The Golden Era of Dr.IR and Dr.SPB

[app_engine]

#195 அலைகளில் மிதக்குது நிலவொன்று குளிக்குது
(அந்த ஒரு நிமிடம், 1985 , ஜானகியுடன்)

Got the song

What a sweet prelude that sets the whole romantic mood! SJ sings with some restraint (though bordering on the mukkal variety, just cuts short of it by a millimeter). SPB izhaindhu izhaindhu pAdukiRAr. Another made-for-Kamal song. rAsA surprises with a relatively unconventional (i.e. until that point of time) shenoy sound in the second interlude for this genre of songs. I think the whole arrangement / feel of this song was some kind of a precursor to many numbers that followed in the coming years. The song enjoyed some listens on tape recorders, buses...

Absolutely no idea of what happens on the screen as I don't remember much about this movie at all. Like someone reminded here, there was that mOdhiram-visham thingy, the three famous tragic lover pairs in the siRiya paRavai song, apart from the 'thEvai' youtube that baroque posted. This alaikaLil song could have been a kanavu scene or nanavu scene but didn't leave any trace of memory.

OTOH, I remember the on-screen irritation of the reject-number-pachchOndhi. Never before a Kamal-IR-SPB number had me irritated so much and most of us couldn't stand the song those days and I don't think it enjoyed any popularity at all. (Same goes with the other kAththiruppadhu pAththiruppadhu SPB/MV duet, though not as irritating as the pachchOndhi). Even my DHIRF friend of Thanjavur could not stand these numbers those days, even though the songs got recorded by default in his TDKs. FF kaNdu pidichcha mahAn vAzhka!

Interestingly, while pachchOndhi won't get a separate post, the word triggered on a very nice childhood memory

The mAdu mEykkum sessions - those precious moments - I had with my appA in the village. He had a classmate-bAlya-snEkithar in town who used to give him some strange requests, for the medical treament of his family members. While the requests typically called for mooligai's - that my dad used to collect and give him every now and then, there were also some special requests from time to time.

For snails & chameleons

Since he was "nagamum-sadhaiyum-with-appA" from childhood, my father used to comply. I also have a suspicion that appA had his own personal thrill in pachchOndhi hunting. So, during a few once-in-a-while-mAdu-mEykkal sessions, he'll look for this jandhu and catch it. I had observed with terror on two occasions. (My schoolmates used to tell that in case a pachchondhi bites our hand, it won't take off the teeth until donkeys from Ezhu oor make sound together ).

Nothing unusual happened anyways as he had a knack of using a string to trap it alive, let it be tied to trees / walls etc at home for a day, let it give us demos on camouflage a few times, before taking it to town for his friend. 'pAvam pachchOndhi'nnu mom used to scold him but he never cared and it was one of his rare entertainments. I used to wonder what his friend did with those chameleons.

Nevertheless, I always enjoyed those sheperding sessions, when the calf used to be in my care. It typically refused to come with us when we start home and dad'll leave it and start just with the cow. I used to get worried losing it but appA will keep walking, telling me not to worry. After leaving it behind for a few hundred meters, the cow will give a "mmmAA" call! Even if the calf had totally disappered from our sight, one should see the speed with which it rushes to its mother!

appadiyE pullarikkum!