Dragonflies, Onathumpi

Do you remember chasing dragonflies as a child? Catching one and tying a string to its tail? Making it lift small stones and splinters? It is a fascinating childhood pastime.

There are so many interesting tales about the dragonfly from several parts of the world. In some areas it is considered sinister. Possibly because of the stone lifting capability, a Swedish folklore says that dragonflies are used by the devil to weigh the souls of people. In Kerala, India, there is a story that these insects belonging to the order of Odonata serve as a transit abode to the souls of the dead.

Can you imagine a connection or similarity between a dragonfly and a horse? Well, according to a Romanian legend, dragonfly was originally a horse which became possessed by the devil. There are similar Maltese tales as well. In some parts of the world it is believed that dragonflies follow snakes around with the objective of repairing any hurt the reptiles might sustain.

In Japan the dragonflies have a different status. They are considered as the mark of strength, courage and happiness. The Japanese and Chinese use them in traditional medicine also. It is said that the insect is a culinary delicacy in Indonesia.

Among some of the Native Americans too, dragonflies symbolize hope and revival. The Navajo Nation considers them as an icon of pure water.

But stories apart, the dragonflies render a great service to humanity. They are predators who thrive on mosquitoes, flies and other harmful

small insects, thereby controlling such pests.

Since this is the time of Onam in Kerala, I must make a mention of the connection between dragonflies and the great festival before concluding. ‘Onathumpi’ a specie of Odonata that appears around this time is an integral part of the lore linked to the festivities.

I wonder if any other language has so many songs about dragonflies (Onathumpi) as there is in Malayalam, the vernacular of Kerala. Here is the first stanza of one by Sreekumaran Thampi:

‘Poovili poovili

Ponnonamayee

Nee varu nee varu

Ponnonathumpi’

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Photos: Top two from Wikimedia Commons. Last three from Olavipe. Copyright reserved. Click to enlarge.

Also see:

Photos: Vegetables for Onam

Kerala photos: Flowers for Onam

Kerala food: Aviyal, Bhima’s own dish, for Onam

Kerala food: banana aftermath of Onam

Flowers for Onam

Malayalam Cinema: Manjil Virinja Pookkal and melody maker Jerry Amaldev

Remember the 1980 hit movie Manjil Virinja Pookkal (Flowers that bloomed in the snow)? It was on TV on Friday and I sat down with great anticipation to watch it once more.

Frankly, it was a disappointment. The dated dress and hairstyle seemed out of place. Then there was the hero Shankar going around polluting the pristine locale with dark emission from a diesel Jeep and littering the place with wrappers of toffees to which the character he portrayed seemed addicted for no particular reason. But to be fair, the standards were different three decades back. The redeeming features of the movie on the revisit were the impact of Poornima Jayaram and the enchanting melodies.

The producer, Navodaya Appachan took the bold and historic step of introducing four new faces in Manjil Virinja Pookkal – Shankar, Poornima Jayaram, Mohanlal as the villain and Jerry Amaldev as music director. Shankar fizzled out. Poornima Jayaram left the scene after her marriage. Mohanlal of course became a mega star.

But Jerry Amaldev was the first among them to take off. In his debut year he won the State Award for the best music director. That was followed by a series of movies in which almost every song was a hit. People loved them, looked forward eagerly for more.

Jerry had arrived on the cinema scene eminently qualified. He had a Bachelors in Music, and Masters in Composition from Cornell University. He taught music in Queens College, New York, Stella Maris College and American International School in Chennai. And he had done five years of work under the maestro Naushad.

The great creations of this music genius include Mizhiyoram, Manjani kompil, Ayiram kannumai, Alorungi arangorungi, Kannodu kannoram nee kani malar alle. There are many more. Even as his melodies were making the waves Jerry Amaldev suddenly fell from grace. The reason? I believe that an innocent comment by him about a great singer was misunderstood. It is all so sad.

Now Jerry is the music master at Choice School, Cochin. He also composes Christian devotional songs. He was once in a seminary studying for priesthood before realizing that music was his call.

Let us hope that Jerry would make a comeback to cinema music.

Ends

Also see:

Malayalam songs: Lyrics

Malayalam cinema: Random thoughts

A Malayalam cinema and its lyrics.