We all have that one go-to song in our playlist that we turn to for solace on rough days. For Sudhir Viyas D, that song happens to be Kadhal Valarthen from Manmadhan. It flipped his life upside down and then began his fascination for music; rather, the deadly combination of music composer Yuvan Shankar Raja and lyricist Na Muthukumar. These geniuses have left a lasting impression on Sudhir and shaped up his approach to music; that which he shares with the world in his pandemic-birthed podcast Pattukkaaran.
Besides running BeatRoute — a creative promotional agency — with his wife, Sudhir has been diligently pursuing his passion project and releasing one episode a week. “A friend prodded me to start a music blog in 2019 as it’s been my long-time interest. That somehow culminated into a podcast. Being an introvert, I wasn’t sure how much that idea would take off.
Surprisingly, I gained that confidence in a couple of episodes after so much positivity from listeners. I became one among them as they all resonated with my thoughts,” shares an elated Sudhir, who has been avidly collecting cassettes, CDs, and vinyl for his personal library that he’s been building since childhood. “I even dreamt of opening a music library as a kid. I would’ve been a crorepati had I saved up all the money spent on buying these albums,” he laughs.
Rhythm of life
Music runs in his genes. Growing up, every time he hummed a song to his aunt or mother, they would feed him trivia about the composition. “My chiththappa Anthony Raj would put me to sleep with Kanna Kalaimane song running in the background. He features in my episode called ‘A school teacher in an orchestra’. A government school teacher, he used to perform at events and win competitions. The same goes with my wife’s side of the family, who are very into antakshari. When you’re always around music, it stays by your side like a loyal companion and an addiction. It’s a therapy to your heart, it uplifts you and nurtures your spirits all the time,” he notes.
Today, Pattukkaaran is among the top 10 Tamil podcasts. With over 32 episodes, most of Sudhir’s listeners are up to 35 years of age. He has audiences from India, the USA, Malaysia, Singapore, the UK, Arab, and Sri Lanka. Ranging from a few minutes to an hour-long, while most of his episodes have a personal narrative, some feature guests from the field. “Mine is the only music-specific podcast in south India, and it happened by coincidence.
The idea is not only to exchange music or create a playlist for listeners but to delve deeper into its lyrics by breaking down its meaning to understand the context and writing better. I also take suggestions for topics from my followers. I touch upon some technicalities like arrangements, orchestration, music sampling…without bombarding them with information,” he informs.
Of moments and memories
All his episodes have an emotional touch. The one on Na Muthukumar expresses his gratitude for the mastermind for the influence the poet had on his life. Another segment on throwbacks features a film album and his memories associated with it. My favourite pick would be the one about songs in an album that did not make it to the film. “Paiyaa is an all-time favourite.
In one of its songs Poongatre, Karthi and Tamannaah drive from Bengaluru to Mumbai. I happened to drive down that highway recently while listening to the same song, and it’s been on my bucket list for a long time. Another one on Pa Ranjith and Santhosh Narayanan reflects on their rapport, ideology, and style of work. A special one on music director Deva shows what an underrated gem he is. I share as many personal anecdotes as possible to keep it an intimate experience,” he shares. Pattukkaaran’s Instagram also offers a fair share of entertainment and trivia through engaging posts and reels.
Despite a stark difference in the variety of music he grew up with and what’s currently available, Sudhir has high hopes of keeping a slice of the past alive for the present generation through this podcast. “We used to have many fan groups for music directors on Orkut. The mode of discussion, consumption, kind of compositions…. Everything was different. Earlier, you would find songs that were even eight minutes long.
The duration has shortened in this fast-paced world. But even today, nothing comes close to listening to the audio on vinyl as it offers the best quality. Having said that, those were golden periods for meaningful lyrics. Sadly, songs of that kind go unnoticed by people. I’m optimistic that my show will offer a fresh perspective to music lovers. It’s been a journey of self-introspection and discovery for myself too,” he signs off.
Pattukkaaran is available on all audio streaming platforms. For details, visit Instagram @Pattukkaaran