Month: December 2009

Malayalam songs of 2009 – My picks

My friend Sandeep asked me to do a post like I did in the last year to list out my favorite Malayalam songs of the year 2009. Like in the last year, choosing a list of top songs was not at all a difficult job this year too. I must recall a comment now, that I received from blogger Ajith Edassery to my last year’s post which explains the pathetic trend of Malayalam film music in the recent times:

Personally, I was disappointed at the following trend in the past two years:
– Digital overkill in music industry
– The surge of Telugu dubbed movies in Malayalam and their pathetic songs
– Those ‘mone, kuttaa, edaa…’ kind of so-called love songs in the past two or three years… A blind immitation of Hindi and Tamil that doesn’t naturally fit to Malayalam

Most of the songs of 2009 were run-off-the-mill or the old-wine-in-new-bottle kinda. But there were some good works too. So here is my list of best Malayalam songs from the year 2009. There were 8 songs to pick in the last year, but I have only 7 this time.

7

Song: Anuraaga Vilochananaayi
Movie: Neelathaamara
Singer: Sreekumar, Shreya Ghoshal
Music: Vidyasagar
Lyrics:  Vayalar Sarathchandra Varma

This song is a massive popular hit and you would instantly love it. But as much as I would like to hum/sing this song, I cannot ignore the fact that it is a refined old wine. This song has clear shades of Vidyasagar’s old Malayalam works like “Karimizhiye Kandeela” from Meesa Madhavan and there are people who say that the percussion reminds them of the remixed version of Kaliyon Ka Chaman. There are several pronunciation errors at both singer’s parts and though Shreya Ghoshal is my favorite singer, I can’t take this song to the top 5. I liked the expressiveness in the male vocals (he brings in the right Sringaara bhaavam to the song) and that is the only reason I’m taking this song to my list.

6

Song: Pularumo
Movie: Ritu
Singer: Gayathri, Sujith
Music: Rahul Raj
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahmed

The reason I chose this song is purely because of singer Gayathri. She has made this song beautiful with her wonderful voice and gave the right expressions which suits the song perfectly well. The male vocals starts at off notes, but Gayathri takes this song so well to make it worthy to listen. Rahul Raj also has done a neat job in composing.

5

Song: Alliyaambal
Movie: Loudspeaker
Singer: Vijay Yesudas
Music arrangement: Bijibal

Many attempts that we had at remixing old Malayalam songs have been pathetic. The people who did remixes of old songs seem to have thought that adding a bit of rap with some random English words would make a good remix (somebody should also explain to them what Rap music is) or adding some techno beats would spice it up. The result is the kind of songs like “Chetti, chetti, chettikulangara” (from Chotta Mumbai) which is quite an insult to the original (I wish such music directors learn something from Leslie Lewis on how he remixes some old Hindi songs). It is in this context that I appreciate the remix of a song that Malayali holds so dear to his heart – Alliyambal. It is a very nostalgic song for every Malayali and any lame attempt to kill the song would definitely be suicidal. But music director Bijibal has done a wonderful job at rearranging the orchestration for this song while keeping the melodic soul of the original. And he roped in Yesudas’s (the original singer) son Vijay Yesudas to sing it (to add market value?). Anyways, the result is a beautiful song and it is definitely a feather in the cap of Vijay Yesudas. I would give the credit to Bijibal. I had written last year that he is a promising music director. Here is a music director with some music sense to watch for.

4

Song: Swapnangal Kannezhuthiya
Movie: Bhagya Devatha
Singer(s): Chithra K S, Rahul Nambiar
Music: Ilaiyaraja
Lyrics: Vayalar Sarathchandra Varma

This is a classic Ilaiyaraja song. There is nothing in this song that surprises you if you are an Ilaiyaraja fan, but it is this melodic treat that you love Ilaiyaraja for and the maestro does not disappoint you on that with this song. The music, orchestration, singers – everything about this is as you wanted to hear. Goes straight to my favs from 2009.

3

Song: Picha vacha naal (my version here)
Movie: Puthiya Mugham
Singer: Shankar Mahadevan
Music: Deepak Dev
Lyrics: Kaithapram

Another massive popular hit from the year 2009 and quite obviously so. Simple but romantic lyrics from Kaithapram and Deepak Dev’s music make this song hummable for everyone. I also like the way the orchestration is done so that there is no heavy instrumental noises in the background where the vocals go. It’s just a simple percussion to support the vocals and that adds so much to the beauty of this song. Kudos to Deepak Dev!

2

Song: Saayam Sandhye
Movie: Sufi Paranja Katha
Singer: Latha Krishnan
Music: Mohan Sitara
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahammed

Another melodious gem from Mohan Sitara and a soulful rendition by Latha Krishnan (I definitely would like to try an unplugged version of this song). I could just close my eyes by listening to this song and immerse fully into the pleasure that only music can give.

1

Song: Chaanthu Thottille (my version here)
Movie: Banaras
Singer: Shreya Ghoshal
Music: M Jayachandran
Lyrics: Gireesh Puthenchery

This song tops my list for various reasons. There has not been any Dhandiya song (May I add – not that I know of, if there are any others, please do let me know) in Malayalam and M Jayachandran has done a wonderful job with this song. Shreya Ghoshal’s singing is so heavenly. You would forget the fact that she comes from Bengal when you hear her singing this song as her pronunciation in this song is perfect that not even any south Indian singer, other than a Malayali, could deliver it to this perfection. The best part that I enjoyed in this song is when she sings “pRiyanoraaL innu vannuvO” where only guitars support the background and then percussion slowly comes up. Two thumbs up!

Post script: One thing that I have noticed is that the top picks of this year’s songs are mostly written by two (comparatively new) lyricists – Rafeeq Ahmed and Vayalar Sharathchandra Varma. While Rafeeq Ahmed adds a beautiful touch of poetry to his songs, Vayalar Sharath follows the path of his father that contains simple but beautiful words which go straight to your heart. Those two lyricists are here to stay and going to give us more gems, am sure. Also outside Kerala singers like Shreya Ghoshal are singing more often in Malayalam movies. Another interesting thing to notice is that many new singers are coming up and they are being noticed much more than the popular singers like Yesudas, M G Sreekumar etc. In the early days, a singer’s ability to deliver a good song was measured by how well he could sing a semi-classical song, but the singers of these days have very good expressive vocals and a refreshing tone in their voices.

The Mudcake

Dr. Gaurva Chhabra had shared a link to his 2 minutes long short film through FB. The short film is titled The Mudcake. Watching the video has brought a smile (as most of us can relate to the childhood memories of playing with mud – I don’t think that kids these days do it though) and it certainly left something to think about towards the end of the video. Garurav has submitted this video in a U.S. Govt, Video contest @ Exchanges Connect and he needs around 150 more votes before 28th Dec (10 AM, 29th Dec, IST) to go to next stage. Voting happens when you ‘Rate’ the film. It requires a ‘Sign up’, ’email confirmation’ by clicking on the sent link and then ‘Rating’ by clicking on ‘Stars’. Go ahead and do it if you like the film. I just did.

2009 – The year that was

2009. What an year this was! Like this dialogue from the movie Forrest Gump says, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” It has been a mixed bag this year. But when was it all good or all bad? Life always kept giving me a lot of surprises. Good and bad ones. And this year been no different. In fact, it was the most happening year in my life to the date.

I had my first audio interview done for Deccan Radio, an internet radio station. The first English song that I composed, arranged and sung – a “Protest Song”, to say it in the Dylan way – had an honorable mention in the Desi Critics Valentine’s Day contest. It was creatively a very satisfying work for me. Then an article about Blogswara appeared in Malayalam Vaarika and my first TV interview came out in Manorama News, again about Blogswara. My cover version of the Malayalam song Picha Vacha Naal Muthal has 5000+ online listeners in Muziboo alone and a total of 1920 mp3 downloads within 4 months (Muziboo and 4shared combined). That is the maximum number of listeners and downloads I have ever got for a song posted online. Last year, I also composed a song for a short film, which is being directed by a friend.

2009 was an year of losses for Keralam on all fronts. Writer Kamala Das, a.k.a. Madhavikutty, passed away this year. Film personalities, including two top actors of the Malayalam cinema like Murali and Rajan P Dev and the very talented scriptwriter-director Lohita Das, bid good bye. Another one was Sainoj, a wonderful singer.

On the personal front, life always teaches it’s best lessons in bitter ways. And it helps you grow stronger through the most hardened ways. That is what I learned experienced this year.

Things which I’ve learned this year:

1) Only you can decide what works best for you. That doesn’t mean you should avoid taking tips or advice from others. Take plenty of these tips/help/advices. Whenever you want or from whomever you want. Think it through for sometime (not for a long time, because the delay can make it letting others decide it for you). And always rely on your instincts to reach the final decision. The end result may not always be happy, but you know that there couldn’t be a better decision.

2) Sometimes you have to take tough decisions in life for yourself. Even when you know that everyone around you whom you care so much about would be hurt and blame you for that decision. But if you are convinced that it is the best decision that you can take and the only one which would work best in the long run, go ahead and do it. Don’t worry too much about who would stand by you and whom you would hurt in the process (it is not as easy as I say it here though). Ultimately, it is about you and your life. No one else knows you better than you.

3) Don’t expect so much love and honesty from all your friends or family, so that you won’t be hurt too much when you do not get the expected amount of love and friendship from them. Most of the relationships work in a make-do way and out of convenience. Understand it and move on.

4) Money does play a big role in life, no matter what the others would poetically say. I would say, “There are only a few things that money can’t buy. For everything else, you need Master Card.” So always keep a balance between earning good and achieving your personal dreams, particularly when you have a family to look after. But do not worry about it, if you are strong enough to raise your middle finger at the world when they laugh at you and call you a loser.

5) There is no such pain as intense as Guilt. It is so powerful that it could destroy you totally. Learn how to get over that by yourself.

6) You don’t have to be nice to everyone. You don’t have to hold back from expressing yourself, fearing what others might think of you. Then you are at the risk of being unjust to yourself. Those who cared to know you in depth would hang on and always be with you. Others would pass and deservedly so. You cannot be friends with everyone in this world.

7) Do not underestimate the so-called “unlearned” ones. During my teenage and the early stages of my adulthood, I used to ignore my Mom’s wisdom. She is about two generations away and I thought that my Mom, who had education only till the 5th grade, could never understand the way things work in my time. And I used to underestimate her wisdom and admired the so-called educated, learned, cultured people instead. But as I grew up, I began to understand my Mother better and now I know that she could be the best advisor when it comes to family, relationships, society etc. The only exception could be the professional advice.

The unforgettable moments of this year:

1) The moment I saw my mother when she was being moved from the cathlab to the ICCU after her third heart attack in a span of two days. She had a terrified look on her face, as if she just saw death. She asked for me and held my hand when I went close to her. She only said, “it was so painful”. One look at her face and I was so afraid that I was loosing her. I told her “don’t be afraid, everything will be just fine”, though I was the most afraid one by then. “I know”, she replied as if to console me. Later when she came back home, she said that she thought she would die in there.

2) The first time I faced the TV camera for Manorama News interview. I was so nervous that I thought I would mess up the whole thing, but luckily I got in to the flow once the interview was started. I could say the right things and it was a success.

What I look forward to in the new year:

There are some exciting things coming up in the beginning of next year. I will write about it as and when it happens. Like I said, life has been a mixed bag through out these years, but at the end of every year, I could see the positives outrun the negatives. This year has made me emotionally and thus personally stronger. I am excitedly waiting for the hardships and happiness that the next year has to offer. 🙂

If I am to pick up some of the blog posts from this year for a revisit, the following would make up to the list.

Homosexuality and Our Perceptions
Church & Politics – An Un-Holy Alliance
The times of Times of India
The Dignity of Labor
Pictures of Thrissur Pooram
The Summer Vacation
An Indian non-Thamizhan’s take on SL conflict
The Soul That Knew How To Sing
Aussies, Bollywood, Racism etc
Why do you listen to music?
Before the Rains – City & Village
The WTF advertisements
Walk the Talk, Sir ji!
Paala Poovithalil – Thirakkatha (cover)
The Savita Bhabhi Saga
Age of Statues
Picha Vacha Naal Muthal (cover)
Iniyethra Naal (original composition)
What has made DHRM possible?
A circle of life
Sreemathi Teacher’s English
M G Sreekumar on Tamil songs
Love Jehad?
Bollywood and Indianness

And thanks to you my dear readers/listeners of this blog, for all the flowers and brickbats. You guys too help me so much in the process of learning and growing up. So thank you!

Why Polygamy?

Because for men, it teaches leadership – says Mr. Rizdam. And it helps women control their desires and jealousies and bring them closer to God, says Rizdam’s wife Dr Gina Puspita. Both of them are supporters of Polygamy Club (yes, you read it right) in Indonesia.

Coming to think of controlling the desires (and thus bringing their men closer to God), the women out there should have asked their husbands to stick to monogamy, right? So does this mean that the women don’t care if their polygamist husbands are rot in hell? But it is not just about Indonesia. About an year back, a famous cleric from Kerala had justified polygamy because “Women’s menstrual cycle prevents them from sexual contact for 5-6 days“!

Anyways, not all women in Indonesia think in the same line as Dr Gina Puspita. For example, Nursyahbani Katjasungkana says this:

“When the scripture revealed to the Prophet Muhammad its direction on polygamy, it was during the time of war,” she says.

“I believe it was a direction to the Muslims of that time that all the victims of war or widows and children who lost a father or a husband have to be protected. That’s the message of the scriptures – it wasn’t really a command to men to have a second or third or fourth wife.”

Oh Holy Night

“Oh Holy Night” is one of my favorite Christmas songs ever. Yesterday I was listening to different versions of this song, sung by different singers. And my most favorite ones are the following three versions:

1. Billy Gilman – Just listen to this kiddo singing so beautifully and how he handles even the high notes with ease!

2. Mariah Carey – I love this one the most for Mariah Carey’s vocal range in the higher notes, her beautiful falsettos and the choir singing in the background.

3. Celine Dion – I love this version too, for the sweet, heavenly voice that this lady has.

A Christmas Wish

If you have been listening to music blogs and music online, George Kuruvilla should be a name that you are all familiar with. This amazing singer with a unique voice has recently been chosen by singer Sonu Nigam for his song tribute to Michael Jackson called “MJ, This One’s For You“. Now George has come up with a compilation of his favorite Gospel songs in this Christmas season. Titled “A Christmas Wish“, all the songs (cover versions) are available to listen and download from his blog. Click here to listen and download the songs.

Verry India!

coconut

Vikram Nandwani is an amazing caricaturist. He is also the driving force behind “Save the Tiger” initiative. He did caricatures of people to pool in the funds for this and thus brought art to make a change. If you look at the top of this blog or my Twitter profile pic, my caricature there was done by Vikram. You might have seen his political cartoons blog at point blank, and now he has started a caricature series called “Verry India“. In his own words, “Verry India is a caricature series on daily life in India by Vikram Nandwani. It is an attempt to capture fast disappearing rustic images of the country that is urbanizing rapidly.” Check it out.