மக்கள் கவிஞர்
பட்டுக்கோட்டை கல்யாணசுந்தரம்
Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram: 1930 - 1959  "சின்னப் பயலே, சின்னப் பயலே...ஆளும் வளரணும் அறிவும் வளரணும்.. ... நரம்போடு தான் பின்னி வளரனும், தன்மான உணர்ச்சி.."
"Padittha Penn (1954) was the first film to feature a song written by Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram During a short span of a little over nine years he had written 196 songs featured in 56 films. His work in the film Paasavalai made him a top-ranking lyricist. His other famous films include Kalyanaparisu(1963). The Government of Tamil Nadu nationalised his songs in 1955." Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram (1930-1959) "...திரைப் பட கவிஞர்களில் இவரைப் போன்ற சமூக மறுமலர்ச்சி மக்கள் கவிஞரை, புதிய சமதர்ம சமுதாய இலட்சியக் கவிஞரை நாம் கண்டதில்லை..."
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Remembering Poet Paddukoddai Kalyanasundaram
on his 75th Birth Anniversary Sachi Sri Kantha,
8 July 2005
 Aram paaduthal [Pricking with a curse by verse, in response to an insult] was an age-old tradition in Tamil literary theater. Even the powerful kings, chieftains and patrons trembled at the thought of being a recipient of a curse from a learned poet. It is believed that the Goddess of Learning (Kalai Magal/Saraswathi) resided at the tongues of learned and sincere poets. Can this be true, in reality? One could never fathom the truth of past events clouded in historical mist, but anecdotes abound in Tamil literature about great medieval poets Kambar, Avvayar and Kaalameham who, when insulted had sung aram songs on those who insulted them.
The word Aram, though having multiple meanings in Tamil, in this context translates as ‘file’ or ‘rasp’, indicating that the intended verse functions like a file or rasp to corrode the power, pride and dignity of the intended recipient of such a curse verse.
Last year I received a complimentary copy of a felicitation volume of 262 pages, published for Chelliah Rajadurai, and printed by Manimekalai Pirasuram, Chennai. Rajadurai, a Federal Party stalwart in the 1950s and 1960s in East Eelam, became a minister in the UNP Cabinet of J.R.Jayewardene in 1979, and retired from island politics in 1989. Thus, the felicitation volume has a ‘half-baked’ quality.
Though tens of photos show Rajadurai in the company of political, religious and Tamil cine-world celebrities, including one with Yasser Arafat! But not a single photo of Rajadurai with his political mentor S.J.V.Chelvanayakam or other fellow Federal Party leaders had been included. As an aside, I should mention that Mr.Rajadurai’s elder son Ravindran was a class-mate of mine at the Colombo Hindu College, Ratmalana, in 1966. For some reason, the publication date for this felicitation volume of Rajadurai is also notably missing. But from a congratulatory message presented by DMK leader M.Karunanidhi, who was then the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu which carried the date December 12, 1997, one could infer that this particular felicitation volume should have appeared in 1998 or later.
One particular contribution [pp.156-158] in this Rajadurai felicitation volume, by Nanjil Sivaraman [who if I’m not wrong was a make-up artist in the Tamil movie world], attracted my attention. In this contribution, Sivaraman had provided an interesting anecdote concerning the aram song of poet Pattukoddai Kalyanasundaram. Presented below is the English translation of what Sivaraman had written in Tamil. This incident should have happened in Chennai in the first half of 1950s. Poet Kalyanasundaram, born on April 13, 1930, would have been in his early 20s then. To quote, “In his struggling early days as a movie lyricist, poet Paddukoddai Kalyanasundaram faced tough times. He approached a movie company repeatedly, soliciting opportunity to write lyrics. That movie company’s mogul ignored the poet repeatedly, with a scowl, ‘Come tomorrow; Come tomorrow’. The poet was angered, and he looked around and located an empty cigarette packet. Kalyanasundaram ripped it open, and wrote an impromptu derisive curse verse (aram song).
“Thaayaal Piranthaen – Thamizhaal Valarnthaen
Naaye – Nee Yaar – NaaLai Vaa Venru Solvatharku
NaaLai Unai – Nadu Theruvil Santhikkiraen Paar.” [Note by Sachi: In English translation, the curse verse reads as, ‘Born from [my] mother – Bred by Tamil Who are You – a Dog? – to chase me to Come Tomorrow In the mid-street, I’ll meet you Tomorrow’.]
Then, the poet handed his curse to the guard, with an admonition, “Give this to your Boss”, and left the compound like an angered sage. The guard went in and handed poet Kalyanasundaram’s curse verse to Udumalai Narayana Kavi, who was penning lyrics there, for that movie mogul. Immediately the sympathetic senior poet Narayana Kavi screamed agitatingly at the guard, ‘Please call him back – Please call him back’. The mogul then inquired, ‘What’s the matter?’, for which the perceptive Narayana Kavi responded, “He has sung an aram [the derisive curse] on you.” The arrogant boss retorted, “Let him go. Aram (file) or Muram (winnow). What can he do to me, with his aram song?”
Subsequently, that particular movie, even though its banner carried the names of big stars, flopped badly without even running for a week. Then, I had seen that movie mogul walking in the street in a sarong and shirt.”
Whether it was a mere happenstance or whether that particular movie’s flop could indeed be attributed to poet Paddukoddai Kalyanasundaram’s curse verse, this anecdote by Nanjil Sivaraman presents two facets of two Tamil lyricists of recognition. The first is that, the three line aram song of then young poet Kalyanasundaram [in his early 20s] in which he majestically rhymed the words Thaai [mother] and Naai [Dog] to insult a movie mogul who repeatedly chased him away. He had pride in his talent, and felt that his talent was insulted by a money-bag in the movie land. Secondly, the perceptive senior poet Udumalai Narayan Kavi’s anguish in reading the said aram song of poet Kalyanasundaram is also rather touching. For propriety, Nanjil Sivaraman has neither identified the movie mogul nor the flopped movie in his contribution. It is a pity that particular movie mogul couldn’t recognize the budding talent of poet from Paddukoddai [in literal translation, the silk fort] who blossomed into a Paaddukoddai [a fort in songs] within a couple of years.
For the record, I provide below a chronologically arranged list of Tamil movies which featured the memorable lyrics of poet Kalyanasundaram. For 55 movies, he wrote 191 lyrics. The great poet died on October 8, 1959, at the age of mere 29 years.
Chronologically arranged list of Tamil Movies featuring poet Kalyanasundaram’s songs (Number of lyrics penned by Kalyanasundaram are shown within parentheses). 1955
Maheswari (5)
1956
Kula Theivam (4), Padiththa Penn (2), Paasa Valai (6), Rangoon Radha (2)
1957
Ambikapathi(1), Alavudeenum Arputha Vilakkum (1), Karpukkarasi (3), Sakkaravarthi Thirumagal (6), Saubaakiyavathi (10), Puthaiyal (1), Makkalai Petra Maharasi (1), Maha Devi(1)
1958
Anbu Enge?(1), Uththama Puthiran(1), Kanniyin Sabatham(1), Thirumanam(2), Thedi Vantha Selvam(1), Nadodi Mannan(4), Naan Valartha Thangai(6), Pathi Pakthi(7), Pillai Kaniyamuthu(2), Petra Mahanai Vitra Annai(4), Marma Veeran(1)
1959
Amuthavalli(5), Aval Yar?(3), Rathinapuri Ilavarasi(13), Ulagam Sirikuthu(2), Kan Thiranthathu (2), Kalyana Parisu (8), Kalyanikku Kalyanam (6), Kalaivaanan (1), Thanga Pathumai (8), Thalai Koduththan Thambi (2), Nalla Theerpu (1), Paaha Pirivinai (2), Paandi Thevan (5), Puthumai Penn (2), Pon Vilaiyum Poomi (5), Vaazha Vaitha Theivam (1)
1960
Aalukkoru Veedu(7), Irumbu Thirai(4), Elaarum In Naatu Mannar(8), Onru Pattaal Undu Vazhvu(8), Sankili Thevan(2), Paathai Theriyuthu Paar(1), Mahalakshmi(1), Veerakanal(1)
1961
Arasilankumari(4), Kumara Raja(5), Thirudathe(1), Punar Jenmam(2)
1962
Ethaiyum Thaangum Ithayam(1), Vikramathithan(2)
1963
Kalai Arasi(4)
[sources for the movie list: (1) Makkal Kavignar Paddukoddai Kalyanasundaram Paadalkal, edited by P.E.Balakrishnan, New Century Book House, Chennai, 5th edition 1977, 307 pp.
(2) Pattukoddai Kalyanasundaram Paadalkal – Oru Thiranaaivu, by P.Uthayakumar, with a foreword by M.Karunanidhi, Kalaichelvi Publishers, Chennai, 1978, 186 pp.]
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