Those songs that live in mind.......and the masses......

Those songs that live in mind......and the masses..........

For long I wanted to write about this. In my travels I have come across some of thsoe so called gaana songs in Tamil that are part and parcel of those people who travel often by bus. I was really so scared of travelling by bus for a long time especially in the night before steady and continuous travels by bus not only destroyed the fear (after all life is more hope) and infact made me go closer to road travel than the trains.

Many times I go by bus from Chennai to down south. Buses are always different and except for my travels from Chennai to Kumbakonam and Chennai to Hyderabad vice versa I have never known to have travelled with the same crew.

I really started looking into the lives of these bus drivers and conductors only after I started going from Chennai to Hyderabad. One of the driver is named Pandi and he hails from Southern Tamilnadu. He drives a volvo bus and I become his very close friend because of my regular travel to Hyd. This bus is less incident or event free because both ways these people don't stop anywhere for food in the middle. But to cover 650+ Kms by road in 9 hours is more than awesome. But I love the way that bus is driven. Once beyond Ongole the bus easily hits 100 and stays there. Easily the Bharathi Volvo until this date my most favourite bus. Not to forget their obsession like mine with Mahesh Babu and his movies especially Pokiri (thanks to them I have seen this movie more than 20 times now) and Athadu (8 to 10 times).

Now to what I observe. Any traveller who travels in Tamilnadu by bus would be treated to what I see. This is one of those ways a person can understand there exists a life out there that is lived by certain masses. Usually buses from Chennai tend to stop in places for a cup of tea or tiffin or food in the dead of the night. Most of these places aer so unfit to eat as such so usually I tend to get down and just roam a bit here, have a cigarette and may be a cup of tea and there and proceed for the journey again. But what I really love the most in these places is those gaana songs. Some songs that I really remember for years now goes like this........

Andha Kavidha va thaan naa bus la paathen ava paakama poitaaaaaaaaa.........
Naanga rendu perum sendhu pesave illa..........

I don't remember the song much and I don't really believe I have heard the song on the whole and I know well its a crude remix of the Andha nilava thaan naan kaiyile pudichen song from one tamil movie. But more than that old song this song is the one which I hum most often. Other songs which are hummed by me and my favourites tehse days go like this

Eh payya kudigaara
saarayatha kudikadhada
saarayatha kudichiputu kudalu vendhu saagadhada

Eh payya kudigaara
kudalu vendhu saagadhada
saarayatha kudichiipotu pondaati pullaya adikadhada...

Eh payya kudigaara....

2nd one...

Adyaru beach oram kaathiruka meena meena poraley veenaaaaaaaaa
Meenaaaaaa odiyaaaaaaaa meenaaaaaaaaaa

3rd One...

Ettu mannara duty aam ketta anniku OT aam summa vaadi poo suthuraan
unpulla paadhi neram beach la dhaan kadala poduraan.....

The above song though I don't remember much nowadays would takl about the poor man's love and how Marina beach has become the poor man's haunted place for some relaxation and fun. Also how many families get to have their purses emptied of paltry salaries there.

These songs many times are never out to public much. They are listened and followed by the lower strata of society. Casettes come up at cheap rates and many of these songs would be out of choice for me if am listening while I drive by car or sit alone at home and enjoy some music. The music too which is in most cases virtually non existant would bore me and make me switch it off if am listening anywhere else.

But I have seen these songs add some glamour to the poor man's joy. For many out there these low priced casettes and songs with tea, beedi and some bajji etc are a way of having a relaxation. Many people tend to come to these kind of shops are from lower strata and the music soothes them and the surroundings bring them some peace. The voices aer vibrant and makes you feel like dancing or atleast shake the heads at that moment bringing in momentous passion.

I don't really know who sings these songs and where these casettes aer made but these unsung entertainers aer those unknown heroes out there who makes an average man's average day very colourful at the night. They deserve more credit on what they create with such limited resources and how they cheer up the mass who are off late losing their ability to see a good movie or go out with the family for a picnic.

Its gonna be another day and another shop and another song tonight...........but until I stop living these voices would cheer me up whenever I embark on that another journey alone..........