IR - Telugu Songs and Lyrics

[Plum]

Raaga's take:

Plum,

K.Vishwanath is one film-maker who gave equal importance to lyrics.

Infact, even K.Balachander gave high importance to lyrics, in films like Rudra Veena (Sirivennela's flights to Veturi's ilk). His "Tarali raada thane vasantham" wraps up the whole damn philosophy of "service to mankind is service to god" effectively in each and every line. Every line in that song is a gem i must say. I mean, what can we say if he writes:

Tarali raada tane vasantam (does not the spring come...)
Tana dariki raani vanaala kosam (for the gardens that cannot travel to it..)
Gaganaala daaka ala saagakunte (if the waves do not stretch to the sky..
Meghala ragam ila cheruthunda (will the songs of clouds reach here..?)

The lines express the situation in the film in such a simple way... bloody genius!

I love the lines:

Prati madi ni lepe prabhaata ragam (the morning raaga that awakens every mind..)
Pade pade chupe pradhaana margam (the path that always points to destinations...)
Edi sontam kosam kaadanu sandesham (the message that says that there is nothing that can be owned by oneself..)
Panche guname pote prapanchame shoonyam (the world will be a naught or zero, if we lose the virtue of sharing...)
Idi teliyani manugada kadha dishanerugani gamanamu kada (the living which is not aware of this... is equal to a journey without a sense of direction).

I think he just nailed the whole philosophy of living...

He further writes:

Bratukuna leni shruti kaladaa .. (is the sruthi of art non existent in life?)
yeda sadi lo ne laya leda (is there not a laya in the throbbing of the heart?)
Ye kala(dream) kaina ye kala(art) kaina (For whatever dream, for whatever art-form) - killer liner.. usage of Kala, dream & kala, art (pronunciation is different)
jeevita rangam vedika kaada (is not life a big stage...?)
Prajaa dhanam kani kalaavilasam (The flourishing of any art that doesnt amass the wealth of ignited minds)
Ye prayojanam leni vrudha vikasam (is equal to a useless and futile exercise)
Koose koila pothe kaalam aaginda (did the seasons stop changing, when a koel left them?)
Paare yere paade maro padam raada (dont the new words flow when the old ones flow away...)
Muraliki gala swaramula kala pedavini vidi palakadu kada (even the art of swaras beheld by a flute, will not flow out without human lips)

One needs to be an intellectual to write like that. And must say, Ilaiyaraaja also justified the lyrics with equal aplomb. He composed a very simple tune, with less complexities woven in it. This is one of those songs where the musical ideas do not dominate the lyrical worth of the song and both play out well in equal measure.. or should i say, infact, that lyrics come out highlighted more than musical ideas. And it is good that Ilaiyaraaja allowed that!

Sivapoojaku chigurinchina from Swarna kamalam is also wonderfully written song. A brief analysis of its lyrics at http://musicmavericks.blogspot.com/2...rivennela.html