വYears ago, the famous music director MB. When Srinivasan arrived in Kerala. That day, a young singer came to MBS to express his talent. The singer first sang the film ghazal ‘Saranga Theri Yaad Mein’ in front of MBS. MBS who loved the song. The singer is asked to sing a hymn in Carnatic music. Thyagaraja’s song ‘Brovabharama Raghurama’ sung in Bahudari Raga was also sung by MBS. One looked at him in surprise. The singer did not leave. A melody was also performed at Shanmukhapriya. By then, MB was realizing the fact that he was listening to a young genius with invaluable creative motivation and unearthly tone. Srinivasan. Thus, the singer got an opportunity to sing the four-line hymn of Sree Narayana Guru for the film ‘Kalpadukal’. The recording of the hymn took place on November 14, 1961 at Bharani Studio in Chennai.
‘Caste and religion will serve without any prejudice
This is an exemplary position of brotherhood ‘
The joy of being able to contribute a complete singer to Malayalam cinema in every sense was evident on the faces of all the participants in the recording. Sixty years have passed since that unearthly gift to the Malayalam music world. Malayalees all over the world have been worshiping the four-letter name Yesudas ever since, counting as a musical idol. In the field of Malayalam film music, unlike other genres, the full light of modernity began to shine in the 1960s. Vayalar Rama Varma, p. Bhaskaran, ONV. And Kurup. Music director Devarajan was also a co-traveler of Left politics. Thus, the songs that were born out of the creative presence of these geniuses contained a variety of ideas and political consciousness. Also, K. who should be described as the musical grandfather of Malayalam cinema. Raghavan was involved in the renaissance process of reclaiming our song culture by completing the fragrant melodies of Malayalam for film songs. In their songs, we can find a wide range of ideas and expressions that link personal sorrows to the social system. ‘Man created religions’, ‘Tell the prophets, is it far away in the morning’, ‘The volcano smoked’, ‘Ishwar is not a Hindu’, ‘In the land where Advaitam was born’, ‘Chalanam Chalanam Chalanam’, ‘Ishwar once went to a feast’ (Sreekumaran Thampi, MS Vishwonath etc.) The songs can be pointed out here. These songs share with us not only the aesthetic sense of poetry, but also the concerns about human life. Yesudas was a vocalist who was able to illuminate not only the poetic aesthetic and social ideology of such film songs created during this period, but also all the possibilities of musical expression. In the words of Sreekumaran Thampi, ‘If you want to know the fullness of a song that we create and we enjoy, then Yesudas must sing that song’.
If Yesudas had been a singer in any language other than Malayalam, that voice would not have had the good fortune and mission to release such vast, progressive and, above all, humanistic ideas through film songs alone. He did not have the opportunity for a social function. All these songs tell this truth without telling us. Here the singer and the community that molded that singer become one. When Yesudas sang the revolutionary progressive songs of Malayalam cinema, beginning with the four-line hymn of Sree Narayana Guru, it is astonishing to see that this singer has gone through the same cultural paths that the Kerala society has gone through as mentioned at the beginning. Yesudas today appears to us as the miraculous reality that a singer has gone through the ascents of the Cultural Revolution that transcended society through the power of his siddhi and greatness. In this way, the singer Yesudas is gaining an eternal and unique place in the renaissance history of Kerala society. Apart from being a film playback singer, Yesudas also became a renaissance singer of the Malayalee community.
(Music Critic – Author)
Content Highlights: KJ yesudas 60 years of cinema music Journey evergreen hits
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