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Thursday, July 27, 2006

D h a r m a v a t h i,,,.Synonym for COMPASSION !


HIMALAYAS...
WHICH STANDS FOR ALL THAT IS
MAGNIFICENT, BENEVOLENT AND
WHAT IS MORE A PICTURE
OF ALL COMPASSION
SO IS DHARMAVATHI, WHICH INSTILLS ALL THAT IS COMPASSION IN YOUR HEART AND SOUL.
The not so popular and one of the run-of the mill genre ofRajnikanth's movies in Hindi was Gangua (Malayoor Mambatiyan in Tamil),where an old woman waters the thirsty lips of an exhausted and fainted Shabana Azmi.
Ilayaraja undoubtedly merits the highest order, when itcomes to background score, and, here, he chooses to play the softDharmavati for the sequence.
If Chakravaham embodied empathy and valaji fancied fantasy,Dharmavathi, true to its name, symbolises "karunyam" (I wonder whetherthere is an equivalent in English, the word 'compassion' comes close).
Known by the name Madhuvanti in HCM, Dharmavati is 59th Mela in CCMand is suited for evening riyaaz.
Arokan: N S g m P N S
Avr : S N D P M g R S
The key notes are g, m and P to realize the essential beauty of thisraga.
Pity, film songs have not been able to bring about the intrinsicquality of this raga, though churned out well.
The one I remember in Hindi is "Roop suhana lagta hai" by ARR inGentleman.
A very popular number with a foot taping rhythm, it fails to justify the spirit of the raga, although never deviating from theestablished sur track. The raga was lost in the visual splendour andlabarithines of rhythm.
In Tamil, MSV adopted Dharmavati in many a romantic songs like "Kadhalkadhal endur pesa" (Utharavindri ulle vaa), "Nandha en nila", "hello mydear wrong number" (Manmadha leelai).
In a Mammooty starrer "Azhagan"we listened to this "thathitom".
One filmy song, which did justice to the raga, atleast to some extentwas "En ullil engo" in Roasapoo Ravikkakkari.
If you remember the musictrack between the charanams, played on a Hindustan flute (Bansuri):-PPPPPP (g m PP S N PP)^2NNNNN (P D NN R S NN)^2you would marvel "if there were true Dharmavati in film music,
it is here, it is here!"

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