Dosth

Current Earworm. The lyrics have such an urban unsophistication to them they could well have been written by your neighbourhood "kutti suvar" inhabitants. I have always enjoyed Gangai Amaran's absurdist sense of humor, glimpses of which were in view during a Coffee with Anu interview with SPB where he talks about the non-existential philosopher Mrdaath and his thoughts on the height of a mountain.
I still remember my first encounter with it, because that was a day of many firsts. I was a raucous sixth grader, the kind families dread taking out in public because they have no regard for their surroundings. I laughed loud enough to be inappropriate, said things that no adult with a sense of decency would want to listen from the mouth a twelve year old and did this at rates rivaling modern japanese assembly lines. My family would eventually try and beat this out of me, but that is a story for another time.
Usually my misdemeanors would have earned me enough "time-out"s to last a lifetime within the first week of summer so I was surprised when I was confronted with the choice to have to stay home and watch the India v. SA test match (the firsts begin here - this was the first test match with a 3rd umpire - Karl Liebenberg) or go with my parents to a S.P.B and Gangai Amaran concert. Well it wasnt much of a choice really - fat chance my parents would have let me stay home alone when they were all out - so I ended up accompanying them to the show. After all it was S.P.B live so it ought to be a good show. Plus the Indian cricket team was demonstrating its usual foreign pitch woes so seemed like an up and up decision in all.
Later, within the confines of Music Academy, 4 songs had gone by and still no S.P.B. If it hadn't been for Gangai Amaran's sense of humor I swear I would've been the first person ever in my family to have been removed from a public scenario for heckling. Eventually S.P.B showed and sheepishly confessed why he was late. He had been delayed because Pravin Amre had completed a century on debut, another one of those firsts I was talking about. He promptly proceeded to make amends for the un-professionalism by belting out in his pitch perfect voice that wonderful number composed by Raja from Meera . Oh Butterfly , will remain close to my heart for that very reason. That done, he and Amaran proceeded to have a grand old time, providing 2 solid hours of laughter and music (the only 2 things in life worth living for really) that remain etched in my heart. 16 years later it is good to see Amaran hasn't lost his touch and is still writing relevant lines like : Thosthukkillai Vaasthu, Naamellaam Ondrukkul ondraana Olympic ring-thaan, Ozone endru vaanil kooda ottai undu and Ilaya Nathi purandu varugaiyo.