Thamizh Songs in Carnatic Music—6 துன்பம் நேர்கையில் --- tunbam nErkaiyil

Thamizh Songs in Carnatic Music—6

 துன்பம் நேர்கையில் --- tunbam nErkaiyil

Composer: BhArathi dAsan 

              

When misery strikes……துன்பம் நேர்கையில்

Composition: tunbam nErkaiyil

Composer:     BhArathi dAsan

mudrA:          

(signature):    none

rAgam:           dEsh (janyam of meLam 28, harikAmbhoji)---                    

ArOhaNam:     SR₂M₁PN₃S

AvarOhaNam: SN₂D₂PM₁G₃R₂S (also SN₁SN₂D₂PD₂M₁G₃R₂G₃S)

tALam:            catusra Ekam                                   

பல்லவி

துன்பம் நேர்கையில் யாழ் எடுத்து நீ
இன்பம் சேர்க்க மாட்டாயா? - எமக் 
கின்பம் சேர்க்க மாட்டாயா? - நல் 
அன்பிலா நெஞ்சில் தமிழில் பாடி நீ 
அல்லல் நீக்க மாட்டாயா? - கண்ணே 
அல்லல் நீக்க மாட்டாயா?

அனுபல்லவி
வன்பும் எளிமையும் சூழும் நாட்டிலே 
வாழ்வின் உணர்வு சேர்க்க - எம் 
வாழ்வின் உணர்வு சேர்க்க - நீ 
அன்றை நற்றமிழ்க் கூத்தின் முறையினால் 
ஆடிக் காட்ட மாட்டாயா? கண்ணே 
ஆடிக் காட்ட மாட்டாயா?

சரணம்1
அறமிதென்றும் யாம் மறமிதென்றுமே 
அறிகிலாத போது - யாம் 
அறிகிலாத போது - தமிழ் 
இறைவனாரின் திருக்குறளிலே ஒரு சொல் 
இயம்பிக் காட்ட மாட்டாயா? - நீ
இயம்பிக் காட்ட மாட்டாயா?

சரணம்2
புறம் இதென்றும் நல் அகம் இதென்றுமே 
புலவர் கண்ட நூலின் - தமிழ்ப் 
புலவர் கண்ட நூலின் - நல் 
திறமை காட்டி உனை ஈன்ற எம்உயிர்ச் 
செல்வம் ஆகமாட்டாயா? தமிழ்ச் 
செல்வம் ஆக மாட்டாயா?

Lyrics in Roman script

Pallavi:            tunbam nErkaiyil yAzheDuttu nI

                        inbam sErkka mATTAyA—emak

                        kinbam sErkka mATTAyA—nal

                        anbilA nenjil tamizhaip pADi nI

                        allal tIrkka mATTAyA—kaNNE

                        allal tIrkka mATTAyA                         (tunbam)

Anupallavi:     vanbum eLimaiyum soozhum nATTilE

                        vAzhvil uNarvu sErkka—em

                        vAzhvil uNarvu sErkka—nI

                        anRai naRRamizh kUttin muRaiyinAl

                        AdikkATTa mATTAyA—kaNNE

                        AdikkATTa mATTAyA                                    (tunbam)

CaraNam 1:    aRamitenRum yAm maRamitenRumE

                        aRikilAta pOtu—yAm

                        aRikilAta pOtu—tamizh

                        iRaivanArin tirukkuRaLilEyoru sol

iyambikkATTa mATTAyA—nI

                        anRai naRRamizh kUttin muRaiyinAl

                        ADikkATTa mATTAyA—kaNNE

                        ADikkATTa mATTAyA                      (tunbam)

CaraNam 2:    puRamitenRum nallahamitenRumE

                        pulavar kaNDa nUlin—tamizhp

                        pulavar kaNDa nUlin

                        iRaivanArin  tirukkuRaLilEyoru sol

                        iyambikkATTa  mATTAyA—nI

                        iyambikkAATa  mATTAyA

                        tiRamai kATTiyunai  InRa emmuyirc

                        celvamAka  mATTAyA—tamizhc

                        celvamAka  mATTAyA—kaNNE       (tunbam)        

                                   

                       

Source for lyrics:  Amutham CD “BindhumAlini” WS008 booklet insert
Also see     http://www.tamilvu.org/courses/degree/c011/c0114/html/c0114403.htm

Meaning:

Pallavi:  When misery strikes, won’t you play the harp (lyre) and provide me some happiness?  Won’t you please provide me some relief? In the turbulent state devoid of compassion, won’t you sing Thamizh and remove the misery?          

           

Anupallavi: In the world surrounded by violence and naïveté won’t you demonstrate to me the beauty of the ancient Thamizh traditional dance to add fervor to my life?—please won’t you show me the beauty of the dance?

           

CaraNam1:  When we cannot understand what is right and what is valorous, please read me from the Tamil vEdam ThirukkuRaL wherein it says, “Good conduct breeds admirable habits, bad conduct always leads to trouble”. Please show me the good features of the ancient art of Thamizh dance.

CaraNam 2: The poets have delineated what is self and what is non-self in several works. Out of such works, ThirukkuRaL has lots of gems. Utter some gems from that for me.  We brought you forth unto this world. Prove your worth and be our treasure, darling!        

General Comments:

This song suggests music as a cure for misery. It more or less mirrors the song of Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathi which goes as “cinnanj ciRu kiLiyE, kaNNammA” wherein Bharathi imagined ParAshakti as his child and adores her. BharathidAsan, who proclaimed himself a disciple/follower of Bharathi by changing his name to BharathidAsan from his given name (Kanaka Subburaththinam), perhaps drew inspiration from Bharathi in providing a theme for this song. In this song Bharathidasan asks his darling (child? or beloved?—it is not quite clear) to mitigate his misery by playing the harp. This also shows the rarely witnessed delicate side of Bharathidasan, who was known to espouse the cause of the downtrodden and to uphold everyone’s civil and social rights.

Here he is asking his darling child (or beloved?) to sing in sweet Thamizh to relieve the sorrow from his mind. The violence in the world confronts the simplicity in people and he sees one way out of such confrontation and that is the traditional Thamizh kUttu—an ancient form of dance.

Bharathidasan was also an ardent admirer of TiruvaLLuvar, the Thamizh saint-poet.  He wants the good words from TirukkuRaL to be uttered to soothe his mind. He is just yearning for the sweet Thamizh mixed with the gems from TirukkuRaL and woven into a fabric with the ancient dance to be staged for him. In his opinion that provides an immense calming effect.

Composer’s Bio:

BharathidAsan (1891-1964) was born in PuduchEry as Kanaka Subburatnam and grew up with a resolution to change the society into a more equitable one for everybody.  He changed his name to Bharathidasan (servant or disciple of Bharathi) as a mark of tribute to Subramanya Bharathi. He followed the doctrine of the Dravidian movement of the day. He was committed to socio-political causes including the self-respect movement, Thamizh, Dravidian culture, socialism, and humanity. He was honored with the title “puratcip pAvEndar” (king of revolutionary poetry). He wrote several dramatic compositions, and hundreds of poems on social and language themes.

Bharathidasan did not intend his poems to be set to music. They were intended to convey social and literary values. Some of his poems have been set to music by various musicians. Some of his songs which got inducted into the musical mode (either film or classical) are: pudiyadOr ulagam seivOm involving a socialistic theme, tamizhukkum amudenRu pEr (literary tribute to the language), and talaivArip pUccUDi (intended for little girls to quell their fear of going to school).

DaNDapANi dEsikar explains how he chose the rAgam dEsh for this song here 

The meaning of a song has to match with the melody chosen in order for a perfect harmony. ThiruvaLLuvar explained this principle 2000 years ago in the following kuRaL
பண்  எனாம் பாடற்கு இயைபு இன்றேல்
கண் எனாம்  கண்ணோட்டம் இல்லாத கண்
Meaning: If there is no unison between the lyrics and the melody there is no use for the melody. It is like having a perspective when you see an object.

Listen to M M Dandapani dEsikar   here 

To listen to Sanjay Subrahmanyan sing this song,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=297&v=v1B3vfY4W8Y

Also here

For the video clip from the AVM studios movie “Or iravu”, (1951)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLV7EQJULdY

To listen to O S Arun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uL9vIsUNvA

Listen to Thrisoor Brothers here

Listen to Nithyasri here

Listen to Sudha Ragunathan here

Listen to Unnikrishnan here

Listen to Bombay Jayashree here