Dr. N. Arul
Tamizh Poet Dr. Vairamuthu, a renowned man of letters, is both an attentive reader and a prolific writer of masterpieces.
Through his vivid lyricism, he showcases his profound knowledge of the power of pen and ink.
He skillfully draws upon the Tamil language, from his reservoir of knowledge and wisdom.
Combining these, he unleashes his prowess which has been highly acknowledged by another great scholar and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the late Kalaignar M. Karunanidi, who bestowed upon him the adoring ‘Kavipperarasu’ (Emperor of poetry) title.
As a connoisseur of culture and an intellectual trailblazer, he has always been a step ahead of his contemporaries.
His essays, speeches and poems continue to point to a tantalizing spectrum of rich traditions and values.
As someone who delves deep into the depths of language and culture, he continues to unearth and unveil the endless bounds of classical Tamil literature.
His vast body of songs always streams with the vitality of emotion and is always straight from the heart.
Even while he looks calm from the outside, the lyrics in his heart roll like waves on the shore, and the deft movements of his finger keep churning out soulful lyrics.
Not only does Vairamuthu have an abundant imagination, he also has a strong sense of egalitarianism.
He consciously pens lyrics that reflect on centuries of historical struggle and revolution that energizes the masses trascending both time and language.
The celebrated late Tamil scholar,
Dr Avval Natarajan, my beloved father, was mesmerized by the following lines:
‘Kannodu Kalandhuvidu
(Be one with my eyes) ‘
Mannodu Kalumthuvidu’
(Be one with the earth)
heard in song, ‘Uyire! Uyire!
Dr Natarajan spoke of these moving lyrics to BBC radio, struck by the beautiful portrayal of unrequited love.
He was one who could bring poetry into film lyrics and make it sound simple.
An example :
Narumugaiye Narumugaiye Nee Oru Nazhigai Nillai
Senkani Ooriya Vaai Thiranthu nee oru Thiru mozhi sollai
Attrai thingal annillavil
Netri tharala neer vadiya
Kotra poigal aadugaiyil neeya
(Hey small flower bud, stop a while
Open your sweet mouth and utter a beautiful word
Under the full moon night
As water drips down from your frons Where you the one in the river?)
Vairamuthu breathed new life into a second- century Tamil piece, using it in a film song with the single word “Kotrappoigai” suggesting that she’s a princess.
‘Mangai maanvizhi ambukal en maarthulaithath enna
Paandi naadanai kanda
En manam passaley kondath enna
Nillaavillai paartha vamam
Kanaavilley thondrum innum
Nillaavillai paartha varnam
Kanaavilley thondrum innum
Illaithaen thudithaen porruka villai, Idaiyil megallai irrukavillai’
What were those arrows from your deep eyesight pierce my heart?
After seeing the Pandya king
Why did my heart begin to pale?
The vision under the moonlight
Still haunts me in my dreams
The scene that I saw under the moonlight
Still haunts me in my dreams
I became lean as my love was not with me
His ‘Chinna china Aasai’
(“little wish”) is a mesmerizing song that transcends language.
In this song, he brought out the wish to catch the fish and then gave a twist, with a wish to put it back into the river.
Catching fish is human nature while releasing it back into the river is a noble act of kindness.
This made even the former President of India, R. Venkatraman exclaim “What a wonderful verse written by Vairamuthu”,
in amazement.
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, hailed Vairamuthu, as “the Great Poet” and the late Thiru. Vajpayee, when he was the Prime Minister of India named him “The Kavi Samrat” (the Emperor of poets).
When the idea of making a film based on the life of ‘Thanthai Periyar’, Vairamuthu was the first and only choice to pen the lyrics.
He expertly portrayed the life and struggles of a humble man who dedicated his life to public cause with wonderful lyrics, bringing out both, his private and public life.
He has taken inspiration from Thirukkural couplets, from Kalingathuparani of Jeyangondar and used Irattai Kilavi, a grammatical form unique to Tamil in his compositions, bringing out a unique blend of the classical and the contemporary.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the collection of ‘A Thousand Songs’, which he selected from among his thousands of songs, is an aesthetic document and a biographical portrait.
His “Tamizhatrupadai” is considered a golden treasure of contemporary literature.
This will stand as strong as the ‘Thirumurukatrupadai’.
It created a record in that it sold 50,000 copies on the very day it was published.
And then there are the two modern epics ‘Kallikattu Itigasam’ and ‘Karuvachchi Kaviyam’ that stand testimony to Vairamuthu’s all-round proficiency.
Today, poetry of the world is the most trustworthy chronicle of man, of his anxieties and visions, of his sufferings and joys of his dreams and responsibilities.
Poetry sensitizes the inert world of objects, questions the new technologies of self and integrates new sensuousness to language.
It is poetry which surprises us by its discoveries, its ever alive sense of mystery, its depiction of the universe, its attempt to restore the mysterious, to rehabilitate the sacred and to reiterate the abiding reverence for all life.
It has no designs on us while it designs a new work for us.
It is our great good fortune that in the world today there are poets who are courageously and imaginatively discovering and articulating such truths for us and one such is Vairamuthu.
If we examine the entire collection of Vairamuthu’s songs, we can feel like he is an explorer, forever in search of the new and rediscovery of the old.
Kaviperarasu Vairamuthu through his poetry has made it his mission to revive our classical heritage and even brought about a change in the way film lyrics are written.
He has been prolific in his writing and has even leveraged the platform ‘X’ to put forth his thoughts and connect with more people with an avowed wish to enthuse youngsters to take up poetry and literature.
For this reason and more, he has been rightfully anointed as the unparalleled emperor of poets.
His extraordinary reign will continue into infinity.
However, for all his success and popularity, there is one recognition that eludes him – the Jnanpith.
Tamil Nadu is waiting with bated breath..
Dr N Arul
(The Writer is Director, Tamil Development, Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai.)
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