It was the golden era of Malayalam film songs, an epoch marked by enchanting melodies that continue to resonate in the hearts of millions. Literary maestros like P Bhaskaran, Vayalar Ramavarma, and O N V Kurup were beginning to weave their magic by breathing life into melodies with their poetic genius.
The audience and musicians had pronounced that there was no room for anyone else, with the trio elevating Malayalam film music to new heights with their lyrical brilliance and philosophical depth. Despite this, Haripad native Sreekumaran Thampi who came with a handful of songs as sacred as the holy water, overflowed into a great river with his soul-stirring compositions.
The tapestry of melodies created by him generated a rare lyricist aura that electrified audiences and mesmerized musicians. They are flowing through generations like that. These songs are more beautiful than the thousand full moons that Sreekumaran Thampi witnessed. Yes, it is impossible to complete the history of our music without writing on the melodious songs of Sreekumaran Thampi.
Like Sreekumaran Thampi's songs, the lyricist's entry into the scene should also be properly judged. He replied to those who hesitated to hold his hand or accept him through his lines. Those who excluded him and those who tried to avoid him suffered huge losses. The maturity of his songwriting and the clarity of his youth became the hallmark of Thampi. When, in 1971, Thampi won the State Award for Best Lyricist for his songs in 'Vilakkuvangiya Veena', it became history. The state award, which started in 1969, was first won by Vayalar for his lyrics, followed by P Bhaskaran the following year and Sreekumaran Thampi the next year. He proved that the talent in him was nothing insignificant. Since then, he reeled out numerous good songs that etched in them the emotions and nostalgia of Malayalis across generations.
Poetry was the hallmark of Sreekumaran Thampi even as he straddled the songwriting. Many times, he openly said that he writes poetry for himself and the lyrics for others. Still, many of those lyrics had the verve of poetry embedded in them. Perhaps that is why Sreekumaran Thampi joined the ranks of great lyricists of that time in a short while. Many of the songs penned by Sreekumaran Thampi were circulated as those written by Vayalar. Even ‘Ganagandharvan’ too publicly expressed regret when this error occurred to him as well.
Sreekumaran Thampi made his debut as a lyricist in 1966 in 'Kattumallika' with music scored by M S Baburaj. Sreekumaran Thampi, the writer, became popular among film and music buffs after the songs became a runaway hit. Later, whenever he joined music directors like Dakshinamoorthy, Devarajan Master, M B Sreenivasan, and M K Arjunan, his songs blossomed into ‘love blooms’ in the hearts of Malayalis. Music composers also began to insist on working with Sreekumaran Thampi. The rest is history, like his songs.
In no small measure did the ‘singing spring’ of Kattumallika spread its fragrance across Kerala. The main reason for this was the stamp made on it by a music king like M S Baburaj. It was around the same time that the songs IN 'Chemmeen' reeled out by the combination of Vayalar-Salil Chowdhury, created a lot of buzz in Kerala. MalayalIs were celebrating ‘Manasamaine Varoo’, ‘Pennale…Pennale’ in their hearts. On the other side were the songs from the film 'Pakalkinavu' created by P Bhaskaran-Chidambaranath combine. Malayalis had songs like ‘Pakalkinavin Sundaramakum’, ‘Keshadipadam Thozhunnen Kesava’ on their lips.
Songs such as 'Varthingal Thoniyeri' and 'Enthinee Chilankakal Enthinee Kaivalakal' in the film ‘Karuna’ from ONV-Devarajan combine also had the stamp of the same period. So, how could Malayalis accept a new writer at the beginning of such a good tiding in Malayalam film music? When Sreekumaran Thampi made his debut with ‘Kattumallika’, he became a talking point among song lovers. Youngsters celebrated the romantic song 'Thamarathoniyil Thaalolamaadi Thane Thuzhajuvarum Penne' in the film. Still, many expressed doubts whether Thampi could deliver back-to-back hits. Many even whispered that the lyricist would flicker and vanish like a summer rain. However, what Malayalis witnessed from Sreekumaran Thamp later was a torrent of honey-sweet songs that broke open the gates of majestic ramparts in the film world.
