kurai onrum illai

I don't know much about Carnatic music. But I love music, in any form of it. That way I enjoy Carnatic music too; just the thing is that I don't know rather-boring technical info about it. I don't know why on earth there is this belief that Carnatic music is a 'class' thingy and one should have raaga-taaLa knowledge to enjoy it.

Now that the cynicism part is done, here is the story. I love this song called 'kurai onrum illai' by MS Subbulakshmi. It has got superb lyrics by Rajaji. Singer is telling Lord Vishnu that she doesn't have any kurai (korathe in Kannada, I don't know the English term for this, someone pls tell me), but then going on telling Him that he's not seen in front of her eyes.

I don't remember how I came to know about this song, many be thru one of my tamilian friends. I'd heard that MS' biography is titled 'kurai onrum illai', after this song. I also know that the term 'marai' in this song means 'veda'.

Listen to the song here.

Oh well, the song is in Raagamaalika, n Aadi taaLa. See, even I've become expert.

Add on: while you are the there, you might want to listen to JagadOddharana by Purandaradasaru. Usually classical singers are accused of tampering the lyrics to fit into the aalaapas n stuff, but MS does this Kannada song properly. Check out the way she pronounces '...uddhaarana' after long 'jagadO...'. Well, that's why she is a legend.