Varu Varu Nee Virunnukaara!

Up next in the Salilda Malayalam series is the following fun song - a totally cool composition from the maestro released in late 70s, albeit being way ahead of its times. I performed this song in a Salilda-exclusive medley segment at a fund-raiser held in Arizona on Feb 21, 2009 alongwith Mayuri Ray, the seniormost female vocalist of our music troupe (titled 'Sur aur Taal'). The benefits from this programme went to help the needy through an organization called AID(Association for India's development), which does a noble voluntary service in this regard.

Mayuri Ray is a very talented singer of Bengali origin and the torch-bearer for 'Sur aur Taal'. This was her debut song in Malayalam and she did try her level best to get a hold of the tricky diction. We enjoyed rendering this song which broke the monotony in the medley to conclude it with a sharp contrast compared to the preceding segments.

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Manna Dey - a living legend

Padmabhushan Manna da- the "nonagenarian-in-the-running" musical genius, is perhaps the only living legend among yesteryear male Hindi playback singers. He started his innings back in 1943 and was a consistently sought-after artiste for songs with semi-classical to heavy classical underpinnings. He was a favourite of several composers of yesteryears- S.D.Burman, Salilda, Panchamda to name a few and has made many incredible marks with their compositions. In addition to Hindi, his popularity in West Bengal and Assam is huge. He is a role-model for simplicity, discipline and perseverance. Down south, he is instantly recognized through Salilda's soulful composition 'Manasa Maine Varu' from 'Chemmeen'.

Today's audio posting is a Desh-raag based Bengali song composed by Prabhas Dey. This song was originally released as a part of Manna da's album on seasons and depicts the rainy one. The cover version here was my first(and the most arduous) attempt in Bengali music, performed at a Durga Puja celebration held in Phoenix, AZ in 2007.

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Shaarike En

This is my second audio posting - yet another intricate composition by Salilda. This was the first brainchild of Salilda rendered by Janakiamma. Many a times, she fondly recollects memories of the recording experience. Salilda had recorded the tune without lyrics and sent it to Janakiamma for rehearsing and on the scheduled day, the lyricist Shri O.N.V.Kurup couldn't make it to participate in the tuning discussion but had sent the lyrics across. The Malayalam words wouldn't fit the original tune Salilda had in mind without the words being mis-pronounced and Janakiamma found a middle-ground solution by suggesting a different commencement spot on the affected lines. This is my sincere tribute to the maestro's combination with the great singer.


Original Singer: S.Janaki
Composer: Salilda
Album: Swapnam
Language: Malayalam
Cover version by Karthik R

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Shravanam Vannu

I'd like to begin my audio posting with a classical-based gem composed by Salilda which appeared in the movie 'Anthiveyilile Ponnu' in the early 80s. The tune was originally created for a Bengali song 'Keno Je Kaadaau' rendered by Lataji and re-used in Malayalam. Gaanagandharvan Dasettan rendered the re-created version which had a different orchestration. I have used the track meant for the Bengali version of orchestration, which lent a different pace and feel for the Malayalam one. This version is my humble tribute to the timeless combo.

Original singer: Yesudas
Album: Anthiveyilile Ponnu
Language:Malayalam
Composer: Salilda
Cover version by Karthik R


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Immortal Legend- Salil Chowdhary

Timelessness best describes the musical creations of maestro Salil Chowdhary or Salilda as he is popularly addressed as. Hailing from the culture pot of India - West Bengal, the genius of Salilda spread all over the country to cast a magic spell. Salilda weaved golden tunes spanning multiple genres. As he spread his wings from the east, he proliferated with ease into other music cultures albeit re-using most of his masterpieces. With a subtle change in orchestration he could easily recycle a tune previously used in a joyous situation to fit a contrasting one. Next to Bengali and Hindi, his memorable domain was in Malayalam film music. He struck gold with Ramu Kariat's "Chemmeen" - an evergreen classic that no Malayalee( or even a large section of non-Malayalees in South India) can forget. Within 25 films, he established several immortal works in Malayalam. His compositions most definitely exhibit a novelty within the genre they fall under. For example, a classical-based composition would deploy sharp twists and turns across more than an octave. In my personal opinion, most singers who worked with the maestro would have gone through rigorous homework to meet the challenge set by the tunes. For more information on the great composer, please visit http://www.salilda.com/.