Composer with the divine touch
N.J. NAIR
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G. Devarajan's songs have immortalised the crusader-composer who was one of the cultural ambassadors of the progressive movement in Kerala.
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G. Devarajan. Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar
Life was a prolonged struggle against the inconsistencies in life and music for veteran music composer G. Devarajan. To label Devarajan as just a music director who composed songs for 330 films and almost an equal number of plays would be a gross injustice. For he was one of the frontline crusaders and a prominent cultural ambassador who led the progressive movement along with G. Janaradhana Kurup and O.N.V. Kurup.
A born rebel, Devarajan had a clear perception about life and society and all his endeavours were to create an indigenous music that reflected the hopes and aspirations of the poor and deprived classes.
He was profoundly influenced by the lullabies of his mother, the songs of Naushad, which he used to listen at a theatre in his neighbourhood at Paravur in Kollam, and the rich Carnatic and folk music tradition. While starting his career as a Carnatic vocalist, Devarajan made a bold effort to liberate Carnatic music from the clutches of a few and make it palatable to the masses without diluting its standards. He became a trend-setter by rendering famous poems that he tuned at Carnatic concerts.
Each concert was an innovation that helped him realise the possibilities of every raga. Later, when he turned to composing, it helped him bring out the different facets of ragas. Devarajan was one music director who explored the limitless possibilities of Mohana raga. All his songs in Mohanam had something unique.
Bond with Vayalar
Out of the 223 films for which the lyrics were written by the late Vayalar Rama Varma, Devarajan had composed the music for 120. The two shared a special relationship. At one stage, Devarajan said that cinema did not exist in his mind anymore.
The reason? "We do not have a Vayalar who can sense my thoughts," he had said.
It is estimated that between 1960 and 1980, K.J. Jesudas himself had sung almost 500 film songs composed by Devarajan. The number would be more or less the same in the case of other playback singers too. Devarajan also had a treasure-trove of drama songs that he composed in association with O.N.V. Kurup.
Perhaps, those were the songs that instilled a sense of belonging in the minds of Keralites. Although he maintained a calm and composed mien, Devarajan was always in the thick of a silent battle to defend all that he held close to his heart. The tough exterior often belied his deep affection for those who knew him well.
Protesting against certain decisions of the State film awards, he chose to return all the State awards he received during his long and illustrious career. Even the prestigious J.C. Daniel Award could not upset his composure.
Braving the afflictions of age and ill-health, he took up cudgels to prevent the piracy of his immortal songs by fortune-hunters and also to protect the intellectual property rights of his fraternity.
Battle for copyright
What annoyed him was the way his songs were being butchered for petty gains.
When the cassette companies were raking in a fortune by churning out old hits in new forms, most of the composers and lyricists were living in penury.
Such blatant violation of copyright rules was unheard of anywhere else in the world, he had said. With the support of G. Janardhana Kurup, he tried to create an awareness among his fraternal friends about the scope of the Copyright Act. He firmly believed that the patent of a creation remains solely with the creator and no one should reproduce it without the creator's consent. He filed a civil suit in the Ernakulam Munsiff Court in the wake of the rising number of cases of infringement of ownership rights of original creations by recording artistes.
Another major contribution of his was to groom five singers for the next millennium - Resmi Madhu, Vijesh Gopal, Julie Jose, Sudheep Kumar and Vidhu Prathap. He groomed these singers in the typical Gurukula system during his stay in Thiruvananthapuram.
Immortalising the memory of Vayalar was a dream of Devarajan. This was fulfilled on his last visit to the capital city, when he unveiled Vayalar's statue. Noted poet, Perumpuzha Gopalakrishnan, took up the onerous task of writing Devarajan's biography, `Sangeethathinte Rajasilpi.'
Like his life and music, Devarajan's thoughts were pristine and well-marshalled. Precision was his hall-mark.
Devarajan had been engrossed in writing and composing `Shadkala Pallavis' for some years now. Some of them were presented at a function held in Ernakulam to mark his 75 birthday celebrations. But a more elaborate presentation remained a dream. Yet another unfulfilled desire was to develop KPAC as a university of fine arts.
The master musician is no more but he will live in the hearts of millions who cherish his songs.
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