Moments that Stood Still ! : Part-1

To our utter astonishment, he was a simple person, short, smiling, in lungi and shirt, curly hair, a typical youth of 70’s;

In his hand was a thick bound book (which he might have been reading and interrupted by our visit) and a pencil.

It was a normal start with customary enquiries, and handing over of certain fruits and biscuits by us, and self introductions about us etc.

In between, like in any house, his wife and child were moving in around the house and talking to neighbours in the adjacent portion.

As she called the child by name, we came to know about Karthik, may be of 3 or 4 years old !

When he was ready to start talking, I first apologized profusely for our recent letter and explained him what we had in our mind in writing such letter. I requested him to ignore that totally.

To my utter relief and astonishment, he never uttered anything on that topic.

He totally diverted our attention to the new film songs he had recently recorded and started to play some of the songs from a cassette.

Those period cassette recorder itself was a great luxurious gadget.

What were the things we (self and Sankar) talked with him in the next half an hour or so, I have forgotten now.

But I could guess, by hindsight, that we might have exposed our ignorance of musical knowledge only !

But most of the time, apart from listening what we uttered, he was concentrating in playing many of his new songs one by one, which we were listening (and researching within our mind, some pattern, innovations etc. but with fear to utter, fear of being in front of a Mighty Man of Music).

Just I will list a few songs that remain etched in our memory !

• Manjolai kilithano
• Kovil mani osai thannai
• En kalyaana vaibogam
• Darling Darling Darling
• Poo Pole un punnagaiyil
• Aadudhu Ullam Aasayil Nenjam
• Thenna marathile Thendral adikkuddhu
• Melam kotta neram varum
• Kaadhal ennum kaaviyam

At that time of hearing in his house , we didn’t know the film names of those songs.

We just listened that’s all; and remained awe struck !

Rather we were in a proud moment that

• we were listening some songs of the famous composer by sitting with him, in his house,
• whereas the outside world not even knew that such songs are going to hit and haunt them soon!