Pramadavanam-Tribute To Ravindran-Part-IV
The film Bharatham (1991) had many credits to it. It won the National awards for two stalwarts of Malayalam Cinema. One for Mohanlal (Best Actor) and Yesudas (Best Singer). Ravindran Master missed the award by a whisker but managed to get a special mention by the jury! The unfortunate tryst with Ravindran Master and awards thus continued! Nevertheless he gave the best and toughest songs to his favorite singer Yesudas who was the only one who could match up to the challenges he put forward in every song. His loss will always be felt. This January, I had the fortune of asking Dasettan about the song Ramakatha from Bharatham and he told that this song was recorded in the night when he suddenly had the urge to sing! He rang up Ravindran Master and asked him to come to the studio. The song was recorded in a single take! The Nagaswaram parts were added later and hence in the original song seem a little out of tune. I hereby attempt this immortal song which is indeed tough to sing. This was one of the many toughest and "breathless" songs composed by Ravindran Master for Yesudas!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well I was really wondering why someone had not observed the difference in the swaras deviating from the main raga of this song! I never had the guts to ask Ravindran Master about this as I never thought I had the necessary knowledge in carnatic music to do so! But Dasettan voluntarily did say to me in January when we sang together for Ravindran Night at Thodupuzha that, there was a deviation from the original raga at the place of the swaras in this song due to the wrong use of swaras in the beegees. He also spoke that the use of "Pa" was intentionally done by Dasettan himself! Sindhuja, since you have pointed out another, out of the way swara now, I would like the knowledgeable listeners to ponder on these points and give their explanations! The raga is with
Arohan: Sa, Ri, Ga , Ma, Dha, Ni, Sa
Avarohanam: Same swaras in reverse order
So there is no place for "Pa" here as in the whole song till the swara rendering "Pa" is not used. But after the usage of "Pa" there is also the use of "Sa" in the place of "Ni" at "Ni Ni Dha Dha" and also the last note should have been "Ga" instead of "Ri" going by the swarasthanas. I place the original song in the voice of K.J.Y for reference.
Original Song:
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posted by Pradip Somasundaran at 7:23 AM
21 Comments:
AMMMAAAZZZINGGG !!!!
This is AWESOME Pradipetta!!..that is how I would describe your effort in a single word.I cant remember you attempting such kind of a song prior to this..an excellent work indeed!
This song is one amongst my favourites .Prior to reading your description,I never knew it was done in a single take!!
An exercise in excellence. An experience in ectasy. A performance beyond compare. "rama.." at the end, lacerated my heart and reverberated in my soul. In stead of complimenting you this time, I would rather thank you for taking me through an unbridled joy ride of music. Sounded a warning bell for people like me not to try rearing some holycows like these songs.
Pradeepetta, This was a tremendous and mesmerising show of your abilities. Your Voice is in sublime form in this song and I can say with full force that you are the best singer in Malayalam who can sing such songs after Yesudas! No other singer has such a voice full of depth, laya expression, clarity of pronounciation and sweetness. There is no comparison.Your Voice is God's Gift! I salute you.
Ullas
Awesome!!! Brilliantly sung. I can describe the feeling when I heard the song. You are a class act indeed and this was a mesmerising performance. Keep singing Pardip...
Well, what can I say excepting that it was a sheer joy to hear that piece of work!
**I don't have a word to say what I want to**
:)
I couldn’t understand the language but got carried away by your vocal. Good job. I could relate my heart to the Bhavam and so could only think that it is a fortune to listen to this song.
Heavenly!! Thank you!!!!
(why is NiNiDhaDha sung as SaSaDhaDha...? Was it meant to be that way? )
hai pradeep ji
very nice. every day i check your blog for new posts....but i do'nt put comments ....i think u dont need my ........ha..ha...
looking for more old songs..
how r u?
anil bs
lalitha> Thank You!
Bibin> Thanks you so much.
Murali> Have a question for you too. Just see the extension to my post.
Ullas> Thank you for the comments
.Please do see the extension to the post.
Alexis, Meera, Vijaya > Thank you a lot..
Sindhuja> You have opened a pandora's box :-) Just see the extension to my post.
Anil Bhai> I think the crow will fly upside down today :-)
Ha..ha....So I have forced you to comment finally!
Plas see the extension to the post and do give your views.
Pradip...
u r truely amazing...it's an honor to know u! absulutely spellbound..
Amazing ... I scrutinied your song for a blemish :)- I am invain...Just carried away by the swara prasthanas ; they are better than Dasettan's original rendition. You are lucky to get these wisdom from Dasettan directly ; what else you want ? Can any one think of rendering with such authority ?? Now still above "Pa" swaras are a little harsh to hear in Dasettan's version; u did it sweeter; especially the last part Ramaaa. But the Akaarams seems to be a bit descrete not continous as Dasettan's rendition.
Your love to Raveendran Mash and Dasettan is allover in the song .. Good gift to your mentors...Then where is our request to Kudajaadriyil song ??? Please do it on Vijayadashami Day, Pradeepetta ?
Vidyu> Thank you so much!
Sreejith> I am lucky to have listners like you who are so devoted and see the song through a microscope! This gives me more enthusiasm to try to sing with more dedication and perfection. I have resung some parts and made the akarams more contnuous.
Not in this song alone. There have problems in rendering proper swarasthanams in Gopaangane also.
ga ma pa ma ga pa ma ga
sa ni sa paaa..ni sa ma ga
Sindhuja and I have a common friend Sheela Raman (whose veeNa playing was featured in my blog) and I remember in one discussion of ours in which we concluded that "ga" is actually "ri" (like naattai) since ga has been used for ga3 in the ragam.
In "ni ni da da" I hear a (ni + sa)/2 kind of swarasthanam. in the lower "ma da ni sa" I hear only "pa da ni sa". Also, surprisingly there is a lot thilang flavor (due to grahabedham). I can easily slip into "nalladhor veeNai seydhe" song anywhere from this. Try singing this way:
"aaraNya kaaNdam thEdi..seetha hrudhayaam thengi"
followed by
"asaivuru madhi kEttEn..idhai
vazangida unakkedhum thadai uLLadhO ?"
This ragam is absolutely beautiful. ShubapanthuvaraaLi originally is a total tear jerker and by shedding "pa" it became even more a scale to cry harder.
I chose not to dissect it when listening to you simply coz the impact factor was pretty high. These things were secondary and also my carnatic knowledge as good as being non-existent.
Heard the original. I agree with Murali that in KJY's rendering, the Ni seems somewhere mid way between Ni and Sa.But it sounds strikingly odd (my sincere,sincere apologies to all the gods of music involved here-from KJY to Pradipji...) since immediately after the 'ambiguous' Sa, he touches the 'authentic' Sa, so the difference is very well pronounced.
And MS,sorry I dont understand the relevence of the 'Ga being Ri' theory in this context...may be you can explain to me sometime if this may not be an appropriate place...
And your carnatic knowledge is 'as good as non-existent'??!!!! Well, well....!!
Pradipji, I could not figure where Ga has been sung as Ni as you have written...
Sndhuja, the last note of the swara sequence "ma, dha, ni, ri" ends with "Ri" while actually the swarasthanam is for "Ga". Could you hear it again?? Had a discussion with Swati on this. This raga in hindustani is called gurjari todi (if we take only the song till the start of the panchamam)After the panchamam is introduced , that too in the arohan and not in avarohan as in Thodi(hindustani,not carnatic)I dont know to which raga it deviates.
Sindhu:
I was trying to point out the repeated erratic placement of swaras away from swarasthanams in semi-classicals featured in films. In gopaangane if KJY had to say 'Ga', he must have used swarasthanam of Ga3 and not of Ga2 (= Ri3). That was the contention.
Oh,ok...I listened to it again. I get it. But you have written Ni and not Ri (instead of Ga) on your blog-typo?
"Erratic placement of swaras": reminds me of the first interlude of Dil Se re-terrible,terrible.. :(
Pradip Sir:
Sorry for being late in commenting on this wonderful effort. Its been done very nicely. Especially the charanam was very very well done. Its really a pleasure and inspiration seeing such great efforts.
hats off !! i dont knw wot else to say :0)...
It is a very tough song...Beautifully rendered, Pradip! Thankyou so much for sharing such gems:)
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