We find universal themes in several Telugu film songs. The purpose of this blog is to present an English paraphrase to such Telugu film songs. Telugu is a classical language with rich literature. The words and idioms of Telugu are almost untranslatable. Readers of other languages who enjoy the melody in Telugu film songs can also have a glimpse into the meaning of these songs. Readers can offer alternative versions and improved paraphrases.
Ommm...
The eternal Veda —the primordial vibration of life, has come into being
—in the form of a thought in the mind of the Creator
—the One who authors the fate of all!
The life currents in the nerves
received stimulation from Ommm...
—the primeval vibration—the sacred syllable!
The entire repertoire of the Universal Form
has reflected in the pond of my vision
seen through my eyes!
The reverberations in the depths of my heart
are the vibrations of the song
emanating from the Creator
from his divine veena!
I wish to sing of this sacred syllable…
The song that I sing is the song of life—
is the essence of Sama Veda!
A song full of the emotion
abounding with musical notes
gaining momentum to turn into a flow of divine nectar!
I transformed myself
into the Creator to compose this muse!
into the divine veena to play this song!
I play this song on the veena in the East
merging vibrations from the flame
emanating from the rays
of the Maker of the Day—the rising Sun!
Like an awakened bird freely flying over
the arena offered by the blue sky!
While the chirping sounds of birds
choose the momentum of this song—
it marks the beginning of the world, and the affairs of this Universe!
I transformed myself
into the Creator to compose this muse!
into the divine veena to play this song!
This wave of vibrations sounds in the voice of every infant born!
The meditation of the mridungam of the heart
is heard in the sounds of awareness of heightened stimulation!
It is the raga eternal…
the first measure of musical time…
the infinite flow of life …
the ongoing direction of Creation!
My inhalation is muse!My exhilaration is music!
full of the emotion and abounding with musical notes
a flow of divine nectar!
This is the song of my life!
The song that I sing is the song of life—
is the essence of Sama Veda!
A song full of the emotion
abounding with musical notes
gaining momentum to become a flow of divine nectar!
This write-up is based on the song “Virinchinai virachinchithini…” from the Telugu movie Sirivennela (1986) featuring Suhasini and Sarvadaman Banerjee. This song was written by Sirivennela Seetharama Sasthri and set to music by K.V.Mahadevan. The song was rendered by S.P.Balasubrahmanyam and P.Suseela. This movie was directed by K.Viswanath.
An article on S.Rajeswara Rao from The Hindu, Friday March 12, 1993 By M.L.Narasimham
Remember Chandraleka, a magnum opus even by today's standards and its famous drum dance and the music that enriched it. The creator of that enchanting music was none other than this year's Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram's Kalaimaamani award winner, Saluri Rajeswara Rao, a pioneer of light music in South Indian films.
"It took us one year to compose music for Chandralekha. Much of the time was taken for the drum dance sequence. As the dancers performed, we used to rehearse and compose the music. It was done with incredibly few instruments. We used a piano, ten double bass violins and drums from Africa, Egypt, and Persia which we have acquired from an African War troupe." reminisces Rajeswara Rao, who will be completing six decades of film career next year.
His tryst with cinema came unexpectedly in the form of a talent-scouting Huchins Recording Company to his native Vizianagaram in 1934. A child prodigy, he could identify the ragas at the tender age of four and by the time he was seven, he started giving stage performances. His father, Sanyasi Raju, was a famous miridangam player for the concerts of Dwaram Venkatasamy Naidu and was also a lyricist. Huchins spotted "master" Rajeswara Rao and took him to Bangalore along with his father.
"I was 13 then. Since then I have stayed put in the field of film music and records," recalls Rajeswara Rao.
Huchins recorded Bagavat Gita in Rajeawara Rao's voice. Soon word spread about his melliflous voice and producers P.V.Das and Gudavalli Ramabramham, visted Bangalore, and impressed by his singing ability, brought him to Madras. Finding that young Rajeswara Rao had stage experience too, they cast him as Lord Krishna in their Sri Krishna Leelau in 1934. The film was released the next year and Rajeswara Rao became a household name all over Andhra. Later for the same team he played the role of Abhimanyu in Maya Bazar(1936). The next year he went to Calcutta to act in Keechaka Vadha.
Though he won appreciation as a singer-actor, the urge to prove himself as a musician was stronger in him. In Calcutta he met such stalwarts as Kundan Lal Saigal and Pankaj Mullick, and got exposed to Hindustani music. He became a disciple of Saigal and learned Hindustani music for a year. He also learnt to play the sitar and the surbahar. He had already mastered playing the tabla, dholak, and miridangam without the help of a guru. Later he learnt the piano, harmonium, mandolin and the electric guitar too. By this time he had acquired the knowledge of orchestration, of how to mix the sounds of different instruments.
Rajeswara Rao returned to Madras in 1938 and formed his own music troupe, became an assistant to Jeyaramayyer for a Tamil film Vishnuleela in which he also played the role of Balarama and sang his own songs. The film was directed by Raja Sandow. This was the only film for which Rajeswara Rao worked as a music assistant. Later he tuned a few songs for a Kanada film, Vasantha Sena (1939) for which R.Sudharsanam provided the music. The same year he became a full-fledged music director with Jeyaprada (Pururava) which Chitrapu Narashima Rao directed. Alongside, he continued with his acting in Balanagamma and Illalu in which he acted opposite his famous singing partner, Rao Balasarawati Devi. Bala Saraswati incidently had acted in Sri Krishna Leelalu too.
By the time Illalu was commissioned Rajeswara Rao was no more interested in acting. His mind was set on film music. Even his father felt his son would shine as a music director. He approached Ramambrahmam. The director was sceptical at first as it was a social film and doubted whether Rajeswara Rao could do justice to it. Moreover Bhimavarapu Narashima Rao (BNR) was his permanenet music director. After much persuasion and when BNR himself told the director to give the boy a try, Rajeswara Rao was given a cradle song as an experiment. He composed the music and rendered the song much to the delight of Director as well as the original music director of the film. Rajeswara Rao got the job he wanted. He also acted in the movie, which was his last as an actor.
"When I entered the industry there was no playback system. We used to sing and act at the same time with the orchestra in the background unseen by the camera. But by the time I was doing Illalu the playback system had come into vogue," recalls the veteran.
When the Telugu film song was evolving from stage poetry to modern lyric, Rajeswara Rao showed thru his private records how light music should be. "Thummeda Oka saari", "Kopamela Radha", "Podarintilona", "Rave Rave Koyila", "Challo Gaalilo" "Paata Paduma Krishna" all of which his father has written.
Rajeswara Rao, through these songs, set a new trend in light music in Telugu.
Rajeswara Rao's most rewarding assignments came from Gemini, which he joined in 1940. "I joined Jemini on a salary of Rs. 600 as a music director and by the time "Chandraleka" was made, it rose to Rs. 1500. My association with Gemini continued for a decade and Apoorva Sagotharagal(1950) was my last film for them. Jeevan mukthi, Balanagamma, Mangamma Sabatham, and Chandrelekha were some of the movies for which he created music while in Gemini. In those days when there were hardly any modern technical equipment he created in Balanagamma re-recording effects "on par with any Hollywood film". "And in Chandreleka simply because I mixed western music to local taste it was appreciated both within the country and abroad. For music there are no barriers. There is nothing wrong in making use of western tunes, moulding them carefully to our taste and to our form. I have done that for some of my songs in later films like Iddaru Mithurulu and Bharya Bharthaluduring the seventies. Though I have made use of western tunes, no one can say that I have blindly copied them. But today the scene is different. Western tunes are being used as they are in our films. This is very unfortunate" says Rajeswara Rao.
After leaving Gemini, he got an offer to provide music for B.N.Reddy's "Malleswari" (1950). It was a sensational music hit. Then came Vipranarayana, Missiamma and a host of other musical hits, more than a hundred of them in Tamil and Telugu and a few in Kannada. Some of the films might have failed in the box office, but his music has never let down cinegoers. When Vijaya's Missiamma was made into Miss Mary - producers AVM in Hindi, Hemantha Kumar provided the music. He changed all the tunes, but retained one - "Brindavanamum Nandakumaranum" which Hemantha liked so much that he took permission to retain it in the Hindi version - an instance of one master's tribute to another.
Among the classical ragas, Rajeswara Rao likes Bhimplas, Sindhu Bairavi, Kafi, Kalyani, Pahad, and Malkauns, which he has used most in his songs. "Generally songs set in these ragas become popular with the audience" feels Rajeswara Rao.
Some of the memorable films for which he composed music are: Vikramathithan, PremapAsam, Paanai Pidithaval Pagyasali, Amaradevi, Iru Sagotharagal, Aval Yaar besides Chadralehka. Tamil-Telugu bilinguals: Allauddin Adbhutha Deepam, Mangamma Sabatham, Apoorva Sagotharaagal, Missiamma, and Chakradhari. Telugu: Chenchu Lakshmi, Bheesma, BhaleRamudu, Iddaru Mithurulu", "Kulagothralu", "Baktha Jeyadeva", "Amarasilpi Jakkannachari", "Baktha Pragalatha", Rangula Ratnam, Vipranarayana, Dr Chakravarthy, and Chitti Chellue. Hindi: Chandrelehka and Nishan.
Rajeswara Rao's two assistants for over four decades Rajagopal and Krishnan, both well versed in.
On the quality of today's film music, Rajeshwara Rao blames he producers and directors. "It is not the audience, but the producers and directors, who are to be blamed. Today film making and music are like fast food," he says. Among the directors he rates Singgetham Srinivasa Rao , who learnt Carnatic vocal under Rajeshwara Rao, as a man with music knowledge.
e tastes of different viewers. Variety is important in film music."
Rajeswara Rao was awarded the honorary doctorate Kalaprapoorna in 1979 by the Andhra University. He was appointed "Asthana Vidwan" by Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams, during which period he composed music for Annamacharya Kclassical music have proved an asset to him. Music flows in Rajesawara Rao's family. His elder brother S. Hanumantha Rao was a music director in his own right in the Kannada and Telugu field. Rajeswara Rao's eldest son, Ramalingeswara Rao is well known piano and electric organ player in the South. His second son, Poornachandra Rao, is a popular guitarist while his third and fourth sons, Vasu Rao and Koteswara Rao are well-known music directors today. Vasu Rao has preferred to go it alone on the lines of his father's melody, but Koti has formed a team with Somaraju (son of veteran music director T.V.Raju) as Raj-Koti and the duo is the most popular team in Telugu film music todayeerthanas sung by Ghantasala.
You speak only the language of silence, O Reticent Mind!
Is not silence eloquent?
You ponder over and think of countless dreams
and when those aspirations turn into bare lies you break into tears!
You are a cave engulfed with darkness
and a strange ally of all fears and despair, O Mind!
You are an apt platform for all the drama of this world!
You are a kite with a sustaining thread wrecked, O Mind!
You do not know…
why you love and why you cry!
You do not know…
Why you torture yourself
and you do not know what shape you ultimately take!
You are a burning flame full of desires, O Mind!
And a dragnet for affection and compassion!
Like a swing, you keep wavering amidst myriad unattainable hopes!
You are the real Satan to invite illusions to invade you! O Mind!
You keep aspiring for the unattainable all the time,
and leave what is within your reach as a rule! Strange!
You are obsessed with a single trifling mistake that can never be undone,
and make your life miserable for ages and ages! O Reticent Mind!
This write-up based is on the song “Mouname Nee Bhasha…” from the Telugu movie Guppedu Manasu (1979) featuring Sarat Babu, Sujatha, and Saritha. This song was written by Acharya Athreya and set to music by M. S.Viswanathan. The song was rendered by Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna. This movie was directed by K.Balachander.
Ghantasala: No Mere Singer
by K. Kumara Sekhar, Eluru Indian Express, 14.2.1974
Mr. K. Kumara Sekhar, Eluru, is a well-known name for the readers of Indian Express in 1970s as he used to contribute one or two letters every week to the “Letters to the Editor” column. We do not know the whereabouts of Mr. K. Kumara Sekhar now! The following is a memorable tribute from this erudite reader when Ghantasala died in February 1974:
Tributes paid to Ghantasala Venkateswarea Rao, on his death, praise his "Melodious Voice", but these not only sound inadequate, but also fail to grasp the truth of the matter, since he was "no mere singer" but a "true poet" who could comprehend and did give expression to the deepest feelings of love, pity, joy, suffering, piety, happiness and bitterness in a manner no one else could, or did. One cannot help feeling that it would have been hardly possible for him to sing on all those varied themes with such intensity of fervor and likeness to reality, and precision in apprehension, had he not himself lived and experienced these basic emotions inwardly, in as great a manner as any of the great poets ever had. This naturally gave an indication of the purity and richness of his heart and mind.
Enlightened listeners to his songs could not help feelings that he had a mature and distinctive "philosophy of life", which he reflected in his songs, and tried to express in a way that words and phrases themselves can never. No wonder many of his songs though sung as part of a film story, have however, managed to acquire an independent stature and meaning of their own, tearing themselves free from the original cinematographic context, in which they were sung. And the people too recognizing the fact, did not tire of listening to him more often outside the theatres than inside them.
His impact on both the educated and uneducated Telugu people had been so much, and had brought about such qualitative changes in the day to day "inward" life of the people here, that we can safely assert that life in Andhra today would have been much less exciting and somewhat "drab", but for him, for with him had begun a new era in the emotional life of the Andhras, opening up as he did to them hidden treasures in their range of feelings, which lay either dormant or unperceived till then. New vistas of imaginative experience were laid bare to the Telugu people, who were till then looking up to Hindi film music to provide it.
The wonder is that in spite of his extensive use of his art for a commercial purpose, it was never degraded in quality, or devoid of "genuine inspiration". It menas to say, he throve well in an industry, uncorrupted by its many evil influences. And in spite of the large number of songs he sang, there were no signs of fatigue or disinterest till the end came.
In his death, we are not just losing one more playback artiste. We have lost a "bard", who had awakened an entire people to the heightened range of sensibilities in feeling they were capable of. To think of the Telugu people without him is virtually impossible. No other singer is therefore likely to successfully fill the void he has left. Undoubtedly he had elevated the status of the so-called light musician or non-classical musician to the level he had all along aspired for in his dreams.
Along with his own quest for truth and beauty, Ghantasala brought about a basic degree of "self realization" among others of his realm. Outwardly, in his unassuming physical appearance one could not perhaps grasp how much of the "spirit of music" was inlaid in him. But the course of his life did make it patent enough for all to see.
Though many may think that his music would live for all time after his death, though the living voice of this dead bard may continue to enthrall us, it would not be untainted now with a certain "otherworldliness" about it that it is now likely to gain. The trouble with this particular singer is that we have not yet finished with him, and our thirst for the kind of intelligent and "immortal", refined creative and "educative music" that came from him is as yet unsatiated, though some may think we had enough of it.
My household is my music, and our kitchen is my literature!
Caring for these children is my music practice!
Is this is not enough?
You wish to listen to my song?
He:
While you move the cradle
putting our children to sleep,
the lullabies that you articulate are real music!
Don’t you know that it is music? No music can match that singing!
I tell you for sure! Why do you have doubts?
No music can match your singing!
She:
When you become angry when offered half-cooked rice!
Which raga is suitable to express your anger?
Which notes fit into that raga?
You are my Thyagayya, aren’t you?
And the right person to tell me about your anger raga!
He:
Rice particles make a wild dance while they are boiled when you make recipes!
Who taught you to make rice particles to dance that way?
Which Bharatha taught you that school of dancing?
How do you identify the softness of cooked rice through intuition?
This write-up based is on the song “Neena Paadana Paata …” from the Telugu movie Guppedu Manasu (1979) featuring Sarat Babu, Sujatha, and Saritha. This song was written by Acharya Athreya and set to music by M. S.Viswanathan. The song was rendered by Vani Jairam and S.P. Balasubrhmanyam. This movie was directed by K.Balachander.
have descended and appeared in front of my household!
The day—when I could hold moon in my hand!
The day—when Brindavanam smiled with me!
The day—when my romantic thoughts
took shape and grow up for the first time in my heart!
The day—my family deity cheered me with blessings!
The day—when the aspirations of my mother
flourished like perfumed flowers in my heart!
This write-up based is on the song “Bhale Manchi Roju …” from the Telugu movie Jarigina Katha (1969) featuring Jaggayya, Krishna, and Kanchana. This song was written by Dr. C. Narayana Reddy and set to music by Ghantasala. The song was rendered by Ghantasala. This movie was directed by K.Baburao.
When you look at an object of beauty that you did not see anywhere earlier
doesn’t your heart overflow with happiness?
When you think of a new lively song and a new piece of sculpture
Doesn’t your heart dance with joy?
They appear before your eyes and make a feast to your eyes!
The moment you think that …
what you see is real and delude yourself that it is eternal
and before you get into a blissful state,
the very thought turns into a dream and an illusion!
At an age when you feel pain and pleasure,
your mind struggles to remain steady
in the face of your thoughts, imaginations, wishes and hopes!
And lo! There is already danger waiting for you!
By the time you learn why things happen this way,
your life has already come to an end!
The nature of the world is strange!
Listen to this wonderful song!
Padma Vibhushan Akkineni Nageswara Rao has worked in several genres of films in his 78-year acting career, including mythological, social, and drama films. He has played the lead role in over 256 Telugu films and 26 Tamil films. Out of all these movies he has a personal liking for his role as Surendranath in Batasari (1961)—his first choice as his favorite role.
Watch these scenes from this movie: Batasari
This write-up based is on the song “Lokamerugani Baala…” from the Telugu movie Baatasaari (1961) featuring Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Bhanumathi. This song was written by Senior Samudrala and set to music by Master Venu. The song was rendered by Bhanumathi. This movie was directed by P.S.Ramakrishna.
