Usually the word rendezvous is associated with an unexpected meeting with a person. In this context, I am going to use it to denote my unexpected stumbling upon things I had been looking for a long time in the past and eventually given up. It was so incidental that I happened to solve four of them in a short span of time in the recent past.
1. The Prayer Song:
Boston School Nandanam had lots of prayer songs for morning assembly. I still remember them intact. However, there used to be one Pillayar song that was reserved for opening part of special occasions. I had carried along the first two lines in my memory - but was looking for its full version for a very long time in the past. It didn't strike me for long that I could actually search for these songs online. Thanks to YouTube, I was able to locate that full song, albeit sung in a different ragam (Hamsadhwani) than that prayer type. This rendition is by a French national and hence adds more beauty to how it is sung.
Kalainirai Ganapathi saranam saranam
2. The Ultimate Mesmeriser:
Shazam to the rescue this time! Shazam is really a cool app for one's mobile. Just allow it to listen to a song and it fetches the complete song information for you! Once I was really mesmerised by an Abirami musical song, sung by an unknown divine voice, while I was in Karaneeswarar Koil. It was a lengthy song intertwined with a list of all Sivan koils including the 274 Dhevara Koils. One Shazam and I was able to identify the song as ''Sivaya nama yena sindhippom" sung by Rahul. The drawback in Shazam is that it does not fetch any results from YouTube. But, I copy/ pasted the result text string in YT and was able to get the link readily!
Sivaya nama yena
3. The Punnagavarali:
I should agree that this was one of the easy-but-difficult type things to find out. I remember watching one paambu movie in Tamil, where the story line was actress Sithara offering her daughter as a gift to a paambu (Nagadevathai) and the paambu taking a lady's form to get the daughter from her. This film features a very good small piece of song in Punnagavarali ragam. I was able to clearly remember the second line onwards, "uchanthalaiyile ulla varaiyile minnidum manikka jothi, adiye yen vannakodi, naan yaaru kandupidi". Sithara will try to switch off a TV but still the paambu lady will appear in the screen and continue her song. I had given up my search years ago as I did not know the first line, but then it stuck me, "why not ask friends in my whatsapp groups?". I initially checked with my friend Nikhil who is a fan of Sithara, he couldn't recall any. And then there came another friend, Sampath Kumar, who was able to recollect the movie and share its Kannada link! A YouTube search for a similar movie resulted in the exact Tamil song I was looking for!! Watch from 06:20 to 07:20 in this clip.
Paambu song
4. My first stage appearance:
My first stage appearance was when I was studying 1st standard. I got a role of a Doctor in a group nursery rhyme. All I remember was the rhyme had the words "operation, operation" and I had a big (cardboard) saw in my hand and performed an operation on another fellow student. My joy knew no bounds when my son was casually singing a rhyme in the same ragam but with different words. I caught him immediately and asked him to sing it fully for me - voila! It was the same song. The doctor paragraph was one in that song. Decades after decades, the same song is still being taught in for the same 1st standard students!!
Found a peanut
Showing posts with label Media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Media. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Vaaramalar - A cabaret analysis
Rating: PG 18.
The above rating means parental guidance required only for people above 18. Below 18 are the ones who view more adult content than most of the adults, anyway.
Now that I have given an inviting and attractive title and some prelude, I am sure the random reader will definitely read this post.
I have been reading 'Vaaramalar' from early 90s. It is the supplement that comes with 'Dinamalar' on Sundays. Having been a 'vaasakar' for 20 years, I feel I am over-qualified to strip it down for an analysis. A standard stereotype vaaramalar will have the following features:
1. Page 1 - Facer: This will have a photo of a revealing lady - she will be revealing something or the other. Experienced vasakars will definitely note it. It will also have some interesting, catchy tag lines for some of the articles inside, if not, it will have the standard 'vaasakargaluku engal puthandu/deepavali/pongal/some-crap-day vaazhthukkal' stuff.
2. Page 2 - Nyaanaanandam: A person called Vairam Rajagopal writes this aanmigam stuff. This is just like a 'Sree Thenandal Films' with a rotating photo/vigraham of some amman before a bit movie. Sometimes, this page accidentally carries some really nice articles.
3. Archchanai: This is the letters to the editor column. Imaginary letters calling the editor by names (yov poruppu, poda paruppu etc) will be published in this column. I can't think of how many in TN will really take pains to write a letter to just praise some article that came in this magazine!
4. Idhu Ungal Idam: Purported to be a social awareness mini-blog where people share their incidents like losing chappal in a kalyana mandapam et al.
5. Andhumani Pa Ke Pa: This is one of the blog-type articles that Varamalar had since time immemorial. It follows a rigid format:
a. Photo of Andhumani (The editor, Ramesh) and Lens Mama with faces masked attending a wedding or some U. Paa party at some government officer/police officer/thozhiladhibar's house/farm/bunglow
b. Letter of some iththu pona lady (mostly invented) giving matter details
c. Matter surveys
d. How men torture women at work with detailed narrations
e. Andhumani, the office boy who comes to office in a bicycle, travelling to all around the world and his travel diaries
f. A standard 'engo edhilo epoodho' padithadhu in Pa column.
For those who want to know who that Andhumani is, you can refer here:
http://viewsreviews.wordpress.com/2007/07/15/andhumani-in-abusive-sms-scam/
Or just type 'andhumani ramesh' in Google Images.
6. Andhumani Badhilgal - the Q&A session. This is where he will portray himself as an honest middle-class man and answer questions, sitting in the sky.
7. Thinnai - by Nadutheru Narayanan: Some old anecdotes tracing back to usually Rajaji or NS Krishnan's times. Sometimes, you get to read a lot of interesting ones here.
8. This is the climax (I am using this word as opposed to the usual PG18 'o' word) - by the time you get over 1 to 7 above, you will reach the centre page!! :) this usually has bit pictures of many existing / upcoming actresses in many compromising poses. This section begins with a 'idha padinga mudhalla' - a section that has the hottest talk of the town, with a lot of masala news items as accompaniment. 'Karuppu poonai' is the kisu kisu section the news items of which, are a definite news in the near future. Usually these articles will have a pazhamozhi as the punch line. Contributors are cinema ponnaiah (si. po) and elisa.
9. A droll 'thodar kadhai' is a must.
10. Two short stories that are picked up from the TVR Memorial competition will appear. There will be no panjam for stories because the competition will happen every year and the stock will be replenished annually.
11. Kavidhai Cholai - This will have any of the two: Love (maaney, theney, korangey, poonaiyey etc) and Self-development (hey you(th)! arise awake and run - kadangaran is following you!!).
12. Anbudan andharangam - the agony aunt column where an imaginary anbu magan or anbu magal will share his/her sad story. That dope would have committed all sorts of adultery, bigamy, kalla kadhal, illegal activities, immoral stuff and expect a moral answer / solution from Sakunthala Gopinath. This lady usually bitches the other and asks to typically forgive and forget old things, get along with normal/regular wife, sorry life.
13. Finally - the dumb crossword puzzle with easiest clues that even a 2nd standard child will not attempt to do.
Some interesting tit-bits on happenings around the world will be fillers.
This is the routine that happens every Sunday in Vaaramalar! Now, let the dress be worn.
The above rating means parental guidance required only for people above 18. Below 18 are the ones who view more adult content than most of the adults, anyway.
Now that I have given an inviting and attractive title and some prelude, I am sure the random reader will definitely read this post.
I have been reading 'Vaaramalar' from early 90s. It is the supplement that comes with 'Dinamalar' on Sundays. Having been a 'vaasakar' for 20 years, I feel I am over-qualified to strip it down for an analysis. A standard stereotype vaaramalar will have the following features:
1. Page 1 - Facer: This will have a photo of a revealing lady - she will be revealing something or the other. Experienced vasakars will definitely note it. It will also have some interesting, catchy tag lines for some of the articles inside, if not, it will have the standard 'vaasakargaluku engal puthandu/deepavali/pongal/some-crap-day vaazhthukkal' stuff.
2. Page 2 - Nyaanaanandam: A person called Vairam Rajagopal writes this aanmigam stuff. This is just like a 'Sree Thenandal Films' with a rotating photo/vigraham of some amman before a bit movie. Sometimes, this page accidentally carries some really nice articles.
3. Archchanai: This is the letters to the editor column. Imaginary letters calling the editor by names (yov poruppu, poda paruppu etc) will be published in this column. I can't think of how many in TN will really take pains to write a letter to just praise some article that came in this magazine!
4. Idhu Ungal Idam: Purported to be a social awareness mini-blog where people share their incidents like losing chappal in a kalyana mandapam et al.
5. Andhumani Pa Ke Pa: This is one of the blog-type articles that Varamalar had since time immemorial. It follows a rigid format:
a. Photo of Andhumani (The editor, Ramesh) and Lens Mama with faces masked attending a wedding or some U. Paa party at some government officer/police officer/thozhiladhibar's house/farm/bunglow
b. Letter of some iththu pona lady (mostly invented) giving matter details
c. Matter surveys
d. How men torture women at work with detailed narrations
e. Andhumani, the office boy who comes to office in a bicycle, travelling to all around the world and his travel diaries
f. A standard 'engo edhilo epoodho' padithadhu in Pa column.
For those who want to know who that Andhumani is, you can refer here:
http://viewsreviews.wordpress.com/2007/07/15/andhumani-in-abusive-sms-scam/
Or just type 'andhumani ramesh' in Google Images.
6. Andhumani Badhilgal - the Q&A session. This is where he will portray himself as an honest middle-class man and answer questions, sitting in the sky.
7. Thinnai - by Nadutheru Narayanan: Some old anecdotes tracing back to usually Rajaji or NS Krishnan's times. Sometimes, you get to read a lot of interesting ones here.
8. This is the climax (I am using this word as opposed to the usual PG18 'o' word) - by the time you get over 1 to 7 above, you will reach the centre page!! :) this usually has bit pictures of many existing / upcoming actresses in many compromising poses. This section begins with a 'idha padinga mudhalla' - a section that has the hottest talk of the town, with a lot of masala news items as accompaniment. 'Karuppu poonai' is the kisu kisu section the news items of which, are a definite news in the near future. Usually these articles will have a pazhamozhi as the punch line. Contributors are cinema ponnaiah (si. po) and elisa.
9. A droll 'thodar kadhai' is a must.
10. Two short stories that are picked up from the TVR Memorial competition will appear. There will be no panjam for stories because the competition will happen every year and the stock will be replenished annually.
11. Kavidhai Cholai - This will have any of the two: Love (maaney, theney, korangey, poonaiyey etc) and Self-development (hey you(th)! arise awake and run - kadangaran is following you!!).
12. Anbudan andharangam - the agony aunt column where an imaginary anbu magan or anbu magal will share his/her sad story. That dope would have committed all sorts of adultery, bigamy, kalla kadhal, illegal activities, immoral stuff and expect a moral answer / solution from Sakunthala Gopinath. This lady usually bitches the other and asks to typically forgive and forget old things, get along with normal/regular wife, sorry life.
13. Finally - the dumb crossword puzzle with easiest clues that even a 2nd standard child will not attempt to do.
Some interesting tit-bits on happenings around the world will be fillers.
This is the routine that happens every Sunday in Vaaramalar! Now, let the dress be worn.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
All India Radio
Maniganden had a post in his wall - bcmin a big fan of "weather forecast" Ramanan.... "Forecast" that never happens.. :)
"All India Radio, maanila cheithigal, vaasippavar Saroj Narayanswamy. Thamizhagathil peidhu varum adai mazhiyin karanamaga thamizhagam matrum puducheriyil ulla anaithu palli matrum kallorigaluku vidumurai alikappattulladhaga arasu tharapu cheidhi kurippu therivikkindradhu"
...and then you get to continue your sleep.
Wow! She really had a divine voice.
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