Sunday, March 19, 2017

An Ode to Raja's boats

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.