Of all the contraptions
invented by man for transport the boat should rank as the most fascinating.
A bus can take you from point A to point B. Nothing great about it
as it still has its wheels rooted to earth, familiar terrain to man. A plane
can fly you from one continent to another. Can't really relate to the
experience, can we? Environs at an altitude of 35000 feet in frigid conditions
with no air to breathe is something we could not have experienced outside the
aluminium cylinder called the plane. Can't relate. Period.
But a boat is different.
The transportation function it performs is only incidental. The magic lies in
the water it floats on, in the boat's gentle sway, in the cluckey splash the
oars make, in the goose-bumpy spray of water that drenches you. Are not these the
reasons the boat ride has given birth to a million melodies? On a full moon
night, on the vast expanse of the quietly flowing river, with a stealthy lover
on board, is not the boat ride something to die for?
It's no different in
Raja's "boat" songs. Some of them transport you to another world.
Some gently induce you to a half-asleep state. Some embrace you with soft hands,
some envelop you with ecstasy but they all lead you through your sweetest of
dreams........
1 Megam Karukkayile.....
The sun has set. An
ominous darkness has begun to descend. Black clouds hover over the
horizon. Heavy downpour is imminent. The boat sways wildly. The woof of the
wind induces an eerie fear. Strong winds blow on the face, almost making
it impossible to see. The oarsman rows with metronomic precision.
He has, for company, only his lady love. Her face betrays a
tinge of anxiety on the impending storm but only for a moment. She knows her
lover is there to protect. Her lustful eyes smother the boatman. He belts out megam
karukkayile....
....The body shivers
even as the clouds darken
Cross the stream we can,
but, love, what of the wild passion?....
2 Thalattudhe
vaanam...
The mood of the river
sports a different hue here. Dawn has just broken out. Golden rays
of the sun pierce the trees on the banks and illuminate the boat. A
gentle breeze wafts. The lady sits on the boat, coy. Her gaze tries to meet her
lover, the boatman, but just only for a second. It immediately bows down to fixate at his muscular arms and legs. The veshti folded up above the ankle doesn't help either. The boatman can see through her
thoughts and agony. Ever so mischievous, chivalrous and gentle, here he goes. thalattudhe
vaanam....
...the sky cradles, the
clouds swagger and swarm
torturous though this love is,
come, collapse into my arms...
3 Chithira
Chevvanam....
The setting is the same. Quiet flows the river. Gently swaying boat. The man. The girl. The golden
morning sky. The breeze, not too gentle, not ferocious either. The morning, in
all its glory. The birds have left their nests after some incessant chirping
and tweeting. Yet, no other soul on the river, but for the oarsman and his
lover. The exhaustion of the night before tells on their faces. But
a new morning is a new beginning. To enact a new love story. To croon a fresh
melody. chithira chevvanam.....
...The eastern horizon,
it shimmers with a bloody spread
Do not envy, love, your
cheeks offer lessons in red......
4 Nila adhu
vaanathu mele....
Not here, the
forlorn lovers. The boat setting is the same. But it is a bit crowded, three, in
place of the usual two. No setting sun to mellow your thoughts. No
cool breeze. The water expanse is much bigger. It is the Arabian sea, nothing
less. The theme here is lust, rather than love. The protagonist is busy with
his mission, which is throwing the smuggled goods overboard. His sidekick takes
the role of the crooner. To pep him up are the Old Monk and the Young Vamp.
The sway of the hips and the jut of the breasts make his day, rather
night. nila adhu vaanathu mele...
..... the moon, glowing
up above the world so high.
the matter, rocking
right on this boat, ohai!......
What is with Raja and
the boat? For that matter, what is with Raja and the bus? or the rains? or the
storm? or the mountains? or the ocean? or life itself?
Mind veers towards these
lines from a song in கல்யாண பரிசு
துன்பக்கடலை தாண்டும் போது தோணியாவது கீதம்
அன்புப் பொருளின் அமுதம் கலந்து அருந்தத் தருவது கீதம்
கீதம். ராஜாவின் கீதம். On the தோணி and off it.
PS - to watch the magic, right click --> youtube--> open link in new tab. on the links.
