Vairamuthu’s ode to the farmer

Even as he was busy describing women, nature and love for his lyrics in films, Vairamuthu had a burning desire to write something that was socially relevant. Every time he toured interior villages in Tamil Nadu as part of work, he’d see the plight of farmers there and the ill-effects that global warming and globalisation had caused.

Out of that angst, coupled with three years of research, was born Moondram Ulaga Poar ( Third World War), a Tamil literary work that’ll be released today.

The ace lyricist, who himself hails from a farmer’s family, says, “I can relate to the farmer in every way. While global warming is destroying him, globalisation is also slowly swallowing his pride.”

While the subjects dealt with are global in nature, Vairamuthu has used the character of Karuthamayi, an Indian farmer, to take the story forward. “A Japanese organic farmer and an environmental research scholar from abroad meet with Karuthamayi’s son Chinnapandi, an agriculture student, in Theni. I’ve tried to weave in key environmental concerns by portraying the lives of these characters and how they create a model village,” he elaborates, “It’s a global subject that I’ve presented with a local approach.”

One of the most interesting aspects of the book is that Vairamuthu makes a ‘guest’ appearance as himself! “I speak to these researchers about how the Western Ghats have been neglected and the need to protect it,” he says.

On the filmi front, he’s working on big projects including Kochadaiyaan, Viswaroopam, Kadal, Irandaam Ulagam and Neer Paravai. “Rahman has done a brilliant job in Kochadaiyaan — the coming season is a very good one for Tamil film music, both in terms of music and lyrics,” he adds.

Ask him why he decided to indulge in a work like MUP, when his career as a lyricist is flying high? “There’s a vast difference between being a lyricist and a creative writer — while the former translates the thoughts of another (the director of the film) into lyrics, the latter is in charge of the thought process itself. With MUP, I decided the content and the way it should be presented, and I hope its message reaches out to the society,” he signs off.