From Chapter I Playback
"The year 1965 is noteworthy for another
reason. This was an year in which Yesudas had sung
some of his best songs that took him to dizzying
heights of popularity. His super hits during the
year included ‘Alliyambal Kadavilannarakku
Vellom’ from the film ‘Rosy,’ ‘Manikyaveenayumayen’
from the film ‘Kattupookkal,’
‘Shankhupushpam Kannezhuthumbol’ and
‘Swarnathamarayithalil’ from the film ‘Sakunthala,’
‘Vellichilangayaninjum Kondoru Pennu’ from the
film ‘Kattuthulasi,’ ‘Swararaga Roopini Saraswathy’ and
‘Swapnangal, Swapnangale Ningal’ from the film ‘Kavyamela’
and ‘Karayunno Puzha Chirikkunno’ from the film ‘Murappennu.’
Though K V Job had entered Malayalam cinema as a music
director through the film ‘Oral Koodi Kallanayi,(1964) it
was the movie ‘Rosy’(1965), directed by P N Menon,
that marked out his calibre as a music composer par
excellence. The film was a trendsetter as it had a
distinctive kind of music, almost never heard in
Malayalam cinema earlier. ‘Kannilenthanu, Karalillenthanu’
sung by the hero and heroine in a question and answer
form was sung by K P Udayabhanu and L R Eswari.
Yesudas’s super hit number ‘Alliyambal Kadavilannarakku
Vellom,’ ‘Velukkumbol Puzhayoru’ (A P Komala),
‘Chalakkudipuzhayil’ (L R Eswari) and ‘Engilo Pandu’
sung by P Leela had become very popular in Kerala.
‘Alliyambal Kadavilannarakku Vellom’ had in fact become
a lasting symbol of evergreen songs from the past. Beautiful
lyrics that conjured up feelings of nostalgia and of tender
childhood love, good music and excellent singing by Yesudas
made it one of the all time greats in Malayalam film music.
The song has a story to tell. It was K P Udayabhanu who
was selected to sing that song. However, he could not do
it on that day as he fell ill and the producers,Vrindavan
Pictures, postponed the recording by a day. When
Udayabhanu could not come even on that day,
it was agreed,on his suggestion, to give the chance to
K J Yesudas, an up and coming singer then. And the song
became an all time hit.
The rest, it is said, is history.
__________________________________________
From Chapter IV Singers:
Kozhikode Abdul Khader
(Film: Navalokam, 1951)
Kozhikode Abdul Khader occupies a pride
of place among the playback singers in Malayalam
because of his distinctive voice and singing style.
One of the titans in the playback world in its
initial years, Abdul Khader was, to the music
composers, talent and dedication personified.
Born in 1916 in a Christian family, Leslie
Andrews, as he was known before his conversion
to Islam, used to sing in church choirs, a tradition
he imbibed from his father J S Andrews. His
conversion took place while he was in
Burma and he assumed the name of Abdul Khader.
It was music director V Dakshinamoorthy who first
noticed the singing talent of Abdul Khader. While
directing music for the 1951 film ‘Navalokam,’ with
lyrics by P Bhaskaran, Dakshinamoorthy chose Abdul
Khader to render three songs. All of them turned
out to be popular, especially his first song, ‘Thankakinakal
Hridaye Veeshum Vananthachandrikayaro Nee,’ a
song modelled after Hindi tunes and composed in Atmadeep
ragam and Eka thalam. ‘Navalokam’ was a great entry for
Abdul Khader, an expert in Ghazal and Qawwali style singing
whom friends described as ‘Malabar Saigal.’ Its success led
to a spate of offers to him. Music director M S Baburaj
was among those who fullyexploited his potential.Among
the many songs for which he was famous was ‘Engine
Nee Marakkum Kuyile’ from the film ‘Neelakkuyil ,’
one of the most popular songs in Malayalam. ‘Hey Kaliyodame’
from ‘Thiramala’ (1953), ‘Nakshathra Kannukalayiram’
from the film ‘Manikya Kottaram’(1966), ‘Ithranal’
from ‘Minnaminungu’ were among the other popular
songs he had rendered.
Abdul Khader had six children from his
first marriage to Achumma. Later, he married actress
Santha Devi and had two children from this marriage.
___________________
From Chapter IV Singers
P B Sreenivos
(Prathivadi Bhayangaram Sreenivos)
(Film: Puthradharmam, 1954)
There is perhaps no south Indian who has
not heard the evergreen love song ‘Kalangalil Aval
Vasantham.’ The super hit melody from Bhim
Singh’s classic film ‘Paava Mannippu’ (1961) has
a love lorn youth in a highly romantic mood
giving one of the best descriptions ever of his lady
love: he compares her to Spring among the
seasons, Painting among the arts, Markazhi
among the months, Jasmine among the flowers.
The song, written by Kannadasan, is immortalized
by P B Sreenivos, a living legend in south Indian
playback music whose distinctive voice and inimitable
singing style have endeared him to millions of music
lovers everywhere.
It is interesting to note that this great Telugu who sings in
Tamil and other south Indian languages had made his
debut in playback singing with a Hindi song. PBS, as he
is known, was born in September 1930 to Phaneendra
Swamy and Seshagiri Ammal of Kakinada in coastal Andhra
Pradesh. After his graduation in commerce, he left for
Chennai to see if he could pursue a career in music in
which he was proficient. A family friend, who was head
of the music division of the Gemini Studios,realized his
potential and called him to the studios. Gemini at that time
was in the process of making a Hindi remake of a Tamil
Movie, ‘Miss Malini,’ based on the novel ‘Mr Sampath’
by R K Narayan. Sreenivos was chosen to sing in the
Hindi version, titled ‘Mr Sampath,’ although only in
chorus. His first song is considered to be ‘Jagah Nahim
Jagah Nahim Itni Lambi Choudi Duniya Phir’ sung with Geeta
Dutt and others. The lyrics were by Pandit Indra and music
by Balakrishna Kalla. Motilal and Padmini were the lead actors.
‘Jathakam,’ a Tamil film produced by Kannada actor-director
R Nagendra Rao under his banner ‘RNR Pictures’ in 1953 was
the first film in which Sreenivos had sung a solo. The song
was ‘Chinthanai En Selvame.’
The lyrics were by T K Sundara Vadhyar and music composed by R
Govardhanam in the film having T K Balachandran and Sooryakala
in the lead. Another song by him, ‘Moodanambikkayale,’ from the
movie also became super hit. After these two songs he became
very popular and began to get more offers. The early films that
established his reputation included ‘Premapasam’ (1956),
‘Samayasanjeevi’ (1957),’Raja Malayasimhan’ (1959)
‘Makkalepetta Maharasi’(1957)’ and Magdalana Mary’ (1957).
In 1959 he sang for the first time for Gemini Ganesan.
The song was ‘Inpam Ponkum Vennila Veesuthe,’ a duet with
P Susheela from the movie ‘Veera Pandya
Katta Bomman’. PBS soon became the singing voice of ‘Kathal
Mannan.’ Till then most of Gemini Ganesan songs were
sung by A M Rajah. ‘Malare Ennidam Nerunkathe’ (Ramu),
‘Kalangalil Aval Vasantham’(Paava Mannippu), ‘Kathal
Nilave’(Hello Mr Zamindar), ‘Kan Padume’(Kathirunna
Kankal), ‘Yaar Yaar Yaar’ (Pasamalar), ‘Nethru Varai
Nee Yaro’ (Vazhkai Padagu) are among the sweet melodies
sung by PBS for the ‘Kathal Mannan.’
PBS also had sung some songs for Sivaji Ganesan
and M G Ramachandran but he was predominantly
identified with Gemini Ganesan. In the same way he
was considered as the singing voice of Rajkumar in
Kannada films. In about 180films he had sung for
Rajkumar. Though he did not have any structured
learning of classical music, PBS was credited with
evolving a new raga named ‘Navaneeta Suma Sudha.’
PBS came to Malayalam cinema through
‘Puthradharmam’ (1954). One of his most famous songs
in Malayalam is ‘Mamalakalappurathu Marathaka Pattuduthu,
Malayalamennoru Naadundu, Kochu Malayalam Ennoru
Naadundu’from the film ‘Ninamaninja Kalpadukal.’
His popular Malayalam films include ‘Harischandra’
(1955), ‘CID’ (1955),‘Minnunathellam Ponnalla’ (1957),
‘Nadodikal’ (1959), ‘Ninamaninja Kalpadukal’ and
popular songs ‘Mahal Thyagame’ (Harischandra),
‘Kadha Parayamen’ (Umma), ‘Pavana
Bharatha’ (Seetha), ‘Mannavanayalaum’ (Sathyabhama),
‘Iniyoru Jananamundo’ (Rebecca), ‘Baliyalla Namukku
Vendathau Baliyalla (Rabecca),‘Yathrakkara Povuka
Povuka’ (Ayesha),‘Geethe Hridayasakhi’ (Poochakanni),
‘Inakkuyile, Inakkuyile’ (Kattuthulasi) etc.
PBS had also sung a duet with Lata Mangeshkar
in a Hindi movie ‘Mein Bhi Ladki Hoon.’ The song
was ‘Chanda Se Hoga Woh Pyara.’ The music was by
Chithragupta.
_________________________________
From Chapter II Lyricists
ONV Kurup
(Film: Kalam Marunnu, 1955)
Even five decades after the release of the
film ‘Kalam Marunnu,’ a duet sung by KPAC
Sulochana and K S George, ‘Aa Malar Poikayil,’
remains fresh in the minds of music- lovers.
Produced by Kailas pictures, ‘Kalam Marunnu’
was in a way a path-breaking film as it marked
the debut of five great personalities in the
Malayalam film industry: ONV Kurup as lyricist,
G Devarajan as music director and KPAC
Sulochana, K S George, and Lalitha Thampy as
playback singers.ONV was writing the final year
examination of his Malayalam M A course
when Devarajan met him with the suggestion that
they meet the producer of the film ‘Kalam Marunnu.’
The duo agreed to do the lyrics and music respectively
for the film but later withdrew from it when they heard
that two songs had already/been done by the
Thirunainarkurichy-Brother Lakshmanan team and sung
by C K Revamma. But they were prevailed upon by
the producer and others to do the rest of
the songs. ‘Aa Malarpoikayil’ (KPAC Sulochana),
‘Ambili Muthachan’(Lalitha Thampy), ‘Elalelo Puncha
Vayail’ (K S George and Chorus)
and ‘Povano Povano’ (Kamukara Purushothaman
and Santha P Nair) were among the songs in the film
written and composed by ONV- Devarajan combo.
Though ‘Kalam Marannu’ was not a hit at the
box office, its songs withstood the test of time. And it heralded
the entry of a very durable and successful lyricist music
director combination in Malayalam cinema, that of ONV
Kurup and G Devarajan.It was ONV’s immensely popular
drama song ‘Ponnarivalambiliyil’ that attracted Devarajan
to him for the first time. In fact the song was not
originally written for the stage. It was written on the
lines of ‘Kurathippattu,’ a folk type song, and was first
published in the weekly edition of ‘Keralam’ which was
under the editorship of the late Vaikom Chandrasekharan
Nair. Subsequently it was included in an anthology
of poems by ONV. When Devarajan read the poem, he
immensely liked it and set it to music.
It was later included as a song in the KPAC
drama ‘Ningalenne Communistakki.’ After ‘Kalam
Marunnu’ ONV had to wait till 1965 to pen lyrics
for another film. He attributed this to his work
as a Professor of Malayalam in the University
College, Thiruvananthapuram. When Merryland’s
Subramaniam called him once and asked him to
write lyrics for his next film, ONV, being in government
service, did not want to do so in his name. So he opted for a
pen name, ‘Balamurali.’ That was how ONV and
Devarajan came together for the second time for the
film ‘Kaliyodam’ (1965).
Since then their successful partnership had a string
of hits like ‘Kattupookkal,’ ‘Kumarasambhavam’ etc
adding a great deal to the box office success of the films.
It was in 1973 that ONV teamed up with Salil Chaudhury,
the veteran music director, for the first time. They came
together in ‘Swapnam,’ which became a super hit.
Until the late 1980s, the duo had brought out some
of the most memorable songs in Malayalam cinema.
In a career spanning five decades ONV has written
countless songs, many of them evergreen hits, for the
theatre and the cinema apart from the many songs he
wrote in the genre of light music. It will be difficult to make
a selection of his memorable songs, as a good part of his
lyrical outpourings has found a permanent niche
in the minds of Malayalee listeners. An incomplete
list of the popular ONV songs will include such gems
as ‘Thunjanparampile Thathe,’ ‘Ambili Ammava,’
‘Chillimulamkadukalil,’ ‘Mampookkal Potti Virinju’
(Mudiyanaya Puthran),‘Ponnarivalampiliyil,’
‘Neelakkuruvi Neelakkuruvi,’ ‘Innale Nattoru
Njarukalallo,’‘Deepangal Mangi,’ Neram Mangia
Nerathu,’ ‘Vellaram Kunnile Ponmulam Kattile’
(Ningalenne Communistakki), ‘Palkudam
Okkathenthi Konde’(Puthiya Akasham Puthiya
Bhoomi), ‘Oru Vattam Koodi’ (Chillu),
‘Manikyaveenayumayen’(Kattupookkal),
‘Varthingal Thoniyeri’ (Karuna),
‘Enthinee Chilankakal’ (Karuna),‘Sathyam
Sivam, Sundaram’(Kumarasambhavam),
‘Sandhye Kanneerithenthe Sandhye’
(Madanotsavam), ‘Nee Mayum Nilavo’ (Madanotsavam),
Mathalappoopoloru’ (Swapnam), ‘Sourayoodhathil
Vidarnnoru’ (Swapnam) and ‘Oremakale Kaivala
Charthi(Pratheeksha).ONV was born as the
son of O N Krishna Kurup and K Lakshmikutty
Amma on May 27 in 1931. He took his B A
(Economics) and Masters degrees in Mala
yalam. He had served as a lecturer in 1957 in the
Maharajas College at Ernakulam and from 1958
onwards, for a period of 25 years,
in the University College at Thiruvananthapuram.
He had also worked as Head of the Department of
Malayalam in the Brennen College,
Tellicherry, and Women’s College,
Thiruvananthapuram.
He is the recipient of several awards and honours
including awards from the Kerala Sahitya Akademi
and the Central Sahitya Akademi, the Soviet Land
Nehru Award, the Vayalar Award, the Ulloor Award
and the Odakkuzhal Award. He also
received the Kerala State Award for the best
lyricist twelve times and the national award once.
He is married to P P Sarojini and has two children.
His son Rajeevan and grand-daughter Aparna
are also up and coming singers.
____________________________________
THE BOOK RELEASE FUNCTION
The Playback in Malayalam Cinema was
released at a colourful function at the Tagore
Theatre,Thiruvananthapuram, on May 7, 2008.
Kerala Miniaster for Cultural Affairs M A Baby formally
released the book by handing over a copy to M K Kamalam,
the first singer in Malayalam cinema. She was the lead singer
as well the heroine of the first Malayalam film with sound
track, Balan (1938).
Former Vice Chancellor of Kerala University Dr G
Balamohan Thampi presided over the function and
K Jayakumar,IAS, Soorya Krishnamoorthy and
G N Paniker offered felicitations. The function was followed by
a musical evening.The impressive line up
included leading playback singers of the past like
Lalitha Thampi, C S Radha Devi, K R Radha and Padmini
Warrier, well known playback singers Arundhati,Lathika,
and Ragesh Brahmanandan, and several new talents.
________________________________________
KERALA COAST: A BYWAY IN HISTORY
by Dr V Sankaran Nair
_______________________________
Foreword
by Dr G Balamohan Thampi,
Former Vice Chancellor of Kerala University
Recent researches in South Asian history have yielded
plentiful results that throw fresh light on the maritime
trade between South India and the rest of the world. In
his recent book in Malayalam, Nellum Samskritiyum,
Dr V. Sankaran Nair has marshalled convincing evidence
to buttress his thesis that the southernmost tip of India
was the birthplace of rice cultivat ion. What distinguishes
Dr Nair’s research from that of the conventional historian
is the liberal use he makes of etymology. Ruling out the
belief in "pure" civilizations unpolluted by contacts with
other nations, Dr Nair advocates a doctrine of mutual
influences brought about by commercial transactions
and mass migrations. But, the use of etymology is
not without its own risk. Origins of many words
are buried deep under many layers of phonetic
and semantic transformations. Even the most
painstaking and fastidious lexicographers are
forced to admit inability to go to the roots of some
words. Further, in the case of Sanskrit, which
instituted a separate discipline called nirukta,
a vedanga (a limb of the veda), a couple of
millennia before Christ, quite a number of words
have fanciful etymologies. However, the use of
etymology in combination with the other disciplines
like archeology, inscriptions, written documents, etc.,
can play a confirmatory role in historical research.
Sometimes it may break new ground.
For example, Dr Nair derives the word "Carrack,"
from the Dravidian word "Charakku" which means
goods, commodity,consignment of merchandise and
also, interestingly, "a voluptuous attractive woman."
Some dictionaries trace the origin of this word to
Arabic. Some others trace it to Latin, with
their confession of uncertainty. Shakespeare had
not heard aboutMalayalam or Tamil though he
knew of the dark–haired Indian
beauties (Bassanio on Portia in the Merchant of
Venice). "Carrack" appears in the Comedy of
Errors and Othello in the sense of a
galleon with the added connotation of a woman
of easy virtue. Pleasure got associated with this
merchant ship probably because the merchant
was excited at the arrival of his ship laden with apes
and ivory and peacock, above all with gold.
The added connotation of ‘voluptuous’ woman
attached itself to the word probably because
the sailors could buy her services at any port as
they could buy commodities. One can also
speculate that the sight of the round-bottomed
galleon set off memories of ‘voluptuous’
commodities in sailors with uncommonly erotic
imagination.
Dr Nair argues that the biblical Ophir, which is
variously located by scholars in Southern Arabia,
Somalia, Nigeria and even Goa, must have been in Kerala.
Ships carried apes, peacocks, ivory and gold from the
western coast. King Solomon used this gold to beautify
his palaces and, possibly, also his nine hundred wives.
Dr Nair refers several times in his book to Phoenician
traders who bought spices and other goods from
Kerala and sold them to the Greeks. We should not
be surprised to learn that some words also,
along with the spices, travelled from Kerala/
Tamilnadu to the Mediterranean settlements. An
example is the Tamil word arisi
which became oryza in Greek and Latin, riso in
Italian and rice in English.
This raises a fundamental question regarding the
contribution of the non-European nations to the
formation of the western civilization.
Artifactual evidence supported by reliable
etymology can certainly light up some dark corners
of ancient history. This is related to the
question of the historical construct called
"western civilization." Napoleon once said: What
is history, but a fable agreed upon?
As in the history of science, paradigm shifts
play a significant role;each generation has to rewrite
history to win general agreement.
Contemporary historians challenge the basic
assumptions regarding the provenance and
legitimacy of the construct called western
civilization. For example, in his influential book
the Black Athena: the Afro Asiatic Roots of Classical
Civilization, Martin Bernal challenges the traditional
Europe-centrist historians who postulate Greece as the
only foundation of western civilization. He wants us to
examine the historical implications of the linguistic
fact that Greek has a good number of words of non-Indo
European origin. Bernal establishes that the German
academic discipline of Altertumwissenschaft – taken
over by the English as "classics" which was primarily
responsible for the skewed notion of a pristine Greece,
almost like swayambhu, "elevated Western
Man to humanity’s pinnacle." Despite the controversies
some of his etymological speculations will inevitably
provoke, Dr Nair’s researches definitely contribute
to an alternative vision of our distant past.
_______________________________________
PREFACE
Something done in a perfunctory manner without
sincerity is called chadangu, a formality. It means
convention, practice, customary rite, method of
procedure, etc., a traditional or time-old usage,
behaviour, an established rule of conduct, custom,
and practice, also called aachaaram. Paying back the
dowry, as the step to divorce according to custom or
aachaaram is known as aachaaram theerkkuka. A
feast in connection with a ceremony like marriage
is adiyanthiram. Also called chadangu or kettukalyanam,
it is the procedure followed in performing a (religious)
ceremony or rite.
Of the major forms of marriage that existed among
several communities in Kerala, kettukalyanam is
the most popular and the most curious. In this mock
marriage ceremony, held till a century ago, the thaali
tying rite was performed before the onset of puberty.
Gundert has noted a ceremony called chadangu kazhikka,
performed with a girl of 7-10 years, to make her fit for
marriage. Chadangu kalyanam/ taalikettukalyanam,
intended to make the girl suitable for marriage, was
held with pomp and feasting. Arrangement or
engagement is erppadu. But later this erppadu
became an outdated one and was destined to end.
The concept of passage ceremonies practised in
southern Travancore and north Malabar differed.
the difference surfaced in a discussion on the subject
held a few years ago. I cherish the hot debate that
spurred me to collect materials from the Kerala
University Library and Public Library, in Trivandrum.
K. Ratnabhayi Amma (1917-2007), Varyan Vila
Puthen Veedu, Keralapuram and P. Padmanabhan
Thampi (1905-2005), Melae Veedu, Pathara, were
eye witnesses to the kettukalyanam ritual, in their
infancy. My discussion with them besides a few
others enabled me to chronicle the southern practice.
Publication of two papers on water-based rituals and
kindi, the spouted water container, earned me an
invitation from the UNESCO to contribute a chapter
on ‘Water and the Sacred Practice’, for its forthcoming
volume on "Water."
Subsequently, the Google search engine, a
world wonder of modern times, helped me to
have access to relevant documents worldwide
that established the globe trotting of kindi and
the culture that it represented.
By then, I had to divert my attention to another
theme related to the origin of cultivation of rice.
This being an etymological exercise, I had to build
up the story from Malayalam, Tamil and Sanskrit
words, most of which had become extinct. As such,
I felt inclined to write in Malayalam and to render
the same in English later. But my bitter experiences
in finding a publisher in Malayalam, followed by the
timely advice from my well-wishers, emboldened me
to write the present book in English. Once I
entrusted my manuscript on rice, complete in all
respects, to the Bhasha Institute, for publication,
I resumed my work again to complete the rest of
the chapters.
It may appear to some that the discussion seems
to break off suddenly from a train of thought and
pursue another course. It seems to fly off at a
tangent when it concentrated on kindi. The
discussion on kindi began to fly off to kendi and
subsequently to cerek (charrack); all the three
are the same artifact, attaining different names
on reaching distant shores. The tangential effect
is accidental and the discussion takes one from
the roots to the branches of a banyan-like cultural
tree. The chance finding that the kindi was
ubiquitous, and was spread throughout the world,
added new dimensions to the investigation of the
smooth, uninterrupted glide of the word from
one tone to another, from kindi (spelled kendi
outside India), and then to the word charrack.
Behind every creative work, there will be
encouragement of the people who happen to be
in the immediate vicinity. In this respect I
gratefully acknowledge the friendly assistance
and guidance rendered to me by Dr G.B. Mohan
Thampi, Dr. K.N. Panikkar, Dr M.P. Sreekumaran
Nayar, Prof. V.K. Moothathu and Dr Hema for their
valuable suggestions and constructive criticism. My
indebtedness to Dr G. B. Mohan Thampi is great, for
his consistent encouragement given to me while
carrying out research and finally for contributing a
foreword to this book. Smt. N.B.Vanaja Kumari and
Smt. Parvathy Menon helped me in preparing the
index.It is noteworthy to mention the help rendered
by my wife Kamala and my son Nanda Gopal Sankaran,
during the process of preparation of the manuscript.
Finally, I thank the F o l I o publishers for the neat
and prompt production of the book.
V. Sankaran Nair,
Ambuja, Peroorkada,
Indiranagar Road,
Thiruvananthapuram- 695005.
From the Foreword by Dr K J Yesudas 
