Skip to main content

The Happiness of a Journey in ‘Aravindante Athidhikal’

 


Everything in life is a journey. The destinations and the routes may vary, alongside the purpose of the journey. But the concept is similar.

Some journeys are easy, some are not.

Some journeys are rich with life experiences.

Some, however, are merely happy. Nothing more, nothing less.

What makes a journey happy? Is it the ease with which it happens or the elation that comes with the experiences?

Sometimes, the answer to this is the company you have in the journey.

Be it yourself (for those who love solitude), a loved one (for those who enjoy anything in life when shared with a beloved), or a stranger (for those who love adventure and meeting new people), any journey is often enriched by the company we keep.

For me, a journey becomes a hit or a miss based on the company I have. I have undertaken really trying, hard journeys that have seemed easy because of who took it alongside me. I have also had seemingly easy journeys become mundane and arduous because I took them alone at a time when I did not appreciate solitude.

Some journeys have also been good when I have enjoyed my company and sought nothing else.

Whatever the concept, how would a song with just two lines and less than two minutes of composition and arrangement enchant millions? Aravindante Athidhikal answers this with this song.

‘Anandhame’ is a definition of a serendipitous journey. One where you are happy just to be going along, with the company you have.

Porame Nin Koode Kaathangal Doore

Meghangal Pole Naam Cherunne Thaane

I will accompany you, to faraway places (distances)

And we will come together like clouds in the sky.

 

How do you describe happiness when you are in the right company? You express the wish that the journey would continue, if only a bit more, a bit longer…

There is no better example than nature when it comes to taking journeys as they come and enjoying your part in them while you can. Like it does with clouds, the incessant movement should be a thing of joy.

The weight of every worry that greys your vibrant aura should be dispelled like grey clouds dispel rains. The colour of your happiness and the core of your vibe should be an unblemished white like that of a cloud in a summer sky.

Aanandhame, sarvam aanandhame

Aanandhame… Aanandhame…

Happiness… in everything!

How do you measure the happiness of the journey when it happens with the company you crave?

All your promises have come true, and you have gone miles together, flitting along like clouds in the vast sky, overlooking the universe. In that moment, you are infinite in your space, and everything feels right. It shines bright, and it tells you that everything is a reason for happiness – no reasons, no justifications. Just an abundance of a blessing.

The chant of your heart is a steady ring that says ‘happiness’. This is what it looks like. Sharing something so personal with a loved one, just mindfully living in the moment, not looking back, not looking beyond. Just enjoying what you have right at present.

Is that not the true definition of happiness?

The moment where nothing else happens and nothing else matters?

Is that easy, just being ‘merely’ happy?

Do we all not crave such a journey (and companion) in our lives?

May we all have our lives become richer with such happy journeys that make us believe in the power of mindfulness and serendipity amidst this hustle called life.

Aanandhame, Sarvam Aanandhame!


(Special thanks to the lyricist B K Hariharan for showing that profound emotions could be invoked by even the simplest of words. To Anne Amie and Shaan Rahman for making this song sound so magical with their voices. To Shaan Rahman again for the composition)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Lure And Longing in 'Alaipayuthey'

  What moves someone to love a movie song? Music? Lyrics? Picturisation? Voices? The story/context? While all these are important factors deciding the mass popularity of a song, some compositions leap beyond such trivialities and step into the realm of the soul. If the picturisation and visualisation mattered, soundtrack albums would not be released to a rousing reception. And even if the lyrics of a song adhere to the context of the story, poets know better than to tie a song with only that situation. There is a universal appeal to music that goes above all other factors. Even the most wonderfully penned poetic words might fall short without the accompanying music – the same music that would easily lift normal conversational words and carry them towards a lasting eternity. When Alaipayuthey was released in 2000, my first exposure to the movie was the cover flap of the audio cassette that featured an immediately attractive ochre theme. I took it up to read the list of songs, and on...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Lover's Lament in 'KK'

  The years between 1997 and 2001 saw some interesting transitions in the music albums of Kollywood, owed in large parts to one magician, A R Rahman. Ever since his scintillating 1992 feature film debut with Roja, Rahman’s music became an outlet for intangible emotions. It became synonymous with that overcast October evening sky in Chennai, waiting to drench the unsuspecting and anxious crowd with a cloud burst of rain before passing as if nothing else happened. It became the music equivalent of the multi-flavoured ‘rasna’ popsicles that would go out of stock within fifteen minutes of being opened for sale. It was the calming breeze that wafted from somewhere, carrying tales unknown, only to caress us and enrich itself with one more tale to carry forward. Rahman’s music became a common language that understood so many people. It was perhaps the absoluteness of his music that lyrics were not strictly necessary to convey the emotion, but would definitely add beauty like dessert to a ...
Post a Comment
Read more