K.J. Yesudas and A.R. Rahman – They are two legends of music. If these two artists related to music touch someone’s feet or consider someone as their Guru – it’s none other than the music director of Malayalam Yesterdays – M.K.Arjunan whom we fondly call Arjunan Master or simply Arjunan Maash (in Malayalam words). There are a few reasons behind it. Through this article I would like to briefly explain this mystery and let us know this music director and his contributions a little more near.

The music director’s tunes with fragrance of Kasthuri

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When old classic movie – Madhumati was made in Malayalam, Prem Nazir reprised the role of Dilip Kumar and Lakshmi of Julie fame played the leading role of heroine (done by Vaijayanthimala in the original). The music director was none other than M.K.Arjunan. When a movie was made in Malayalam in 2011 titled, Nayika, the ‘Kasthuri’ song was used once again without any change. As in original, Yesudas rendered his voice once again. That shows the impact of Kasthuri song and its magic on Malayalam viewers even after 40 years! “Kasthuri manakkunnallo kaaattil” – literally meaning, “Air is filled with the fragrance of Kasthuri (musk)” is one of the finest compositions of M.K.Arjunan. Not only that all his songs hold a sweet aroma of freshness and romance. He entered an era as ‘a small child’ when Devaragan and Baburaj were acting as magicians on Malayalis’ hearts with mesmerizing music. Yet, M.K.Arjunan proved his identity to be a versatile composer Kerala has ever witnessed. Not only that he is a true human being with a loving heart and when you people end reading this article, I am sure you will agree with me too! Otherwise how can these two magic maestros regard Arjunan as their guru and give him due respect always?

Parvathi Mandiram of Palluthi. There is a big mango tree in its courtyard. It’s not related to any historic moment. But there lives this great composer of yesterdays at present, listening to the music of air, rain and cuckoo’s songs. He is M.K.Arjun whose life span in Malayalam cinema is 55 years now. Yet he stays away from present noise in his own world of music and loneliness. He started his musical journey long back in 1958, composing songs for the drama – Pallikuttam. After that, how many songs has he contributed to dramas as well as cinema, numerous!

“What are you doing? Have you retired from service?” Many people are still there in his Palluthi village who asks him the same question. For a few persons, Master is a still an old farmers who owns a lot of cows. But there is a road and a public auditorium in the Palluthi village in the name of Master Arjun.

An interesting incident to quote first

The whole world hears his music and adores him a lot, including his villagers. Though his villagers hum his beautiful compositions many people don’t know that the person behind those tunes is none other than their own native. Let me quote an interesting incident that took place years before.

Once in S.D.P.Y school, a teacher in the class named Rajam asked her students – “There is a famous music director from this village Palluthi. Can you quote his name?” No student answered the question. Arjuanan’s daughter Deepa was also in the class and most surprisingly when teacher repeated her same question, Deepa couldn’t answer it. Teacher asked her to ask her father and give the answer the next day. That’s the day when Deepa understood that it was none other than her father whom the teacher asked about.

Master is a popular cyclist of Palluthi village. No one can win him in a cycle race. It’s not because he has learnt the art of cycling, but only because in the bad phase of his life, his whole life was running in his cycle. In Master’s words, “In those days, there was no sound recording. They used to play dramas at different places. Artists had to give background music live in those days. As I had to go to far places, I used to tie my harmonium in my cycle and travel at high speed to reach the venue at right time. Sometimes, a friend may also accompany me in my cycle. In old days, it was our need. Now no one needs cycle for such travels”. 

Let us go 70 years back

Arjunan’s father was Maliyekkal Kochukunju. He was ‘Kolkali’ artist – an art form performed in South India. They resided at Chirattapalam of Fort Kochi in those days. Not only that, Kochukunju was an expert in Mridungam also. His wife Parvathy was a good singer. They were financially not stable. But they had 14 kids. Due to poverty and poor living conditions, only 4 kids remained. Of the 14 kids, Arjunan was the youngest one. His father passed away when he was only 6 months old. Whole throughout the life, his mother lived hiding the sorrows of her lost husband and 10 kids.

Poverty was so fierce during those days and at the age of 8, along with his elder brother Prabhakaran, he left Fort Kochi. Their journey ended in ‘Jeeva Karunyananda’ Ashram of Palani, Tamil Nadu. They engaged in small jobs of ashram and lived there. In the evenings they used to participate in Ashram prayers. One of those evenings changed his life forever. Ashram authorities happened to notice the singing talent of young Arjunan in Bhajans. They arranged a guru for him to learn music. His guru’s name was Kumarayya Pillai. It lasted for three years and Arjunan returned back to his village, Palluruthy.

He assumed that he can earn a living by conducting singing concerts. But later, his financial troubles prompted him to do other works as well. He used to save a little money from what he earned everyday and bought a harmonium. He learnt music as well. Thus in those struggling days, he led a life with hard manual works at daytime and music in the night.

Those early days of 50’s was the golden era of amateur plays and he started him music journey by composing tunes for such amateur plays. Thus with the harmonium he bought through his savings, began the journey of a great composer whom everyone fondly calls Arjunan Maash.

Pallavi of Gaana Gandharvan’s musical journey

In those early days of theatre plays, a new music instrument appeared in Palluthi. For the villagers it was a strange and magical instrument. Dr. Valson, a physician who worked in a foreign country was the man who brought that strange instrument to the village. It was not a strange object – but an ordinary tape recorder of Granding Company. The news fast spread the village that this instrument is able to record our voice and reproduce it back whenever we want to hear it again. Dr.Valson asked Arjunan about the possibilities of tape recorder in their amateur plays – “Why can’t you record a song of yours with this tape recorder so that you can use it again?”

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Arjunan understood that it’s a nice idea. In those days, a drama group approached Arjunan to compose a revolutionary song for their play. So he decided to do his experiment first with that revolutionary song. He chose a poem written by Ponkunnam Damodharan and composed its music. The next question was with whose voice it should be recorded. There were a lot of talented and famous singers in Fort Kochi and its premises and his friends suggested choosing someone from them. But for some unknown reason, Arjunan was not interested.

Suddenly someone told him about a boy of 15 or 16 years of age. He was frequently seen in Fort Kochi and premises singing songs. He was a student of Thripunithura Music School who sings Mohammed Rafi’s songs most. When a friend suggested his name, he enquired and was impressed by his singing talent and voice. He also noticed that this boy is the son of a friend, Augustine Joseph Bhagavathar – a singer.

Without any hesitation Arjunan gave him the opportunity. The boy came too, and without much rehearsal he learnt it easily. “Let us start!” Master asked. “Yes Maashe, we can start”. Arjunan recorded this boy’s voice in his tape recorder for the first time and how many times have his voice been recorded and heard by the whole world! Keralites’ days are not complete without hearing a song sung by this great singer – similar to Mohammed Rafi or Kishore Kumar to North India. You guessed it right. It’s none other than the great legendary singer of present India – K.J. Yesudas, who still holds the record of maximum awards in singing section (including male and female) for Kerala awards as well as National awards. I don’t think it’s easy to break his record of 7 National awards and 43 State awards including all south Indian languages and Bengali.

Now Yesudas is the private property of all music lovers. Yet it was through Arjunan’s tape recorder that this Gandharva’s magical voice was recorded for the first time. Yesudas heard his voice for the first time through this tape recorder too. It took many years for Yesudas to get an opportunity to sing for movies. It happened through the movie Kaalpadukal in 1959. But in many occasions Yesudas has told that it was through the recording of the revolutionary song composed by Arjunan Master that he started his musical journey. 

The legend who we call A.R.Rahman

When Devarajan Master came to know about the magician of harmonium he became interested to meet Arjunan once. But he didn’t give full assurance that time. He hired him in assistant’s job with a condition, “If I am not satisfied with your work, I will send you away”. But it never happened and he stayed with Devarajan Master for long years.

When Arjunan joined Devarajan’s team, his musical journey was already 10 year old. He was working in Kollam Kalidasa Kalakendra when he joined films. During those days, all music recordings were done at Chennai (then known as Madras). Arjunan too shifted to Chennai and he happened to meet a musical director of R.K.Shekhar. After a struggling period it was a time when R.K. Shekhar began to get settled with Malayalam films. He was a known name that time.

R.K. Shekhar’s home was nothing short of a music theatre. The home was always filled with music. The frequent visitors are also related to music in one way or another. Thus Arjunan too became a frequent visitor. Majority of his early hits were composed from R.K.Shekhar’s home. Very often their works end late. It was during this time that a strong bond developed between Arjunan and R.K. Shekhar.

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In those recording nights, a young boy used to watch their work late night. He was a very silent boy. But he carefully hears music and never sleeps till their work is complete. He was none other than music director R.K. Shekhar’s son, Dileep whom the whole world knows today as A.R. Rahman!

When Arjunan reached R.K. Shekhar’s home in 1968 for the first time Dileep was only three or four years old. “Music was in his veins at a younger age. No one noticed it, even Shekhar…” says Arjunan. “Dileep was a keyboard artist and he used to play many of my compositions as an expert, surprising me many often. When I search the keyboard player who beautifully plays my tunes, I was always received by a mischievous smile by young Dileep. Those days itself I was quite sure this boy is to conquer new worlds. Dileep was a silent boy. When all friends of his age used to play outside, he was always near some musical instrument.” – Arjunan recollects his memories of Rahman as a child. 

Fate and destiny were something itself. It gave severe tests to young Dileep’s life. Unexpected death of Shekhar at the peak of his career was a great shock to his family. Dileep was only 12 years then. The family had no other source of income. Arjunan couldn’t leave his dearest friend’s family in such a pathetic state. That’s how he took care of him and joined his troupe. In those days, Dileep’s family used to rent out Shekhar’s musical instruments to earn a living. By this time, Dileep had already become proficient in keyboard. Arjunan took Dileep to many famous music directors in search of opportunities. No one was willing to give him a job at the age of 12. Some of them even made it a funny joke asking Arjunan why to accompany a boy who is not even healthy enough to take a keyboard in hands. Some of them advised Arjunan to send Dileep to school. Some musicians sent them out of the studio.

But for a boy of 12, a job was needed to financially support his family. Except music he knows nothing else. If it’s the case of Arjunan, he was less busy in films with less film opportunities. Yet for his project, he gave Dileep an opportunity to play keyboard. Thus in 1981, A.R. Rahman stepped into music world as a keyboard player for Shreyas Production’s Malayalam movie – Adimachangala at the age of 14 or 15, music given by M.K. Arjunan.

That ‘First letter to learning’ became popular in a short time. Film field that once criticized the real talent of this boy began to appreciate him. The later was just history! Now Rahman stands at the top of the world is such a position that it’s not easy to achieve by someone else. When Rahman won Oscar awards, he was asked a question by a famous English magazine, “Who is your guru in music?” Rahman’s reply was, “I have no teachers in music. But there is a person whom I see in guru’s position – M.K. Arjunan”

But this music director of yesterdays is not at all surprised by the humble reply of his favourite disciple. Even in the busy schedule and high profile life, Rahman secretly visits this music director in his small village and calls him often too. He is one among those rare persons whom Rahman wishes to call occasionally. Most of the readers don’t know the fact that Arjunan is the only person who still calls Dileep as Dileep, not Rahman!  

Memories still at full moon night!

Similar to Devarajan Master, P.Bhaskaran has also been instrumental in his entry to films as a music director. It happened this way. The scriptwriter of the movie - ‘Karutha Paurnami’ insisted on giving opportunity to M.K. Arjunan as the music composer. Arjunan was only a new name and he had experiences of amateur plays only. So the producer of the movie was not willing to give him an opportunity. His desire was to give assignment to Baburaj. The lyricist P.Bhaskaran came up with a suggestion. He has already written 5 songs. His suggestion was to give Arjunan opportunity and that if tunes are good, they can be used for the movie. The music given by Arjunan became instant hit. Songs like ‘Hridayamuruki’ and ‘Maanathin muttathu’ were super hits that time. Thus began the career of Arjunan as a successful music director of Malayalam.

Though his first attempt was a big success, he had to wait 12 long months to get next opportunity. It happened due to small indifferences between the music directors. But when his songs of Prem Nazir movie – Rest house got released in the year 1969, they became the chartbusters of the year. Songs like Pournami chandrika, Yamune and Muthilum muthayaa mani muthu are still remembered by melody lovers.

Before I leave, let me pick a few more gems from his successful musical journey – The man who gave first opportunity to great two music artists India has ever witnessed. Akasha poikayilundoru poinninthoni of Randu mukhangal, Thalir valayo thamara valayo of Cheena vala, Chandra kiranathin of Mizhimeer pookkal, Ella dukhavum of Lovely, Aayiram ajantha chitrangalil of Shankhupushpam and Anuvaadamillathe akathu vannu of Puzha.

Image source: Wikipedia


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