Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam
Encyclopedia
"Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam" is a Tamil
song composed by A. R. Rahman
, penned by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi
and performed by several leading Tamil artistes of over three generations. It is the official theme song for the World Classical Tamil Conference 2010
, encapsulating the contributions of Tamil culture
and literature
down the ages. The song, a tribute to the Tamil language
, features a fusion of various musical styles, including Carnatic
, Folk, Acoustic
, Sufi
, Rock and Rap.
, officially the 9th World Tamil Conference and informally known as the World Tamil Meet, is an international meet by Tamil scholars, researchers, poets, celebrities etc. from all around the world, which was held in Coimbatore
from 23 to 27 June 2010. A poem titled Semmozhi was penned by the writer turned politician, M. Karunanidhi
specifically for this meet, but with the wider vision that it be an anthem for Tamils across the globe. He demanded this poem to be set to tune by Tamil composer A. R. Rahman
.
It took two to two-and-a-half months for Rahman to complete recording the song, which was appreciated upon release. Neither Rahman nor Gautham Menon
, who directed the song, took any remuneration to do this song.
was screened to an extremely positive response. On 18 May, the song was made available for free download
from A. R. Rahman's official website and on 21 May from The Hindu
official website.
. The central message of the song is that all were equal by birth and they should have the feeling that they remained so even later and they should live as one race. Through the lyrics, the history of Tamil literature is also highlighted. After the initial composing was over, a new verse was added highlighting the works of Tamil poets Kambar and Avvaiyar
.
showcases the evolution of the Tamil script
over time as well as aspects of Tamil culture
, Tamil education, and the aesthetic beauty of Tamil locales. The video also features popular websites like Google
and Wikipedia in their Tamil language incarnations, as well as Tamil script
usage on technologies such as the iPhone
. It also features the artistes who were involved in the recording together in front of an orchestration of the words "Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam." Popular singers Anuradha Sriram
and Unni Menon
are also featured as part of the group, although they were unavailable for the recording of the song. Bharatanatyam
dancer Srinidhi Chidambaram, actresses Samantha Ruth Prabhu
, Anjali
and actor Akhil Farook as well as actor-cum-film producer Ganesh Janardhanan are also featured in the video. Towards the end of the video, M. Karunanidhi
signs off, and a group of youngsters run towards the orchestration.
The video was launched on 29 May 2010 by Tamil Nadu Information and Publicity Minister Parithi Ilamvazhuthi
. While launching the video, Ilamvazhuthi said it would be telecast on LED screens fitted in many parts of Coimbatore
and screened in all theatres in Tamil Nadu
. In Chennai
, it would be screened in select places like railway stations, bus terminus and Koyambedu market. Gautham Menon
, also speaking at the launch said that shooting the video spanned over 3 months due to delays in receiving the necessary permission for arial shots. He added that while he would have liked to highlight members of the Tamil diaspora
, he could not due to such restraints.
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
song composed by A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
, penned by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi
M. Karunanidhi
Muthuvel Karunanidhi is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since the death of its founder, C. N...
and performed by several leading Tamil artistes of over three generations. It is the official theme song for the World Classical Tamil Conference 2010
World Classical Tamil Conference 2010
The World Classical Tamil Conference 2010 was an international meet by Tamil Scholars, Poets, Political leaders and Celebrities from all around the world. It was held in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu between 23 June and 27 June, 2010.- Venue :...
, encapsulating the contributions of Tamil culture
Tamil culture
Tamil culture is the culture of the Tamil people. Tamil culture is rooted in the arts and ways of life of Tamils in India, Sri Lanka, and across the globe...
and literature
Tamil literature
Tamil literature refers to the literature in the Tamil language. Tamil literature has a rich and long literary tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution...
down the ages. The song, a tribute to the Tamil language
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, features a fusion of various musical styles, including Carnatic
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
, Folk, Acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
, Sufi
Sufi music
Sufi music is the devotional music of the Sufis, inspired by the works of Sufi poets, like Rumi, Hafiz, Bulleh Shah and Khwaja Ghulam Farid.Qawwali is the most well known form of Sufi music, common in India and Pakistan...
, Rock and Rap.
Background
The World Classical Tamil Conference 2010World Classical Tamil Conference 2010
The World Classical Tamil Conference 2010 was an international meet by Tamil Scholars, Poets, Political leaders and Celebrities from all around the world. It was held in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu between 23 June and 27 June, 2010.- Venue :...
, officially the 9th World Tamil Conference and informally known as the World Tamil Meet, is an international meet by Tamil scholars, researchers, poets, celebrities etc. from all around the world, which was held in Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
from 23 to 27 June 2010. A poem titled Semmozhi was penned by the writer turned politician, M. Karunanidhi
M. Karunanidhi
Muthuvel Karunanidhi is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since the death of its founder, C. N...
specifically for this meet, but with the wider vision that it be an anthem for Tamils across the globe. He demanded this poem to be set to tune by Tamil composer A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
.
It took two to two-and-a-half months for Rahman to complete recording the song, which was appreciated upon release. Neither Rahman nor Gautham Menon
Gautham Menon
Gautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian film director and producer. Mainly working in Tamil cinema, he has also directed Hindi and Telugu films which are remakes of his Tamil films...
, who directed the song, took any remuneration to do this song.
Release
The launch of "Semmozhiyaana Tamizh Mozhiyaam" was held on 15 May 2010. In addition, the video to the song, directed by Gautham MenonGautham Menon
Gautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian film director and producer. Mainly working in Tamil cinema, he has also directed Hindi and Telugu films which are remakes of his Tamil films...
was screened to an extremely positive response. On 18 May, the song was made available for free download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
from A. R. Rahman's official website and on 21 May from The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
official website.
Lyrics
The lyrics were penned by M. KarunanidhiM. Karunanidhi
Muthuvel Karunanidhi is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since the death of its founder, C. N...
. The central message of the song is that all were equal by birth and they should have the feeling that they remained so even later and they should live as one race. Through the lyrics, the history of Tamil literature is also highlighted. After the initial composing was over, a new verse was added highlighting the works of Tamil poets Kambar and Avvaiyar
Avvaiyar
The Avvaiyars "respectable women" was the title of more than one poet who was active during different periods of Tamil literature. The Avvaiyar were some of the most famous and important female poets of the Tamil canon. Abithana Chintamani states that there were three female poets titled...
.
Artistes
The following playback singers lent their voices for the song. The list is in order of first appearance:- T. M. Soundararajan
- A. R. RahmanA. R. RahmanAllah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
- HariniHariniHarini is an Indian film playback singer and classical singer, who sings mainly in Tamil films. She has also sung in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam language films, whilst working with many leading film composers. She is married to another playback singer, Tippu.-Career:Harini learnt Carnatic...
- ChinmayiChinmayiChinmayi Sripada is an Indian playback singer, singing predominantly in Tamil. She is also a voice actor in Tamil and Telugu films, and has worked as a television presenter and a radio jockey as well. She is the founder and CEO of a translation services company called Blue Elephant.-Early life and...
- KarthikKarthik (singer)Karthik is an Indian playback singer.Karthik started his professional singing career as a backing vocalist and has since been a playback singer in Tamil cinema while also single in other Indian languages for various composers...
- HariharanHariharan (singer)Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity...
- Yuvan Shankar RajaYuvan Shankar RajaYuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
- Vijay YesudasVijay YesudasVijay Yesudas Kattassery , commonly credited as Vijay Yesudas, is an Indian playback singer, who has sung songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Tulu and Telugu.-Early life:...
- P. SusheelaP. SusheelaPulapaka Susheela is an Indian playback singer. In a career spanning more than four decades, she has recorded songs in many Indian languages including Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Bengali, Oriya, Sanskrit, Tulu, Badaga and Sinhalese.-Personal life:She is the daughter of Pulapaka...
- G. V. Prakash KumarG. V. Prakash KumarG. V. Prakash Kumar is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer and singer. He has mainly scored music for Tamil, while also doing three Telugu films and a Hindi film...
- T. L. MaharajanT. L. MaharajanT.L. Maharajan is a popular Tamil playback singer. He is also the eldest son of singer Trichi Loganathan.-Albums:Ayyappan ThunaiBhakthi Maalai GajamugaGananatha Om GananathaGanapathi SaranamGaneshaKandhaKumbeshwaraMurugan Arul...
- Bombay JayashriBombay JayashriBombay Jayashri Ramnath is an Indian Carnatic music vocalist. She has also recorded songs as a playback singer in South Indian films. She has many albums to her credit, released as cassettes and CDs....
- Aruna SayeeramAruna SayeeramAruna Sairam is an eminent Carnatic music vocalist.-Early life:Aruna Sairam received vocal training from her mother Rajalakshmi Sethuraman, who was a disciple of the Alathur Brothers and Thanjavoor Sankara Iyer. She later received training from prominent vocalists, Madurai Somasundaram and T. Brinda...
- Nithyasree MahadevanNithyasree MahadevanDr. Nithyasree Mahadevan, also previously referred to as S. Nithyashri, is an eminent Carnatic musician and playback singer for film songs in many Indian languages. Nithyasree's paternal grandmother, D. K. Pattammal, and her granduncle, D. K...
- S. SowmyaS. SowmyaS. Sowmya is a Carnatic music singer. She learnt music initially from her father Dr. Srinivasan, and later from S. Ramanathan and Smt.T. Muktha. In 1998, Sowmya co-founded Carnatica - an online institution dedicated to classical music & dance instruction, archival, talent search and other related...
- BlaazeBlaazeBlaaze is a rap artist and a popular playback singer in Indian films. An Indian by birth, born in Chennai, he grew up in Zambia and later did his education in England and in the US...
- Neha BhasinNeha BhasinNeha Bhasin is an Indian singer-songwriter, performer, and TV hostess and was a member of the Indian pop girl group Viva!.-Biography:Neha Bhasin was born on November 18, 1982 in Delhi in a Punjabi Khatri family, India to Ashok Bhasin and Rekha Bhasin and has an elder sister and a younger brother...
- Lady Kash and KrissyLady Kash and KrissyLady Kash and Krissy are an International Rapper and Singer duo from Singapore. Their genre of music falls along the lines of Pop, Hip Hop, Rap, R&B, Soul, Urban and World Music.-A glimpse:...
- T. M. KrishnaT. M. KrishnaT.M. Krishna is a Carnatic music vocalist. Hailing from a family of music connoisseurs, he was exposed to the south Indian classical music at an early age. His first concert was at the Spirit of Youth series organized by the Music Academy, Chennai . Since then, he has travelled widely in India and...
- Naresh IyerNaresh IyerNaresh Iyer is a playback singer from Chennai, India. Naresh Iyer has rendered film songs in several Indian languages and has several chart hits to his credit. His rendition of "Roobaroo" from the movie Rang De Basanti composed by A. R. Rahman topped the music charts for many weeks in 2006 and won...
- SrinivasSrinivas (singer)Srinivas 'Srini' is an award winning playback singer who has sung over 2000 songs in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. He is also a music composer.-Early life:...
- Shruti HaasanShruti HaasanShruti Haasan is an Indian actress, singer and music composer who has worked in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films. Her parents are noted actors, Kamal Haasan and Sarika. As a child artiste, she sang in films and appeared in a guest role, before making her adult acting debut in the 2009 action drama,...
- Chinna Ponnu
Backing vocals
- A. R. ReihanaA. R. ReihanaReihana is a playback singer and film composer for films in India. However she is more widely known as sister to, A. R. Rahman and mother of G. V. Prakash Kumar. She collaborated with Rahman on a song for the score of the award winning Kannathil Muthamittal in 2002. The most recent song she has...
- Benny DayalBenny DayalBenny Dayal is an Indian singer. He is a member of the band S5 launched by the channel SS Music. Originally from Kerala, he has worked as a playback singer with many noted composers to produce successful soundtracks.-Biography:Benny Dayal's parents hail from Kollam district, Kerala...
- Devan EkambaramDevan EkambaramDevan Ekambaram or Devan is an Indian playback singer, actor and a Film composer. He began his career as a playback singer in Tamil films and later branched out to many other south Indian languages as well like Telugu, Kannada and has so far sung over 150 songs.-Education:Devan pursued his higher...
- Neha
- Ujjayinee
- Krissh
- Nithin Raj
- Saketh
- R. Vijay Narain
- Dr. Narayan
- Bhagyaraj
- Subiksha
- Anita
- K. Renu
- Maya Sricharan
- Kalayani
- Raqueeb Alam
Instrumentalists
- SivamaniSivamaniAnandan Sivamani , popularly known as Sivamani, is a percussionist based in India. He plays many instruments including drums, Octoban, Darbuka, Udukai, and Kanjira, as well as many more. He performed drumming during the IPL Championships in 2008 & 2010. He is affiliated to the Chennai Super Kings...
– drums, percussion - Purushotham – tavil
- Natarajan – nadaswaramNadaswaramThe nadaswaram, also spelt nadhaswaram, and also called nagaswaram , is one of the most popular classical musical instruments in the South Indian culture and the world's loudest non-brass acoustic instrument...
Album production
- Producer: A. R. RahmanA. R. RahmanAllah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
- Engineers: S. Sivakumar, Krishna Chetan, Suresh Perumal, Srinidhi Venkatesh, Kannan Ganpat, Pradeep
- Mixing: K. J. Singh, P. A. Deepak, Srinidhi
- Mastering: S. Sivakumar
- Programming: Krishna Chetan
- Coordination: Noell James
Music video
The video directed by Gautham MenonGautham Menon
Gautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian film director and producer. Mainly working in Tamil cinema, he has also directed Hindi and Telugu films which are remakes of his Tamil films...
showcases the evolution of the Tamil script
Tamil script
The Tamil script is a script that is used to write the Tamil language as well as other minority languages such as Badaga, Irulas, and Paniya...
over time as well as aspects of Tamil culture
Tamil culture
Tamil culture is the culture of the Tamil people. Tamil culture is rooted in the arts and ways of life of Tamils in India, Sri Lanka, and across the globe...
, Tamil education, and the aesthetic beauty of Tamil locales. The video also features popular websites like Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
and Wikipedia in their Tamil language incarnations, as well as Tamil script
Tamil script
The Tamil script is a script that is used to write the Tamil language as well as other minority languages such as Badaga, Irulas, and Paniya...
usage on technologies such as the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
. It also features the artistes who were involved in the recording together in front of an orchestration of the words "Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam." Popular singers Anuradha Sriram
Anuradha Sriram
Anuradha Sriram is an Indian carnatic and playback singer who hails from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. She has sung in many Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films.- Personal life :...
and Unni Menon
Unni Menon
Unni Menon is an Indian film playback singer. He has sung over 3000 songs in South Indian languages like Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. In the early part of his career, he spent many years as a low-profile playback singer. The turning point in his career came when he sang the song "Pudhu...
are also featured as part of the group, although they were unavailable for the recording of the song. Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam
Bharata Natyam or Chadhir Attam, is a classical dance form from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, practiced predominantly in modern times by women. The dance is usually accompanied by classical Carnatic music...
dancer Srinidhi Chidambaram, actresses Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Samantha Ruth Prabhu is an Indian film actress and model who appears in Telugu and Tamil films. Born to Malayali and Telugu parents, Samantha was brought up in Chennai and pursued a career in modeling during her late teens...
, Anjali
Anjali (actress)
Anjali is an Indian film actress and model, who predominantly appears in Tamil films. Following a stint in modelling, she was cast in starring roles in two low-profile Telugu productions, before gaining attention with her critically acclaimed performance as Anandhi in Kattradhu Thamizh , for which...
and actor Akhil Farook as well as actor-cum-film producer Ganesh Janardhanan are also featured in the video. Towards the end of the video, M. Karunanidhi
M. Karunanidhi
Muthuvel Karunanidhi is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since the death of its founder, C. N...
signs off, and a group of youngsters run towards the orchestration.
The video was launched on 29 May 2010 by Tamil Nadu Information and Publicity Minister Parithi Ilamvazhuthi
Parithi Ilamvazhuthi
Parithi Ilamvazhuthi or Parithi Ellamvazhuthi is an Indian politician. He has finished his school education till SSLC before he moved into political life. He has been elected to Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly for a total of seven times. He was the deputy assembly speaker in the 11th assembly in...
. While launching the video, Ilamvazhuthi said it would be telecast on LED screens fitted in many parts of Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
and screened in all theatres in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. In Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, it would be screened in select places like railway stations, bus terminus and Koyambedu market. Gautham Menon
Gautham Menon
Gautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian film director and producer. Mainly working in Tamil cinema, he has also directed Hindi and Telugu films which are remakes of his Tamil films...
, also speaking at the launch said that shooting the video spanned over 3 months due to delays in receiving the necessary permission for arial shots. He added that while he would have liked to highlight members of the Tamil diaspora
Tamil diaspora
The Tamil diaspora is a demographic group of Tamil people of Indian or Sri Lankan origin who have settled in other parts of the world. Significant Tamil diaspora populations can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Middle East, Réunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles, Fiji, Guyana,...
, he could not due to such restraints.
Credits
- Direction: Gautham MenonGautham MenonGautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian film director and producer. Mainly working in Tamil cinema, he has also directed Hindi and Telugu films which are remakes of his Tamil films...
- Cinematography: Manoj ParamahamsaManoj Paramahamsa- Biography :He was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Educated at the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu at Chennai, he received his early training from the cinematographer S. Saravanan. Manoj started his career by assisting in films such as Pammal K...
- Editing: Anthony Gonsalves
- Art Direction: RajeevanRajeevanRajeevan is an art director in South Indian Films. He is a graduate of Loyola College, Chennai.- Tamil films:*Mounam Pesiyadhe*Kaaka Kaaka*Parthiban Kanavu*Madhurey*Manmadhan*february 14*Aathi*Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu*Vallavan*Sathurangam...
- Production: Escape Artists Motion Pictures