THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The enchanting allure of the Moon has inspired Malayalam literature and popular culture. The pristineness that marks moonlit nights aroused a myriad of emotions in poets and lyricists, who transferred their inspiration into the hearts and souls of Malayalis.
When Kaithapram wrote ‘Walking in the moonlight, I am thinking of you..., in the film Sathyam Sivam Sundaram (2000), millennials lapped it up. The late Vayalar Ramavarma captured the beauty of the celestial body, turning it into ‘Venchandralekhayorapsara sthree’ in the 1973 film Chukku.
The success of Chandrayaan-3 has evoked another kind of emotion. Yet the country’s historic moonshot is a moment that deserves a relook at Moon’s role in creative Malayalam lore.
Veteran lyricist, singer, writer, and filmmaker Sreekumaran Thampi, whose songs heavily overflowed with elements of the Moon and its charm, says science cannot change the concept of the Moon etched in his mind for so long. “Symbolism and science are different. The Moon in my mind hasn’t changed.
Chandrabimbam Nenjilettum Pullimane... is a poetic concept that is etched in my mind. Still, I see it as a curious kid who was taught to call it ‘Ambili ammavan’. I also believe in astrology and science, but the beauty of the Moon, which has smitten me and others like P Bhaskaran and flowed through our songs, will not change.
When man made his first leap to the Moon, Vayalar wrote, ‘Thankathazhika kudamalla, Tharapathathile radhamalla, Chandrabimpam kavikal pukazhthiya swarnamayookhamalla’. Though it was based on science, he never stopped to adore the moonlight. The Moon is part of our lives, and other than symbolizing love, the phases of the Moon are also stages of our lives, like the life-cycle of a human being.”