DevarajanMaster

Devarajan, from a young age, was profoundly influenced by the lullabies of his mother, the songs of Naushad, which he used to listen to at a theater in his neighborhood at Paravur in Kollam, and the rich Carnatic and folk music tradition. A born rebel, Devarajan had clear perceptions about life and decided that all his creative and professional endeavors would be dedicated to the creation of an indigenous music that reflected the hopes and aspirations of the poor and deprived social classes.

Under the name of Paravur Devarajan or Paravur G. Devaraj, he started his illustrious career in music as a classical singer and performed his first classical concert at the age of 17 and started to perform more concerts on AIR Tiruchi and Trivandrum. He performed a number of classical concerts from 1947 to 1967 with multiple accompanists, his usual ones being Chalakudy Narayanaswamy and Mavelikara Krishnankutty Nair. At the end of his classical concerts, he used to set tunes to the poems of Ulloor Parameswaran Iyer, Kumaranasan, Changampuzha, G. Kumarapilla, O. N. V. Kurup, and P. Bhaskaran, amongst many others. 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, and he did so through these trendsetting poems.

He was soon attracted to the Communist movement of the 50s and decided to dedicate his creative energy to popular music. He joined the once-famous drama troupe of Kerala, the Kerala People’s Arts Club (KPAC). The now-classic “Ponnarival”, written by his friend O. N. V. Kurup, composed and sung by himself, brought him to prominence and limelight in the Kerala music scene. He initially started by singing this poem at his classical concerts, and then it evolved into timeless composition on-stage. Through his innumerable compositions, Devarajan would cast an indelible imprint in the Malayali theater arena and became a household name thereafter.

Establishing himself as a prolific composer and musician in the Indian music arena, Devarajan expressed the hopes and joys of the Malayali population through his oeuvre with not only ease, but dual elegance. He was arguably one of the first composers across Indian Film Music to capture the subtle nuances and shades of different emotions associated with a tune or a composition on the basis of its lyrical text. If ‘Vaarthinkal Thoniyeri’ (Karuna) and ‘Chakravarthini’ (Chembarathi) capture the mood of joyful love, ‘Mandasameeranil’, ‘Prananathan Enikku Nalkiya’ and ‘Thanka Thalikayil’ are more lustful in nature. His versatility began to show as he scored more films, doing everything from “Polthinkal” and “Nadabrahmathin ” to “Keladi Ninne” and “Mandasameeranil ”. Devarajan created a unique structure to Malayalam film songs. He was simply a craftsman. Simplicity and spontaneity are often hailed as the hallmarks of his craftsmanship. In his rich repertoire, Devarajan held these qualities in abundance. ‘Priyathama’ or ‘Ujjayiniyile Gaayika’ demonstrate the great economy that Devarajan exercised in his orchestration. Only those instruments that are essential for enhancing the atmosphere are used and Devarajan kept his craft simple and elegant.

Like his life and music, Devarajan’s thoughts were pristine and well-thought; precision was his trademark. Braving ill-health and old age, he adamantly fought and established royalties for his industry colleagues, creating an awareness of the scope of the Copyright Act. Many musicians in the industry were brought up through Devarajan’s help and assistance at each turning point. Devarajan master, in his twilight years, had been encompassed entirely in writing and composing `Shadkala Pallavis’, first presenting them at a function held in Ernakulam to mark his 75 birthday celebrations. The maestro may have passed away 17 years ago, but he continues to live in the hearts of millions who cherish his songs.