite singer. But, one should agree the divinity in the voice of the veteran P.Susila. Casual, melodious, and softness are the trademark PS’s voice. In this song, his voice not only gave the divinity to the song but also to the heroine.

Eventhough, this film got a duet of the famous combination SPB and SJ, this song by SPB and PS, alter in the amalgamation by Raaja, prevailed the race, and fans titled this pair as “MATCHLESS MERGER”.

S. Balasubramanian
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Melodious locates a Musical Milieu

Melodious locates a Musical Milieu

Neither a Rajni nor a Kamal, if one ask me about my favorite actor, I would rather select ‘Navarasa Nayagan’ Karthik, still in my friend’s circle, identifying me as a fan of Karthik, not his mischievous “Mr. Chandramouli”, nor his bravado “Ashok Vishwanath” impressed me, but the innocent portrayal ‘Ponnurangam’ from the film “Kizhaku Vaasal” impressed me a lot. You will giggle at me if I say, those days, when I was in 9th class, I imitated ponnurangam’s mannerism, and for that year Diwali, I bought a White pant, which was my first pant, usually I love to wear trousers then, and I started to put a long straight lined “Kungumam” in my forehead, and till today the style continues, as you can see a straight lined kungumam in my forehead in every of my photo. Not only Karthik, but also impressed with songs of Kizhaku Vaasal, in which the most, I love the melodious “Paacha malai poovu” sung by SP Balasubramanium.

The melodious “Paacha malai poovu” was composed by a composer, who can’t ever be dominated by the entry of other composers. As the name spells, HE IS RAJA FOR EVER. Flutes are from bamboos, ofcourse, but raja captivates those flutes with his melodious compositions. Nobody like to be a slave, but flutes, keyboards, and etc, likes to be bondage under the feet of Raaja and his mesmerizing melodies, along with the souls of musical fans. Still, the dialogue from a dedicated fan of Raaja is ringing on my ears “I wanted to die on the feet of Raaja after pouring my assets under his foot”. Raaja, that dedicated fan just stolen the words from my mouth, may be from many.

If you think about Raaja and his musical hits, then you can’t think about any singer other than SPB, who is the another reason for all of the hit songs of Ilaiyaraja, and in this song “Paacha mala poovu” also SPB takes us to a melodious musical milieu with his honey-filled voice. SPB sings this song with casual effects and with his usual improvisation, listening to his render of the lines “Poo naathu Mugam Paarthu Veenila” is an eternal feeling.

This song is favorites of many music fans, the popular TV compare Abdul Hameed is one among us. He always astonishes with SPB’s voice, and about this song once he quoted in a stage “If this song may sing by any singers other than SPB, it wouldn’t be a hit and never been an evergreen song as it’s today, only because of SPB’s voice.”

Even Raaja also great fan of this song, as he always praises SPB and quotes “SPB sings and improvises the songs in stages more than in recording rooms”, SPB use to sing this song with many improvisations in the stage shows.

SPB alias Melodious always gives life to Raaja’s Music, and guides us to a musical milieu.

S.Balasubramanian
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Mood vs Manifestation

Mood vs Manifestation

Nor a calf gets frightened as I used to participate in many music competitions when I was only eight. Two years of non-stop participations in musical competitions, I used to sing fast-paced songs like “Podhuvaga En manasu thangam” and etc. I won many soap boxes and silver-like plates as prizes; those are valuable prizes even today in the village-based schools. Then, the triumph of Indian Cricket Team headed by Sunny Gavaskar in the Benson-Hedges tournament shifted my interest from Music to Cricket, hence, Tamil music field, indisputably, lost a singer with Shankar Mahadevan’s ability! Eventhough I won many ‘Man of the match’ in Cricket, and awarded with some Cups and cash awards, those were magnum of my opuses when I won some less-valued soap boxes for my open-throated music talents. But the adage is very much true that one can’t expect silence from a mouth which sings for years, hence when I was in 13, in a trip to Mookambu (a famous tourist spot in Trichy) I again started to sing, and my first song was “Kalyana malai” from Pudhu Pudhu Aarthangal, which gained me a place in a school-level Junior music competition, and I told by the teachers to select some popular songs to sing in the finals, then I selected two songs from the movie “Kizhaku Vaasal” music scored my the Maestro, one is sung by Raaja himself “Ada Veetuku Veedu” and other by SP Bala, “Paadi Parantha Kili”, finally, I sang the second one, and won in that competitions.

“Paadi Parandha Kili” is a popular pathos number scored by Raaja for the movie “Kizhaku Vaasal”. Raaja very well understood the taste of music fans, hence he used to compose songs, some melodious, some rustic teasing based and some pathos. If you look at Raaja’s movie very keenly, the you’ll come to know this, the movies like Paayangal Mudivadhillai, Alaigal Ooyivadhillai, Udhya Geetham and Idhyakoil are some instances, and as all of you aware these movies’ songs very well reached the wide range of audience, hence Raaja used the same trick in this movie “Kizhaku Vaasal” too, and this song “Paadi paarantha Kili” is for pathos mood to attract the audience, who pours tears to grow a long beard for showing their love failures. So, Raaja is the one, who not only introduced divinity in film music, but also the commercial values.

It’s hard to compose songs of different tastes, I agree, but one should agree this also without argument that it is even harder to represent, sing those songs of different tastes. But for a singer, who is internationally known for his versatility, it is a job of second, and he use to represent all the tastes of a composer with an ease, he is SP Bala. If a composer gets a singer of SP.Bala’s caliber, he then doesn’t have any problem in giving tasty feast to the audience. In this song also, SPB starts with open-throated humming, as one will downpour tears from the eyes, ofcourse which is a success of any pathos song.

SPB is like, what Sachin is in Cricket, usually starts to catch our souls from the very starting of a song and throughout the whole with perfection and dedication. In this song also SPB starts with that grieve humming and make the audience to snivel soulfully. As I amazed at many times about SPB and his expressive, one more time I’ve to, when he sings the lines “Nenju Vedicha Adhu Thaangadhu”, especially the word “Nenju”. Ofcourse the hero Kartick also adds values to this song with his expressive acting.

Whenever I listen to this song, I get some nostalgia of my school days, even when I was doing MCA, my friends asked me to sing a song, that time I hummed few lines of this song, and it’s true, neither a dwarf gets frightened.

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Music is mediocrity, if no teamwork

Music is mediocrity, if no teamwork

Not only in sports like cricket, but also in Software Project Management and in Business Solution, teamwork plays a vital role always. Teamwork includes the excellence of people of same wavelength and the communication between them. Usually, teamwork fails in any sport or in Project management, when the Skipper/Project Manager thinks the sole responsibility of all the credits which he got from the team members. Ofcourse, the maximum of credits goes to the captain, but he/she is not the solitary for the success, he should know how to coordinate with the team members, and also he/she should share the success rate with the team members. The same theory applies to the divine music, especially to Cini music. The success of a good song relies in a team of composer, lyrist and singers. Tamizh film music got many such combinations, among which I love the combination of Raaja+Vairamuthu+SPB+S.Janaki. There are hundreds of songs we blessed with this combination, in which I love the song “Pothi Vaicha” from ‘Mann Vasanai’ which was directed by Bharadhiraja.

“Pothi Vaicha” song was composed by the maestro Ilaiyaraja. There is no doubt that Raaja is a versatile composer, he knows thousands of ragas, but whenever he composes the village side songs, he gets doubly power, hence I used to call him as 'VILLAGE VAALI'. Only he can compose folk songs better than anyone else. One can feel the smell of sand in his folk compositions. In this song also the starting bit, only he can compose. Raasaiya, I love you more than what I do with Ilaiyaraja.

This song was penned by Vairamuthu. In writing folk lyrics, Vairamuthu is what Raaja is in folk composition, as Vairamuthu use to include more pastoral poetic words in his songs. In this song, I like Vairamuthu’s usage of “Idhu Saayangalama, Madi Saaium Kaalama”.

This song beautifully sung by SPB and S.Janaki, a winning duet combination of Tamizh Film Music. Janaki starts the song with smooth and surreptitious voice while SPB nicely joins her with his usual trademark act of smiling. Janaki at her best in singing the lines “Pesi Pesi Raasi aanadhe”, where as SPB leads the way throughout the song with his amazing improvisation of singing art. SPB also fulfilled his fans’ expectations, just listen to the lines “Konjam Maranju Pakkava Illai mudhugu Theikava”, I dont know how to write/express the effect SPB gave in between the words 'paarkava' and 'Illai', he is master, a majestic master.

Again, it’s a Team Work which did the trick.

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Seventh Wonder vs Seventh Heaven

Seventh Wonder vs Seventh Heaven

Everyone in our teenage wanted to visit the Taj Mahal, its not only one of the seven modern wonders, and a symbol of true love, but also it shows the power of our architecture. There are many things made us to fall love with Taj mahal, includes the front-back page of your maths table-book(Vaaipaadu), your history book which includes the portraits Sha-ja-ha and Mumthaz, last but not the least, your first love, teenage love. For me, apart from the above things, one film song also made to fall love with Taj Mahal, a song ‘Pani Vizhum’ from the movie ‘Mouna Raagam’.

Mouna Raagam was directed by Mani Rathnam, in wholesome a good story, but the concept of this song ‘Pani Vizhum’ is the most which I like. All of you may happened to visit Taj Mahal for Honey Moon only, I think (Correct me If wrong, I’m Bachelor), but this song’s concept, simply awesome, hats off to Mani sir.

Have you ever felt thru a song the outer body shivering with cold and inner body with fire? I feel this, whenever I listen to this song, credit goes to a man who took the entire universe with his instruments, he is none other than Raaja. Even, in a recent interview PC Sriram amazed and refreshed his memories of ‘Mouna Raagam’ Music compositions by Raaja, especially the usage of flute. Why People use to call Raaja as Maestro, there are many reasons, one among is your mobile phone’s ringtone of Mouna Raagam’s theme music. Raaja, he is not a mastero, but ‘Mastero of Maestros’.

‘Pani vizhum’ song well sung by SPB and S.Janaki, an incomparable compo of the Indian film duets. Well, like you all, I love their duets. There are countless duets those mesmerized our hearts, and put both Balu and Janu in our souls. In this song, the slow, silent and soothe presentation from both SPB and S.Janaki takes us to the heaven. In this song, SPB didn’t improvise anything, just sang what the composer asked for, nor S.Janaki. But, this is true both SPB and S.Janaki overtook the composer in some point of times, the former takes our hearts with his gloomy effect of while singing ‘Thanithu Vaazhdhenna Laabaham”, (SPB did it again for ARR composed ‘Ladki Ladki’ from Ratchagan) whenever I visit Taj Mahal, I feel this line, I don’t know why, and S.Janaki even overtakes SPB along with Raaja with her murky melodious humming in the starting of the second stanza, ‘Ha Ha Ha Ha’, my dear friends, if you want to know the difference between an infatuation and true love, come to me, I Love S.Janaki, and I proud to say, she is my darling.

Today, my teenage desire of visiting Taj Mahal fulfilled as I’ve been into Taj for atleast ten times, I refreshed my nostalgic memories of my history book when I visited Taj in the 350th year celebration. It never be getting bored by visiting Taj, I wish to visit Taj daily, whenever I visit Taj, I use to carry the song ‘Pani Vizhum’ in my CDman.

For me, Taj mahal is the seventh wonder, and the song ‘Pani Vizhum’ is the seventh heaven.

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Silence is a hushed music

Silence is a hushed music

In my childhood, I used to watch the title cards of all the movies, especially, keenly the section of “Nadanam(Dance): Puliur Saroja”, because, after that section only, there will be a section “Sandai Paiyirchi(Stunt) : Kirupa/Judo K.K Ranthnam/Super Superayan”. There is no surprise in this, as everyone likes the fight and action movies in their childhood, mine also never stood in the exceptional side, hence, always enjoyed only the action movies. But, there will be always an exception in any case, to that old adage, in the year 1986, there was a movie released, “Mouna Raagam” directed by Mani Ranthnam, in this film also, initially, I was enjoying with the presence of the Cameo by Karthik, but as the movie moved, something surrounded along with me, if I say miracle, it’ll be better, don’t think the screenplay, I was only ten at that time, something, which encircled me, the one name, Ilaiyaraja, the composer of this movie. I got some ecstatic moments from the compositions of Raaja, which is far and far better than the euphoric moments I got from Kirupa/Judo K.K Ranthnam/Super Superayan. In this movie, Raaja not only impressed us with his trademark re-recordings but also the songs, actually those are 5 pearls from Raaja, I like all the 5 pearls, but to the most I love two pearls among those 5 pearls, one is “Chinna Chinna Vannakuyil”, well expressed by my darling S.Janaki, and another is “Mandram Vandha”, which is well portrayed by SPB, the singing sensation.


There is no doubt that Raaja composed innumerable evergreen melodies, but in my view, “Mandram Vandha” from “Mouna Raagam” is the real evergreen from Raaja, one who watched the latest stage show of Raaja in Chennai will agree with me, as this song was the second song in that show, while the singer sang that song, the media cameras focused the face of Raaja, one small tear rolled from his eyes, that’s not a tear, a pearl, which is nothing but the song “Mandram Vandha”.


PC Sriram’s camera-d eyes focusing the face of Mohan as the car moving, one will suddenly mesmerizes with some high-pitched humming, honey filled humming one can say, that “aha aha”, slowly comes to one’s ears will slow-faced low pitch, and make one’s ears to send the message to the brain that it is only possible with a divine singer, who is none other than SP Balasubramanium. Always, I like SPB’s finishing in all the songs he sings, but to the contrast, in this song, what attracted me is the starting humming of SPB. In the starting humming of this song, SPB starts with high pitch and slowly, very smoothly comes to the low pitch, one can easily feels the same effect of voice culture in every lines of this song, listen to “Thamarai Melaae..Vaazhvedhenna”, “Nanbargal pole..Thevaiyenna”, and it goes. And in the second-half of the stanza, he does the reverse, low-pitch to high-pitch, listen “Sondhangale Illamal.. Enna” and it goes, really SPB is a man of swaras.


More than Raaja’s composition and the voice of SPB, what I like the most in this song is the Synchronization between both Balu and Raaja. For any evergreen song, the basic formula is the harmonization between composer’s instrumental elegancy and the singer’s Silky touches, in this song one can feel that Synchronization. In that Raaja’s latest stage show in Chennai, before singing this song, there was a pin-drop silence, Balu embraced Raaja, and kissed as Raaja cried, that Mouna Raagam made me to send a question towards the Raagadevan, my sweet Raaja,

“Boopalame Koodadhennum Vaanam Undo Sol”

For me, Even Silence, itself is a hushed music.

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Moon song sings along!

Moon song sings along

Moon Come on Moon
No Vacillate Come on Moon
Mountain along, Come on Moon
Fetch some jasmine moon…

How many of you heard this wordsworth’s poem, who invited the cuckoo to his house, please raise your hands, may be I’ll count some 100 hands. OK now tell me, how many of you heard the tamizh version of the above poem,

“Nila Nila Oodi Vaa,
Nillamal Oodi Vaa,
Malai Meedhu Yeri Vaa,
Malligapo Kondu va”

By counting my own hand, I’ll count some thousands of hand; the maximum of hands would be students of Tamizh medium, because for them this poem is Moon-Dinner Song. But if I try to count the hands by asking about a song which was composed by the great Ilaiyaraja by getting the inspiration of above poems, I’ll end up with my twinkling eyes, as I don’t know how to count after 1 crore, the song is “Nilave Vaa” from Mouna Raagam.

What I liked with Raaja the most is that he knew how to get inspiration from other songs, and make it with his own taste and style. The songs like “Darling, Darling” from Priya, “Thenn Madhrai” from Tharmathin Thalivan are the instances of the above said quality of Raaja. Its stupidity to argue that Raaja too fallen in copying of others songs. In my view, Replica is different and getting inspiration is. Raaja is Raaja, King for ever.

The director Mani Ranthnam also got some inspiration from his predecessors like the great Sridhar, and made the actor Mohan to a soft character with Pyjama. The way he directed this movie is quite amazing, especially the characterization, who’ll forget the charming Karthik. And the hero Mohan also got some inspiration from the veteran “Kaadal Mannan” Gemini and his typical pyjama costume.

And singer SPB too, but like Raaja he used it in his own style. Just refresh the song “Nilavai Paarthu Vaanam” from “Savale Samali” from the potent throat of the great TMS and the song “Nilavuku Enmel Ennadi Kobam” from “Policekaran Magal” from the incomparable voice of my favorite PBS, here in this song “Nilave Vaa” also the theme is same, but the way SPB rendered is quite amazing, especially the way he sang the lines “Caveriya, Kaanal Neera Penmai Enna, Unmaai”, Can anyone sing this line as much as melodious as what SPB did? CAN’T BE.

Based on my minimal knowledge of Music, Expression of words is very important for any singer. SPB is a master, indisputably a sole master in expressing words of a song. In this song, just listen to “Oreoru Paarvai”, “Koorum poovum Edhu” and many, he is an expressive singer.

Its worth to say, SPB as “Paadum Nila Balu” (Singing Moon SPB)

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