MAAYAA - THE COLOUR OF RAIN - Sikkil C Gurucharan & Anil Srinivasan

MAAYA The rain is gentle. It is the wellspring of all things new, refreshing and resurgent. It has movement, and its slow waltz on the rugged terrain around us is a lullaby to a fractured mind. The rain is fury. It prances with abandon, uprooting the old and challenging every form that comes its way. It is Shakti, virile and potent, changing the course of several destinies as it unleashes its might. The rain is metaphor. It is a punctuation put in place by nature, affording a new perspective on an old world. It signals change and yet remains pure in itself. The rain is Maaya (illusion). It is a prism through which the colours of light get shaped in such a way that the old growth appears greener, and old colours find themselves formed into a rainbow. The music in this album celebrates the magical colours of the rain. The music becomes metaphor, as the ‘illusion’ of romance translates into different rhythms of the rain as depicted in these pieces – some gentle and subtle while some others match the fury of thunderstorms.

The Sound The ‘bringing together’ of two classical disciplines has more to it than just the execution of sounds. In understanding both these energies, it is important to rediscover those aspects that combine well while more importantly identifying those that do not. Classical music is the prism through which the singularity of this combined energy gets refracted. The result is several layers of meaning and sound that make sense only when seen as a combination ( classical piano and voice) rather than either one by itself. The Pieces Suttum Vizhi is a poet’s gushing downpour of love to a beloved. It is a cry across the mists of romance to the beautiful lover, with fiery eyes and the sparkle of diamonds like stars in a night sky. Penned by Subramania Bharati, it is set to Raga Rathipathipriya. Punguyil by Kalki Krishnamurthy is a summer shower It is sudden, strong and disappears before one can see it, like the line “minnalai pole maraindhan”, describing the young maiden lover’s transformation after a tryst with the beloved Divine in a grove, framed by the song of nightingales. It is set in Raga Kaapi.

Theruvil Varano by Ghanam Krishnayyar is a padam composed on Lord Chidambaranatha. As she waits on the threshold of her home, a young woman pines to be united with the lord. With the lyrical sweetness of gentle rain, it is set in Raga Kamaas. Ponnin Oli from the Kamba Ramayanam describes the delicate footfalls of the young Sita as she proceeds towards her marriage hall (manimantapa). In this verse, the grass under her feet speaks of her radiance and her ethereal beauty, vowing to keep itself soft so that her feet may not suffer. It is set in Raga Lalitha.

Enneramum by Gopalakrishna Bharati reflects the composer’s devotion to his deity. In it, he speaks of an intense desire to be eternally in the presence of this divine entity. It is set in Raga Devagandhari. Hari Tum Haro is a plea for deliverance. It is an ode to surrender, as Meera places herself at the feet of the same Krishna who has vanquished the evils of the world, and will pull her out of the waters of samsara into a state of permanent oneness with himself. This composition is set in Raga Darabari Kanada. Sarvam Brahma Mayam, in Raga Madhuvanti, is a testament to the grand illusion. In this verse, Sadashiva Brahmendra declares all objects, kriyas ( acts of doing) and persons temporary, acknowledging the permanence only of the soul and its quest for absolution.