My composition : ஏனடா கண்ணா ஏனடா - Enadaa kaNNA Enadaa - rendered at Sydney Murugan Temple

 Song : ஏனடா கண்ணா ஏனடா - Enadaa kaNNA Enadaa
Composed, Written and Sung by : Murali Venkatraman

Veena : Lakshmi Narendra
Ghatam : Jeiram Jegatheesan
Tabla : Stephan Kantharaja  
Venue : Sydney Murugan Temple

In English for those who are unable to read tamil:

A poor peasant sees baby Krishna sleeping under the hood of the venemous serpent Adi Sesha.  The peasant gets concerned that the venom may affect Krishna  by making him dark, hot and thirsty.  He wonders if Krishna, after giving away all his wealth is unable to buy a bed for himself.  With kindness he offers Krishna :" Oh Krishna ! Come to me ! I will make yuo a bed of flowers and cotton".  (Here I have used the reference to Sudhama which is  poetic license since Krishna donates wealth to Sudhama, not as a baby, but as an adult).  When I composed this song, I had the image of Shri. PithukuLi murugadas singing to baby Krishna in mind.

 

ஒரு ஏழைக் குடியானவன் (விவசாயி) குழந்தை கண்ணன் பாம்புப் படுக்கையில் படுத்திருப்பதைப் பார்க்கிறான்.  அவன் மனம் பதறுகிறது.

"அடடா..குழந்தை கண்ணன் இப்படி பாம்பின் படத்துக்கடியில் படுத்துக் கொண்டு இருக்கிறானே ! அந்த பிஞ்சு உடம்பு அந்த நெஞ்சின் சூட்டை எப்படித் தாங்கும் ?" என்று எண்ணுகிறான். 

"ஒரு வேளை கையில் இருக்கும் பணத்தை எல்லாம் நண்பனுக்கு தானம் கொடுத்துவிட்டானே ! அதனால் கையில் மெத்தை வாங்கப் பணம் இல்லாமல் பாம்புப் படுக்கையில் படுத்துக்கொண்டு இருக்கிறானோ ?" என்று எண்ணி:

"கண்ணா ..ஏனப்பா இந்தப் பாம்புப் படுக்கை ?  என்னிடம் வா..நான் பஞ்சும் பூவும் வைத்த மெத்தையைத் தருகிறேன்" என்று அன்போடு அழைப்பதாக இந்தப் பாடலை அமைத்து இருக்கிறேன்.  (இங்கே சுதாமனுக்கு தானம் கொடுத்தது என்பது மிகுதியாகச் சேர்க்கப்பட்ட விஷயம். ஏனெனில், கண்ணன் குழந்தையாக அல்ல, நாடாளும் மன்னனாக ஒரு முழு ஆண் மகனாக வளர்ந்த பின் தான் சுதாமனுக்கு தானம் செய்கிறான்.)



இந்தப் பாடலை இயற்றும்போது திரு பித்துக்குளி முருகதாஸ் அவர்கள் குழந்தைக் கண்ணனை நோக்கிப் பாடுவதாக நான் மனதில் உருவகப் படுத்திக் கொண்டேன்.  நீங்களும் செய்து பாருங்களேன் !


பல்லவி:
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ஏனடா கண்ணா ஏனடா ஒரு மெத்தை கிடைக்கலியா ?
ஒரு பாம்புமே உன் படுக்கையா ஒரு மெத்தை கிடைக்கலியா ?

அனுபல்லவி:
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பஞ்சுமே நல்ல பூவுமே உள்ள மெத்தையை நான் தரவா ?
நஞ்சினைக் கக்கும் நாகத்தை நீயும் விட்டு வர வேண்டுமே !

சரணம் 1:
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நாகத்தின் கீழே தூங்கியே நெஞ்சில் மேனி கருத்ததடா ! - சூட்டில்
தாகமும் வரும் தேவையா இது விட்டு வர வேண்டுமே !

சரணம் 2:
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கையிலே பணம் இல்லையா எல்லாம் தானம் கொடுத்து விட்டாய் ! - நண்பனுக்கு
தானம் கொடுத்து விட்டாய்- சுதாமனுக்கு
தானம் கொடுத்து விட்டாய் - பணம்
இல்லையேல் ஒரு மெத்தை நான் தர வந்து உறங்கிடடா !

My composition : சிட்னி முருகன் துதி - A hymn on Sydney Murugan

Song : Sydney Murugan thudhi - சிட்னி முருகன் துதி 

Written, Composed and Rendered by : Murali Venkatraman

I wrote and sang the following stuti on Sydney Murugan Temple at Westmead as part of my concert "Paattum Bharathamum".

1)
பட்டினி அண்டுமோ ? பஞ்சமும் அண்டுமோ?
மட்டினி உண்டுமோ ? மண்ணுல கின்பமே !
விட்டினி போவனோ வேறிடம் நானுமே
சிட்டினி குமரனின் பொற்பதம் கண்டபின் !

Meaning :

மட்டினி = மட்டு + இனி
விட்டினி = விட்டு + இனி

Sydney Murugan Temple – The abode of Lord Murugan ! In this city where Lord Murugan resides, Will starvation dare to hit ? No !  Will famine dare to strike ?  No ! Will there be a limit to the joys of the world ? No ! Now that I have seen the golden feet of Lord Murugan, will I ever want to go to another place ? No !

2)
ஈடில் குகனே ! ஈசன் மகனே !
வீடில் ; பீடில் ; ஆசியில் புலம்பெயர்ந்
தீடும்  பலரை மாண்பாய் மேற்கு
மீடில் நின்றே மீட்கும் குமரா !

Meaning:

ஈடில் = ஈடு இல்லாத,
வீடில் = வீடு இல்லாத ,
பீடில் = பீடு (பெருமை) இல்லாத,
ஆசியில் = அவுஸ்த்ரேலியாவில்
புலம்பெயர்ந்தீடும் = immigrating, மேற்கு மீடில் = West mead ல்

Oh incomparable Lord Guha ! The son of Shiva ! Many poor people and refugees immigrate to Australia without any comforts ! They do not even have a home to stay ! From the temple at Westmead, you shower your grace and rescue them from the vagaries of life !

3)
பலமும் இன்றிப் பணமும் இன்றி
புலமும் பெயர ரணமும் தாங்கி
கலமும் ஏறிக்  கடலில் வருவோர்
நலமும் பெறவே நாடுவ துனையே !

 Meaning :
The refugees who try to immigrate by boats lack strength, money and take an arduous journey in the quest of a life  of peace and comfort in Australia. Throughout their travel they keep chanting your holy  name !

4)
ஆசிக் கண்டச் சைவர்  உந்தன்
ஆசிக் கன்றோ இரைவர் ? நீறு
பூசிக்கொள்வார் ! பூசை செய்வார் !
மாசில் முருகா ! மாயோன் மருகா !

Meaning:

Oh Lord Muruga ! Nephew of Vishnu! You are impeccable ! The Shaivaites of Australia yearn for your blessings ! They smear their foreheads with the holy ash ! They perform the holy rituals !

 

A tribute to my mentor Dr. Bosco Emmanuel on his 25th Marriage Anniversary

A tribute to my mentor Dr. Bosco Emmanuel on his 25th Marriage Anniversary

Dr. Bosco Emmanuel of CECRI - has been my mentor since my undergraduate days.  He and his wife recently celebrated their 25th marriage anniversary (9th Sep 2012).  I was requested by his son Infant Gabriel to write my impressions as a student on Dr. BE, which were read at the celebrations (was a surprise for Dr BE).

It is only after I finished writing this note on him that I realized I had written this on teacher's day !

=========================================================

“Murali – I am being overpaid for my work.  Why should they pay me such a high salary when there are many people in India who are unable to afford regular meals on a given day ?”

Dr. Bosco posed this question and looked straight into my eyes.  I stood befuddled, unable to answer him.  Had I agreed with him I would be underestimating the value he has brought to CECRI and had I disagreed with him, I would be questioning his judgment. That sums up the man of today’s occasion.  A scientist, guide and a mentor who is like none other I have seen in my personal and professional life.  Someone who I have had the privilege of dialing up for any “knowledge emergencies” or when I am at crossroads unable to understand the physics of the processes.  A researcher, whose insight and dedication are superseded only by the extreme discipline that he observes in all aspects of his life.

When we talk about theoretical electrochemistry and modeling in CECRI, there are only three names that we hear : Prof. S. K. Rangarajan (SKR), Dr. Ahmed Basha and Dr. Bosco Emmanuel.  While Dr. Basha has done work largely in engineering, Prof SKR and Dr. Bosco have produced papers in pure science topics.  Prof SKR, as everybody knows, was a true genius, a brilliant teacher and a kind mentor.  While it is easy for a student to inherit the mentoring qualities from their guide, what amazes me is that Dr. Bosco also had derived greatly the scientific aptitude of Prof SKR as well. However, unlike SKR, Dr. Bosco went beyond electrochemistry and applied mathematics and researched on other fields like quantum mechanics, crystal shapes, corrosion and lithium batteries also.  Unless a person is strong in fundamentals of physics, it is impossible to work in such diverse fields.

Prof SKR for a good part of his life had the luxury of interacting with many students at IISc and with other professors on a regular basis.  Dr. Bosco on the other hand chose to remain in Karaikudi working pretty much single-handedly on all the different subjects.  Thus it always amazes me how he could sit quietly and alone in his office and keep publishing in top journals like journal of chemical physics regularly.  We on the other hand, in spite of having a team and having discussions regularly are still finding it difficult to publish in such good journals.  In other words, the so called modeling and theoretical electrochemistry “team” in CECRI was just him.  Students and co-workers simply benefitted from his expansive knowledge.  He could have easily become a professor in any of the top universities abroad given his academic standing, but he chose CECRI.

At this point, I recall one of his statements : “Murali – the ONGC project in which you worked with me in nineties, went on for many years which consumed a lot of family-time as well.  At that time, it was my wife who helped to keep the family going and I really value that”.  Thus, if his scientific thinking was on a hyperdrive and stayed committed, it is Mrs Emmanuel’s dedication to the family which buttressed it suitably.  Hence she has an equal share of recognition in whatever Dr. Bosco has contributed to research.

Lastly, I would like to note that one of my greatest regrets in my life is that I did not do my PhD under him.  And to absolve me off that, after coming to Australia as a post-doc I requested him to come and be our visiting scientist for 6 months in 2009.  At the age of 55, he shared a room with me, cooked and ate vegetarian food and washed vessels with me like a college student would. Every second I spent with him will be cherished and was of highest academic quality.  Dr. Ivan Cole – our supervisor – was most pleased with his contributions and came all the way from Australia  to CECRI recently to strengthen the Indian collaborations keeping Dr. Bosco as the epicenter.

But please remember that prior to his visit to Australia, Dr. Bosco had not stepped out of India for almost 20 years.  In fact at the time I had invited him to Australia, Prof. Venkat Subramanian (U of Washington St Louis) – a former illustrious student of Dr. Bosco - also invited him to USA.  But Dr. Bosco chose Australia and the reason in his own words was :

“Murali is my only student who is struggling to find his feet in his life. It is my duty to help him”.

For that kind heart and all the knowledge you keep imparting, Sir, I am always indebted.  I may age and so may you, but when I discuss science with you, I always feel like that 19 year old who came to you for his first internship.  If I have a choice, I would become your full-time student and work with you on a daily basis.  May you see more anniversaries and live long in good health so that students like me can always come to you for learning.

Yes - it is indeed a selfish wish.

Paattum Barathamum - Music and Dance concert on 23rd Sep - Sydney Murugan Temple

Murali Venkatraman will be presenting a 1.5 hour music concert based mainly on semi-classical songs including his compositions in tamil, hindi and other languages. Following that, Lalita Venkatraman will present a 1.5 hour long dance performance showcasing Bharatanatyam and elements of other Indian Classical Dances.

Date : 23rd September 2012
Venue : Sydney Murugan Temple
Admission: Free

We are delighted to invite you for the same