Melody in love

KOCHI: In Tamil literature, the Andril (glossy ibis) bird implies lasting love. The very meaning of the name signifies an emotion that has been the mainstay of love poems through centuries and across languages. ‘Andri’ means without and ‘il’ means not, together the two negatives loosely translate to the obliteration that in love, one ceases to exist without the other. 

For Kochi-bred musician Govind Murali, the word seemed apt for his new song that delves into the poignancy of love and longing. Murali is trained classical musician whose tryst with ragas began when he was just six, and ‘Andril’, released a couple of weeks ago is his first mainstream single. “I grew up near Tripunithura close to the RLV College. I was fortunate to grow up in an environment filled with art. I moved to Thrissur to study engineering where I was part of a band. We mostly did covers of Indian movie songs so even though my learning stopped, I was still associated with music,” says the 28-year-old, who also sang the song.

It was, however, when Govind was pursuing masters in IIT Bombay that the composition for Andril took birth. “I composed the track in the beginning of 2017, while still in my final year. It is based on the Harikamboji raga, although it adopts multiple elements in a few places. Though I am Malayali, I wanted the lyrics to be in Tamil, as I felt the language would be apt,” says Govind.

He consulted a friend to find someone who could pen the verses for free. “My friend introduced me to V J Vedharaman, who brought the composition to life. I gave him a brief idea of what I was trying to convey and he brought in the metaphor of Andril,” adds Govind who is currently working in Japan as a process engineer.

The four-minute video of classical dancer Devika Sajeevan’s choreography accompanies the track, reinforcing the melodic saga that tugs at your heartstrings. Although the song was recorded close to three years ago with Govind’s erstwhile bandmate Akash S Menon rendering the bass guitar, the project was revived in June. “I was talking to Akash who suggested that we approach Jason Zachariah for sound mixing as that was the only component left.

He agreed to take up the project. Meanwhile, my wife Bhadra Hrishikesh and my friends Rohit Krishnan and Gokul Nambu brainstormed on the cinematography. The video was shot in Kozhikode by Rohit and Gokul. It is thanks to them that the project became a reality,” says Govind. The young musician is currently working on his next two releases slated for next year. Watch ‘Andril’ on YouTube channel Bodhi Silent Scape.