KUNNAKUDI R.VAIDYANATHAN

Right from my childhood, I was always interested in film songs, because most of the songs in those days had a classical base. I have seen a lot of dramas, I have done playwriting also. I entered the film world through the film Va Raja Va in 1968, with the blessings of Director A.P. Nagarajan. I have composed music for films like Thirumalai Thenkumari, Mel Nattu Marumagal, Namma Veetu Deivam and many others. I also set music for the first cinemascope film Raja Raja Cholan. M.G.R wanted me to bring out the beauty of Carnatic music in his movie Navaratinam. I presented Thyagaraja kritis in the film, similar to western tunes and also set Hindustani lyrics to raga and tala. I started working for films in 1968, and within two years I received the 'Best Music Director Award' from the government. I have written the script and dialogue for many Films. Directed and produced them too. My close friend Ramanathan and I, under the banner of V.R.Films, made a number of films. I must add that a lot of hard work and sincere effort were the main reasons for so many opportunities given to me. It was not overnight success.

I was made a music director while playing the violin as part of the orchestra for the HMV Recording Company. I put all my efforts and composed Muruga Ganamrutham, comprising songs sung by the Sulamangalam sisters, for whom I have played the violin for nine years. I have directed and set music for 700 devotional songs and 42 feature films. I was the first person to set music for a pop number sung by Usha Uthup, for the film Mel Nattu Marumagal. I am interested in a lot of things and through God's blessings I have the ability to deliver the goods in any aspect of music; be it composing, scriptwriting, directing or producing. I am like a super market store. You get everything in one place.

I don't attach too much importance to fusion music. It is just fashionable to say "I play fusion music". When two artistes play together, it gives the feeling of a competition. Real fusion is when you play with accompaniment, say a tabla, a mridangam or a thavil because the beauty of the two instruments comes to the fore. In my opinion playing with a sitar, veena or a flute is not exciting. If you talk about fusion, I can say I started fusion music many years ago as a music director. In an orchestra you direct and make music with so many different types of instruments. It is all done behind the scenes. So nobody knows about it. But these days people talk about fusion because the artistes come on stage and perform. I think it is just a novelty, nothing more.

The Raga Research centre was started eight years ago. The centre does research on the various aspects of a raga. It is a very vast field. Our ragas have tremendous therapeutic abilities. We have given a number of lecture demonstrations to explain to people the unusual powers of various ragas. In the olden days, even the Trinity (Syama Sastri, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Thyagaraja) chose ragas based on the meaning of the lyrics of a song. Raga Shankarabharanam for example, has the power to cure mental illnesses, such as depression, stress etc. Raga Anandabhairavi cures hypertension. Raga Amritavarshini can invoke the rain gods. It is unbelievable, but it is true. In 1982, when Chennai had no rains, Dr. Karunanidhi, who was the Chief Minister, told me to help him. I decided to go to the Red hills reservoir and play Ragam Amrithavarshini. Can you believe it? Chennai saw rains after that!

When I was 14 years young, my father fell ill and slipped into a coma. The family doctor asked me "Why don't you play some ragas for him and see if it has any effect?" I knew that certain ragas have therapeutic properties, as my father had studied and researched twelve such ragas. I chose to play the Bhairavi because my father had written that it can bring back a man, even from his deathbed. I sat near him and played the raga for hours together. After a few days, the doctor noticed that my father's cheek was wet with tears. It was amazing. He started recovering slowly and lived for several years after the illness. This inspired me and motivated me to do further studies on the ragas.

Kunnakudi concluded the interview saying that the study of ragas is such a deep subject that to talk about its curative powers alone, he would require at least three hours.

|