Kurai Onrum Illai ( ta, குறை ஒன்றும் இல்லை, meaning ''No grievances have I'') is a Tamil devotional song written by

C. Rajagopalachari Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji (Rajaji'', the Scholar Emeritus''), was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and independence activis ...

. The song set in

Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is ...

was written in gratitude to Hindu God (

Venkateswara Venkateswara, also known by various other names, is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara is the presiding deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Sri Balaji District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Etymology Venkates ...

and

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

visualised as one) and compassionate mother. Kurai Onrum Illai is one of the few songs written by Indian politician, freedom-fighter and

Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji (Rajaji'', the Scholar Emeritus''), was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and independence activis ...

. According to

Gopalkrishna Gandhi Gopalkrishna Devadas Gandhi (born 22 April 1945) is a former administrator and diplomat who served as the 22nd Governor of West Bengal serving from 2004 to 2009. He is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji). As a former ...

the song is a euphemism for the bhakti of untouchables (also known as Adi Dravidars or

Harijans Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming ...

or Panchama). The song was sung by

M. S. Subbulakshmi Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (16 September 1916 – 11 December 2004) was an Indian Carnatic singer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. She is ...

in the Sri Venkateswara (Balaji) Pancharatna Mala LP-2 (Long Play Record) (1979/80). This song is unique because it does not assume the tone of devoted prayer as most Hindu devotional songs but one of thankfulness to God. The song comprises 3 stanzas each set in three different ''

ragas A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradition, and as a ...

''. Kurai Onrum Illai is a very popular song in

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

and is a regular in most Carnatic concerts. It became very famous after it was sung by M. S. Subbulakshmi.

History

Rajagopalachari, or Rajaji as he was popularly known, was a religious Hindu and a devout Vaishnavite. Apart from his illustrious political career, he is also known to have authored books on history, religion, politics and Hindu mythology. His translations of the

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

and

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...

are considered classics and are used by American universities as a part of their syllabus on "Oriental Studies". However, Rajaji is not a popular composer of Carnatic music and "Kurai Onrum Illai" is his sole Carnatic composition (with some help from Tamil scholar M.P.Somasundaram ( மீ.ப.சோமு) ) that has gained widespread recognition. The song depicts his intense devotion to God. The composition was published in the Tamil magazine

Kalki Kalki ( sa, कल्कि), also called Kalkin or Karki, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is described to appear in order to end the Kali Yuga, one of the four periods in the endless cycle of exist ...

in 1967. The song became popular after it was sung as one of the pieces in the Long Play Record set, known as Sri Venkateswara (Balaji) Pancharatnamala by M. S. Subbulakshmi in 1979/80. Since then, the song has been widely appreciated and sung in most Carnatic concerts.

Explanation and interpretation

This composition by Rajaji is one of its kind, in the sense that the author does not elicit any favour from God but only maintains that he has no regrets or dissatisfaction about anything in life. In this song, he regards both

Lord Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

or Venkateswara of Tirupathi and his incarnation

Lord Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one of ...

to be one and the same and uses the names interchangeably. Rajaji's grandson Gopal Gandhi believes that there were multiple factors that led to the composition. He also suspects the presence of hidden meanings in the song. He believes that the song had been inspired by an incident which took place in the shrine of Tiruchanoor in 1925, when Rajaji had defended the right of an untouchable to enter the shrine of Tiruchanoor. Gopal Gandhi believes that Rajaji compares the untouchable's inability to have a glimpse of his favorite God to his own inability to have a glimpse of the invisible creator.

Popular culture

The same song was reused with slightly modified lyrics and instrumentation by Vidyasagar for the film ''

Arai En 305-il Kadavul ''Arai En 305-il Kadavul'' () is a 2008 Tamil-language fantasy comedy film directed by Chimbu Deven, who earlier directed ''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei'', starring Vadivelu. A remake of the 2003 Hollywood film '' Bruce Almighty'', the film stars ...

'' (2008). The song was used with telling effect in Mudal Mudal Mudal Varai (M3V) and the song sung by Ms. Jaya.

Notes

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External links

Transliteration of the song from Carnatic song lyrics website karnatik.com

YouTube video of M. S. Subbulakshmi's rendition of the song

Tamil-language songs Carnatic compositions