CHENNAI: From the exchange of furtive longing glances, and pet names like “Amul Kanni”, Coke Studio Tamil’s new gaana song Daavula Darling features a love story between the “dark king of gaana music” and “a tough woman” thrumming in the narrow lanes of Vyasarpadi. This “maajavana feelingu” of love is sung to life by artistes Gaana Ulaganathan and Gaana Vimala in the four-minute song.
Released on World Music Day (June 21), this song currently has 52 lakh views and counting on YouTube. Filmed live in a red-themed recording studio, the video is a delight to watch as the camera focuses on the ensemble donning sunglasses and grooving kuthu-style to the gaana beats. Describing the premise of the song, Ulaganathan laughs, “It’s a simple love song…I cannot give you gold or diamonds, silk clothes or anklets but I would like you to accept my heart.” With hints of mischief, Vimala’s lines also touch on a teasing relationship between the lovers — “I know you’re checking me out, you naughty man!” and “I am a tough lady. But you are the right match for me.”
According to the Coke Studio YouTube channel, “...the lyrics highlight the nature of relationships and the plethora of ways in which love can blossom in this environment.” The off-beat title Daavula Darling came from rapper Arivu, say the artistes, adding that singer Shan, Krithika Nelson, and the team pieced together the melody. “Each one of us contributed little to the parts of the song,” says Vimala, adding she had been chosen from a group of 30 artistes to collaborate with Ulanganathan for the song.
Pride of gaana
Unlike most gaana songs, this earworm curiously begins with the notes of Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni Sa, usually associated with classical music. Asked about this addition, Ulaganathan says, “I have also (formally) studied music: this is what I have expressed in this song.” To a trained ear, the ragas of arohanam, avarohanam and sindhu bhairavi spring forth, the award-winning artiste adds.
After setting the note, the deceptively simple composition moves to trace the history of the meenu paatu to its journey in cinema: ‘It was born and brought up in Chennai. Gaana, full of pride. It has gone around the world, with the fish song Gaana. It sings the praises of the world lovers’. Far from being considered “classical” to make to the sabhas of the city, this folk music has roots in suffering and celebration of marginalised communities. As Antony Arul Valan writes in A Conceptual Lexicon for the Twenty-First Century, “Gana singers have sung in Chennai for at least two centuries, with their voices muffled by the politics of nation-building that could only accommodate the songs of the affluent sections of the city…”
While the soulful music, beating in the heart of north Chennai, is often associated with grief and burial grounds, Daavula Darling proves it is a medium for shy, sprawling love. As Ulaganathan explains, everything is art and each one has a style. “Gaana could be philosophical, about love failure or how to profess your love to someone, how to get over drinking, or giving open advice, how to behave, take care of your wife, family, or educate your children,” he says, adding these songs on daily life are filled with meaningful lyrics.
Explaining the importance of independent platforms like Coke Studio promoting often-marginalised music like oppari, gaana, and Tamil Sufi music, Vimala says, “Everyone thinks that Gaana revolves around life, marriage, death, and occasions. But gaana has everything.” She adds that earlier gaana was limited and restricted to a certain group, and now everyone is aware of the form.
From Pulainthope Palani to Gaana Bala, the field has grown. in the past few decades, Ulaganathan adds that (music director/composer) ‘Thenisai Thendral’ Deva spearheaded the introduction of gaana in cinema “with a good message, a song with a jolly and peppy feel.” “Now there are 8,000-10,000 people in the field. They are also singing YouTube songs. It truly is a happy journey for gaana, that’s a matter of pride,” explains the artiste who began his career at the age of eight with small stage performances like temple concerts, and homage platforms. Currently, Ulaganathan has 58 songs to his name, including the meenu song, gaana to devotional.
Breaking mainstream barriers
In a usually male-dominated space, Vimala, the trans gaana artiste and composer has made a mark, now entering the international stage of Coke Studio. While not formally trained, the artiste began singing as a teenager with songs echoing stories of the streets, and intersections of caste and gender. “There was an unwritten rule that only men could sing gaana, that was broken and as the first trans person singing gaana on stage, it is a great opportunity. As a trans person, I am the first in the community to sing in Coke Studio. I am very proud of that. A younger generation is following me. I thought I could also do it, with my hard work, I made it here,” explains Vimala, adding her influences were Gaana Jagan and SPB.
Last year, Vimala — decked in a powerful blue suit — recorded the Paraiyena Paaratum Ambedkar Anthem, a song in tribute to Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar.” Recording Davula Darling was a different experience, admits the artiste. “I wrote Ambedkar’s song with the help of many people, I knew how to compose but I haven’t learned music…As an artiste, it was a learning, it was just the way I knew and not as a professional. Coke Studio gave me the experience (to learn how to) present tone, pitch, and output. Singing on such a stage itself is an experience.”
Next on Vimala’s wishlist is making more music for the film industry. “Basic opportunity is still insufficient. If chances and opportunities come, I am sure of using it the right way, giving it my best,” she adds. For Vimala, gaana is intertwined with her journey, and hard work and now is defined as an achievement in her terms. “Gaana is the achievement of all my hard work. I put in all my efforts, worked hard, and felt that gaana would end with me. Now, gaana is renowned. It will get the same place as light music,” she signs off.