KOCHI: ‘Songs adorned with soulful lyrics bearing rustic folk flavour’ - the songs penned by Kavalam Narayana Panicker cannot be described in a better way.
Kavalam is basically an agricultural village in Kuttanad with backwaters surrounding even paddy-fields. Even the cool breeze that fondles the lakes is filled with such rustic imagery, which is quite enough to enliven one’s imagination. Inheriting the folk philosophy and ideology of the land, Kavalam injected the folk culture into his poems, songs and plays. He believed in the great and rich folk tradition of his village, and experimented by adding colourful music, dance and theatre forms into it.
Most of the directors who worked on themes revolving around aesthetic subjects and folk arts preferred Kavalam as the lyricist. For instance, director Viji Thampy who made thrillers like ‘Witness’ and ‘New Year’ chose Kavalam when he decided to make ‘Nanma Niranjavan Sreenivasan (1990).’ Though the film was not a hit, its songs, ‘Thekkannam Paari Nadanne’ and ‘Kanni Kaavadi Poo Nirangal’ became popular for their vibrant folk flavour. In 1999, when T K Rajeevkumar made ‘Kannezhuthy Pottum Thottu,’ a revenge drama set in the backdrop of Kuttanad, he reunited the successful combo of Kavalam and the late M G Radhakrishnan to handle the music section. It was the reunion of the hit duo that helmed some of the memorable songs and light music of the 80s. The song ‘Chempazhukka Chempazhukka,’ sung by actor Manju Warrier, was widely admired for its local flavour. Kavalam’s songs sans the folk touch were also well-received by music lovers. ‘Gopike’ from ‘Kattathe Kilikkoodu,’ ‘Azhikkange’ from ‘Padayottam,’ ‘Nirangale’ form ‘Aham,’ ‘Hari Chandana’ from ‘Kannezhuthy Pottum Thottu,’ ‘Pulari Thoo Manju’ from ‘Uthsavapittennu’ and ‘Ozhinja Veedin’ from ‘Vadakakku Oru Hrudayam’ were some of the memorable songs which speak for the poetic beauty of his lyrics.
Though he strongly stood for the folk tradition, Kavalam made sure that his output was totally contemporary in nature. That is why his songs eventually became rich ingredients that added flavour to the total mood of movies and plays. That is why his folk songs are still used in contemporary theatre. Also, that the reason why his song ‘Aathmavin Thinkal Kulir Ponnum Nilaa Then Thulli’ from the movie Amen became an instant hit even in 2013.
