Blend of the old and new

FOR THE grown-ups in the hall it was a nostalgic sojourn. For the youth, an ecstatic time for gybe and jolliness. A. V. Ramanan's Musiano has the knack of cutting across all barriers of language and age and appealing to the young and old alike. So it was at the Music Academy the other evening, where he performed for a small but discerning audience.

A fund raising programme presented by Athipet Small Scale Industries Association and Arul Arts Academy, the card said. But what mattered was A. V. Ramanan performing with the same agility, verve and vigour that he has been displaying for three decades and more.

The typical Ramanan brand of humour laced with cynicism that at times bordered on frustration, and disappointment at the low audience turn-out that came out as philosophical outpourings, were all there - along with some entertaining numbers that made one relax and enjoy the evening.

The choice of songs showed the man's experience and ingenuity. It was a blend of the new and the old, the sentimental and the romantic and the fast and the slow - all these with a touch of Telugu and Malayalam, a bit of Hindi and a sumptuous feast of Tamil numbers.

Uma ushered in the right mood with the invocation piece, followed by her ever-popular number from ``Panneer Pushpangal'' - ``Ananda ragam..''. She was the one who had sung it for the film too. Here is a singer with a scintillating voice whose songs under the direction of greats like Ilaiyaraja have almost always been hits. Yet she seems to be still waiting in the wings to take-off in a big way.

When Ramanan first introduced Uma on stage as a new singer in his troupe more than two decades ago, draped in a plain orange saree, she looked completely calm, composed and confident. The poise has been the same over the years and that's how it was that evening too. In fact, her quiet and sedate stage presence has always been a perfect foil for the garrulous Ramanan.

Krishnamurthy, a permanent member of Musiano, sang another all- time favourite ``Neerodum Vaigaiyilae...'', with Uma. The melodious whistle in the background, so excellently done by `Mandolin' Raju in the original, came alive again through the whistling of Ramanan - the bit earned special applause for him and also kindled thoughts of Sivaji Ganesan, who had acted for the number. (The film ``Paar Magalae Paar''.)

Musiano seems to serve as a springboard to fame for many aspirants in the field. New entrant Sivakumar, who was spotted by Ramanan in the `Saptaswarangal' show on TV, rendered the award winning number from ``Kandukondain... Kandukondain...'', ``Sandhana Thendralai...'' with gusto.

Whether it was ``Chinna Kannan Azhaikkiraan...'' sung by Balamuralikrishna in ``Kavikuyil'' or Kishore Kumar's ``Kora Kagaz tha'' (``Aradhana'') or ``Zindagi Ek Safar...'' (Andaz), Ramanan did not merely imitate the original - in fact they all came with a Ramanan touch. And it was not just the famous yesteryear lines that he indulged in. He was also able to deliver the goods in the new numbers - like the one from ``Minnalae'' - ``Venmadhi...Venmadhiyae Nillu...'' which he presented with Sivakumar.

The enthusiasm of the Malayali woman next to you was almost contagious as she clapped her hands in glee, when Ramanan and Uma began Salil Chowdry's reverberating Malayalam composition, ``Kiliyae...Kilikiliyae...''.

Foot-tapping numbers such as ``Mithuva...'' (``Lagaan'') and Mukesh's immortal ``Mera Jhootha hai....'' were rapturously received.

Krishnamurthy's ``Engae Nimmadhi'' transported you to Sivaji Ganesan's heyday yet again. Only the voice turned off-key at a couple of points.

Vignesh Ramanan on the keyboard seemed to enjoy his job as he went on to provide accompaniment with energy and enthusiasm particularly for songs like ``Enjirungo...'' (``Thenali''). The percussion group was also another strong point of Musiano. Each tried to excel the other and the result was an aural treat.

As Ramanan rightly put it, all these songs can be procured and listened to at home on the cassette or CD player. But when you listened to them live and when they came with spirit and life (``jeevan'' as he called it), the effort undoubtedly made a difference. Probably therein lies the sustained success of A. V. Ramanan and his Musiano.

MALATHI RANGARAJAN

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