THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is the visual equivalent of listening to G Devarajan’s music while supplied with a biography to leaf through. The exhibition of paintings and photographs based on the songs and life of the late music director, organised at the Museum auditorium from March 12 to 14, in connection with his fifth death anniversary, is a worthy tribute to the maestro.
The paintings, based on some of the most-loved songs of Devarajan, are by Jyothilal, who has been engaged in giving visual interpretations to Vayalar-Devarajan songs for over twenty years now. “The younger generation ought to understand that the songs created by these masters are not something that you can copy through your voice. They are meditative reflections on life, love and relationships. Not many people know that Devarajan Master was an artist, and hence the layers of ‘bhava’ in his songs evoke a rich imagery,” he says.
Even as he was explaining the painting based on ‘Swarga puthri navarathri’, the song started playing on the recorder that was on. One could see that the imagery was decipherable for a layman and hence extremely enjoyable. The painting in deep blue shade, representing the song, ‘Indavallari poo chhodi varum’, depicts night as a heavily-adorned woman. The men and women in Jyothilal’s paintings possess an other-worldly loveliness that qualifies the evergreen music that Devarajan and Vayalar created.
Corroborating these recreations of his songs in acrylic are the photographs that follow Devarajan from his childhood to his last day. Jijo G Paravoor started clicking Devarajan’s photos after he began working for a Malayalam daily about 10 years ago. He later enlarged the collection with photographs that he copied form the personal collection of Devarajan’s family.
“When Devarajan was invited to Paravoor, his birth place, during his last days, I accompanied his family. On reaching the plot where his house once stood, Devarajan Master said that a nearby house had an ‘udukku,’ the sound of which inspired his song ‘Saranam Ayyappa.’ He grew up listening to the sound that came from the house and had brought the ‘udukku’ over while composing the song and then returned it. I went in search of the ‘udukku’ and took a photo,” says Jijo, pointing to a picture where the instrument is seen in a close shot, played by the son of the person whom Devarajan had known.
Other photographs show him with friends like P Bhaskaran, Kambisseri Karunakaran, Vaikkom Chandrasekharan Nair, ONV Kurup and his favourite singers, Yesudas, P Susheela and Madhuri.
One of the last shots show his writing table, where Devarajan had left his spectacles and writing pad just before being shifted to hospital when he complained of uneasiness. On the page are the last lines he penned for the ‘Shatkala Pallavi’, which remains incomplete till date for want of an equally gifted soul.
The exhibition will be followed by the Devarajan Shaktigadha Award presentation to P Susheela. ONV Kurup will hand over the award at a function to be held at VJT Hall at 5 pm on Monday.
trivandrum@expressbuzz.com