The lyrics of "Vennila Chandanakkinnam" (The Sandalwood Paste Bowl Moon) were written by Kaithapram Dhamodharan Namboothiri, and the music was composed by Vidyasagar who won the Best Music Director from Kerala State for his compositions in this movie titled "Azhagiya Ravananan" (Handsome Ravana, Malayalam, 1996). The lead roles were played by Mammootty and Bhanupriya.
The film song is a marvellous production with the playback of K.J. Yesudas and Shabnam, enacted by actors Mammootty, Bhanupriya, Sreenivasan, and two child actors. It's a song of pure emotions and joy but due to copyright restrictions it can't be seen in 55 countries if reposted. The song has been covered by various singers, and among them, Ashwathi Rajendran's music video brings out the best, visually and musically, the poetry of the lyrics. Ashwathi is a vocalist and a medical doctor and has been covering and publishing music videos on her YouTube channel since 2018.
There is a line of "Vennila Chandanakkinnam" that has a mystic description: peepal leaves chanting divine names. Ashwathi's cover version had another word for peepal leaves that sounded similar to it. To an email query if there was any reason for the change, Ashwathi clarified it was not deliberate and regretted the mistake. She said it might have been due to the lyrics taken from some website while recording the song. Thanking me for the information, she replied it would be remembered while recording a song next time. It's good to see an artist admitting a mistake and resolving to prevent it in the future, qualities that would help make her work more perfect.
The original lyrics have been translated from Malayalam into English and displayed on the video to enable the wider audience to understand and appreciate the song better. I am grateful for translation suggestions from Meena Agimon (Maya, sister), to whom I had sent my draft translation. She was a first-prize-winning poet at high school and completed her graduation in Vaikom, Kerala. (Married to Agimon in 1998, she has been living with her family in Chertala, Kerala).
Click this link to watch (2 min : 52 sec) : https://youtu.be/QOkwsoM-7QQ
