The Master Of Melody Poem by Padmanabhan Ananth

Into the mellow world of Southern Cine
He made his entry through 'Annakili'*
With his soulful, scintillating melodies
Way back in the heady mid-seventies

From a remote hamlet deep in Madurai
He entered into the audio mills of Chennai
Creating many a music from poetic lyric
Intricately linking local folk and global rock

Poets Kannadasan, Vairamuthu, Vaali
Penned those soulful, vivid lyrics
Many sheer poetry in lilting melody
Versing, rhyming, outpouring sweetly

Soulful voices of Das, Mano, Vasu, Bala
Janaki, Chitra, even the legendary Lata
Wiki says he's tuned four-n-half grand
In six local-speaks for movies a thousand!

They say with just a view of a cine scene
He'd compose notes for every violin
And every other organ of the symphony
Each note-sheet tuned to perfect harmony

I possess few dozen ballads - a compendium
Impressive singles, each an erudite poem
Songs that are undoubted time machines
Instantly kinetic to my school, bachelor times

In one clever melody, she asks of distant him:
'You're fine here, am I so there? '
In another, he sings on nature a paean:
'On a blue-sky stream swims the sliver moon! '

I wouldn't say the new music ain't no good
But Raja^'s creations are of another world
Great concoctions of melody, lyric and substance
At press of 'play' button, he holds me in trance.
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*Name of a Tamil movie of the 70s.
^Shortform for Ilayaraja.