Do You Know The Story Behind Oru Neramenkilum Song?

 

 

Every Malayali is familiar with this devotional song of Guruvayurappa (Lord Krishna), and one wonders if there is even a single Krishna devotee in Kerala who has never chanted it at least once in a lifetime. Did you know that this popular Krishna song is 35 years old and was composed by the renowned music composer T. S. Radhakrishnan? The lyrics were written by Chowalloor Krishnankutty, and the song was sung by K. J. Yesudas. It was later included in the popular devotional album Thulasi Theertham in 1986.

Over the past 35 years, this song has been sung and recorded by many singers. Yet, the original rendition by Yesudas remains unmatched in popularity—ironically sung by a singer who has never had the opportunity to visit the famous Guruvayur temple, amidst many controversies.

Its mesmerizing lyrics, filled with deep meaning and intense devotion, were written by Chowalloor Krishnankutty, a poet and journalist, in the 1970s. Very few Malayalam devotional songs have been born with lyrics that attained such immense popularity. Chowalloor penned the lyrics for several popular films such as Thulavarsham and Ashtabandham during the 1970s and 1980s, apart from a few songs in the 1990s. Yet, he is best remembered for the non-film devotional song Oru Neramenkilum. Interestingly, at the time of its creation, neither the lyricist nor the composer imagined that it would become so immensely popular and be remembered forever. Also read: The stories behind the creation of these popular songs of Guruvayurappan.

The lyricist believes that this song is a blessing from Lord Guruvayurappan himself. He prefers to believe that the Lord recited the lyrics to him, and that he merely penned them.

This happened during the annual festival of the Guruvayur Temple about three and a half decades ago. Chowalloor Krishnankutty happened to meet music composer T. S. Radhakrishnan quite incidentally inside the main temple, in front of Lord Krishna. Radhakrishnan was in Guruvayur to present a devotional music concert at Melpathur Auditorium as part of the temple’s annual celebrations.

Casually, Chowalloor asked Radhakrishnan whether he would be willing to tune and sing a devotional song written by him. Though it was meant as a light-hearted remark, to his surprise, Radhakrishnan asked him to bring the song.

As the matter suddenly became serious, Chowalloor took a room at the nearby Jayasree Lodge and spent some time in meditation before he began writing. The pallavi of the song struck him like a flash of lightning, and he completed the entire song within an hour. He then approached Radhakrishnan with the lyrics, and within moments, the composer tuned the song and sang it to him.

The composer, too, believes that the tune of Oru Neramenkilum song was gifted by none other than Lord Guruvayurappan himself. That very night, during the music concert, Radhakrishnan presented the song to the audience. Among all the songs he sang that evening, Oru Neramenkilum received the loudest applause and appreciation.

Thus, an evergreen devotional song of Krishna was born at the Guruvayur Temple—perhaps destiny itself. The lyricist later stated that although he had written more than 3,500 devotional songs, it was this particular composition that transformed his life and brought him immense recognition.

Truly a song bearing God’s signature, Oru Neramenkilum Song was set in Dwijavanthi raga, a rare raga in Carnatic music. Later, the song was recorded in the voice of K. J. Yesudas for Tharangini Cassettes and included in the album Thulasi Theertham. Even today, it is heard and cherished by millions of Krishna devotees and is equally loved by the younger generation.

A song written, composed, and sung for the first time in front of Lord Guruvayurappan is nothing short of a divine blessing. Today, on the auspicious occasion of Sree Krishna Jayanti, I would like to recite this song once again.