CHENNAI: As fishermen of yore steered their boats and ploughed through wind waves, the rhythmic rendition of the words Yelo Yaelelo by their ilk, accompanied them. The rhyme used to continue till they reached the shore — energising and enabling them to tide through rough waters. Here in the city, when creatives Shravan Kalai (music composer-cum-singer) and Vadivarasu (lyricist) took up the mammoth task of writing lyrics and composing music for 100 songs in 100 days, amid the pandemic, the duo quite aptly titled the challenge Yaelelo Paatu.
“Like the fishermen, we too needed to keep going during this trying time. When we decided to do this challenge, we had to carry the weight of the responsibility. So, we gave it the name. Besides 100 songs in 100 days, we also wanted all the songs to be just 100-seconds long. So, to create 100-second-long 100 songs in 100 days was our aim,” shares Shravan, who, after stepping into 2021, has been soaking in the success of the challenge along with Vadivarasu.
“The first song was posted on my YouTube channel on September 23, 2020, and the 100th song was posted on December 31, 2020. Though the response for the challenge was lukewarm in the beginning, as the days passed, more people began supporting us, appreciating the efforts, sharing constructive criticism and giving suggestions. During this period, there have been times when people have called to check in on us, in case of delays in posting a song. It touched us and we saw that as a success,” beams Shravan, who has composed music for over 800 commercials, several Tamil television series and is also credited for working as an associate music composer in 35-odd films across languages.
“I took all these experiences to the challenge’s music table. For instance, the experience of composing short music pieces for jingles helped me stick to the 100-second time limit,” he says. From songs with feisty folk, hip hop and gaana flavours to mellow pinches of jazz and several dashes of Carnatic music, the compositions are a musical feast. The lyrics of all the 100 songs tread on realism and narratives that are whimsical. Through a few catchy words, Vadivarasu succinctly explores myriad themes — love, work from home, hell, begging, afterlife, changing seasons, the lives of soldiers, relationships, biryani. Adding to its one-of-a-kind attempt are the refreshing animations (in 18 videos) by Meera.
“Tamil animation lyric videos are hard to find and in a non-film venture, it’s rare. So when we decided to do it for a few of our videos, we were thrilled. We had Meera, a friend, on-board and the animations beautifully complemented and, sometimes, even anchored the entire video, creating an impact on our listeners. It was the participation of people like Meera in assisting us that made this challenge a huge success,” says Shravan, whose wife turned into cinematographer for the challenge, while a cousin offered to edit the videos for 100 days.
“On the 100th day, for the 100th song, we picked the first word of all the other songs or very important words and strung the final Yaelelo Paatu, featuring over 10 singers, some, who also lent their voices for previous compositions. On the 101st day, we shared a special thanksgiving song for our viewers for encouraging us through the three months. It was their support that kept us going and we stepped into the New Year feeling a sense of accomplishment. We are hopeful and looking forward to what this year has in store for us,” he concludes. The duo is currently busy chalking a musical challenge for 2021.
For details, visit Instagram page @shravan_kalai or visit YouTube channel Shravan Kalai