Biennale Music: Singers Pay Musical Tribute to Vayalar

KOCHI:
The enchanting song Keralam Keralam, which depicts the mesmerizing beauty of the state, was the song that playback singer Harisree Jayaraj chose on Kerala Piravi as he led a concert in tribute to Malayalam poet and lyricist Vayalar Ramavarma at the ‘Arts and Medicine’ show here at the Government General hospital today.
He teamed up with fellow singers Yahiya Azeez, Naushad and Simi Ramesh to belt out 16 Malayalam songs including best known songs of Vayalar for an audience comprising patients, bystanders and medical staffers. ‘Arts and Medicine’, a joint initiative of the Kochi Biennale Foundation and Mehboob Memorial Orchestra and sponsored by CAFS (Casino Air Caterers & Flight Services), which provides solace to patients through therapeutic music, entered its 193rd edition today.
Today’s episode unfolded with a song picturising Kerala, and moved on to Sandhya Mayangum Neram , an evergreen song composed by Devarajan Master from the movie Mayiladum Kunnu, followed by a couple of mellifluous renditions by Simi, Soorya Kanthi- film Kaatu Thulasi(1965) and Nisheedhini Nisheedhini Njanoru Raappadi- ‘Yakshaganam’, ( 1974), both originally sung by S Janaki.
Jayaraj and Simi added variety to the medley with three duets – Chandrakalabham Chaarthi Urangum, Ashtamudi Kayalile with music by Devarajan Master and Veena Poove, set to music by M S Vishvanathan.
This week’s programme was a tribute to the great poet Vayalar on the 42nd anniversary of his death on October 27. The crowd received each of his immortal songs with extended applause.
Jayaraj, a native of Aluva has been active in the music industry for the past couple of decades and has sung in movies like ‘Kudumbasree Travels’ and ‘Last Bench’. Yahiya Azeez, a member of the Mehboob Orchestra and hailing from a family having strong roots in music, is a regular and active presence at the weekly music show.
Simi Ramesh, a teacher of English by profession at an international school in Mala, Thrissur also has been into singing for the last twenty years and rose to popularity with the music album, ‘Amma Anupama’.
Naushad, a Ghazal singer, is passionate about old Hindi songs and is well-known among the young singers in Kochi.