TIS- Speaking the language of the Gods

There is this compelling question that arises every time I think about Thiruvasagam in Symphony as to why Ilayaraja did not deem it fit to use Carnatic, Hindustani, Folk or any other form of music that we can call “ours” for this monumental effort. It is a rather silly question, one that arises out of a programmed tendency to call something “ours” and then take pride in it as “our” country, “our” music, “our” culture, “our” endless list. This question fades into oblivion every time I listen to TIS, for it is truly beyond all such pettiness. For in bringing together the work of a 10th Century Tamil Saint and Symphony Orchestra music in a perfectly harmonious confluence, Ilayaraja reinforces the adage that though the paths may be manifold, where they lead is one place.

The essence of TIS is captured in one epic of a composition Polla Vinayen that lasts a sapping twenty minutes. After being accustomed to the charmingly simple Pallavi-Anupallavi-Charanam arrangement, to listen to this song is to get lost in a bewildering maze of fantastic music and profound lyrics. Ilayaraja’s meticulous hard work and his deep understanding of the words of the Thiruvasagam is evident in every single line of this piece. The highlight: He brings out the pain and suffering of the cycle of births as he sings Munivaraai Devaraai... in his trademark style; The music then builds up to end in the reverberating Om chorus; He follows it up with a deeply impactful silence and the Nama Shivaya Vaazhga refrain with a brilliant use of the choir. My personal favourite is however Poovar Senni Mannan. The haunting Uh Ah chorus, Ilayaraja’s most controlled, most somber rendering makes this the ideal beginning to the album.

Ilayaraja has had to overcome two handicaps in this effort. First being the underplayed usage of percussion for a man who makes such prolific use of the tabla and drums. The second being the incongruity of fitting classical tamil lyrics to western classical music. He does away with the former with some subdued and intelligent usage of drum beats and the cymbals. How he deals with the latter, he summarises in the last song Putril Vaazh, in which he walks us through how he went about picking and fitting the appropriate verses to his compositions. At the end of that song, you have to wonder if these two were destined to be brought together in this made-for-each-other union.

There is this anecdote that Ilayaraja narrates about TIS. When he started recording with the Budapest Orchestra, there were giggles from the members when they were asked to play repetitive music, which they thought was funny. It was then that Ilayaraja explained the significance and seriousness of the work and sang some verses which totally transformed the way they looked at it. But now, there is no need for any more such explanations. All that needs to be done is to play snatches of TIS and the seriousness and the significance and a deeply moving effect automatically sinks in. It is said that when you truly believe in something, it can inspire you to do miracles. It is that deep belief in the Thiruvasagam, that has led Ilayaraja to come up with this masterpiece, a masterpiece Manickavasagar would be proud of.