Saturday, June 6, 2026

Muthumani Maalai - Indigenous folk with a twist

This song can be characterized as an indigenous composition uplifted by western classical elements but not one iota does it lose out on it's nativity. I have always been a big admirer of Raaja's folk based numbers. This is one genre that he has particularly redefined and literally made it his own by giving it a colour like no other. It sounds aghast intertwining touches of classicality to rustic earthy sounds but the output generated is simply a class apart.

This is another Sindhu Bhairavi laced number of the Maestro. The beauty of this stunner is the treatment of the swaras and the beautiful manner in which the alternate swaras of Rishabam and Madhyamam are brought upon to the mix.

The flow of the song is really adorable and gives such a feel good breezy effect when rendering it a listen. SPB and P Susheela elevate it a much further notch through their soul stirring singing. This is from the 1992 Pongal release Chinna Gounder which ran to housefull shows back in the day.

I loved playing this tune as its strewn with jewels aplenty and the bejeweled manner in which it's crafted. It may be a Naatu Pura Paattu by nativity but the song perse is all class personified having such a lustrous texture interlaced to it along with the subtle gamakas embedded that makes it an evergreen verdant green composition.

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