The video of the Maharaja Swathi Thirunal composition, ‘Alarshara Parithapam’, which released in October, opens with the photo of a young, sari-clad woman gazing into a future that only she can see. There is a purity about her, as though whatever dream she is dreaming is shielding her from reality. This photograph of singer Kalyani Menon, who died two years ago at the age of 80, was taken in 1983 by her son, cinematographer Rajiv Menon, when he was first experimenting with window light.
“There was a kind of uniqueness in the way amma sang,” says Rajiv. “She had a quiet ownership of her art.”
He recalls that dinner table discussions always revolved around the arts when she was there. She wanted to sensitise her sons, Rajiv and Karun, to the arts from a young age. When Rajiv took to photography―the baby steps that took him to cinematography―his mother always posed for him. This latest music video―titled ‘In search of the dark lord’―is the second Swathi Thirunal composition sung by Kalyani to be video-graphed. The first, ‘Aliveni Enthu Cheyvu’, released in 2017, and has got over three million views on YouTube.
Like that one, this, too, is given a contemporary treatment with a new-age twist while remaining true to its classical roots. The song features Kalyani’s granddaughters, Lakshmi and Saraswati, as they search for their elusive Lord. The music was produced and composed by Mahesh Raghavan, who is known for his fusion works, like the viral Carnatic version of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’.
“When I came down once to Chennai from Dubai, where I was living, Jayaram [Ramachandran, who directed the video] took me to Kalyani aunty, who had a special affinity for Swathi Thirunal compositions,” says Raghavan. “We were sitting around the dining table at her house and talking. We decided to casually record with a mobile recorder. She sang [both compositions] in just one take―’Aliveni Enthu Cheyvu’ in kurunji raga and ‘Alarshara Parithapam’ in suruti raga. That day, Jayaram and I decided that we would definitely have to release them as music videos.”
Born to Balakrishnan and Rajamma Menon in Kerala, Kalyani was first musically trained under the famous guru, Cherthala Sivaraman Nair, who, incidentally, also trained singer K.J. Yesudas around the same time. She first sang for the Malayalam film, Abala (1973). Her first Tamil movie was Nallathoru Kudumbam (1979), with music by Ilaiyaraja. But it was her song, ‘Nee Varuvai Ena Naan Irunthen’, in the Tamil film Sujatha (1980), that catapulted Kalyani to musical royalty. Tragically, this song of melancholy and longing was recorded a few months after the sudden death of her husband, naval officer K.K. Menon, at the age of 40.
For a long time, Kalyani dedicated herself to devotionals, until Indian music’s Mozart A.R. Rahman brought her back to the world of films with a song in Kadhalan (1994). Kalyani worked extensively with Rahman in several films like Muthu (1995), Alai Payuthey (2000) and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010).
Kalyani had a great following among music lovers, with her pure and pristine renditions that could touch your soul. Even in her death, her voice lives on, welcoming a new generation into its lyrical depths.