Enjoy Enjaami

A song going viral, that inspired me to write a post about it

‘Enjoy Enjaami’ is a song in ‘Tamil’, one of the oldest living languages, spoken by around 80 million people across the world. Tamil is the official language of the state of Tamil Nadu in south-eastern India and one of the 22 scheduled languages in the Indian constitution. It is one of the official languages in 2 sovereign nations: Sri Lanka and Singapore. It is recognized officially as a minority language in South Africa, Mauritius and Malayasia. UNESCO has recognized and listed Tamil, as a classical language, based on facts such as being over 2000 years old, having a rich literary tradition with a plethora of ancient texts across an exhaustive spectrum of genres.

More about the song now: ‘Enjoy Enjaami’ is NOT a film song from Indian cinema. This is an independent music artist’s work composed by Santosh Naryanan, sung by Dhee & Arivu, with lyrics by Arivu. It is backed by the production label MAAJJA, a brain child of renowned music composer A R Rahman. Maajja is envisaged as a platform for supporting & growing independent artists in the music world. Going by this, one can agree that the execution is filled with as much love as the idea is with courage. Kudos! It is obvious that “Enjoy Enjaami” is a labour of love for each and every one on board.

Lyricist Arivu is a young fearless much-loved Tamil rapper with fire-in-the-belly. He has written this song as a tribute to his grandmother, to his ancestors, to their pain, to the land they left behind with care and to all the knowledge and love which he received from the elders in his village: about valuing the soil, valuing all of nature, and celebrating togetherness. In fact as part of the tribute, his grandmother and village elders are seen in the music video. This song is a powerful socio-political commentary on the struggles of people of the soil, a reminder that the Earth is not just for us humans rather it is our responsibility, and at the same time the song is suffused with the spirit of celebration & community. A song that invites one and all to be grateful to nature and to celebrate one’s roots: be it in the knowledge of the elders or language and its folk lore.

Except for the word ‘Enjoy’ which is in English, every other word in this song is in Tamil. Oral folk traditions like word-play games and “Oppari” – a dying oral tradition in rural Tamil Nadu, of mourning (at funerals and other tragedies) with stories and songs, have been consciously incorporated by Arivu. Like the Oppari-inspired lines that Arivu sings in grandma-like voice….

”Nan anju maram valarthen

Azhagana thottam vachchen

Thottam sezhithalum

Yen thonda nanaiyalaye “

Which loosely translated means…..I planted 5 trees, made a beautiful garden, even as the trees flourished my throat remained parched!

A lament for the unrewarded sweat and toil of his ancestors, forced to work as bonded-labour in plantations far away from home-land. Rap to Oppari and more: the song meanders through all terrains seamlessly. And Arivu’s intense love for both music & meaning-making is evident even in his performance in the video.

The female singer we see and hear is Dhee, an award-winning, highly popular singer in Tamil Nadu; who infuses life and vigor with her fresh, unique style and energy. She is also the daughter of the composer Santosh. Enjoy Enjaami demands a surprisingly wide spectrum of musical capabilities which the Australian born of Sri Lankan origin delivers with effortless grace.

Santosh Narayanan, the composer who has a string of hit songs to his credit, has come up with a song that lifts up the spirits, pumps up the dance floor and pulls at the heartstrings all at once. With music that combines folk traditions, hip hop and going beyond, the depth of the lyrics aptly echoes in its melodies and the rhythms, enchanting everyone, young and old.

Interestingly, I noticed that this particularly song is as clear on any device: be it the mobile, the laptop or the Bose speakers. Some homework helped me discover that Santosh apparently spent hours playing ‘Enjoy Enjaami’ on various devices: to ensure that even the softest sounds can be heard clearly and enjoyed on any and every device. The efforts surely have paid off.

Together Dhee, Arivu, Santosh and the entire team have created magic. Added to that, the music video directed by Amith Krishnan from Studio (MOCA) totally matches up to the song. Amith has visually brought to life the spirit of the song and its powerful poetry. What we have is a high quality no-holds-barred production offering viewers a delightful treat: a video which at so many levels does justice to the phenomenal audio track.

Lastly, I cannot help mentioning that Tamil is my mother-tongue. I love listening to songs in different languages – Indian and non-Indian as well. This time round, ever since Gayatri, my friend shared this song with me, it has been running on loop. As I observe and discover diverse sounds & new meanings with the repeats, I also feel a sense of pride that this has crossed over 60 million views in 2 weeks (and growing). Like an anthem for the Earth and its keepers, it is finding fans even in those who have never heard of Tamil language.

The language of music is universal of course. As for translation, we have technology today. So, you know that you can watch it with the English sub-titles when you wish to connect better with the soulful lyrics.

If you still haven’t heard the song, then go, go, go….listen and share. Gift yourself and your loved ones music-joy this March :)

ENJOY ENJAAMI.......