The Voice by Suresh Menon: Paragraph Questions
Kannur University
Common Course
Readings on Kerala (1A02ENG)
1. Explain how Malayalis make Yesudas a part and parcel
of their life.
Yesudas is the common
currency wherever Malayalis live. Malayali Samajams around the world measures
their effectiveness by the number of times they can organize a Yesudas concert.
Sometimes, there are two or three in the same city. He is part of the consciousness
of a people. Yesudas songs are also part of the stories related to every
relationship in the Malayali mind. Malayalis wooed their wives and girlfriends
with his songs. There is a song for every occasion. Yesudas is the 'state
treasure' in Kerala. Most Malayalis feel at home wherever they are in the world
the moment a Yesudas song wafts through the music system.
2. According to the
author, what are Yesudas' contributions towards building a secular atmosphere
in Kerala?
According to Suresh
Menon Yesudas's attempts at breaking religious barriers have made it possible
for Kerala to move towards true secularism. He is strongly identified with
Sabarimala and Lord Ayyappa. In mid-2001, when he gave his first concert at
London's Royal Albert Hall, there was a request for a song: 'Guruvayoor
ambalanadayil oru divasam njan pokum...'. (I will pray at Guruvayur someday).
Born a Christian he is denied entry to the holiest Krishna temple in Kerala.
Yesudas accepts the situation with humour and humility.
3. Present two instances
from the excerpt that highlight Yesudas' humility.
Humility is one of the
hallmarks of Yesudas. When asked about being a 'state treasure', Yesudas
responds that music brings people together. If his music influences people, it
is the impact of music. According to Yesudas, he is merely an instrument of a
higher power. Yesudas is aware of his power, of what it means to be the
best-known Malayali from a region in the country that has produced scientists,
writers, sportsmen, and artists of international stature and even a Head of
State, K R Narayanan. Another instance of his humility is seen when asked about
being denied the entry into Guruvayur temple. He responds that God chose him
and he is grateful for that. The humility springs from a deep sense of
understanding that he is not just the gifted one but the chosen one.
4. What helped Yesudas
breathe life into philosophical songs such as those penned down by Vayalar?
The life of Yesudas is a
life lived hard. If method acting is an accepted technique in the actor's
repertoire, Yesudas' 'method singing' bringing to the surface emotions from
experiences few go through. The author remarks that this may place him at a
level others cannot reach. It is something the singer dwells on. Yesudas'
father Augustine Joseph was a popular singer and stage actor. Their house in
Cochin was open to friends and relatives without discrimination. Then, as the
actor fell on bad days, the visitors dried up. Such experiences from his early
life fuels Yesudas' singing.
5. Describe Yesudas'
early days at Madras.
In Madras, Yesudas often
drank tap water to fill his stomach and tightened his mundu when even that
didn't help. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, the prominent Carnatic Musician,
allowed Yesudas to stay in his car shed. Yesudas repaid the kindness by
cleaning the car every day. There was no question if entering the house or
being fed anything the great singer and his family might eat. His time in
Madras was full of hardships. However, it can be seen that he faced difficulties
with determination.
6. Describe the irony
perceived by Yesudas regarding his interactions with the singer Semmangudi
Srinivasa Iyer.
The irony perceived by
Yesudas is the hospitality with which Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer received him
when he visited the house of the famous Carnatic singer. During the period when
Yesudas was residing in the car shed of Semmangudi, he was not offered any food
from the house. However, when Yesudas visited Semmangudi years later, after
being famous himself, he was received with all the respect and excitement his
status now deserved. He was fed and honoured and given a choice of drinks- tea,
coffee, or Horlicks. Years of privation having sharpened his sense of irony,
Yesudas might have been forgiven for speculating on the difference a cup of tea
or a glass of Horlicks might have made to his life some years earlier in the
car shed.
7. What is the current
situation prevailing in musical sabhas? In this context, give an example of how
Yesudas managed an interruption during his performance.
In recent years, musical
sabhas have been paying obeisance to mammon. Sponsors have made passes
available to their near and dear ones, resulting in much noise off-stage. Often
children run about in the auditorium, unmindful of the performance on stage. In
one of his shows, Yesudas hit a note, kept it there, and chided these children
and their parents in an aside. Point made, he went back to the note and resumed
his singing where he stopped. The author remarks that this ability of Yesudas
is the mark of sheer genius.
REF: Multiple Modernities, edited by Board of Editors, Kannur University, Cohin: Hornbill Publishing House, 2019. Print.
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