Worship of a mother Goddess has been part of the Indian tradition since its earliest times. Lakshmi is one of the mother goddesses and is addressed as “mata” (mother) instead of just “devi” (goddess). Goddess Lakshmi means Good Luck and wealth to Hindus. The word ‘Lakshmi’ is derived from the Sanskrit word “Lakshya”, meaning ‘aim’ or ‘goal’, and she is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, both material and spiritual.

Lakshmi is the household Goddess of  many  Hindu families and a favorite among women. Although she is worshipped daily, the festive month of  Shravana Masam is considered as special month for worshiping Lakshmi. Lakshmi is depicted as a beautiful woman of golden complexion, with four hands, sitting or standing on a full-bloomed lotus and holding a lotus bud, which stands for beauty, purity and fertility. Her four hands represent the four ends of human life: Dharma or righteousness, “Kama” or desires, “Artha” or wealth, and “Moksha” or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Cascades of gold coins are shown flowing from her hands, suggesting that those who worship her gain wealth. She is always shown wearing gold embroidered red clothes. Red symbolizes activity and the golden lining indicates prosperity. Lakshmi is the active energy of Lord Maha Vishnu and also appears as part of Lakshmi-Narayana – Lakshmi accompanying Vishnu. Two elephants are often shown standing next to the Goddess and spraying water. This denotes that ceaseless effort, in accordance with one’s dharma , governed by wisdom and purity, leads to both material and spiritual prosperity.

The importance attached to the presence of Lakshmi in every household makes her an essentially domestic deity. Householders worship Lakshmi for the well being and prosperity of the family. Businessmen and women also regard her in the same way and offer her daily prayers.

On the full moon night following Dusshehra and Durga Puja, Hindus worship Lakshmi ceremonially at home, pray for her blessings, and invite neighbors to attend the puja. It is believed that on this full moon night the goddess herself visits the homes and replenishes the inhabitants with wealth. A special worship is also offered to Lakshmi on the auspicious Deepavali night

Language: Kannada

Raagam: Shree

22 Kharaharapriya janya
Aa: S R2 M1 P N2 S
Av: S N2 P D2 N2 P M1 R2 G2 R2 S

OR

Madhyamavati

22 Kharaharapriya janya
Aa: S R2 M1 P N2 S
Av: S N2 P M1 R2 S

TaaLam: Aadi

Pallavi

BhAgyada lakShmI bArammA nammamma nI sau
(bhAgyada)

CharaNam 1

hejjaya mele hhejjeyanikkuta gejje kAlgaLa dhvaniya tOruta
sajjana sAdhu pUjeya vELege majjigeyoLagina beNNeyante
(bhAgyada)

CharaNam 2

kanaka vrStiya kareyuta bAre mana kAmanaya siddhiya tOrE
dinakara kOTi tEjadi hoLeva janakarAyana kumAri vEdha
(bhAgyada)

Charandam 3

attittalagalade bhaktara maneyali nitya mahOtsava nitya sumangaLa
satyava tOruva sAdhu sajjanara cittadi hoLevA puttaLi bombe
(bhAgyada)

CharaNam 4

sankhye illAda bhAgyava koTTu kankaNa kaiya tiruvuta bAre
kunkumAnkite pankaja lOcane venkaTaramaNana binkada rANI
(bhAgyada)

CharaNam 5

sakkare tuppada kAluve harisi shukravAradha pUjaya vELage
akkareyuLLa aLagiri rangana cokka purandara viThalana rANI
(bhAgyada)

Listen to Pt.Bhimsen Joshi, M.S.Subbulakshmi and A.P Komala sing Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma

The rivers of India are considered holy because they have not only provided physical sustenance or fostered culture but have nurtured spirituality. The evidence for such inner nourishment is seen in the outpourings of bhakti from the innumerable composers who have lived on their banks. The poetry of the Aazhwars and the Thevara trinity abound in instances of their wonderment at the Kaveri that rivals their devotion to the Lord. Bhadrachala Ramadasu, who sang ‘Adigo bhadradri, goutami idigo choodandi’, must have been inspired by the muse of Godavari to create immortal poetry and music. Sri Thyagaraja, who was born in Thiruvaiyaru and lived on the banks of the Kaveri all his life, must have witnessed its serenity, ferocity and eternity. It is an elevating experience to simply sit on the banks of the Kaveri at Thiruvaiyaru during the dawn or dusk and watch it flow quietly even today. The experience is soul-filling if you hear a snatch of a Thyagaraja kriti in say, Malayamarutham, wafting with the gentle breeze along with the twittering of the birds – a never-to-be-missed experience for any sangeetha rasika during the aradhana.  What an enchanting and ennobling sight would it have been in the days before the riparian disputes! It is but natural that such a Jeeva Nadi  irrigated the fertile creative mindscape of Thyagaraja to result in a ‘never-before’ kind of harvest of timeless kritis  that blend music, poetry and bhakti.

Thyagaraja’s is a phenomenon that occurs only once in a few centuries.  He shifted gears, made a quantum leap and altered the entire scene of Carnatic music. Music until then was something esoteric indulged in by a handful of musicians singing to obtain patronage from the royal clan. Thyagaraja had taken this medium to an exalted status and into one of a spiritual quest, a nadopasana. The primacy of rhyme and meter of the lyric is substituted by the bhava, the inner emotion. By keeping the song simple, he was able to reach out to the common man’s heart. Thus, the music becomes truly democratic, without distinction between the pundit and the pamara. This is the same quality of the river Kaveri that is mentioned in the saint’s Asaveri raga kriti set to Adi tala, where he invites us all to feast our eyes upon the great river: 

Saari vedalina ee Kaverini joodare      (saari vedala)

Vaaru veerani joodakadaa nav -

vaarigaabheeshtamula nosanguchu     (saari vedala)

The river does not distinguish between the learned and the unlettered, the saint and the sinner, the emperor and the pauper. It distributes its bounty to everyone’s heart’s contentment. So also does Thyagaraja’s music. Whether sung by the master musician with scintillating embellishments or by a ghoshti as in the numerous aradhanas on the Pushya BahuLa Panchami or by the devout in soulful prayer or even by the novice in training, the kritis suffuse the soul with inner peace.Note that the Saint has set this piece to Asaveri, which itself rhymes with Kaveri. This raga seems to be ideally suited to convey at once the bouncy prancing quality of the river along with its karunya and majesty. The first charana brings out these contrasts in the lyric. 

Duramunanoka thaavuna garjhana

bheekaramoka thaavuna nindu karunathoni-

rathamukanoka thaavuna naduchusu

Vara Kaveri kanyakaamani      (saari vedala)

At one spot, she hurries with great speed with a frightening roar and at another she flows with eternal karuna, this boon-giver, the Kaveri, the gem of a maiden. The rhyme of the lyric mimics the cadence of the river.

Thondaradipodiyazhwar avers ‘Gangayir punithamaaya Kaveri’ (NDP 894, Tirumaalai 23). Kaveri is held to be holier than the Ganga, as she forms a garland over Sri Ranganatha’s chest while the Ganga merely took origin once upon a time from Lord Vishnu’s feet. This adornment she does in not just one place, but in three-the Aadi, Madhya and Antyarangams. But Kaveri, like Thyagaraja, is impartial to the Gods. There is no room for Siva-Vishnu discords in the nadi pravaaha or in the nada pravaaha of the divine composer.  So, He pictures the river as flowing further east, after her dalliance with the Ranga Raja, to see Panchanadeeswara, the Lord of the Five Rivers. En route, she becomes the life-sustaining force of the fourteen worlds and she has lovely koel birds singing on her banks. The second charana declares. 

                                                                         vaedukaga kokilalu mroyaganu

  veaduka rangesu jhoochi mari ee-

raedu jagamulaku jeevanamaina

                                        moodu randu nadi natuni joodaka                 (saari vedala)

Eeraedu=2×7=14 (the 14 worlds), moodu randu=3+2=5 (the 5 rivers of Thiruviayaru).
The baktha in Thyagaraja pays his obeisance to this mighty river even as the kavi in him pays a poetic tribute to her stately gait, just as the scores of vedic scholars on its two banks, showering jasmines and hailing her as the ‘Rajarajeswari’

raajarajeswariyani pogaduchu

  jaaji sumamula dhraamaraganamulu

                                                                         poojaliru kadala seyaka thyaaga

                                          raaja sannuthuraalai muddhuga                 (saari vedala)

It seems plausible that Thyagaraja’s description of the lovely Yamuna in the Nouka Charithra is not merely reconstructed from his knowledge of the puranas or from sheer imagination but from the actual experience of seeing the enchanting Kaveri. He invites us, in the words of the gopika sthree, to come and joyfully share the soundarya of the Yamuna, just as he did for the Kaveri. The song is ‘Choodare chelulaara’set to Panthuvarali and Chapu thala. The redness of the lotuses, the buzz of the bees hovering over them, the contrast of the white sand banks with the blue black (Indra-like) complexion of the river, the waves lapping about the diamond steps of the bathing ghats, the dulcet songs of the swans, the honey-dripping dates hanging in the homes nearby, the creepers laden with luscious grapes, the lovely pairs of green parrots, the multitudes of flowers, the hearts filled with love and the koels singing on the Yamuna are described by Thyagaraja in this rapturous song, celebrating the godliness of Mother Nature.  Though it is certainly not beyond a vaaggeyakaara of Thyagaraja’s calibre to conjure up such a scene merely from an inner vision, we would not be wrong to assume that the Saint saw these sights on the Kaveri and transposed them to the Yamuna.

The river does not remain the same placid, idyllic scenery painted thus far. It is in her nature to reveal her primal force, her fury, her avatar as a destroyer. Those who know hydrology will tell you that she still does good by flooding periodically, churning the soil, rendering it more productive than before. But when it lasts, the fury only serves to remind man of his own diminutive nature, his frailty, his utter dependence on a higher force: a fact that the gopikas on the nouka learned to their horror later in their boat journey. Their plight is brought out in another Nouka Charithra song ‘Unnathaavunanunda niyyadu vaana’ in the apoorva raga, GhaNta. “The storm rocks the little boat, the waves spin it; ho, there is a crack in the boat. The driving rain competes with the rushing water of the river to fill the boat. The sky is darkening and there is a deafening thunder. This is the punishment for our hedonism; a right lesson for our conceit. We have no refuge than the ferocious river. Oh! This is the praLaya”, cry out the gopikas. The song brings out the full ferocity of the deluge, another dimension of the river.

The sangam age of Tamil poetry classifies the various moods or behaviour patterns as the five thiNais, in the agam mode. In the bhakti  literature, the Aazhwars and MaNikkavasagar sublimated the thiNais from a sensual connotation to a divine one. The table below indicates the thiNai divisions.

The polar opposites are puNarthal (samslesha) and pirithal (vislesha), the other 3 being only subtle variations of pirithal. The Kaveri, which flows from the steep slopes (kurinji) of Kodagu, through the arid sands (paalai) of Thalakkadu, the vast swath of forest (mullai) in the border of the Kannada and Tamil speaking areas, the plains (marutham) of Erode, Karur, Trichy and Thanjavur districts and finally the coastal delta (neithal) where she embraces the sea with a thousand arms, epitomizes these moods perfectly. Thyagaraja was brought up in the Telugu and Sanskrit traditions. Nevertheless, examples of the emotive thiNais are legion in the compositions of Thyagaraja. If ‘Kanugontini’ (Bilahari) and ‘Dhayaraani’ (Mohanam) record the delights of samslesha, ‘EnnaaLoorake’ (SubhapanthuvaraLi) depicts the sulking mood not in just the lyric but in the very music. What better example of the iruththal mood than ‘Marimari ninnae’(Khambhoji*) or the irangal mood than ‘Nee daya raadaa’ (Vasanthabhairavi)? Aeti janmam edi haa (VaraLi) is an embodiment of the pathos of separation. Of course, these kritis do not mention the Kaveri. They are cited to show the range of emotions handled by Sri Thyagaraja.

Kaveri flows to its full breadth (akhandam) for a few miles between Karur (past the Amaravathi sangamam) and Mayanur, where the Uyyakkondan channel takes off.  You can stretch this segment further downstream to Mukkkombu where the Kollidam takes off.  It is a contrast to see the same mighty river, broken up in to innumerable channels, running into the backyards of village homes in the delta region. Thyagaraja’s music has similar and simultaneous attributes of majesty and easy familiarity. If we take the Pancharatnas to represent the akhanda Kaveri, the Utsava sampradaya compositions are the people-friendly back yard rivulets.

Thyagaraja’s abiding faith in the river attains a pinnacle in the second charanam of ‘Ennado rakshinchithe’(Sourashtra).Thyagaraja asks Lord Rama why He cannot be more like the Kaveri. Kaveri, who senses that her children, starved of water, are looking up to her for succour, washes down the water brought by the rain clouds in the Western Ghats.   He wails ‘Oh! Rama, if only you had such sensitivity to my suffering long ago, would I have reached such a wretched state?’

There are a few other kritis that mention the Kaveri. Quite naturally, three of the five Sriranga kshetra kritis mention the Kaveri. ‘Karuna joodavayya’ (Saranga) celebrates the Kaveri Ranga in the pallavi, ‘Vinaraada naa manavi’ (Devagandhari) in the anupallavi and ‘Raaju vedala’ (Thodi) in its charanam. ‘KOTi nadulu’ (Thodi), though not a part of the Sriranga Panchakam, suggests that Kaveri derives her greatness from worshipping Ranganatha.

Similarly, one of the Thiruvaiyaru Panchakams, ‘Sive paahimaam’ (Kalyani) on Dharmasamvardhani, the Goddess of Thiruvaiyaru, calls her as the resident of the north bank of Kaveri.  Kaveri is referred to as the ‘sahya kanya’ in the charanam of ‘Amma dharmasamvadhani’ (Atana). The Kalyani raga composition ‘Kaaru velpulu’ says equating Rama to a lesser god is like comparing the Kaveri to a little canal. ‘Manasu nilpa’ (Abhogi) asks how can even the Kaveri or Mandakini save a person who bathes in them without shedding the ahankaara?

Let us meditate on the ‘Eedulaeni malayamaruthamuche koodina Kaveri thata’ (Muripemu galigegadha in Mukhari ) upon Sri Thyagaraja’s music which emanates from ‘Naabhhi hrudh kantta rasana naasadhula’ (Sobillu sapthaswara in Jaganmohini).
* ‘Marimari ninnae’ was set to Khambhoji by Sri Thyagaraja and was popularised by the Alathur duo. The younger generation should note that it is not in Saramathi!

Note: Muse- In the ancient Greek concept, a Muse (note the capitalization) is one of the nine goddesses of the liberal arts, daughters of Zeus. One of the Muses was believed to arise from the movement of water! Euterpe was the Muse of lyric poetry and music and Polyhymnia was the Muse of sacred lyrics. Homer, Virgil, Chaucer, Milton and Shakespeare have invoked Muses in their works. The word muse refers in the modern context to a person, thing or spirit that gives a writer, artiste (musician, dancer) or artist (sculptor, painter) inspiration, idea, desire and energy to create his/her work. Note that the words music and muse have the same root.

Written By Dr. Sri Ramakrishna Eshwaran

Music is an integral part of Indian’s life. Classical music indeed brings peace and harmony to the soul. Musical renditions have the power to lift man from depression into ecstasy, especially when sung with a devotional note. In an earlier post on Hindustani music, we had seen the contribution of the legendary Pandit Bhatkhande in helping to sustain the survival of Hindustani classical music. Hindustani music is to northern India what Karnataka Sangeetam (Carnatic Music) is to South India. Like the former, Carnatic music is also highly systematized. In fact classical Carnatic music is one of the world’s oldest and richest musical traditions. ” Carna” means ear. Carnatic Music means music pleasing to listen to.

In the modern era three musicians had seminal influence on the evolution and popularization of Carnatic music – Saint Tyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri. They were the Trinity of Carnatic music. They were each prolific composers with unique styles and were contemporaries who lived during the period between 1760 and 1850 in the Kaveri delta of Tamil Nadu. Even today songs written by them constitute an integral part of Carnatic music concerts. This post narrates short anecdotes from each of this trinity’s life.

Saint Tyagaraja:

Saint Tyagaraja is the most well known among the trinity and one of the most celebrated Carnatic musicians. He is said to have composed 24,000 kritis or devotional songs in Telugu and Sanskrit. But only 700 kritis seems to have survived. Even as an young boy, he was a staunch devotee of Lord Rama. He spent most of his life composing devotional kritis (songs) about Rama and sometimes at the cost of domestic responsibilities. One day the king of Tanjore sent an invitation to Tyagaraja to come to the court and accept his patronage but Tyagaraja remained detached from this golden opportunity. He was so happy leading a life of poverty with his Rama idol that he did not care about riches or fame, as they are materialistic in nature. He chose to remain at home worshipping his Lord Rama and not go to the court and get involved with money and politics. Even his own family members were not able to understand the pure and devoted heart of this sincere devotee. His elder brother was very disappointed at this seemingly irresponsible behavior and in a fit of anger threw the Rama idol into the Kaveri river. Tyagaraja was heartbroken at this loss and composed several devotional songs in his grief also. It is believed that Lord Rama appeared in his dream, and told him the spot in the river where the idol could be retrieved. Following the idol’s retrieval, Tyagaraja composed songs celebrating his reunion with his divine Rama. Because of his intense bhakti (devotion) he was respected like a Saint. He attained Samadhi (realization) in 1847 in Thiruvaiyar, a small town in the Tanjore district, on the banks of the Kaveri. Every year on the Bahula Panchami day of the Pushya month, the Tyagaraja Aradhana festival – in commemoration of Tyagaraja’s Samadhi day – is celebrated in Thiruvaiyar and Carnatic musicians from all over the world congregate to pay their respects to this genius composer and to sing his kritis – especially the pancharatna (five gems) kritis.

Muthuswamy Dikshitar:

Muthuswamy Dikshitar was also born in Thiruvarur, in the Tanjore district. His father was himself a well-trained Carnatic musician and composer. Muthuswamy Dikshitar composed kritis in Tamil, Telugu and Sanskrit. He travelled extensively throughout peninsular India and composed songs on all the deities he visited. He has sung songs in every one of the 72 melakarta rAgams (rAgams that have all the 7 notes). His extensive knowledge of the Advaita philosophy and the SAstras is deeply reflected in his work. He was solely responsible for reviving some dyine rAgams like Narayanagaula, Purvagaula, and Chayagaula. Among his famous compositions was the Navagraha Kritis (songs in praise of the nine planets). Muthuswamy Dikshitar was a practicing tantric and his songs has tremendous impact on people. Once Dikshitar was travelling through Etayapuram district in Tamil Nadu. His heart went out to the thousands of people who were living in the drought-stricken area. In compassion, he composed a brilliant song in the Amrutavarshini (meaning a rain of nectar) rAgam called Ananda amrutakarshini. In the song he begins by pleading to the skies to rain some showers and it ends with the words “varshaya varshaya varshaya (meaning rain down, rain down, rain down). The minute he sang “varshaya!” tender rain drops wetted the parched soils of Etayapuram –which had not seen rain for several consecutive years. The amrutavarshini rAgam is compared to the Megh Malhar rag in Hindustani –when sung correctly these rAgams have the power to cause rainfall. We can still hear several kritis of Muthuswamy Dikshitar beign sung in present day concerts.

Shyama Shastri:

The legendary Shyama Shastri deserves no lesser praise than his two other contemporaries. Shyama Shastri’s compositions were also mainly in Tamil, Telugu and Sanskrit and his mastery over tAlam (beats) is clearly depicted in his work. He has composed songs in some of the most difficult tAlams. His swarajathis in tODi, bhairavi and yadukula kAmbOji rAgams are very popular among musicians to this day. Like the other two, he also lived in the Tanjore district. It has been recorded historically that there was some amount of interaction between the three musicians and that they interacted with one another occasionally and respected one another very deeply. Once a certain talented but arrogant musician called Poppili Keshavayya came to the court of the Tanjore king and challenged any Tanjore musician to defeat him in a concert competition. Shyama Shastri agreed to take up the challenge and he prayed to the Goddess KamAkshi to be kind on him and give him the skills to defeat the arrogant musician. Even though Poppili Keshavayya rendered a fine performance, Shyama Shastri left the audience astounded and speechless by an impromptu improvisation of a tAlam called Sharabhanandana (having 49 beats in a cycle). This tAlam is the rarest of all tAlams and even the most skillful musician today is afraid to take up singing with this tAlam.

Just because this article covered only three musicians it doesn’t mean the list of famous contributors to Carnatic music ends there. There were numerous famous and influential musicians following the Trinity and many preceding them. However the devotional nature of the Trinity’s work really endears the soul of the listener and helps him/her see glimpses of the divinity through the medium of their songs and hence we fondly remember the Trinity and greatly respect them.

Vasant Desai (1912 - 1975) was one of the greatest music composers of Hindi and Marathi films. He was born on 9th June, 1912 in a wealthy family in Sonwad village, in the princely State of Sawantwadi (now in Maharashtra), then ruled by the Bhonsale clan. He grew up in Kudal, Sindhdurg district (of present day Maharashtra). (Some sources indicate that he was born in Kudal). He got an impression as a classist for most of his career, which made him not to come up in commercial films. He was limited mainly to mythological and historical films. 

Vasantji was fascinated by music when he was living with his maternal uncle. He bought an old harmonium and started learning music. Fascinated by films, he went to Kolhapur where he met the legend V.Shantaram, who was then working in Prabhat Film Company.

Vasantji was associated with Prabhat Film Company in his early film career. He entered into films as an actor in Prabhat’s silent film Khooni Khanjar (1930). He worked as an assistant under music director Govindrao Tembe for Prabhat Co.’s first talkie ‘Ayodhyecha Raja (1932)’, which was the first Marathi talkie. The film was also made simultaneously in Hindi as Ayodhya Ka Raja (1932). After the 2003 fire at the National Archives of India, Pune in which prints of first Indian talkie Alam Ara (1931) were lost, it became the earliest surviving talkie of Indian cinema. Vasantji worked with Govindrao Tembe for a few other films like Our India, Monsoon, Amar Bhoopali, Shobha Aankh Ki Sharam and Mauj.

Vasantji acted, composed music and also sang in a few films of Prabhat co. like Dharmatma and Sant Dhyaneshwar. He sang many songs in that period in various films. He could not get the lead-role in the film Aadmi (1939), so he gave up acting and started his training in music, under Ustaad Aalam Khan and Ustaad Inaayat Khan.

He settled into composing music for films in 1940s. His first film as a composer was V.Shantaram’s mythological film Shakunthala (1943). The film was a major hit of its time. It ran for 104 weeks. After Shakuntala’s overwhelming success, Vasant Desai became a part of V. Shantaram’s Rajkamal Studio. 

Jeevan Mein Nao Na Dole – Shakuntala (1943) - Jayshree Shantaram

He composed music for 14 films in the 1940′s. Parvat Pe Apna Dera (1944), Subhadra (1946), Jivan Yatra (1946), Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946), Matwala Shaayar Raam Joshi (1947), Uddhar (1949) were some of his popular films. By the end of 1940s, he was known for his melodious and touching music. He composed music for films made by V.Shantaram’s Rajkamal productions like Dr.Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957). Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani is based on the real life story of Dr. Dwarakanath Kotnis, who did selfless service in China.

Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955) was a film based on classical Kathak dance. Vasant Desai composed most of the music for this film in a very classical way. Nain Se Nain Naahi Milao sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Hemant Kumar is the most popular song from this film. Lyrics were composed by Hasrat Jaipuri. Gopi Krishna, the well known classical dancer played the lead role in this film.

Nain So Nain Naahi Milao – Lata Mangeshkar, Hemant Kumar

Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (Title song) - Ustad Amir Khan

Rutu Basant Aayi – Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar

Saiyan Jao – Lata Mangeshkar

Jo Tum Todo Piya -  Lata Mangeshkar

Kaisi Yeh Mohabbat Ki Saza – Lata Mangeshkar

Mere Ae Dil Bata – Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey

Murli Manohar - Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey

O Suno Suno Sunojee More Rasiya – Lata Mangeshkar 

Rajkamal Kalamandir’s Toofan Aur Diya (1956) had a variety of songs penned by Bharat Vyas and Hasrat Jaipuri…..

Nirbal Se Ladai Balwan Ki – Manna Dey

Meri Chhoti Si Behen – Geeta Dutt, Lata Mangeshkar

Aaya Re Aaya Re Bhaajiwala – Geeta Dutt

Meri Aan Bhagwan – Geeta Dutt

Two dance songs were sung by Shamshad Begum…..

Aankhon Mein Aankhen Daal Ke – Shamshad Begum & Chorus

Dil Tumne Liya Hai Meri Jaan – Shamshad Begum & Chorus

All the solos by Lataji from this film were Meera bhajans…..

Muraliya Baje Ri Jamuna Ke Teer - Lata Mangeshkar

Giridhaari Maane Chaakar Raakho Ji – Lata Mangeshkar

Piya Te Kahan Gayo – Lata Mangeshkar & Chorus

The song Aye Malik Tere Bande Hum, sung by Lata Mangeshkar from the film Do Aankhen Barah Haath is considered a gem. Vasantji’s relations with Shantaram detoriated in late 1950s after which they never worked together.

Aye Malik Tere Bande Hum – Lata Mangeshkar

A typical toyseller’s song from the same film…..

Saiyan Jhooton Ka Bada Sartaj Nikla – Lata Mangeshkar

A rain song…..

Ho Umad Ghumad Aayi Re Ghata – Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar & Chorus

A sweet lullaby…..

Mai Gaoon Tu Chup Ho Jaa – Lata Mangeshkar

A meaningful song…..

Taka Taka Dhoom Dhoom – Lata Mangeshkar & Chorus

(My personal choice is Saiyan Jhooton Ka Bada Sartaj Nikla)

Mausi (1958) had a popular song composed by Vasantji….. Tim Tim Tim Taaron Ke Deep Jale, sung by Talat Mahmood and Lata Mangeshkar. This song’s tune was used by Ghantasala in his film Santi Nivasam (1960) for the song Come Come Come Kangaru Neekelane, sung by Jikki and himself.

Tim Tim Tim Taaron Ke Deep Jale – Talat Mahmood, Lata Mangeshkar

Another song from Mausi…….

Meri Godi Mein Gopala – Lata Mangeshkar 

Do Behnen (1959) was a musical hit. It had Rajendra Kumar and Shyama in the lead-roles. Mukhda Dekhle Prani sung by Kavi Pradeep was the most popular song from this film. Other singers were Lata Mangeshkar and Mahendra kapoor. Lyrics were composed by Kavi Pradeep.

Mukhda Dekhle Prani – Kavi Pradeep

Saiyan Pyara Hai Apna Milan - Lata Mangeshkar

Saiyan Pyara Hai Apna Milan (Sad) - Lata Mangeshkar

Badan Mora Lacchke – Lata Mangeshkar & Chorus

Main Natkhat Ek Kali – Lata Mangeshkar

Jhuk Jhuk Jhola Khaye - Lata Mangeshkar, Mahendra Kapoor & Chorus

(My personal choice is Jhuk Jhuk Jhola Khaye, from this film)

Vijay Bhatt’s Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959) was one of Vasantji’s exhibition of talent. All the songs by Lataji and Rafi sahab are some of the best songs of Indian film music. The film’s music was enriched with the rendition of Shehnai by Ustad Bismillah Khan. This was the only film he worked for. This film was the first hit for the legendary actor Rajendra Kumar. The lyrics were beautifully composed by Bharat Vyas. The songs are as follows:

Tere Sur Aur Mere Geet – Lata Mangeshkar

Dil ka Khilona Haye Toot Gaya – Lata Mangeshkar

Teri Shehnai Bole – Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi

Jeevan Mein Piya Tera Saath Rahe – Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi

Kehdo Koi Na Kare Pyar – Mohammad Rafi

Maine Peena Seekh Liya – Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar

Ankhiyan Bhool Gayi Hai Sona – Geeta Dutt & Chorus

Haule Haule Ghoonghat Pat Khole – Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar

Ustad Amir Khan

He also composed for Pyar Ki Pyas (1961), which was a children’s film. This film contained songs of all aspects like patriotic, lullabies etc.

Sawan Ke Jhoole Pade – Lata Mangeshkar, Talat Mahmood

Kya Dharti Aur Kya Aakash (Title song) – Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar & Chorus

Pyas Bhujane Sabke Mann Ki - Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Mahendra Kapoor & Chorus

A multilingual patriotic song…..

Uttar Mein Hai Khada Himalay - Manna Dey, Baby Ranu Mukherjee, Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt & Chorus

The following lullaby is quite unexplainably beautiful (My personal choice)

Chanda Dhale Pankha Jhale – Geeta Dutt (This song appears twice in the film)

Chanda Dhale Pankha Jhale – Lata Mangeshkar (This song appears in the last part of the film)

(I personally recommend to see this film, follow this link

Pyar Ki Pyas on youtube…..

This is also available in parts on youtube)

Vasantji composed music for the great mythological film Sampoorna Ramayan (1961), directed by Babubhai Mistry. It had songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Manna Dey, Mohammad Rafi, Mahendra Kapoor and others. The songs are as follows:

Badalo Barso Nayan Ki Aur Se – Lata Mangeshkar

San Sanan Jaare O Pawan – Lata Mangeshkar

Baar Baar Bagiya Mein Koyal Na Bole - Asha Bhonsle

Site Aaj Tumhe Bin Dekhe – Mahendra Kapoor

Bolo Sabhi Shriram – Mahendra Kapoor & Chorus

Dole Re Dole Re Pran – Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar

Dharti Kyon Viparit Huyi – Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar

Hum Ramchandra Ki Chandrakala Mein – Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle

Kamdev’s Nritya – Classical Dance

Dhanya Dhanya Tum – Manna Dey

Vasantji worked for Yaadein (1964), which had only one actor in performance ie. Sunil Dutt. This film mostly depended on its background music. It had only two songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar. The film was not a success, but won critical appraisal. Lyrics were composed by Anand Bakshi.

Dekha Hai Sapna Koi – Lata Mangeshkar

Radha Tu Hai Deewani – Lata Mangeshkar

Ram Rajya (1967) was his last mythological film in 1960s. He worked with Bharat Vyas in this film. The songs are as follows:

Vidhi Ne Dekho – Mohammad Rafi, Suman Kalyanpur & Chorus

Aaj Tujh Bin Sadhana Meri Adhuri – Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar

Dar Laage Garje Badariya – Lata Mangeshkar

Vasantji’s films with Hrishikesh Mukherjhee like Aashirwad (1968) and Guddi (1971) were a success. He made Ashok Kumar sing for himself (after a long period of time) in Aashirwaad. Songs from Aashirwaad like Rail Gaadi Chuk Chuk, Naani Ki Nao Chali by Ashok Kumar; Jhir Jhir Barse Sawani Ankhiyan, Ek Tha Bachpan by Lata Mangeshkar; Jeevan Se Lambe hai Bandhu by Manna Dey were considered a hit, especially the songs by Ashok Kumar. A few other songs from this film were sung by Ashok Kumar, Asha Bhonsle and Harindranath Chattopadhyay. Guddi was probably his last highest successful film. Vasantji introduced Vani Jairam in this film. Her songs from this film Bole Re Papihara and Hum Ko Mann Ki Shakti Dena were a hit. Bole Re Papihara is considered one of Vani Jairam’s and Vasant Desai’s best songs.

Rail Gaadi Chuk Chuk, Nani Ki Nao Chali- Aashirwaad (1968) - Ashok Kumar

Jhir Jhir Barse Sawani Ankhiyan – Aashirwaad (1968) – Lata Mangeshkar

Ek Tha Bachpan – Aashirwaad (1968) – Lata Mangeshkar

Jeevan Se Lambe Hai Bandhu – Aashirwaad (1968) – Manna Dey

Saaf Karo Insaaf Karo – Aashirwaad (1968) – Ashok Kumar, Asha Bhonsle & Chorus

Bole Re Papihara – Guddi (1971) – Vani Jairam

Hum Ko Mann Ki Shakti Dena – Guddi (1971) – Vani Jairam & Chorus

The following bhajan was composed by Vasantji for Guddi. It was not used in the film and was replaced by Aaja Re Pardesi from Madhumati (1958)

Hari Bin Kaise Jiyoon Re – Vani Jairam

Later, in 1974, when Gulzar made Achaanak, which was a songless film, he called Vasant Desai for its music. The film has a great weightage for background music and Gulzar knew that Vasantji was the perfect man for the job. Vasantji did a great job as expected.

He introduced Dilraaj Kaur as a playback singer in the children’s film Rani Aur Laalpari (1975). It had a socio-fantasy background. He breathed his last on 22nd December, 1975. His last film Shaque (1976) was released after his death, the film’s music was completed by P.B.Agha.

Meha Barasne Laga Hai – Shaque (1976) - Asha Bhonsle

Do Naino Ke Pankh Lagakar – Shaque (1976) – Kumari Faiyaz

His favourite poets were Bharat Vyas, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kavi Pradeep, Gulzar and Pt. Narendra Sharma. His songs with Bharat Vyas in Goonj Uthi Shehnai, Sampoorna Ramayan, Pyar Ki Pyas were very successful.

Life is short, but Vasant Desai’s music lasts forever in our hearts.

Sri Tyagaraja, the most celebrated carnatic music saint was a great devotee of Lord Sri Rama. Saint Tyagaraja lived to the full extent that God realization is best achieved through ‘Nadopasana’  (music with devotion). His songs are filled with an intimate devotion to Rama, all through revealing his deep understanding of the tenets of the’ Vedas and Upanishads’. 

Saint Purandaradasa is considered to be  the grandfather of Carnatic Music. Sri Tyagaraja, along with Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri are considered as the “Trinity of Carnatic Music.” Sri Tyagaraja is said to have composed about 24,000 keerthanas but only 700 keerthanas(songs)  are available in his long devoted life to Lord Rama, most of them written in his mother tongue Telugu, but a few in Sanskrit, including the masterpiece “Jagadanandakaraka” composed of 108 names describing Lord Rama’s attributes. His keerthanas are sung with dedication in Tamil Nadu also, the seat of South Indian (Carnatic) Music scholars and performance. 

The hallmark of a great culture, the Vijayanagara Empire, with all its glory, fell at the end of the 16th century. The invasion from the North brought in its wake new, though not always commendable, trends in living. Quite a few Hindu families had to flee to Southern areas which were still peaceful. Many found shelter under the benign rule of the Nayakas and the Maratha kings of Tamilnadu. Particularly, a number of Telugu families went south and formed nucleus of art and culture. Sri Tyagaraja’s ancestors belonged to one such stock, as he describes himself as descendant from the Kakarla family (Kakarla is a village in the Kurnool District of Andhra). 

Tiruvarur in the Tanjavur district of South India is a small hamlet; it is small in size, but has great sanctity hallowed by the memory of the three composers, the trinity of Carnatic music. In this village lived one Girija Kavi, a poet-composer attached to the Court of Tanjavur. His daughter and wife of Kakarla Ramabrahmam, Seetamma, gave birth to a son in the Hindu lunar year Sarvajit 27th Soma, on Chaitra Sukla Sapthami, the 7th day of the bright half of the Hindu month of Chaitra, under the Pushyami nakshatram [star] that is on May 4, 1767. According to another tradition the year of his birth was 1759. The boy was named Tyagaraja, after Lord Tyagaraja, the presiding deity of Tiruvarur. In one of his songs, Tyagaraja sings, “Seetamma mayamma, Sri Ramudu ma tandri” – Seeta is my mother and Sri Rama is my father – perhaps with a double meaning. The family was a pious Telugu-speaking smartha Brahmin family of the vaidiki mulukanadu sub-sect and had long been settled in Thiruvaiyyuru in the Tanjavur district of present-day Tamil Nadu, which is the scene of the life and work of the great composer. 

Ramabrahmam shifted to Tiruvayyuru, leaving Tiruvarur. The king of Tanjavur had gifted a house to him in this village and here Tyagaraja not only spent the major part of his life but also attained Samadhi. Tiruvayyaru, on the bank of the Kaveri and known as Panchanada Kshetra, was the abode of saints, poets and musicians.  Tyagayya praises this place in one of his keerthanas , “…the Panchanada Kshetra in the beautiful Chola country, nestling on the banks of the Kaveri over which blows the gentle wind where holy Brahmins chant the Vedas…a town to be coveted even by Lord Siva”.

 Tyagaraja started his musical training under Sri Sonti Venkataramanayya at an early age. Tyagaraja regarded music as a way to experience the love of God. His objective while performing music was to repeat the name of God and contemplate on his divine pastime, thereby reducing the vices of the mind, not to display his mastery over raga and tala. He had to struggle quite a bit to compose music in which bhava, that is, emotion, was crowned. (He always felt that bhava was not to be compromised for raga and tala). The legend goes that he was blessed by the divine sage Narada with great musical knowledge. He is said to have sung “Sri Naarada Mouni”, a song in praise of Narada, on this occasion. 

As a 13-year-old, he composed “Namo Namo Raghava” in Desikathodi. Much later in life, his guru, Sonti Venkataramanayya, wanted to listen to Tyagaraja and invited him to perform at his house in Tanjavur. On that occasion, Tyagaraja presented “ Endaro Mahaanubhavulu”, (There are many great men and I salute all of them. This was meant for the audience listening to him) the fifth of the Pancharatna Krithis. Intensely pleased with Tyagaraja’s song, Sonti Venkataramanayya told the king about the genius of Tyagaraja. The king sent an invitation, along with ,as was traditional, many valuable gifts, to Thyagaraja, inviting him to grace the royal court. To the unworldly Tyagaraja, the prospect of wealth or fame was no incentive; he clearly had no inclination for a career at the king’s court, which doubtless in that age, as in every other, entailed petty rivalry and jealousy. He rejected the king’s invitation outright, composing another gem of a kriti, “Nidhi Chala Sukhama” on this occasion. Angered at his rejection of the royal offer, Tyagaraja’s brother took revenge by throwing his idols of Rama Pattabhisheka in the nearby  Kaveri river. 

A life which vastly was uncompromising was not at all to the liking of his elder brother, Japesa, to put it mildly. Japesa fondly hoped that the great art and learning of his younger brother could be put to financial advantage, which the saint would not agree to. In desperation, the brother not only partitioned the ancestral house but went to the extent of throwing the Rama idol which Tyagaraja worshipped into the river. The sorrow of the devotee cannot even be imagined. He sang many keerthanas begging the Lord to come back to him. Lord appeared in his dream and told him where to find the idol. 

Honours and wealth could have been his, if only he had asked for them; but he would not ask. He spurned an invitation of the King and sang, “Is wealth (nidhi) the source of happiness or is the proximity (sannidhi) of Rama a source of happiness?” Tyagabrahma undertook an extensive pilgrimage of the sacred places of South India. Wherever he went he sang of the deity of the place. There is the famous incident of his visit to the Venkateswara temple at Tirupati. He goes into the temple to have darsan (vision) of the Lord; but the entrance of the sanctum sanctorum was covered with a curtain which prevents him from seeing the idol. The priests refused to open the curtain. In great sorrow he sang, “Thera Theeyaga rada (Will you not remove the curtain?)” …and characteristically adds, “The curtain of vanity and jealousy in my mind”. The curtain miraculously slides aside by itself and he was face to face with the God. 

Tyagaraja was married at an young age to a lady named Parvatamma, who died shortly afterwards without surviving any  issue. Later Tyagaraja  married  Kamalamba, by whom he had a daughter named Seethalakshmi, who was wed in due course to a gentleman by name Kuppuswamy. Seetalakshmi’s only child, also named Tyagaraja, died at an young age; with that, the line of direct descent from Tyagaraja came to an end. Tyagaraja had an elder brother, Japesa, whose descendents still reside in the same area of Tamil Nadu. Japesa is often made the villain in stories about Tyagaraja, in the role of the brother who could not understand Tyagaraja’s devotion to Sri Rama, a characterization that smacks of caricature and may well be inaccurate. Tyagaraja attained release from the materialistic world on Pushya Bahula Panchami, the fifth day of the dark half of the month of Pushya, in the Hindu lunar year Prabhava (January 6, 1847).

Having composed an innumerable number of Keerthanas (songs) that explored all the possibilities within the rules of the Carnatic music tradition Tyagaraja is truly regarded as the cornerstone of Carnatic music. To this day, a remembrance music festival called the Tyagaraja Aaradhana is held at Thiruvaiyyuru in the months of January to February every year. Usually hundreds of Carnatic musicians perform in this festival. The participation of classical musicians in this festival is considered to be very prestigious for them. 

The famous actor Chittoor V. Nagayya produced and directed a film considered as a master piece named “Thyagayya (1946)”. This is a religious film about the life of saint poet Tyagaraja. It was a huge hit.

[See post to watch Flash video]

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