Prodigy...

"And you're talking to the  Product Head!," he said, after he had just finished demonstrating the '5 Paisa' App to me, his elder cousin of 15 years, whom he was probably meeting after 5. He didn't try to hide his pride.

Santosh Jayaram was always the prodigy of the family. Innately gifted, he picked up the art of classical Indian dance at a very tender age by just accompanying his sister to her weekly dance lessons.

His true calling (I thought) though, was music! His voice could melt hearts and just when one thought that he would soon challenge the Jambavans of Indian classical vocal music, he chose the Veena as his instrument of musical expression.

Years of relentless practice (accompanied by his mother, my aunt's, incessant nagging) saw him grow from performances at family do's to concert halls and stages across the big cities of India, as part of his fusion band 'Agyna' and accompanying stalwarts and legends of world music.

"Music could be his career. Life!", I said, when my aunt worried (as she does for everything) about where he would be placed as part of  campus recruitment at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, where he was just about to complete his dual degree in Engineering and Business.

I encouraged her to get comfortable with the fact that he may have no real job and even asked her to get ready to travel with him as he went from one world stage to another. In my own mind, I had built him up to be the one, not to take the beaten path in a family full of Engineers!

Not only was I able to quickly relate to the app, but also provide one little point of view, because (as I explained to him), I am myself in the middle of the process of leading a change in the mobile app experience of the Home Security / Connected Home brand that I work for.

"How is Agnya?" I asked, as our conversation continued. I wasn't sure what the expression on his face meant, but he quickly clarified it saying he'd hardly found time for anything other than work in a while, leave alone music.

Watching him pore over his emails (from his ipad) over the next few minutes, in that hotel room, while on vacation to attend another cousin's wedding, made me wonder where I had gone wrong!

All this while I had thought that his software job was only a means to make his ends meet and waited for the day he would announce that he was quitting his software career to pursue music full time.

And here he was, having embraced 'FinTech' (an expression he used to describe his line of work) whole-heartedly and at all of 28, carrying the responsibility of a Rs. 100 crore backed wealth & investment management product on his young and able shoulders.

The music's still there! He let me savor a few aalapanas, once as we were seated right next to the Nagaswaram troupe at the cousin's wedding and once as the radio played during a car ride. 

The prodigiousness just seems to be being put to use elsewhere for now...

Stunning Songs with Shocking Faces

Music lovers of yore have made many a collection before. Of their favorite actors, music directors or films of a certain genre or age. As a film music lover, I have many including my favorite film songs, my favorite Kamal songs and even mix of hindi and tamil songs. But of all my collections the one that is ever so special to me is this one - Stunning Songs with Shocking Faces!

I present here this collection that I have painstakingly put together with a lot of thought and perspiration. Before you read on, thanks to youtube for making so life interesting that I can present this to you in the form of my words and the actual song, with full video (without which, this collection would really have no meaning). And most important of all - DISCLAIMER - I mean no disrespect to any of the human beings who featured as heros in these songs but honesty being a virtue I treat above all, these guys had no place in the movies.

Most of these are Ilayaraja songs, trust middle class Madras in the 1980s to provide this crazy conundrum. But even as you read through this, do spend time to listen to these GEMS. Believe me, each of these songs is one that I have listened to all day long on repeat mode. IMPORTANT: When you get to the links, right click on them and open them in a new window.

1. I really have to start with this one becuase not only was it featured in the movie I least expected it to be in, Anbulla Rajanikant, but when I saw this song for the first time, I was really - SHOCKED! And hence the title of this collection. A fine tune indeed, with a subtle rythm and sublime violin bits. Start your journey with Vintage Ilayaraja.

Then Poove Poove Vaa, Anbulla Rajanikant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOq_dcN8j6Q

2. We call these heros one-film wonders and I simply cannot understand how directors were able to cast such characters in their films. May be the title of the film justified such a selection, after all it was titled Kokkarakko ("that's not even a word", my son would say). The song however is another soft and fine melody. Notice how there is a certain pace to the song but that pace is generated not by solid drum beats but a super-speed tabla. Wow indeed! Enjoy another nice one.

Geetham Sangeetham, Kokkarakko
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDTSRf_m1DU

3. Trust a director like Bharathiraja to try new things, new subjects and of course new faces. Rumour has it that he met this man in a shop in Madurai and decided to cast him in his next film. Honestly, this hero did not do badly either. He did go on to get some hits, though not as much as the heroine, who is sheer talent incarnate. The film, Mann Vasanai, was a super hit, a landmark film of sorts and the song is a real stunner indeed. Starting with a magnificient violin bit and going on to be one of the most soothing songs I have ever heard in the tamil language, the effect of this song is so calming on the mind. Pay attention to the ghamakas of SPB and Janaki towards the end of the charanams. This song is a classic.

Pothi Vecha Malligai Mottu, Mann Vasanai
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Vko5DAOlE

4. This film rocked the music world - Kathal Oviyam. And it does even today in the homes of die-hard Ilayaraja fans from Chennai to California. It was a typical melodrama of the 1980s and had that Nenjai Kasakki Puzhiyum quality about it. Honestly the hero was not too bad in the context. A blind man in an obscure village deep-down south should expect to bear that quality but just given that cinema is all that glitters and is glossy, he did fall short. I did not know which song to present from this one because each song in this film is a beauty but I present here my favorite one which bears a quality that I simply love. Lazy, non-chalant but supremely elegant. Easily, Ilayaraja at his best...

Nadiyil Aadum Poovanam, Kadhal Oviyam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiuSzCwgrT4&feature=PlayList&p=5B4FD3D91C5ECF83&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=2

5. I don't know much about this film - Pagalil Oru Iravu. About the hero, the lesser said the better. But this song is MAGIC. It has a magnetic quality about it. The soft strains of melody seep into your system and move you from within. Listen to this song with eyes closed and the music plugged into your ears and you will know exactly what I am talking about. Wah, Raja!

Ilamaienum Poongatru, Pagalil Oru Iravu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD9a3qyWUBY

6. Another Ilayaraja, Bharathiraja combination. But this film, Mudhal Mariyadhai, also had the larger than life Sivaji Ganesan in the most understated role of his life, yet one his best performances ever. Every song from this movie was a stunner but to retain the soul of this collection, I have to chose the one with the sorry face in it. This song is a rustic charmer and has in it the raw power of love, that can surely tear you heart out. So much power in fact that I have been sitting here at the Philadelphia airport, listening to this song over and over again for the last 3 hours. So much power indeed, that I did not even realise that I actually missed my flight which was due to leave at 705 PM, thinking it was late and had not arrived yet. Experience this power for yourself, even as I rebook myself on the 910 PM US Airways Express to Rochester, New York ...

Andha Nilavathaan, Mudhal Mariyadhai
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Qv8-wRmEI

7. There has to be an exception for everything so I present here the only non-Ilayaraja song. Though not from my favorite composer, this one is sung by my favorite tamil film singer of current times - Karthik. The film is called Anbu and the first time I heard this song, I flipped. It is a sharp contrast to the other songs I have presented here, with a nice pace, music heavily orchestrated with modern instruments and a element of sheer cheer. But the problem is, I heard this song first (may be I did not know about youtube at that time). And then one fateful day, I saw this song. For the first and last time. This song is a double-whammy, both the hero and the heroine are horrendous. My sincere suggestion is to just listen to this song on Raaga.com or someplace but for the brave of heart who insist, here is the link. Please, at least close your eyes and let your ears be treated. Karthik rocks!

Aval Yaar Aval, Anbu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXw3QAdI3XY

It is 845 PM and my flight should be leaving here in another 25 minutes so I will go now and let you go too. I hope I inspired you to make some strange collections like this one and at the same time, I hope you enjoyed the songs I love and cherish so much.

If you have similar songs that you think you can add to this collection, please comment on this piece or email me at lakshminarayan.balasubramaniam@gmail.com