Of sweet songs, sweeter memories

September 02, 2014 03:21 pm | Updated 03:21 pm IST - Kozhikode:

There is a song sung by S. Janaki in the 1983 film Parasparam , beginning with the line Nirangal than nrutham…

It is one of the most underrated film songs in Malayalam: ONV Kurup’s luminous lines, about love, longing, and loneliness, were tuned brilliantly in Raga Jog by M.B. Srinivasan and sung with heartrending passion by Janaki. The classic finds a place in the book Priyappetta Pattukal , which is all about favourite Malayalam film songs of writers and musicians.

Nirangal than nrutham… is picked by critic K.V. Sajay, who has written one of the finest pieces in Priyappetta Pattukal published by Mathrubhumi Books and edited by M.D. Manoj. The book is a reminder of the rich music tradition of our cinema, as we read about many of our favourite songs.

Songs featured include Sandhya mayangum neram… ( Mayiladumkunnu ) (ONV), Apara sundara neelakasham… ( Vithukal ) (Sreekumaran Thampi), Suprabhatham… ( Panitheeratha Veedu ) (K. Jayakumar), Karayunno puzha… ( Murappennu ) (T.P. Sasthamangalam), and Kayalarikath… ( Neelakkuyil ) (N.S. Madhavan). There are many more; over a hundred songs in fact.

Among there are some surprises too, such as Pranay sandhya… (‘Ore Kadal’), chosen by Sopana Sangeetham artiste Njeraalthu Harigovindan. He listened to the song (rendered by Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri and composed by Ouseppachan) along with his wife from her mobile phone kept between the pillows for several nights.

We all might have similar experiences about film songs. And it is the multitude of such experiences that make the book such a marvellous read. Short-story writer K. Rekha talks of quite a few experiences through her favourite songs such as Ponnaralippoovonnu… ( Kathi ), Sharadindu malardeepa… ( Ulkadal ) and Arikil neeyundayirunnenkil… ( Neeyethra Dhanya ).

There are also some fine studies on songs, such as the one by Beeyar Prasad on Seemanthinee… ( Athithi ) and Balachandra Menon on Prananathanenikku… ( Enippadikal ).

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.