The Golden Era of Dr.IR and Dr.SPB

[app_engine]

mikka nanRi, baroque & KV!

Here, in Bangalore, its normal for a conductor to walk up to you in a bus

I think it is that way in most places of TN / Kerala as well with Chennai being the glorious exception. My first-time experience in Pallavan was also one of surprise - of waiting for conductor. However, as my place of getting down came, I asked the next standing passenger who explained me the "Madras system" and I walked up to the "conductor seat" to pay

Coimbatore / Kerala too used to have the "front half for women" system...

Another kosuRu info - in US buses, driver is also conductor and money goes into a machine mounted near him...and every one enters thru the front (and mostly exit thru the front except bigger stops where he opens the door in the middle)...

[Plum]

App, the system you explained is same as in London - and. I guess most western nations will have it

[app_engine]

App, the system you explained is same as in London - and. I guess most western nations will have it

In contrast, Kerala used to have 2 conductors (i.e. in the private buses, not the yAnai mark KSRTC)

One will collect money (most private buses don't give paper tickets, simbly collect dough into the pouch, often they give "concessions" on the fly, no change no problem, sometimes no money also no problem, students used to give only 10 paisA etc ) while the other guy, called "kizhi or kiLi" prompts the stop and go

[Nerd]

App, even in Trichy the private route buses (e.g. Trichy-Tanjore) in the 90s/00s had two conductors. Both of them carry the pouch and in fact they kizhichify tickets religiously. No cheating business. And the vandi moves only when both give the go ahead with their whistles..

[app_engine]

App, even in Trichy the private route buses (e.g. Trichy-Tanjore) in the 90s/00s had two conductors. Both of them carry the pouch and in fact they kizhichify tickets religiously. No cheating business. And the vandi moves only when both give the go ahead with their whistles..

Yes, Nerd...even the private-run town bus to our village had two conductors (too much stops / too much crowd / one could not handle).

But the Kerala thing is different, only one collects money. The other one typically stands in the padikkattu and only prompts

[app_engine]

#201 இளமனது பலகனவு விழிகளிலே வழிகிறதே
(செல்வி, 1985 , ஜானகியுடன்)

Classic SPB-SJ duet that found its place in my first recorded cassette! Phenomenal prelude and sweet interludes (though I wished 'en iniya pon nilAvE' / 'idhu oru nilAkkAlam' style chorus were used, instead of the nAdan style chorus). SPB-SJ thoroughly enjoyed singing this in a dreamy way and the song creates such dreamy images in one's mind on each listen!

Like already discussed in this thread recently (and youtube proof given), literal dogs romanced (or did circus stuff) on screen for this gem of a song K Natraj must have been in a terrible mood to have it that way. (Or possibly mistaken in the notion that it was an innovation / being funny etc).

However, one interesting thing about this song for me was the instrumental version that was available. Recording centers were making use of that piece as the "end of cassette filler" and one could hear the piece every now and then on buses. I remember recording that in one of my cassettes and enjoying it those days. It wasn't a karoke but replaced the human voices with (possibly) accordian. Possibly the only such piece ever to have come out on a rAsA album. It retained the "track" ditto as in the song, including the chorus in interludes.

I used to always draw parallel with the MSV disk in our school that featured very similar rendering of the mellisai mannar's tracks - with lead vocals replaced by accordian / harmonium kind of instrument. One song that still rings in my ears is 'viLakkERRi vaikkiREn vidiya vidiya eriyattum' of soothAttam. That MSV instrumental track was also used by AIR every now and then as a filler between programs when there was a gap of a minute or so (e.g. AIR Trichy waiting for Chennai anjal / Delhi anjal etc). However, I also remember 'kAdhOdu dhAn nAn pEsuvEn' from that disk Due to that, prior to tfmpage DF-ing, I was under the impression that the veLLi vizha song was by MSV. (The composer is V Kumar, BTW).

That way, though I liked the Selvi instrumental, I always wished it had some other instrument replacing the lead vocals (like lead guitar or flute or Kunnakkudi style violin) and not the same one used for viLakkERRi & kAdhOdu dhAn...

[baroque]

mmmm.... sorry App_eng, you don't have fond memories of trichy local bus travels during your college years.

I loved it very much whenever I got out of my hostel.

Trichy Central bus stand ley yerundhu Number 1 bus to Srirangam pudichchaa, got down at Chatram bus stand to go to college, romba nalla erukkum.

Adutha leave ley dhaan varuveengalannu aasaiyaa keppaanga when we got down with moottai and mudichu!

nammakittey ellam aasaiyaadhaan eruppanga. Sorry they were rude to you.

Vinatha

[baroque]

What a beauty!
chorus , flute, bass guitar, pouring strings..Joy has no bounds!
Evergreen Ilayaraja indeed!
vinatha.

[groucho070]

app, we had the instrumental one back then. Radio station here often used parts of this song for opening or mid-section of some shows (especially the tanthanAthanthananA part)

[Plum]

mmmm.... sorry App_eng, you don't have fond memories of trichy local bus travels during your college years.I loved it very much whenever I got out of my hostel.Trichy Central bus stand ley yerundhu Number 1 bus to Srirangam pudichchaa, got down at Chatram bus stand to go to college, romba nalla erukkum.Adutha leave ley dhaan varuveengalannu aasaiyaa keppaanga when we got down with moottai and mudichu!nammakittey ellam aasaiyaadhaan eruppanga. Sorry they were rude to you.Vinatha

Adhaan app sollittaare, the logic for this was revealed to app already by one conductor : "nee enna pombaLaiyaa?"