It was Umbayi who, with his mellifluous voice and soulful rendition, opened up the divine world of gazals to the music lovers of Kerala.
On 1 August three years ago, the legendary gazal vocalist had bid adieu to this world leaving behind an incredible musical legacy.
Paying homage to his memories, Manorama Music has released a gazal, written by noted lyricist K Jayakumar, which was supposed to be sung by Umbayi. Jayakumar, a former IAS officer, had retired as Kerala's Chief Secretary. He is also a reputed Malayalm poet and scriptwriter.
Young singer Nasil has now rendered the gazal ‘Aruthennu Mathram Parayarythe’ which is already grabbing attention for its extremely beautiful lines and soothing music.
K Jayakumar and Umbayi had shared a special friendship and the idea for a gazal album had come up in a friendly conversation between the two. “I had written the lines for Umbayi. After writing around eight songs, I met Umbayi to discuss the rest. He had even composed music for one of the songs. Fortunately, we could record the video of Umbayi singing the lines of that song. However, fate didn’t allow him to finish the album. We have reworked the album and released it on his death anniversary as we wanted Malayalis to listen to one of the last tunes that Umbayi had composed,” K Jayakumar recalls his friendship with the legendary gazal singer.
Jayakumar says that the new rendition of the gazal would be the perfect gift to be dedicated to the memories of Umbayi.
"I consider this as a blessing that I got to sing the song written by K Jayakumar sir, who has written numerous Malayalam songs. The song is composed by the great Umbayikka himself and I've tried my best to give justice to the song while singing it," Nasil, an upcoming singer from Kozhikode, said.
Nasil, who is an alumni of Maharajas College in Ernakulam and Farook College in Kozhikode, is also a talented lyricist. He had also worked as assistant director for Malayalam movie Poomaram.
Meanwhile, gazal lovers have already fallen in love with the dreamy lines ‘Arutharuthennu Mathram Prayaruthe, Padaruthennu Mathram Parayaruthe’ which take them back to the splendid memories of Umbayi and the sweet notations from his harmonium.
