When MSV concerts enlivened Ooty flower show

UDHAGAMANDALAM: M S Viswanathan’s demise is a personal loss to all the music lovers in Ooty. The Nilgiris recalls the unparalleled light music concert rendered by him during the summer festivities in the late seventies and early eighties.
“MSV’s music, whether you listen in the theatre, or in a concert or at home, would unquestionably keep the listener spellbound.There lies the definition for great music. As a die-hard fan of MSV, I never missed a live concert by him in Ooty or Coimbatore or Chennai”, recalls, B J Balasubramanian, an ardent fan of Maniyanga Subramanian Viswanathan.
For the people of Ooty, more than the annual flower carnival, the music feast by MSV at the Government Botanical Garden would make them happier. And, for the tourists who had come to enjoy the annual floral carnival, MSV’s concert would be a double bonanza.
“It used to be spectacular watching the icon performing in the open air in the sprawling lawn at the entrance of the botanical garden in Ooty,” says M Radhakrishnan, a local stage singer.
In the late seventies when MSV performed during summer festival, complementing each other, both the annual flower show and the light music by him stood wonderfully in tune with each other.
“Those were the moments unforgettable in life and would remain afresh forever”, adds Radhakrishnan.
Most of the numbers whether it be in Tamil, Malayalam or Kannada by Mellisai Mannar are cherished till date. They are, to name a few, “Kalangalil Aval Vasantham” in “Pavamannippu,” “Amaithiyana Nadhiyinile” in “Aandavan Kattalai,” “Naan Pesa Ninaippathelem” in “Paalum Pazhamum” and the brilliant number “Bharathi Kannamma” in “Ninaithale Inikkum.”
END OF AN ERA
Eminent singer, Vani Jayaram, who won the national award for the song “Yezhu Swarangalukkul Ethanai Padal” in “Apoorva Ragangal,” composed by MSV, told TOI, “An era has ended. I consider it absolutely a golden period singing for the legend’s hardcore compositions. I have sung many songs in several languages in his composition and 90% of them are super hits”.
“During composition, he would come up with so many ideas and the singer had to grasp it immediately and deliver,” she recalled.
Vani Jayaram said, “MSV never believed in track system. Both the singers and the orchestra performed simultaneously in all his compositions”.
“MVS’s demise is a great loss to the universe as I consider him one of the great musicians of the world. Goddess Saraswathi has taken one of her most favourite sons to her place”, she added.
THE BRIDGE IS NO MORE
Film and television actor and management trainer Mohan Ram said, “MSV managed to bring the classical movie music era to a simpler form of music by mixing western style.”
“He was a bridge between the K V Mahadhevan classical era and the Ilayaraja western era. The bridge is no more”.
“MSV delighted the world with hundreds and thousands of his songs,” he added.
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