Medley of Bharathiraaja-Ilaiyaraaja Combo

Bharathiraaja has helmed many a movie in various genres but one of the single most hallmark features of most of his films happens to be the music. The diversity, versatility and creativity that stems from the compositions of his cinema are simply a masterstroke of magnitude and magnificence.

Tamil Cinema has seen very many Director - Composer Duos team up to produce scintillating soundtracks in plenitude and one of the most esteemed pairing of excellence happens to be the combination of childhood friends Bharathiraaja and Ilaiyaraaja. They both started their careers in parallel and the movie cum music created by the duo in tandem from the late 70s to the mid 80s especially stands testimony to unquestionable brilliance.

Though Ilaiyaraaja has delivered plenty of spectacular compositions for many directors, the one's created for Bharatiraaja's can easily be considered to be top of the heap both in quantity and quality as well as even the divergence in genres. At one end of the spectrum you would see a classic folk tail piece and at the other end a whirlwind fast paced duet and in between interwoven with songs having a vintage western classical stamp as well as devotional golden carnatic sound scape.

As a small token of gratitude to the master craftsman, I attempted playing couple of lines of some of my favourite numbers from this awesome two some partnership which has produced such sterling classics from the times gone by. It was a sudden impromptu attempt that germinated as I was trying to recall some of the amazing tunes from the director's cut.

The songs from the movies include:

1) 16 Vayathinile - Senthoora Poove

2) Kizhakke Pogum Raiyil - Poovarasampoo

3) Sigappu Rojakkal - Indha Minminikku

4) Niram Maratha Pookal - Mudhal Mudhalaga

5) Nizhalgal - Madai Thirandhu

6) Alaigal Oyvathillai - Kadhal Oviyam

7) Tik Tik Tik - Idhu Oru Nila Kaalam

8) Kadhal Oviyam - Sangeetha Jadhi Mullai

9) Mann Vasanai - Pothi Vacha

10) Mudhal Mariyadhai - Rasave Unnai Nambi

Apart from these 10 movies, their association has also seen them working on few other films such as Puthiya Vaarpugal, Vaalibame Vaa Vaa, Puthumai Penn, Oru Kaidhiyin Dairy, Kadalora Kavithaigal, En Uyir Thozhan, Pudhu Nellu Pudhu Naathu and Nadodi Thendral.

This is just a micro mini sample of 10 songs from their alliance. One would easily be able to dish out over a three digit number of compositions from their allegiance that truly stands the test of time.

Celebrating 30 Golden Years of DDLJ!

When it comes to lovey dovey mushy romance of the 90's, it's hard to look further beyond the evergreen classic 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge'. There are certain stories which live with time and one such is DDLJ. It will forever be etched as an eternal cult classic. Ever since it's foray in the silver screens, its had an everlasting impact in the hearts of love struck romeos and remembered as a much fancied movie to savour amongst both Desi and NRI audiences.

This date 20th October 2025 marks 30 years since the iconic release of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge that hit tinselville during the Diwali week on the 20th October 1995. It was a marquee blockbuster that took the box office by thunderstorm. Incidentally at the time of release of DDLJ, the protagonist SRK was just few days shy of celebrating his 30th B'day and now 30 years hence he is on the threshold of coveting the milestone figure of 60 years.

Directed by a then 24 year old in Aditya Chopra, DDLJ in essence was just a simple tailor made love story but in it's innocence lied the attraction which strung the fans into believing and falling in love with the movie. It was those fleeting unimpeachable moments that uplifted the film to all time greatness. Shahrukh's charm as a young chocolate lover boy 'Raj' was lapped up heavily by the youth of the nation. Kajol's character as the dreamy 'Simran' was easily identifiable by young maidens growing up in a patriarchal society back in the days. Their sizzling chemistry together provided the perfect synchronicity to elevate the sequences one after the other.

There is an impish charm about DDLJ that has managed to sway audiences and believe in the adage of falling in Love. In the previous Diwali summer of 1994, it was the family saga Hum Aapke Hain Koun! starring Salman Khan & Madhuri Dixit that had the cash registers ringing big time turning into an epoch making superlative smasher of a hit. In 1995, it was the NRI Love bug in the form of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge catapulting it to being the biggest phenomenon of the year. It also happens to be India's longest running film ever with the matinee show in Maratha Mandir at Mumbai as mind blowing as it may sound still continuing playing it to this very day right since inception. 

It ignited a ray of hope of true love existing and manifesting beyond boundaries. In fact the whole fantasy of experiencing a Euro Trip got implanted for many via the picturesque scenes, settings and surroundings emitted through the canvas of DDLJ. That unforgettable dialogue of "Bade bade deshon mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hai" translated as "In Big big countries, such small small conversations keeps happening" holds universal significance to this very day. At the very climax, when an unbending father finally relents chanting "Jaa Simran jaa jeele apni zindagi jaa beta jaa that means "Go Simran go live your life, go my daughter go", it truly signalled the victory of Love over everything else. 

When it came to the music of this movie, it is remembered for containing irresistible melodies that have stood the test of time. It was tuned by the brotherly duo of Jatin-Lalit and was one of the most sought after soundtracks of the year 1995. However the movie lost out on the popular choice of Best Musical Album with the AR Rahman composed "Rangeela" bagging the honours for the soundtrack of the year at the Filmfare Awards mildly pipping DDLJ. 

There have been many movies celebrating Love themes but DDLJ takes the cake for inheriting such a universal appeal. As a tribute to this golden movie crossing the landmark of 30 years, sharing an infinitesimal rendition of a few lines of all the 6 memorable numbers from this iconic feature film. May the legend of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge aka DDLJ continue to enthral and relive memories.

Kapi and Captivating!

Ilaiyaraaja is a magician when handling Carnatic Raga's as he knows how to bring out the inherent subtlety of it without diluting the essence one bit. Even if he adds an alien note or two, it just doesn't seem out of place at all. Prima-facie all this appears to be a mystery but the way he manages to do it is simply impossible to comprehend.

One of the Raga's where he has showcased his mastery time and again is 'Kapi'. Kapi is a derivative of the 22nd Melakarta Ragam Karaharapriya and uses a pentatonic scale on the ascendancy but on the descendancy it touches all 7 notes. It is a mood inducing raga known for it's twists and turns. Both the Nishadams (Ni2 and Ni3) are used judiciously and you'll see a leapfrogging texture that adds a distinctive unique quality to it. 

A majority of the compositions which Ilaiyaraaja has employed in Kapi ragam have been nothing short of astounding. He is literally seen toying with the ragam and since this is an experimental scale, you'll see pyrotechnics at play eventually resulting in an aural spectacle.

I have handpicked 2 masterful compositions of his in Kapi Raaga - one from Kannada (Sandalwood) and another from Malayalam (Mollywood) to showcase the prowess in using Kapi Ragam. 'Jeeva Hoovagidhe' has been a perennial favorite and is an evergreen iconic love composition sung by Dr Rajkumar & S Janaki. 'Thumbi Vaa' is a song which has been redone in multiple languages but nothing beats the original from the movie Olangal sung by S Janaki with chorus back up.

I've attempted a tiny lunge at both these songs trying to intersperse one onto another to show the delightful curvy flavour that is Kapi. Began with the middle portion of Jeeva Hoovagidhe which gets transported back to the starting portion. From there picked up on the Charanam of Thumbi Vaa and traversed along to the opening bits of the song finally ending with a touch of the famed 'I Love You' line from Jeeva Hoovagidhe.

Coffee comes in many different flavours and the decoction plays a role in determining the firmness of it. It can be light, medium, strong or whatever. Similarly Kapi ragam like it's drinking mate has a quality where the concoction that is thrown up decides the variety of the outcome. And IR is simply a kingmaker in knowing how to handle the mix as seen from these 2 captivating Kapi numbers.

Kaapi Konashtai and Breezy Bass - The magic behind Naguva Nayana/Paniyil Nanaiyum

'Naguva Nayana' is an iconic composition when viewed from the Kannada hinterland. Pallavi Anupallavi was the first movie that ace director Mani Ratnam helmed and this also happens to be the first ever pairing of the famed Mani Ratnam-Ilaiyaraaja duo who combined to produce sensational stunners from around the mid 80s till the early 90s. Almost every song from this combo sparkles with ecstasy and steeped in musical monarch. 

Around the mid 2000s, I heard that there was a Tamil version of this song and remember searching feverishly across erstwhile sites such as cooltoad, sukravathanee.tk, mohankumars etc but to no avail. Then finally I got to source it from a gentleman abroad who procured it once I described about this song and movie. I recall it was such a blissful experience listening to 'Paniyil Nanaiyum Malargal Rendu' for the first time though it was in it's dubbed avatar. 

This song has always remained a perennial favorite and I absolutely love the freshness that this song infuses every time you listen to it. You tend to mirage a verdant lushness to it that feels so invigorating and refreshing. The ebbs & flows of Kaapi ragam is handled so delicately and the way the bass breezes through is simply riveting. 

Just attempted a portion of this magical song. This beauty also happens to be one of my most favorite romantic duets rendered by SPB and Janaki/Chitra (former Kannada and latter Tamil). An evergreen number for the ages!.

Kanmani Anbodu - Undefined, Unfiltered, Unadulterated Love ❤

Certain compositions are pure love and this one gets cobbled, cuddled and coated with g(h)lee aplenty the way it strokes the senses with it's indefatigable melody lines. Such a simple sounding souffle soaked with staunch silver lining solitude igniting all evergreen epic love feels. 

The charanam portion is the one that gets me intrigued every time as the flow suddenly enhances consisting chirpy phrases that strikes the center of the heart chord. These weaving melody lines act like a beautiful passage as it rolls down back to the pallavi in such a scintillating fashion. This is just a mild attempt at this wondrous classic trying at best to capture these saccharine sweetened vintage bits. 

Revel in this rivulet of this reposeful rendezvous that's called Kanmani Anbodu!

Song : Kanmani Anbodu
Movie : Guna (1991)

Iconic Piece of Re-recording from Nayagan!

This is an iconic piece of re-recording from one of the most talked about movies in the annals of Indian cinema. There is something about this fleeting bit of music that spirals right through the center of the heart. The feel generated is so reverberative and filled to the brim with outpourings of passion. It just touches you so densely that you can actually sense the magic that is so captivating and inherently prevalent.

The BGM piece starts off with an arpeggio piece constantly whirring to give an intense emotion and then the melody unfolds played in a recorder with violins unfurling at the background in the form of a call & response pattern that will shake, stir and split the soul to smithereens. Just tried a couple of lines of this Magnum opus re-recording on the veena. It was certainly not possible to bring the desired effect but just a small takeaway that I tried 😊.

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This is an iconic piece of re-recording from one of the most talked about movies in the annals of Indian cinema. There is something about this fleeting bit of music that spirals right through the center of the heart. The feel generated is so reverbrative and filled to the brim with outpourings of passion. It just touches you so densely that you can actually sense the magic that is so captivating and inherently prevalent. The BGM piece starts off with an arpeggio piece constantly whirring to give an intense emotion and then the melody unfolds played in a recorder with violins unfurling at the background in the form of a call & response pattern that will shake, stir and split the soul to smithereens. Just tried a couple of lines of this Magnum opus re-recording on the veena. It was certainly not possible to bring the desired effect but just a small takeaway that I tried :). #bgm #rerecording #nayagan #1987 #Kamal #IR #music #bit #piece #whirr #recorder #veena #violins #background #unfurl #takeaway

A post shared by Rajiv Shankar (@rajiv_revel) on Apr 20, 2020 at 6:36am PDT

Kipling - The evergreen perennial favorite from ECR

I have been residing in Chennai for over 2 decades but somehow never got a chance to go to this popular eatery close to the seaside at ECR called Kipling Cafe. A Sunday plan was made and finally I got heading there. First up, the ambiance is lovely and though it isn't the most ideal during lunch hours, they have lovely cottage kind of set ups for families to come and have a laid back meal. The presence of a fan underneath definitely helps.

Their menu is largely continental and there are also options on Thai. This is one place which also shouts of a good liquor spread and if you want to have something to gulp down along with your food, you do have options aplenty.

We started off with appetisers in the form of cheese garlic bread and ricotta cheese fritters. The former was a good way to start proceedings. Nothing exceptional but the bread was buttery soft and possessed a dollop of cheese on top. The ricotta cheese fritters were very good. They were breaded rolls comprising inset a mixture of ricotta, mashed potato, cheddar and chives with a wonderful mustard parsley sauce for company.

On to the main course, we tried the Mediterranean Pizza which was loaded with different veggies such as olives, broccoli, sun dried tomatoes, zucchini and spinach over a pesto base. The flavouring was very good and it was nice to have a bite of this pizza. We also had a penne pasta made up of pink sauce which was fairly nice and creamy possessing of the rightful ingredients. I just also had a shot at the Thai basil fried rice which was packed with abundant of flavours.

For desserts, we just had a Tiramisu. This was the usual kinds and mushy on the mouth. A good ender to the meal after all the savoury stuffs taking predominance all the way till the end.

The service was fairly quick and our food arrived at regular intervals. The re filling of water and clearing plates however could have been a little prompter.

The prices are definitely a bit on the higher side. This happens to be one of the elite outlets down this alley and it's really not a surprise.

If you want a lovely little place to chill and relax over a getaway weekend with good food and refreshing drinks for company, Kipling should certainly be within your plan radar.

Immortal Re-recording from Mouna Ragam!

This is an immortal piece of music from an evergreen movie where the heart melts and the soul lingers with emotion every time I listen to it. The climax re-recording pierces like a spiral down your throat and the underlying theme of the music remains a perennial favourite from times gone by. This was immensely tough to play with so many shifts back and forth enabling me to go the full mickey jumping in from one octave to another continuously. I could never do justice to these mind boggling BGM's but just attempting to play them gives sheer joy. Mouna Ragam climax + underlying theme music. 
P.S : Headphones recommended

 

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This is an immortal piece of music from an evergreen movie where the heart melts and the soul lingers with emotion every time I listen to it. The climax re-recording pierces like a spiral down your throat and the underlying theme of the music remains a perennial favourite from times gone by. This was immensely tough to play with so many shifts back and forth enabling me to go the full mickey jumping in from one octave to another continuously. I could never do justice to these mind boggling BGM's but just attempting to play them gives sheer joy. Mouna Ragam climax + underlying theme music. P.S : Headphones recommended #music #mounaragam #maestro #bgm #rerecording #theme #leitmotif #evergreen #immortal #joy #mindboggling #legendary #1986

A post shared by Rajiv Shankar (@rajiv_revel) on Oct 19, 2017 at 7:54pm PDT

Cream Centre - The quintessential evergreen favourite!

This must surely rake in as perhaps the restaurant which I would have visited the maximum number of times and seldom have I had a bad experience in all those umpteen number of visits. It has a lavish widespread menu where they keep introducing new specialties from time to time and it's truly is a veg lover's paradise.

Over a period of time, they have grown by leaps and bounds and established a separate stand alone identity with the veg thronging crowd of Chennai. The North Indian community especially likes visiting this place and you find hordes of them thronging in and the place is usually packed to the rafters on the weekends.

Some of the must try's here include the;
- American Nachos (I personally prefer the one with Mexican beans which goes well when mixed with the Taco chips sauced up with yummy yellow cheese sauce and tossed up with Salsa sauce)

- Chole Battora (the Battoora's are gastronomical and the delicious Black Chole they serve is abundant enough for the giant sized Battoora)

- Sizzlers (a truckload of varieties ranging from Indian, Panneer special, Italian, Barbeque, Mexican et al - all of them are truly sizzling hot and you would want to try each one of them on your different visits to the place)

- Corn Cheese Balls (another specialty of this place with crumb fried balls oozing with cheese and corn interspersed in between giving the desired effect, you also get a sample of these balls also in some of the pasta items)

- Chats (you have variations from Dahi puri, sev puri, bombay ragda etc - you might think its quite pricy but the quantity satiates your hunger and gives a nice lingering taste)

- Sizzling chocolate brownie (served on a platter layered with hot chocolate fudge sauce and nuts with a small scoop of vanilla ice-cream - the bubbles created on this molten hot liquid makes it enticing and is a lovely way to end your meal).

Apart from all these you have a plethora of Pastas and Baked stuff (I especially like the Double Baked Macaroni which comes with Corn cheese Balls as accompaniement) , Pizzas (never really tried much of them) , Sandwiches (just love their Herbed Oven Cheese grilled sandwich - coated with a cheese layer with veg ingredients added it gives a delectable taste), Parathas, Biriyani, Main Course gravies, versions of Paneer Tikka (Juicy and succulent), Enchiladas etc.

You are really spoilt for choice at this place and there are so many items which you will just want to devour. Apart from all this, during festival occasions they add a twist by including additional special items.

I have absolutely no qualms on the taste of any of the items and on virtually every occasion they've proved to be top notch. However one major issue I've had with Cream Center is they've jacked up the prices at a steep level over the years. Nothing at all is reasonably priced on their menu and you do feel a huge crunch on the pocket while dining here.

Rates apart, there is really nothing to slouch over at this center. They are open and embracing. The fact that they have grown at such an alarming pace is testimony to their quality of food served over all these years. It has become very popular over the years and is one of the top go to destination in the veg category. In essence, a restaurant which will make your taste buds extremely tongue tied with joy in abundance :).

What's the sound at this time - Enna Satham Indha Neram!

If you're wondering what's the sound at this time, it's Enna Satham Indha Neram. This iconic song was composed for the movie Punnagai Mannan by Ilaiyaraaja and rendered masterfully by SPB. It is based on the Sindhu Bhairavi ragam and I just simply love the way IR plays with the notes alternately juxtaposing between both the Rishabham's and Gandharam's not diluting the essence one bit. Your fingers have to undergo a convoluted shift to play this and there are good chances of going wrong but the love of the blues of the melody makes you attempt a shot. The composition also traverses effortlessly back& forth with some jumpy notes across octaves providing a sparkle and the charanam acts as the perfect bridge connecting the pallavi. It's been an immensely long time since I touched the veena which has been lying in the home abandoned. Just tried an amateur version by playing this number, hope it wasn't too bad. 

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If you're wondering what's the sound at this time, it's Enna Satham Indha Neram. This iconic song was composed for the movie Punnagai Mannan by Ilaiyaraaja and rendered masterfully by SPB. It is based on the Sindhu Bhairavi ragam and I just simply love the way IR plays with the notes alternately juxtaposing between both the Rishabham's and Gandharam's not diluting the essence one bit. Your fingers have to undergo a convoluted shift to play this and there are good chances of going wrong but the love of the blues of the melody makes you attempt a shot. The composition also traverses effortlessly back& forth with some jumpy notes across octaves providing a sparkle and the charanam acts as the perfect bridge connecting the pallavi. It's been an immensely long time since I touched the veena which has been lying in the home abandoned. Just tried an amateur version by playing this number, hope it wasn't too bad. #ennasatham #indhaneram #punnagaimannan #1986 #IR #SPB #melody #veena #sindhubhairavi #song #composition #charanam #pallavi #iconic #random #amateur

A post shared by Rajiv Shankar (@rajiv_revel) on May 17, 2017 at 6:39pm PDT

Cappuccino @ Crowne Plaza - Coffee never goes out of favour!

'Cappucino', the all day dining restaurant at the 'Crowne Plaza' is up and about with it's newly launched menu titled 'Unconventionally Conventional'. It's basically a twist to their existing menu along with adding selective special dishes from across the globe. Some of the stuff fall under the radar of 21 dishes to try during your lifetime. It's pretty exotic and curated to bring the best of the Western world right in front of you.

We were here on an invite to sample some of the items from the new menu. We began our journey with an immensely refreshing litchi cooler. The tall glass had a lovely frothy layer and a gulp of that sweet drink was energising. Then our tryst with food began with the super food salad in the mode of a waldorf based one with plenty of apples, berry tomatoes, strawberries, cabbage, lettuce and roasted flax seeds. It was dressed up with honey and mustard which had a subtle essence to it. The tanginess and flavour of apple diluted the spread but the taste of the salad made it's presence felt. Then we moved on to the Asian summer rolls comprising of a unique mix of crisp vegetables, ragi, vermicelli, sprouts and being covered in thin rice sheets. This seemed pretty opaque with a glassy layer and for company was the sweet chilli sauce. It felt a tad different from the regular spring rolls and lacked the usual crispiness but had a hint of sweetness to it. It's hard to classify if this will be lapped up and I personally found it pretty nice but not extraordinary by any means. Then came one of the show stealers of the day in the form of the Pesto and Garlic toast with a cup full of cheese fondue as condiment. This three cheese fondue was totally drool worthy and possessed the ammunition to melt waftly in the mouth. The breads were superlative and it was a delight squishing those crusts in that melting layer of fondue and crunching it over. Just as we were relishing our breads dipped with fondue, came the roasted garlic tomato soup which was well delivered having a lovely smoky aroma to it.

One of the highlights in the main course section was the gargantuan one metre pizza being made in a length of over 3 feet and comprising of 5 variegated toppings of both veg and non veg. It was massive in size and a major star attraction on the night. And further on main course, we tried the Orcheeti Al dente pasta. These are pocket sized pasta sheets with a saucy layer inside those conch shells and the interesting thing about them is that the sauce never remains on your plate when you eat these thumb pressed delicacies. We also had a crack at the eggplant zucchini which had a tantalising layer of cheese bottled up over a bunch of veggies with a strong odour of the egg plant.

Desserts section we literally had a ball and got to savour one after the other bombshell. The presentation was immaculate and especially the Hazelnut creme brulee and chocolate cheese cake were the silver linings and stood out from the rest of the pack. The blueberry muffin like cake was also fantabulous but the Tiramisu missed a little of the zing.

The ambiance is very coffee book style. It characterises a free open style ambiant giving it a very laid back and breezy feel. The decor is cozy and comfortable and overall it's designed in a very inviting manner. The open kitchen also adds to the mix. The service tended to be a little slow but it was because they wanted to take extra care of the proceedings and I must say we felt really hospitable dining at Cappuccino.

Taking the full ensemble into equation, Cappuccino works on a number of fronts and I can confidently say having had a fair share of the sample from their new menu that the outlook points towards the right direction. As a vegetarian, my choices were a wee bit limited but still I loved most of what I had. For the meat lovers this menu is gregarious and an absolute largesse with exquisite stuff such as Shepherd's pie, Cichetti and many more as part of the deal.

Cappuccino is a nice little restaurant to dine and can be categorised as an ideal place to have a relaxed and whole hearted meal over some easy confabulation.

Orkut Memories - Everlasting but gone too soon!

Can't believe Orkut is soon going to be erstwhile and a thing of the past with effect from September 2014. The impact it has created is profound especially amongst those growing up in their teens and early adulthood at the time when this social media site was basking in full glory.

While it lasted, Orkut has provided so many fond moments and memories to cherish for a life time. Sharing a few of those wild and sweet bits of nostalgia in Tanglish style

- What fun it was to trade testimonials from friends :) 

- Ogling into friends wall's and peeping to see with whom they were kadala pottyfying :D

- Getting embroiled in crazy banters and accusing each other all for a suppa matter just to prove the authenticity of who is having more number of friends :P

- Logging in from some other account to view a profile in order to avoid being seen on the recent visitor's list ;)

- Taking pride and time in updating profile hopelessly hoping that somebody awesome takes a visit to the profile :B 

- Uploading the most wannabe photo ever as display pic :O (even now looking back gives the creeps)

- Communities la adi dhadi sandai mostly but also meaningful discussions once in a while

- Scrapping endlessly with fellow vetti's :Y 

- Re-connecting with lost friends and forming friendship with people who you've never met and even knowing of certain love stories blossoming and taking shape via the Orkut route <3

Orkut has truly given a lot to smile and laugh about. Facebook maybe the all conquering emperor of Social Networking but it is Orkut who was the true trendsetter and which laid the foundation for the giant today that is Facebook. #RIPOrkut #Thanksfortheamazingmemories

Raaja's WCM Delights!

We have listened to classical pieces of Bach, Mozart and others which have delighted and spell bounded us. Raaja is one Indian Composer who has not only paid tribute to many of these great composers but also defined an identity of his own through his remarkable creativity and usage of WCM techniques. Many of his creations truly undermine his skill, repertoire and potential in Western classical music. Like the above mentioned composers, Raajas brand of WCM is also epoch making and should truly stand the test of time. Lets explore and celebrate some of his greatest WCM based compositions/re-recordings.

1) Title Score - Ullasa Paravaigal
A re-recording score to get this underway. Royalty and grandness all over this score, just the immediate piano transports you to Europe and feels like you are having vineyard wine at Paris or strawberries and cream at Wimbledon with this man's music for company. Absolutely delightful and soul stirring. Great drumming, brass sections and lovely keys. The softness in the tone elevates the score to an all together another level. Beautiness and royaltiness personified!. You can hear the full background score here.

2) Pon Vaanile - Anbin Mugavari
The baroque era captured in a shade under 5 minutes. Listen to the instruments all coriscating along to give a fillip submerging the beauty of WCM in all it's splendour. Vintage and Victorious!

3) Teaser Music - Happi
Unfortunately this movie never saw the light of the day. Just the teaser is enough to transport you to the golden era. This is Western Classical Music in its Purest Form. Such Intricate harmony of Violins, violas & Oboe.

4) Eriyile Elandha Maram - Karaiyellaam Shenbagapoo
Absolutely lovely this composition is. The prelude and interludes are so WCMish whereas the singing is so folkish but not once does it feel out of place with all the harmonization and choir going in a glorious sync.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDAMwSek4sk

5)  Azhagiya Malargalin - Ullasa Paravaigal
Everything about this song is just a sheer delight. The salad days, IR in replete WCM form. The sounds of the marching drum, those violins traversing across octaves, the flute prancing joyfully, the la la chorus in the background, the sounds of the bell, major scale blues, S Janaki's brilliant rendition etc etc all transport you to Euro Land in a whisker. 3 and a half minutes of sheer ecstasy and joy. This is World Class Music at its most enjoyable and pristine form.

6) Jiske Sahare - Kamagni
Closing this thread with a golden agmark classic slathered with western elements. The prelude just knocks you out cold with it's soul stirring orchestration. You just can't but smile at the way the composition flows like a free flowing river with the la la chorus handing the baton beautifully to the prelude portion. There are also some fun bits of musical xylophene created for a slightly softer touch. This one is sheer wizardry in the evergreen major scale Shankarabaranam.