The title 'Thenum Vayambum' (Honey and Calamus) has a cultural significance for Malayalis (Keralites). It's a paste made by mixing a tiny amount of gold powder, obtained by grinding gold (from an ornament such as a gold ring), calamus (a herbal plant) and honey. The paste is applied on the tongue of infants some months after the birth with the belief it would prevent colic in children, and when they grow up, make them speak sweetly. The song 'Thenum Vayambum' was composed by Raveendran and sung by S. Janaki for the film of the same name (Malayalam, 1981).
The song is a call to the Skylark of honeyed and healing voice requesting a sacred song. The poet invites the bird to the apple-banana orchard in the heavens to drink the nectar of the blossoms, throughout the day. He sees the sky flowers blossoming on the Blue Mountains, little Magpie Robins singing in the mist, remembers that it is the wedding day of the wagtail bird, and asks the Skylark if it would like to join.
Raveendran launches the lyrical communion with nature with the softest beats of the tabla and an uplifting note from the flute. S. Janaki's voice is imbued with the love for nature throughout the song. The voice artistry and flawless diction make a soothing and delightful rendition. For nearly a minute in the middle of the song is Raveendran's Sonata while the camera just sweeps over the greenery of the location. Sumalatha expresses being one with nature - kissing a flower, and walking relaxed touching the trees on the way. Simplicity and realism, the characteristic features of the best of Malayalam films, are evident here.
S. Janaki (b. 1938, Andhra Pradesh) is one of the best-known Indian playback singers and has recorded over 48,000 songs in films, albums, TV, and radio, which include solos, duets, choruses, and title tracks in 20 languages, including Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Sanskrit, Odia, Tulu, Urdu, Punjabi, Badaga, Bengali, and Konkani, and also in English, Japanese, German, and Sinhala. S. Janaki received her first Kerala state film award for best singer in 1970 and went on to win the same almost every year for the next 15 years. It was her command over the language and perfect diction that took her to great heights in Malayalam films.
The Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyricist went to Bichu Thirumala for his lyrics in the movie directed by Ashok Kumar. Sumalatha has acted in more than 220 films in Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi, till 2023.
(The above text includes excerpts from Wikipedia.)
The lyrics have been translated from Malayalam into English and displayed in subtitles on the video for the benefit of those who do not know Malayalam but know English. The translation aims to present more the poetic thoughts in the lyrics than their literal meanings.
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Click on the link below to view:
Thenum Vayambum with English lyrics, film Thenum Vayambum (4 min : 10 sec)
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| Sumalatha in a frame from the song |