Saint, ascetic and social reformer Sree Narayana Guru (1854 to 1928) has also left behind a veritable legacy of Malayalam, Sanskrit and Tamil poetry. The Guru’s kritis are all highly philosophical in nature and brim with bhakti. Now, the staff and students of the Department of Music of the Sree Narayana College for Women, Kollam, have brought out an audio CD of poems written by the Guru. The compilation of songs, titled ‘Gururagamaalika’, features 10 of the Guru’s most popular kritis.
Bhavana Radhakrishnan, associate professor of music, composed the songs and led the compilation of the CD. “Over the years, the Department of Music has presented the Sree Narayana Guru kritis for various college functions and on days important to the social reform movement led by the Guru. In fact, we have a stock of some five to six songs that had already been composed, especially for these events. I have always felt the need to preserve these songs and give a proper identity to them. When I suggested it to Sherly P. Anand, the Principal of the college, she gave us the go ahead,” says Bhavana Radhakrishnan.
Whittling down the number to 10 from the 200-plus poems written by the Guru, could not have been easy. “Some of the songs are from our existing compositions but they needed modification in tala,” says Professor Bhavana. Some were chosen after detailed discussions with members of the staff who teach and research Malayalam and Sree Narayana Guru’s philosophy and also after talking to members of a club in the college that organises programmes on the Guru. The compilation was eventually narrowed down to eight Malayalam kritis and one each in Sanskrit and Tamil, depending on their popularity, meaning and musicality.
“Not only are all the Malayalam poems in the old language but they also have a multitude of meanings compressed into each line! I did not want to compromise on any aspect of the meaning of the songs, even if it meant composing them in pathinja (slow paced) kalam,” says Professor Bhavana. “For example, ‘Arivilumeri’ (Atmopadeshashatakam) is a poem with 100 stanzas, which is full of devotion. It is quite complicated when it comes to the words and meanings and very difficult to comprehend. It was the toughest to compose. Only a pathinja kalam could have worked for it. I composed it in Bhagyasree.
Equally devotional is the number ‘Devivame Kathukolkannu’ (Deivadashakam). However, it is more straightforward and simple and easy to sing and understand. I composed it in the lighter Mohanam,” she adds. Another favourite is ‘Janani Navaratna Manjari (Onnayamamathi)’, a philosophical number that she composed in ragamaalika (Kamboji, Bowli and Sindhu Bhairavi).
The songs have been sung by four staff members, including Bhavana, and associate professors B. Arundhati, B. Vanajamma and Rani P., apart from 11 students of the Department. Actor Suresh Gopi has also sung two numbers, namely ‘Namonada Bindhwatmike…’ from ‘Kalinadakam’ and ‘Shivasankara…’ from ‘Sivaprasada panchakam’. “Suresh was most enthusiastic about the project and readily agreed to sing the songs. It was obvious when he came for the recording that he was well prepared, having studied the songs and the meanings in advance,” says Professor Bhavana.
Gururagamaalika – Sree Narayana Guru Kritikal, Price: Rs. 95. At present the CD is available only at Sree Narayana College, Kollam. For more information contact: Dr. Sherly P. Anand (9495120695).
