THE CALL OF SHAKTHISREE GOPALAN


"Enga Pona Raasa”, the considered “BONUS TRACK” of the album MARYAN. I am yet to see the movie for all the grandeur that it is but what I have never failed to admire or adore is the music and the original score by the great AR Rahman. “Enga Pona Raasa” is a melancholic rendition that calls out to the one lost at sea. Mentioning again that I haven’t yet seen the movie, it feels like the character calls out to the one she loves, the one she misses so dearly and the one she yearns to set eyes on once again.

The Song begins with a soft guitar picking which sets the pace and the rhythm of the piece. Listening to the intro piece of this particular song makes one feel as if they are walking along the shores of a cold ocean under a starry night with nothing but a breeze brushing against their face. The remnant of each wave gliding over their feet as they continue traversing the shore. The Darkness of the night mildly lifted by the waxing moon light, the sounds of the foliage as the wind rushes through the coconut trees on the shores. The heart pounding in search of the one true love who has long been gone and the one whose eyes are the only things that can light up this life that wants to sing out aloud. The fine sand that has been drenched by the waters of the ocean wiggling its way between their toes and sticking under their feet, adding weight to every step. 

Shakthisree calls out from that dark abyss of that night. Her voice flowing like the wind that you experience. Her soft tones are recognized by the brain as though one would hear the howling of the wind at the ocean when a gust blows and then it stops. It begins again with “Saaingaalam Aaachchu” and then stops again. Just as the chilly breeze from the ocean soothes a yearning or wailing heart, Shakthisree’s rendition eases straight into the heart and takes it for a ride. “Neeyum naanum saerndha” is when one realizes how far into the mind she has gone. Every word she sings, every syllable she utters feels like being caressed by a loved one. The feeling one gets when the arms of the girl or boy you love, wraps around one’s shoulder or body or brushing one’s cheek against the other. The 7/8-time signature brings out the mystery and the melancholy in the piece. It adds on to the feel and the emotion that the song is supposed to render to the listeners. “Neeyum naanum sarendha” changes the song into an 8/8- time signature, making one feel comfortable with the song once more. It feels as though you have been brought back to earth, the way the 8/8 slides into progression. Have you ever missed someone so much that you want to close your eyes and just imagine having them in front of you at that same exact moment? The change in the track time signature and the chord progression reveal that inner emotion, bringing it to the forefront of the mind.

Then comes the humming that is transformed by the major scale coming into play. Shakthisree sings as though she personifies the love that one possesses. Her voice playing so close to your ears, makes you feel like she is floating like a puffy cloud inside your mind, singing that song from its deepest depths. There is a time when she goes falsetto, so as to ease you into that feeling. The high notes of the falsetto perfectly lined up at the brink of your emotions, keeping them at bay. High notes set off the brain to stay awake (At least that’s what I think happens). Her mellow voice running through those notes like a fairy gliding over pixie dust, making an attempt to curtail your feelings and keep them idled. The song takes you to the edge of a cliff. The general idea is to look down but her voice keeps your head held up high and wants you to just enjoy the view without a sliver of worry or pain. 

The maiden walking on the sandy shores of the extravagant ocean in the chill of the night, longing to be in the arms of the one she loves, finally opens her eyes and finds herself in reality as she sings “Enga Pona Raasa”. Her pain still resonating with every cell that beats inside her heart and brings to the forefront the fear that she might never see the long-lost man at sea. The Mind wanders into terror as to when her life would begin to coincide with the dreams she has had thus far. The song ends with an unfinished tune probably to signify the relentless search for love that rests within the maiden. 

The Genius that ARR sir is, has always been something we have tried to fathom but in vain. Shakthisree was the perfect choice for this song. A song with just a guitar to keep melody and rhythm. Her voice brought out all these hidden feelings from inside me and kept soothing my world. She took me to the brink of tears and yet managed to put a smile on my face at the end of the song. 


Dr. Izhar Vinson Iyapillai

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