Whenever I am down in my spirits, I start listening to MGR songs and almost instantly I feel rejuvenated and reinvigorated. There is so much energy oozing in most of his songs that they invariably tend to impart some of it to those hearing them, even if it is not the listener's intention.
என்ன வளம் இல்லை இந்த திருநாட்டில்
ஏன் கையை ஏந்த வேண்டும் வெளிநாட்டில்
ஒழுங்காய் பாடுபடு வயக்காட்டில்
உயரும் உன் மதிப்பு வெளிநாட்டில்
பாடல்: கடவுளென்னும் முதலாளி
- my favorite lines from one of my favorite MGR songs, so succinctly put, the importance of farming and villages to the development of a country.
There are more such inspirational lines and songs that I like from MGR collection. I recollect some of them here.
கோழியை பாரு காலையில் விழிக்கும்
குருவியை பாரு சோம்பலை பழிக்கும்
காக்கையை பாரு கூடிப் பிழைக்கும்
நம்மையும் பாரு நாடேசிரிக்கும்
பாடல்: எத்தனை பெரிய மனிதனுக்கு
On the importance of self development and being active and living in harmony.
அடிமையின் உடம்பில் ரத்தம் எதற்கு
தினம் அச்சப்பட்ட கோழைக்கு இல்லம் எதற்கு
கொடுமையை கண்டு கண்டு பயம் எதற்கு
நீ கொண்டு வந்ததென்னடா மீசை முருக்கு
பாடல்: நெஞ்சமுண்டு நேர்மையுண்டு
On the urge to fight against evil at all costs.
எல்லாம் எனக்குள் இருந்தாலும்
என்னை தனக்குள் வைத்திருக்கும்
அன்னை மனமே என் கோயில்
அவளே என்றும் என் தெய்வம்
பாடல்: உலகம் பிறந்தது எனக்காக
On the worship a mother deserves for she is the only goddess around.
மன்னிக்க தெரிந்த மனிதனின் உள்ளம் மாணிக்க கோயிலப்பா
இதை மறந்தவன் வாழ்வு தடம் தெரியாமல் மறைந்தே போகுமப்பா
ஆத்திரம் கண்ணை மறைத்திடும் போது அறிவுக்கு வேலை கொடு
உன்னை அழித்திட வந்த பகைவன் என்றாலும் அன்புக்கு பாதை விடு
பாடல்: கத்தியை தீட்டாதே தம்பி
On the virtues of love and forgiveness and how essential they are to mankind
These songs along with many others from his movies covered a very wide array of feelings or emotions, to name a few, Romance, Courage, Patriotism, Governance, Mother or sibling love, Self-development.
Sometimes I wonder, how he was consistently motivated to take up only do-gooder roles (whenever he did a role of a bad guy, he had a twin role of a good one :) ) and preach only good things in his songs and movies. Though a good part of credit has to go to lyricists and musicians who were involved, one cannot ignore the fact that most of these were specifically written with MGR in mind. I never get tired of listening to his songs.
I guess his willingness to help the people strong enough to transform his on screen persona to the real life without a blip and shine as the unparalleled leader of all time. For once, I regret not having born earlier to have lived in the same era as him and followed him closer during his ascension. I was only a toddler when he died on 24th Dec 1987.
MGR still remains a hero in everyone's heart.Like my dad says : those days, songs had meaning to it and you can remember them even to this day, nowadays, songs don't have lyrics in it and you can't remember the song the very next minute.
ReplyDeleteVery true...
ReplyDeleteVijay, I think MGR was only an image. The onscreen personality was what the movie makers, song writers, politicians and MGR himself wanted to portray. If I know my facts right, MGR was not even a tiny bit close to the person on screen except for his facial charm. Poets, writers and movie makers, in their fictions always portray what at that time is needed and not what prevails.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, I love and relish those songs and movies as much.
Yes Abi, even I have heard lots about his life off screen, but they have only been rumors or hearsay so I am not sure how many of them were true.
ReplyDelete