Month: May 2015

See, titil of this post rhyming. That itself is being poetry. My nameshake one of greatest poets of English language, you may be knowing. He writing many sonnets and all his drama plays also very poetical. What he say, now, I dredging memory…ah yes, I copying pasting from Internet: “The poet’s eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven; and as imagination bodies forth the forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen turns them to shape; and gives to airy nothing a local habitation and a name; such tricks has strong imagination.” It very profound, it going over my head largely, but still you seeing and I seeing it about poetry. Nowadays, it being easier to write poetry, though it much more difficult to understand. Even more difficult to understand why it called poetry at all. Poetry, I seeing, is all about appearance. First, poet having to look like poet. It crucial and not all peoples master of this art. There two ways to do this: 1. Supermodel who revealing hidden literary talent. 2. Intellectual with dreamy look forgetting to bath for past three days. I wondering how it possible to always look like you not bathing for three days. I meaning, every third day, you looking freshly washed, right? Never minding.

Then, it not only appearance of poet, but get up of poem also being important. See egg sample below:

to
make noodles
bring
a cup
of water (200 ml)
to a boil
add
noodles
and don’t forget
the
tastemaker

Now (this no longer poem, bye the way), you seeing how look of words affecting way you reading poem. If you not breaking lines in judicious places, how people know it poem? It very important technique, please note it.

There being third important thing needed for today’s serious poet, which is standing in public place and courageously reading writings aloud, even if it make you look like a total donkey. So you be practicing with above egg sample. In bathroom if you shy type.

At outset, I admitting this also academmic paper, like earlier one I writing some times ago (refer ‘The use of…’, Shakespearan, partners et al, the journal of Tamil pedagogy Vol 123.)  I also freely admitting that title of this paper lifted from 2, 3 titles of academmic papers I seeing, reason being I not being able to think of one myself. While on subject, I also admitting (I feeling like higher secondary school in June) that whatever in first pair of bracket above also fabricatted, no such thing as journal therewith mentioned, but this sort of thing you finding all the time in academmic papers, one needing to be authentic, no? Also I sincerely hoping you not understanding title, otherwise it not working.

We examining this fenomenon with aid of one exelent egg sample, Dr. Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan.

In one memorable scene, he saying, (I coating): “O, watt a pitty! watt a pitty!”

One should note almost imperceptibil process of alien tongue acquiring Tamil flavor in the hands of great thespian. The words being English, but emotion quintesessentially Tamil.

In one movie, Sivaji singing entire song in English, dancing with half clad girl who shimmying and writhing like eel which is ready for oil bath, but we di-gress, this academmic paper please not to forget. Chevalier singing song in English like a native. Now can Elvis Presley sing song in Tamil with same panache, eh? He look very silly, I promise you.

( I not knowing why, but this bloody Word software idiotically changing correct speling and putting rong ones. There it go again. I correctly putting bloody, and it immediately changing it to bloody. But again I di-gress, I beg pardon).

Then there the poignant, heart renting (or it being denting?) scene in which he singing ‘twinkul, twinkul littul shtar’ with dead body of son in his hands. Sniff. Excuse me, I know I not allowed to get emotional in academmic paper. As Chevalier himself putting it, ‘this is not the place for sentiment.’

That last English dialogue in movie called Gauravam. Preshtige, I thinking is correct translation. In this movie, Chevalier being two lawyers (it double action) and spinning away in Engzhish. It amazing fact that in this Tamil movie there more English dialogue than in some Hollywood movies. Here be some of dialogues delivered by Chevalier in this movie: ‘Cat on the wazh’, ‘young bull kills the old bulll’, ‘doubts’, ‘clear’, ‘public prosecutor’ ‘get out’, ‘shut up’, ‘duty’, ‘beauty’ and many more dripping with drama.

I apologizing (bloody Word changing s to z) for subjecting great thespian’s work to dry academmic dissection and will conclude.

For conclusion (as I mentioning before, academmic paper always having conclusion), I using Chevalier’s dialogue from Gauravam: That’s all, your honour.

I proud of title for this little peece. I not knowing what discursive means. But I seeing it in one of those academmic journals. I wonder if it only a speling error. It more likely to be discussive, which at least making some sense, though I not sure if that in turn is correct also. Where we be? Yes. English, Tamil, film, music. Songs. It a curious phenomenon that, in early part of 2^nd half of previous century, the Tamil in film songs was very good. Curious in light of later developments, later in same century and in this current blighted one the 21^st, in which it gradually came to sound more and more like someone hocking up gobs of phlegm. Songs today having…by the way, wait a minute, if you being bored, it not my fault, this academmic paper, don’t be expecting non-stop thrills…as we were saying, songs today having conversation of retarded cave dwellers as lyrics. Back then, it was not so. Even so, even though Tamil in songs was good, they felt need to use English also. They being polyblots. Or is it being polyplots? As case may be. We shall now examine phenomenon in light of well known egg-sample.

Case in point being the evergreen O ho endhan baby. Here just the pallavi:

Male:

O ho endhan baby!
Nee varai endhan baby!
Kalai mevum varna jaalam konda kolam kanalam!
O ho endhan baaaaaby!

To which female respounding:

O ho endhan darling!
Nee varai endhan darling!
Kalai mevum varna jaalam konda kolam kanalam!
O ho endhan daaaaarling!

As can be seen, two words in this song so far being borrowed from English, namely, ‘baby’ and ‘darling’. Now we examining these two words and engaging in speculation as to possible reasons and circumstances of their finding their way all the way from England into a Tamil film song.

We also mentioning that we leaving aside historical and geopolitical situation of song and confining our study to artistic considerations.

Imagine for moment that lyricist of yore, sitting in cramped room outside recording room in studio in sepia tone. Music director giving him tune (what ragam and talam beyond scope of current study) and waiting for words. Lyricist sitting there, also waiting. He needing two syllable word conveying much love, capable of being extended like javvu mittai, because it has pleased composer to put alapana in middle of word. He trying Tamil words, but no go. No doubt they existing, lurking in some dim corner of mind, but right now being coy.

Then all of a sudden like bang from blue it come to him: baby. It English word, but all audiences getting it. It two syllables and having a in it. Then one number more bang from blue arriving, close on heels of first one. He will put darling in mouth of heroine! That also, incidently, coincidently, being two syllables with a in middle! That also widely understood!

Perhaps, I thinking, I using too many exclaimations for academmic paper, but it not being able to be helped. One more point worth noting; all the rest of the other words in song being pure, caste Tamil. Like it be o ho endhan baby, not o ho en baby, for egg sample. This meaning three things: 1. Lyricist not deliberately setting out to write nonsense. 2. He using English only because suitable Tamil word not occuring in time. 3. People writing film songs today will undoubtedly benefitting from such egg samples, and even more from sharp rap on knuckles.  

In conclusion (all academmic papers having conclusion), bye bye.