A slip of my hand while driving and I ended up playing a CD I have not heard for a long time. Bangalore Ramani Ammal. I was said to have sung her songs when I was about 3 or 4, when I could hardly speak well. I suppose she must have had quite an impact on me then - at that age when vibes are at their strongest and are accepted wholeheartedly without interference of the ever analytical human mind.
Even till today, the woman's songs send an unexplainable sensation into my being (and no, I don't go into a trance as a result, just in case anyone is wondering :) ). She had this amazing voice - almost genderless I would say (not that I know what I mean exactly by that) and had the facial expression of a no-nonsense saree-clad headmistress.
(To slightly sidetrack, let me tell you that the "saree-clad" bit is necessary seeing where I come from - here in Malaysia, saree-clad teachers or headmistresses are always a sight to behold...most (being Chinese or Malays) would be in a dress or the "malay baju kurung/kebaya". In fact, teachers teaching in non-Thamizh schools hardly ever use saree to work these days. But when I was a kid, an indian teacher almost always wore a saree...complete with their bare midriff inviting the constant popping-out of eyes of the non-Indian students. Of course after a while, the Chinese and Malay students became used to the bare flesh and made less fuss...)
The one in the video was the older Ramani Ammal, I presume...she seemed to have lost some weight compared to the plump, glowing Ramani Ammal I knew (not in person of course) when I was a little kid.
All said and done, what an amazing singer she was. Classic to the core, and almost irreplaceable I must say.
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