Raag Keeravani : போவோமா ஊர்கோலம்… பூலோகம் எங்கெங்கும்…

 

Most likely you have heard this Illayaraja hit multiple times :

போவோமா ஊர்கோலம்… பூலோகம் எங்கெங்கும்…

ஓடும் பொன்னி ஆறும்… பாடும் கானம் நூறும்…

காலம் யாவும் பேரின்பம்… காணும் நேரம் ஆனந்தம்…

 

The story begins with the birth of a baby girl, Nandini, into a family of feudal landlords (Zamindars) whose word is law for the villagers who work on their land. Nandini's three brothers throw a feast in honour of her birth. The young son of the local singer (who had died) is brought in to sing for the event. The three brothers raise Nandini like their own child as their parents had died. At the age of 5, an astrologer predicts that Nandini will bring much happiness to the family, but her marriage will be based on her choice and not the choice of her brothers.   

Keeravani – is a prominent  Melakarta rāgam in Carnatic music, corresponding to the harmonic minor scale in Western classical music. It is a sampoorna rāgam known for its deeply emotional, meditative, and hauntingly beautiful quality.  In the  rāgam system of Carnatic music, it is the 21^st ;  however 21st melakarta rāgam as per Muthuswami Dikshitar school of music is Kiraṇāval̥i.

The song - "Poovoma Oorgolam" written by Gangai Amaran, to the music of Isaignani Illayaraja, sung buy      Swarnalatha & SP Balasubramaniam was a super hit.   It was from Prabhu, Kushbu starrer Chinna Thambi, directed by P Vasu released in 1991.  The film was remade in Kannada as Ramachaari (1991), Telugu as Chanti (1992) and Hindi as Anari (1993). The film was one of Prabhu's biggest blockbusters and completed a 356-day run in 9 screens and 100-day run in 47 screens.

All the songs in the movie were big hits.  The song "Nee Engey En Anbe" is set to the Carnatic raga Keeravani, as is "Poovoma Oorgolam.  The film proved to be a breakthrough for playback singer Swarnalatha.  Chanti, the Telugu version was directed  by Ravi Raja Pinisetty and starred Venkatesh & Meena.   The film was a box office buster and remember it running for many days at Thirumala theatre in Main road, Kakinada. 

For the oldies, the Rajnikanth starrer ‘Johnny’ directed by Mahendran was a musical hit. With Rajni, Sridevi, Deepa, it still failed !   The songs were lively – the song – ‘Kaatril Enthan geetham, kaanathan onrai theduthey" is set in Keeravani   

For the connoisseur, keerthanas in ‘raag Keeravani’  include Kaligiyunte by Tyagayya, Devi Neeye Thunai by Papanasam Sivan, Bhavaye Sarasanabham by Swati Tirunal, and Marivere dikkevare by Patnam Subramania Iyer.

Today is day 2 of Thiruvadipura Uthsavam and there was siriya mada veethi purappadu of Sri Andal Nachiyar.  After thiruvanthikappu, here is a rendition of keeravani in Nadaswaram by Nagaraj, Sai Shanmuganathan & Prakash. : https://youtu.be/Ee5R2-WuAsk

 

Regards – S Sampathkumar

6.8.2026

aerial Chennai ~ Maduravoyal interchange !

 

பேருந்தில் நீ எனக்கு… ஜன்னல் ஓரம்… என்ற பாடல் கேட்டு உள்ளீர்களா ?

The window seat offering view of outside World is premium, preferred and enjoyed by many people, on travel – not necessarily in a Bus but also on a Train and an aeroplane too !  .. .. and in one such travel I captured this image of -  *எங்க ஊரு மெட்ராஸு !!!* taken a few years ago, when I was travelling regularly.

"From a few thousand feet above, Chennai reveals its hidden geometry. The looping curves of the Maduravoyal Cloverleaf embrace the ancient Coovum River [the Thames   of Chennai], while an endless mosaic of homes, industries, lakes and roads stretches toward the horizon—a reminder that every great city is shaped as much by its rivers as by its highways."

To an amateur photographer, this is a striking aerial portrait of western Chennai, captured from an aircraft at just the right angle revealing both the city's vastness and its underlying geography. The photograph is as much about the Cooum River as it is about the city that has grown around it.

At the heart of the image is the Maduravoyal Cloverleaf Interchange, one of Chennai's most recognizable highway junctions. The graceful loops of the cloverleaf form a geometric centrepiece, where the Chennai Bypass (NH 32/NH 48 connectivity) intersects with the arterial roads leading into the city. From this height, the interchange resembles a carefully crafted engineering sculpture amidst an otherwise organic urban landscape.

Running diagonally through the frame is the Cooum River, its winding course providing a reminder that long before highways and apartment blocks appeared, it was the river that shaped settlement patterns in this region. Although much of modern Chennai has enveloped it, the Coovum still serves as a natural thread connecting the western suburbs with the historic heart of the city before eventually meeting the Bay of Bengal near Fort St. George.

The photo provides some details of the dense urban fabric stretches uninterrupted toward the horizon, giving an impression of Chennai's remarkable expansion over the past few decades.  Pockets of green fields, water bodies, and open land still survive in the foreground, hinting at the agricultural landscape that once dominated Maduravoyal and its neighbouring villages. Industrial sheds with blue roofs, residential colonies, educational campuses, and commercial buildings blend seamlessly into one another, illustrating how rapidly the city's western corridor has urbanised.

The slight atmospheric haze is not a flaw—it adds depth. It softens the distant skyline and emphasizes the sheer scale of Chennai, where the city gradually dissolves into the horizon rather than ending abruptly. This perhaps is an example of an oblique aerial landscape rather than a straight-down (nadir) aerial shot.

One can see and enjoy the three-dimensional form of the cloverleaf interchange, the meandering Cooum River,  the texture of the urban sprawl, and the gradual transition from suburban fringe to metropolitan core.  There is also a subtle narrative embedded in the image. The Coovum, once the principal natural feature of this landscape, now appears almost secondary to the immense transport infrastructure that crosses it. The cloverleaf bridge literally spans the river, symbolising Chennai's transformation—from a riverine settlement into a modern metropolis driven by roads, commerce, and continuous urban growth.

முதலில் குறிப்பிட்ட - 'பேருந்தில் நீ எனக்கு… ஜன்னல் ஓரம்…' பாடல் இடம் பெற்ற படம் -   2007ம் ஆண்டில் வெளிவந்த - பொறி (Pori).  சுப்பிரமணியம் சிவா இயக்கிய இப்படத்தில் -  ஜீவா, பூஜா, சீமான், நடித்து இருந்தனர். பாடியது -  மது பாலகிருஷ்ணன், மதுஸ்ரீ & தினா. இசை : தினா 

                 For anyone familiar with Chennai, it is instantly recognisable—not merely as a cityscape, but as a snapshot of a city constantly reinventing itself while its ancient river quietly continues its journey beneath the highways.

Interesting !

Regards – S Sampathkumar

5.8.2026

 

 

the modern day Pari !! ~ முல்லைக்கு தேர் கொடுத்த !!

 

"பாரி .. இன்றும் உயிருடன்!"

இயற்கையின் மீட்பு (Nature reclaiming what man abandoned)  - கை விடப்பட்ட கார், அதைச் சுற்றி உயிர்ப்புடன் வளர்ந்த முல்லைக் கொடி—இது வெறும் காட்சி அல்ல; ஒரு தத்துவம்.

 

"முல்லைக்குத் தேர் கொடுத்தான் பாரி எனப் படித்தோம்.

காலம் மாறிவிட்டது.

மனிதன் கைவிட்ட தேரை,

முல்லைக் கொடி தன் உரிமையாக்கிக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது!

இயற்கை எதையும் வெறுமனே கைவிடாது;

மனிதன் விட்டுச் சென்றதையும், அது மீண்டும் உயிராக்கி விடுகிறது."

முல்லைக்கு தேர் கொடுத்தான் பாரி !! ~

இந்த அம்பாஸடர் கார் ஓனர் பாரி யாரோ ?

 

Regards – S Sampathkumar

5.8.2026

big winged Bird - Garuda !? - வெண்வயிற்றுக் கடற்கழுகு

 

 

A raptor in flight with wings stretched !

Amateur photographers [like me] by chance capture images like this – a fully wing stretched flight was captured in Port Blair, Andamans in 2022 ~  and I had posted it in social media stating - The majestic Garuda spreading its wings ! –

வாஹனாய மஹாவிஷ்ணோ தார்க்ஷயாய அமிர்த தேஜயே!!

In Indian tradition, many large soaring raptors—especially eagles—are affectionately referred to as Garuda if they have white in its head / throat. In temples, devotees often point to any large eagle-like bird circling overhead and say "Garudan vandhirukkar."

Now with ChatGPT support first thought this to be a ‘Crested Serpent Eagle and not Garuda [Brahminy kite] !  - but AI identified it as  :  வெண்வயிற்றுக் கடற்கழுகு

சங்க இலக்கியங்கள் 'கழுகு' எனப் பொதுவாகப் போற்றிய வானரசர்களுள், இன்று பறவையியலில் 'வெண்வயிற்றுக் கடற்கழுகு' என அழைக்கப்படும் இவ்வினம், அந்தமான் கடற்கரைகளின் அரசனாக வானில் வட்டமிடுகிறது.

நெருப்பு எனச் சிவந்த உருப்பு அவிர் மண்டிலம்

புலம் கடை மடங்கத் தெறுதலின், ஞொள்கி,

"நிலம் புடை பெயர்வது அன்றுகொல், இன்று?" என,

மன் உயிர் மடிந்த மழை மாறு அமையத்து,

இலை இல ஓங்கிய நிலை உயர் யாஅத்து

மேற் கவட்டு இருந்த பார்ப்பினங் கட்குக்

கல்லுடைக் குறும்பின் வயவர் வில் இட,

நிண வரிக் குறைந்த நிறத்த அதர்தொறும்,

கணவிர மாலை இடூஉக் கழிந்தன்ன

புண் உமிழ் குருதி பரிப்பக் கிடந்தோர்

கண் உமிழ் கழுகின் கானம் நீந்திச்,

"சென்றார்" என்பு இலர், தோழி! வென்றியொடு

வில் அலைத்து உண்ணும் வல் ஆண் வாழ்க்கைத்

தமிழ் கெழு மூவர் காக்கும்

மொழி பெயர் தேஎத்த பல் மலை இறந்தே.

அகநானூறு - பாலைத் திணைப் பாடல். தலைவன் சென்ற வழி எவ்வளவு கொடியது என்பதைப் புலவர் வர்ணிக்கிறார்:  வெயிலால் பூமி எரிகிறது; மரங்கள் இலைகளை இழந்து நிற்கின்றன;          மலைவாழ் வேடர்கள் அம்பால் கொன்றவர்களின் உடல்கள் கிடக்கின்றன; அவற்றின் கண்களைக் கொத்தி எடுத்துச் செல்லும் கழுகுகள் நிறைந்த காட்டைக் கடந்துதான் தலைவன் சென்றிருக்கிறான்.

அதனால்,"இவ்வளவு ஆபத்தான வழியைக் கடந்தவர் இன்னும் திரும்பவில்லையே என்று கவலைப்படாதே; அவர் தன் நோக்கத்தை நிறைவேற்றி வருவார்." என்பதே தோழியின் ஆறுதல்.

The one pictured here is :  White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) — probably an immature or sub-adult.

Gliding effortlessly above the azure waters of the Andaman Sea, the White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) is one of the most majestic birds of prey found along India's coastline. With a wingspan reaching nearly 2.2 metres, it commands the skies with remarkable grace, often soaring for long periods without a single wingbeat, relying on rising air currents.  Unlike many raptors that haunt dense forests, this magnificent eagle is intimately tied to the sea. Fish form the bulk of its diet, though it is equally adept at catching crabs, sea snakes, and occasionally seabirds. Its keen eyesight allows it to spot prey from impressive heights before swooping down with powerful talons.

The bird undergoes a striking transformation as it matures. Juveniles are mottled brown with creamy underparts, gradually acquiring the brilliant white head, breast, and belly that give the species its name. Adults present a striking contrast of snowy-white plumage against slate-grey wings, making them unmistakable as they patrol the coastline.

The White-bellied Sea Eagle is widely distributed from India and Sri Lanka through Southeast Asia to Australia. In India, it is a familiar sight along the eastern and western coasts, particularly around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where coastal forests, mangroves, estuaries, and sheltered bays provide ideal habitat.

Beyond its ecological importance as an apex predator, the sea eagle holds a special place in the imagination of many Indians. Its majestic flight and commanding presence often evoke comparisons with Garuda, the divine mount of Lord Vishnu. While the mythical Garuda cannot be equated with any single bird species, the sight of a large sea eagle soaring high above the waters naturally inspires reverence among devotees and bird lovers alike.

Interesting !

Regards – S Sampathkumar
4.8.2026