azhagar
kuRavanchi---- அழகர் குறவஞ்சி
Composer: Kavi
Kunjara BhArati
Background:
KuRavanchi
literally means a “gypsy woman”. The Thamizh colloquial word is குறத்தி. “KuRavanchi” is a refined expression
referring to a young gypsy woman. That
name has been employed for a whole genre of musical dance drama (opera) wherein
the gypsy is an invariant character. The dance drama is generally centered on a
young maiden who falls in love with one of the gods, pines for him, dislikes
all life details, and curses Cupid and
the Moon for not being kind to her. There are so many KuRavanchis---azhagar
kuRavanchi, kumbEsar kuRavanchi, KuTrAlak kuRavanchi, tyAgEsar kuRavanchi, and virAlimalaik
kuRavanchi, to name a few. The operas have usually a happy ending, viz., the
nAyaki is united with her lord.
The theme in azhagar
kuRavanchi is this: Mohanavalli is a young maiden. She and her friends are
playing ball. The procession of Lord azhagar (deity at tirumAlinrunchOlai)
comes along and our heroine falls in love with him. She sings “ivan ArO sakhiyE aRiyEnE” (who is
this, my friend, I don’t know) in the rAgam KAmbhOji. For a full account of
that story visit http://periscope-narada.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-padam-by-kavi-kunjara-barati-ivan-yaro.html
She sends a message
through her friend and is miserable for not getting a response from the lord.
The friend counsels patience. In due course a gypsy comes along singing the
beautiful features of the azhagar malai (the hills) and the prosperity of the
land around. She tells our heroine by reading her palm that her lord will be
united with her and that she will be happy. Our heroine gives her necklaces as
presents. Finally the husband (sOlai malai singan--சோலை மலை சிங்கன்) of the gypsy (singi--- சிங்கி) arrives and together they worship the lord and leave for their hamlet in
the mountains.
Two songs
(out of many) will be featured here. The first song is about the arrival of the
gypsy woman who will read the palm to tell the fortune for our nAyaki,
MOhanavalli. It describes the beauty and the reputation of the gypsy woman as a
fortune-teller. In the second song the
gypsy tells our nAyaki that the lord of the hills (azhagar) will accept her
love and that she will be happy. She also advises our nAyaki on how to present
herself before the lord. The songs are given in Thamizh script followed
by Roman script and their meanings. Some audio and video links are given at the
end.
ராகம் BEgaDa பேகடா - தாளம் ஆதி (Adi)
பல்லவி
மலைக் குறவஞ்சி வந்தாளே
மாயவன் சோலை (மலை(
அனுபல்லவி
மலைக் குறவஞ்சி வந்தாள்
தலத் திலதி மோகனவல்லி தனக்கு குறி சொல்லும் வல்லமையுள்ள (மலை(
சரணங்கள்
பாலனைய மொழியாள் சேலனைய விழியாள்
பைங்கள பங் களிலங்க அணிந் தெழு
சங்கணி கொங்கை வடங்கள் துலங்கிட (மலை)
மின்ன
லெனுமிடையாளன்ன மெனும் நடையாள்
மென்கையிலங்கிய
கங்கண வோசை
கலின் கலினென்று
குலுங்க நலங் கொடு
(மலை(
அங்கங் கலிங்கம் வங்கம் கொங்கஞ் சிங்கந்தெலுங்கம்
அஷ்டதிசை கண் முதலிஷ்ட முடன் விருது
கட்டிடுங்குறிவிண்டு சட்டஞ்செலுத்திக் கொண்டு
(மலை(
வாணர்க் கருளுங்கலை
வாணி கேள்வன் முதலாய்
வர்த்தனையுடனனு நித்தமுந்து திசெயுங்
கர்த்தனழகன்
பதஞ்சித்த மதிள் பதித்து
(மலை(
Lyrics in Roman script
pallavi
malaik kuRava~nji vandALE mAyavan sOlai (malai)
anupallavi
malaik kuRava~nji vandAL talat tiladi mOhanvalli tanakku kuRi sollum vallamaiyuLLa (malai)
caraNams
pAlanaiya mozhiyAL sElanaiya vizhiyAL
malaik kuRava~nji vandALE mAyavan sOlai (malai)
anupallavi
malaik kuRava~nji vandAL talat tiladi mOhanvalli tanakku kuRi sollum vallamaiyuLLa (malai)
caraNams
pAlanaiya mozhiyAL sElanaiya vizhiyAL
pai#ngaLa pa#n kaLila#nga aNindezhu
sa#ngaNi ko#ngai vaDa#ngaL tula#ngiDa (malai)
sa#ngaNi ko#ngai vaDa#ngaL tula#ngiDa (malai)
minna lenumiDaiyALanna menum naDaiyAL
menkaiyila#ngiya ka#ngaNa vOsai
kalin kalinenRu kulu#nga nala#n koDu (malai)
a#nga#n kali#ngam va#ngam ko#nga~n
si#ngandelu#ngam
ashTadisai kaN mudalishTa muDan virudu
kaTTiDu#nguRiviNDu saTTa~njeluttik koNDu
(malai)
vANark karuLu#ngalai vANi kELvan mudalAy
varttanaiyuDananu nittamundu tiseyu#n
karttanazhagan pada~njitta madiL padittu (malai)
Meaning:
Pallavi: The
mountain gypsy came from the orchard surrounding the hills of the lord.
Anupallavi: The gypsy
came with the power of telling the personal fortune of our damsel, Mohanavalli.
CaraNam 1: She has a
silky smooth voice. Her eyes are sharp as a spear. She wears shiny necklaces
which dangle on her breasts.
CaraNam 2: She
has a lightning-thin waist. Her gait resembles that of a swan. The bangles she
wears on her slender wrists make a soft jingling sound.
CaraNam 3: She has
traveled widely in the region to different lands in various directions. She won
awards for her expertise in fortune-telling.
CaraNam 4: She comes
from the place where Brahma (consort of goddess Saraswati) prays to the lord of
the azhagar hills.
The gypsy predicts the future for MOhanavalli in the following song.
ராகம் ஸஹானா (SahAnA) - தாளம் சாபு (cApu)
பல்லவி
வந்துசேருவார் மானே இனியொன்றுக்கும் மலையாதே நீதானே (வந்து)
அனுபல்லவி
கந்தன்மாமனாகிய சுந்தரராஜ னென்னும்
கந்தன்மாமனாகிய சுந்தரராஜ னென்னும்
கங்கைமலைவளர் துங்கவழகர்
சுகங்கள் தரவே இணங்கி யுனிடத்தில் (வந்து)
சரணங்கள்
குருமொழியென நெஞ்சிற் கருதுவாயென்றன்
சொல்லைக்
குறிகுணங் கண்டேனுனக் கொருபோதுங் குறைவில்லை
வரவுபலன் சொலிக் கெவுளி படிக்கிது வாமபாகத்தில் தோளுந்
துடிக்கிது
வரிசங்க நாதமு மணியுமடிக்கிது மருவமகிழ்வுடனிரவ லுனதிடம் (வந்து)
வில்மதன்விடுகணைச் சல்லையானதுந் தீரும்
மிகவுமுன்க்ரஹத்தினிற் சகல நிதியுஞ்சேரும்
தொல்புவியிலுனக் கிணையதாரடி
சுகமுடனேமன மகிழ்ந்து தேரடி
நல்வசனமென்சொ லறிந்து பாரடி
நறுளந்துளபந்துன்னத்திரு மகடமின்ன (வந்து)
மகதபோதனர்தொழு மாலழகரை நீயே மதியோடணைந்து
செல்வர் பதினாறும் பெறுவாயே சுககளபம் பூசி மலர்கள்
முடித்துக்கொள் துதிகவிகுஞ்சரம் பதங்கள் படித்துக்கொள் தகுபரதநட முவந்து
நடித்துக்கொள் தாட்சியினியென்ன காட்சி முகிலென்ன
(வந்து)
Lyrics in Roman script
pallavi
vandusEruvAr
mAnE iniyonRukkum malaiyAdE nItAnE (vandu)
anuballavi
kandanmAmanAgiya sundararAja nennum ga#ngaimalai vaLar tu#nga vazhagar suga#ngaL taravE iNa#ngi yuniDattil (vandu)
kandanmAmanAgiya sundararAja nennum ga#ngaimalai vaLar tu#nga vazhagar suga#ngaL taravE iNa#ngi yuniDattil (vandu)
CaraNams
gurumozhiyena ne~njiR
karuduvAyenRan sollaik
kuRiguNa#n kaNDEnunak
korupOdu#n kuRaivillai
varavupalan solik kevuLi
paDikkidu vAmabAgattil tOLun tuDikkidu
varisa#nga nAdamu
maNiyumaDikkidumaruvamagizhvuDanirava lunadiDam
(vandu)
vilmadanviDu
kaNaic callaiyAnadun tIrum
migavumun
grahattiniR sagala nidiyu~njErum tolpuviyilunak kiNaiyadAraDi sugamuDanEmana magizhndu tEraDi
nalvasanamenso laRindu pAraDi naRuLan tuLabandunnattiru magaDaminna
(vandu)
magadabOdanar
tozhu mAlazhagarai nIyE madiyODaNaindu
selvar padinARum peRuvAyE suga
kaLabam pUsi malargaL
muDittukkoL tudi
kaviku~njaram pada#ngaL paDittukkoL tagubaratanaDa muvandu
naDittukkoL dATci yiniyenna kATci
mugilenna
(vandu)
Meaning:
This
is what the gypsy woman tells our heroine.
Pallavi: Oh, sweet lady, the lord
will come to you. Do not despair.
Anupallavi: The handsome lord
Sundararajan, uncle of Kandan, who dwells on the Ganga hills, will join you to
make you happy.
CaraNam1: Please listen to my words as though they are
uttered by your teacher. I see you have a resplendent future. The lizard
(carried by the gypsy in a box) analyzes the good and the bad (and indicates it
by its tone). My left shoulder sputters (good omen indeed). The sound of conch
is heard. The lord will come to you to make you happy.
CaraNam2: The arrows that Cupid aims at you will cease.
You will accumulate wealth. There is nobody equal to you on this earth. Take heart!
Accept my words as good tidings. The lord wearing the basil garland will come
to you.
CaraNam3: You will get united with the lord MAlazhagar
and attain prosperity. Wear fragrant creams and flowers. Recite songs of Kavi
Kunjaram (the composer’s mudra is given here). Learn to dance. Do not delay. He
will come forthwith like a cloud.
Commentary: The songs follow a routine
pattern. The maiden falls in love with the lord and wonders if her love will be
reciprocated. Her friend gives her encouragement. Along comes a gypsy who is
well-versed in reading the palm and predicting the future. Our maiden is
curious. She stretches out her palm. Invariably the gypsy predicts good tidings
(harmless prediction). In return she gets presents. Everything is well that
ends well.
Audio/Video clips links are given below
For vocal rendition of the two songs visit
13:28 to 18:03 malaik kuRavanchi song. 18:05 to 25:46 vandu sEruvAr mAnE song
For a bharathanATyam
performance of azhagar kuRavanchi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N_LC5YLDak (abridged
version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqIhUCU9iQQ
(shorter version)
Smitha Madhav’s
production
Composer’s
Bio: Kavi Kunjara BhArati (1810-1896) was born in the village
Perungarai in RAmanAthapuram district in ThamizhnADu. As a child he showed deep
interest in poetry and music. He studied Sanskrit and Thamizh. From early on he
used to compose songs. The king of Sivaganga (Gowri Vallabha) conferred the
title “kavi kunjaram” (majestic poet---kunjaram is an
honorific which literally means elephant). The family deity was KodumAlUr
Murugan. He wrote several songs on Murugan and a full-length opera “azhagar
kuRavanchi” with the lord of tirumAlirunchOlai (near Madurai) as the hero who is
called “azhagar” (meaning handsome person). For a full biography of the
composer visit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavi_Kunjara_Bharati
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavi_Kunjara_Bharati
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