The Dinner - Orignally written on 20 Jun 2014
We arrived at the restaurant ( Kamadhenu ) and VJ asked me to join her at the dinner table but I was already full with both food and adrenaline. However, her insistence won and I agreed to have a morsel to keep the conversation going. However, quickly realizing that there were many others who were interested in talking to her I excused myself and went around the table to greet the rest of the team which included Sathyaprakash and Madhumita - two talented youngsters. Sathya was very calm, measured in conversation, but polite and came across as easily approachable gentlemanly artist. There were some discussions about Satyaprakash's interests in gazals and his eagerness to learn hindi and urdu. After the dinner, we were off to the hotel.
On the way, I asked VJ:
MS: "Amma..I am a composer and there are a few tamil compositions which have been done over these years with your voice in mind in hindustani/ gazal style. If your time and interest permit, I would like to have a discussion with you about them"
VJ : "Surely. The morning of the day after the show (Sunday), I will be free and you are most welcome to the hotel to discuss them. I will be glad to hear them."
I could not have asked for more, although I was not very sure this meeting would happen since celebrities like her were always sought after for multiple reasons by many people. But then came another question:
VJ : "BTW, is there any place we can go near by on Sunday ?"
MS: "There is a Westfield mall near to your hotel. Would you like to go to the mall on Sunday morning? Please remember that the mall opens only at 11 AM and you have to start towards the airport around 5 pm."
VJ : "Malls all over the world are the same. I am not particularly interested in them. Is there anything else that you could suggest ?"
MS: "Well..there are many attractions in and around Sydney since this is a huge city. If you are happy to go along with me and my wife, I am more than glad to take you around."
VJ : "Plese understand that I do not intend to inconvenience you. I could ask the organizers as well. What I am looking forward is just a drive through some nice scenic area. However if you are free and promise me that it ain't a burden on your schedule only then, I will agree"
MS: "It certainly is not a burden, but a pleasure. You may please confirm after you discuss with the organizers."
==============
The concert
The concert was simply wonderful. Some songs were rendered at a reduced pace but at the original scale ! Please remember that she is 70 ("I am pushing 70 and people say it is hard to believe" - True indeed ) and at that age even to hold a sustained note without vacillating is so very difficult.
But her range and adherence to shruti was perfect throughout the concert. Among her co-singers Satyaprakash excelled and matched her for note-by-note in the rare song of Vijayabaskar - "maamadurai naatinil vaigaik karai kaatrinil". His own rendition of "paattum naane" was superlative with his ornamentations (Sangathis) cascading naturally out of his soft but sonorous voice. VJ vividly recalled that she has sung innumerable kannada numbers for Vijayabaskar who she termed - 'a gentleman composer' who was always soft in his choice of words, articulation and tunes. Harish Raghavendra was good in his originals and understandably VJ's ornamentation in her original duet songs (like "ilakkaNam maarudho") stood out.
She recounted how her entry to the film music has been one of "all good omens". She entered the film music as a 'guddi' (little girl) - the hindi film, then returned to tamilnadu through "Veetukku Vandha Marumagal" (daughter-in-law who had come home) and then her break happened in 'dheerga sumangali' ( a lady blessed with a long blissful marriage ) through the song "malligai en". And among the songs, while she sang most of the popular numbers including "ezu swarangaLukuL" the surprise element was her inclusion of "yaar adhu sollaamal" instead of "meghamE mEghame" which found a shrunken place in her medley.
At the end she rounded it off with a beautiful medley of many songs with just the shruti (drone) in the background. I was hoping somebody would play the piano / keyboard - but nope - just the shruti. Later when I asked if she preferred it that way, she replied : "the keyboardists are in their early twenties and do not know many of my songs. So, I thought this was a better arrangement". I woudl ideally have liked them to play the chords at least.
The concert was well attended by close to 800 people. People were really appreciative of her singing and cheered her when familiar songs hit the stage.Throughout the concert she spoke in chaste tamil. I met her backstage during the interval and asked her if she planned ot sing any malayalam song on stage and reminded her of "Karuna cheyvaan". She immediately said "Swami's composition" and to my surprise she immediately sang it backstage ! Once she finished she said : "There is no malayalam number in the original list of stage-songs, but now that is done too" with an affectionate smile.
karuna cheyvaan (malayalam) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhFWUkox7HY
She also presented signed copies of her "tamil-poem" collection to me and Dr. Gowribalan on her own volition. We were really surprised by her gesture, since we were probably the only ones, or may be among the handful of people, who were accorded that gesture !
(Final part describing our musical interaction will follow soon..)
We arrived at the restaurant ( Kamadhenu ) and VJ asked me to join her at the dinner table but I was already full with both food and adrenaline. However, her insistence won and I agreed to have a morsel to keep the conversation going. However, quickly realizing that there were many others who were interested in talking to her I excused myself and went around the table to greet the rest of the team which included Sathyaprakash and Madhumita - two talented youngsters. Sathya was very calm, measured in conversation, but polite and came across as easily approachable gentlemanly artist. There were some discussions about Satyaprakash's interests in gazals and his eagerness to learn hindi and urdu. After the dinner, we were off to the hotel.
On the way, I asked VJ:
MS: "Amma..I am a composer and there are a few tamil compositions which have been done over these years with your voice in mind in hindustani/ gazal style. If your time and interest permit, I would like to have a discussion with you about them"
VJ : "Surely. The morning of the day after the show (Sunday), I will be free and you are most welcome to the hotel to discuss them. I will be glad to hear them."
I could not have asked for more, although I was not very sure this meeting would happen since celebrities like her were always sought after for multiple reasons by many people. But then came another question:
VJ : "BTW, is there any place we can go near by on Sunday ?"
MS: "There is a Westfield mall near to your hotel. Would you like to go to the mall on Sunday morning? Please remember that the mall opens only at 11 AM and you have to start towards the airport around 5 pm."
VJ : "Malls all over the world are the same. I am not particularly interested in them. Is there anything else that you could suggest ?"
MS: "Well..there are many attractions in and around Sydney since this is a huge city. If you are happy to go along with me and my wife, I am more than glad to take you around."
VJ : "Plese understand that I do not intend to inconvenience you. I could ask the organizers as well. What I am looking forward is just a drive through some nice scenic area. However if you are free and promise me that it ain't a burden on your schedule only then, I will agree"
MS: "It certainly is not a burden, but a pleasure. You may please confirm after you discuss with the organizers."
==============
The concert
The concert was simply wonderful. Some songs were rendered at a reduced pace but at the original scale ! Please remember that she is 70 ("I am pushing 70 and people say it is hard to believe" - True indeed ) and at that age even to hold a sustained note without vacillating is so very difficult.
But her range and adherence to shruti was perfect throughout the concert. Among her co-singers Satyaprakash excelled and matched her for note-by-note in the rare song of Vijayabaskar - "maamadurai naatinil vaigaik karai kaatrinil". His own rendition of "paattum naane" was superlative with his ornamentations (Sangathis) cascading naturally out of his soft but sonorous voice. VJ vividly recalled that she has sung innumerable kannada numbers for Vijayabaskar who she termed - 'a gentleman composer' who was always soft in his choice of words, articulation and tunes. Harish Raghavendra was good in his originals and understandably VJ's ornamentation in her original duet songs (like "ilakkaNam maarudho") stood out.
She recounted how her entry to the film music has been one of "all good omens". She entered the film music as a 'guddi' (little girl) - the hindi film, then returned to tamilnadu through "Veetukku Vandha Marumagal" (daughter-in-law who had come home) and then her break happened in 'dheerga sumangali' ( a lady blessed with a long blissful marriage ) through the song "malligai en". And among the songs, while she sang most of the popular numbers including "ezu swarangaLukuL" the surprise element was her inclusion of "yaar adhu sollaamal" instead of "meghamE mEghame" which found a shrunken place in her medley.
At the end she rounded it off with a beautiful medley of many songs with just the shruti (drone) in the background. I was hoping somebody would play the piano / keyboard - but nope - just the shruti. Later when I asked if she preferred it that way, she replied : "the keyboardists are in their early twenties and do not know many of my songs. So, I thought this was a better arrangement". I woudl ideally have liked them to play the chords at least.
The concert was well attended by close to 800 people. People were really appreciative of her singing and cheered her when familiar songs hit the stage.Throughout the concert she spoke in chaste tamil. I met her backstage during the interval and asked her if she planned ot sing any malayalam song on stage and reminded her of "Karuna cheyvaan". She immediately said "Swami's composition" and to my surprise she immediately sang it backstage ! Once she finished she said : "There is no malayalam number in the original list of stage-songs, but now that is done too" with an affectionate smile.
karuna cheyvaan (malayalam) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhFWUkox7HY
She also presented signed copies of her "tamil-poem" collection to me and Dr. Gowribalan on her own volition. We were really surprised by her gesture, since we were probably the only ones, or may be among the handful of people, who were accorded that gesture !
(Final part describing our musical interaction will follow soon..)
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