19th November 2005 People consume music through films, says Rajiv Menon Randor Guy provides interesting anecdotes about film music `DOCUMENTING FILM MUSIC: Film historian Randor Guy releasing the book 108 Cine Ragams. Music director Vidyasagar received the first copy. Seen from left are the author S. Parthasarathy, film director Rajiv Menon, musician Unnikrishnan and Amrit ha Parthasarathy. — Photo: S. Thanthoni DOCUMENTING FILM MUSIC: Film historian Randor Guy releasing the book 108 Cine Ragams. Music director Vidyasagar received the first copy. Seen from left are the author S. Parthasarathy, film director Rajiv Menon, musician Unnikrishnan and Amrit ha Parthasarathy. — Photo: S. Thanthoni CHENNAI: 108 Cine Ragams on Carnatic music in Tamil films is a book by S. Parthasarathy, who is the Financial Adviser and Chief Accounts Officer of the Southern Railway. He is also the author of 108 Divya Ragams, published in 2004. The book release function at the Raga Sudha Hall was a musical event with film historian Randor Guy providing interesting anecdotes about the birth, growth and evolution of film music in Tamil Nadu. He said music had come a long way since the time when the orchestra used to move along with the singers. Music Director Vidyasagar spoke about the difficulty in setting music to film and spoke of how he used to have at least one song in a Carnatic raga in his film. Unnikrishnan, carnatic musician and playback singer, said the youth always felt the need to identify ragas in concerts and the best way to do that was connect it through a film song. Rajiv Menon said that in a conflict between the sacred and the profane, cinema is now the medium through which people consume music. "The subtle elements in the dialogues are communicated through feelings in the Ragas, a language in which the unsaid emotions of the director is understood by the music director." Describing the book, priced at Rs. 324, which comes along with a CD-ROM, Mr. Parthasarathy said the CD gave an introduction to the evolution of music in Tamil Nadu, the first Tamil-Telugu film, `Kalidas', at least two film and one Carnatic song in a raga, 72 ragas, the works of 27 music directors, 36 singers, kritis in films and an introduction to a layperson on the Cutcheri format. The book is available at the Karnatic Music Book Centre, Royapettah and other shops in Chennai. Phone: 94449 29146. The 235-page book has pen sketches of singers and composers, playback singers and lyricists in Tamil Nadu. From The Hindu dated 19/11/2005 FORWARD TO REPORT IN INDIAN EXPRESS MAIN PAGE OF BOOK RELEASE FUNCTION MAIN PAGE OF NEWSLETTER