SUMAM PRATI SUMAM - MAHARSHI

Violin Vicky writes:

Rishivani

In the previous article we discussed how he produced a Googly in Roopakam while it was in Adhi. Here comes the next googly. Ilayaraaja normally doesn’t re-use his own tunes. I mean normally in Tamilnadu, composers who proclaim themselves as national or international very often run out of their ideas and re-use the same melody in Tamil, which they used in a different language or vice-versa. I’m not talking here about the dubbing of the same movie in a different language, but silently reincarnating (!!) a melody fooling the unknown audiences of another state… But Raaja is in fact a bit audacious when it comes to this as he boasts pro-found composing abilities. Even when he chooses to re-use a melody on a different song, he totally gives it a new outfit with brand new prelude and interludes. All the songs of the unreleased Hindi movie ‘Aur Ek Prem Kahani’ is an example for this. All the songs in that movie are his own all time hits but with entirely new ideas.. Sometimes he even uses two different melodies for the same pallavi.. (Eg: ‘Koda manjin’ song in Malayalam and ‘KondaPalli’ song in Telugu)

The song ‘Vaarayo unakkae charan’ from Atma is one such song. This song is a re-used output of the song ‘kaamatchi karuna vilasini’ from Raaja’s devotional album ‘Geethanjali’. This melody is the second Googly from Raaja, which we discuss further. At the first look every one will be deceived that this song is composed in ‘GowriManohari’ (Let abbreviate GowriManohari as ‘GM’) But a closer look will reveal that the melody does not have 'Dha'. So the structure of this raaga is
Sa, Ri2, Ga2, Ma1, Pa Ni3 Sa in the arohanam and Sa Ni3 Pa Ma1 Ga2 Ri2 Sa in the avarohanam. I was frantically searching for the identification of this raaga  until I came to know from another music enthusiastic from Banglore that it is ‘Rishivani’ and officially a janya raaga of Keeravani and not GM… that was a real googly to me…

But I surely can imagine what made Raaja to choose this particular swara combination of GM without 'Dha'. If you see, Gowri Manohari is a raaga very much suited for situations where you are in pursuit of something... It can be Love, Devinity, peace of mind etc etc.. When poignantly used, The presence of Big 'Ri' and Big 'Dha' in this raaga will minimize the seriousness of the song.. The big 'Ri' is noramlly a janaranjakamana swaram.. Still it can be made sound serious when used in combination with big 'Ni', defying its true color but the big 'dha' can't be made sound serious.... Lets assume if Dm is the root tonic note of Gowri Manohari.. Then 'Ri' can be used with Ni as in A major or A dominant 7th. This combination of Dm and A (or A dom7th) is the beauty of Gowri Manohari and it draws a heavy gloomy effect. But on the contrary, when you bring out Big 'Dha' in Gowri Manohari, always the usage is Dm and G major combinmation.. this instantly relaxes the mood and eases out the heavy cloud set by A major.  I've tried so many sources in the past to get the name of this raaga but in vain...

If you see both kamachshi and the song "Vaarayo unakkae saran" by mano from Aatma, both are composed for very serious situations in pursuit of god... Given the demanding circumstances, Raaja doesn't want to take a break even for a while. But the beauty lies in the fact how the song easily deceives anyone who listens it (even for ‘n’ number of times). Another speciality here is, ‘vaarayo’ is one of the very few songs where Raja used Mano in situations where he would have normally preferred SPB. Making the singer heavilly cough in between the song and intentionally making him singing out of scale to simulate he is ill is not an easy task to do in a recording theatre for a singer.. SPB has marvellously done this in "Maniyosai keetu elundhu".. Mano also has tried his best in this song to live up to this challenge.. He is successful, thou' not as much as Balu I must admit...

I was thinking for a long time that Kaamakshi karuna vilasini is the only exception and there aren’t much songs in this raaga until I listened to the telugu song Sumam pradhi sumam sumam from Maharishi. I was genuinely caught in a dilemma because sometimes the song sounded like Keeravani and sometimes it sounded like GM.. Then I could make out the obvious that the swara ‘dha’ is missing and its in Rishivani.. At least I was happy that I could realize the relation of Rishivani as a child raaga of Keeravani.. The song starts with a brief alapana by Janaki in this raga. The charanam has some beautiful birukkas rendered effortlessly by SPB. This song is a pure Rishivani.

Another song soon to follow is Ennadhan sugamo from ‘Mappillai’. All these days I was also mistaking this song also to be GM. Its not.. Its again Rishivani… I was busy for a long time double-checking that this song has no ‘Dha’. In fact the melody is devoid of Dha (Thou’ some Natabhairavi style ‘chinna Ni’s can be observed in BGMs). The prelude and the pallavi of the song vaarayo vaanmadhi from Pagal nilavu is also pakka ‘Rishivani’.... But the charanam has a punching start at ‘Dha’.. Soon after that there are also usages of Chinna ‘Ni’ giving it a Karaharapriya touch.. So its unfair to call this song is based on any raga… But again the Rishivani touch is so strong in Pallavi. It was a singer called Ramesh who sung this song…

One more song to join the band wagon is ‘Karpoora mullai onru’  from ‘Keladi kanmani’. The pallavai again is an agmark Rishivani. As we previously discussed, removal of ‘Dha’ brings a more serious appeal to the melody. The song ‘Karpoora mullai onru’ is the theme song of the movie. If you see, the theme of the movie is ‘padu sentimental’ and the feel is accentuated so much by this ‘dha’ bypassing. This song comes in flashback where baby Neena reminisces some beautiful moments with her mother (Geetha). But when played as a full fledged song it should alternatively reflect happiness and pathos.. So Raaja leaves the ‘sogam’ behind in Pallavi and switches to a jolly mood in the interludes and Charanam.. But the characteristic progression ‘Ga Ma Pa Ni Sa’ of Rishivani (bypassing ‘Dha’) is more beautiful in the pallavi than any other songs.

I must say ‘Rishivani’ is a real pure innovation by Raaja in Carnatic classical music.. There may be other classical numbers in this Raaga by great mahans and pandits. But Maestro’s understanding of the ‘swaras’ and the moods that they can create either by their presence or by their absence is something absolutely amazing!!

With Love
Vicky  


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