<p>‘Bisile irali, maleye barali, kadalli medalli aleve’ is one Kannada song anyone who has grown up in the Karnataka of the ’80s will fondly remember. There’s a certain innocence and joie de vivre that S P Balasubrahmanyam and Master Lohith (later superstar Puneeth Rajkumar) bring to the rendition. </p><p>Both of them may have passed on but the life they breathed into this one lives on. The song is from the 1985 film ‘Bettadava Hoovu’, directed by N Lakshminarayan, written by Chi Udayashankar, and composed by Rajan-Nagendra. </p>.<p>It captures the story of a boy called Ramu, growing up in a hill station, roaming the forests in search of rare orchids. ‘Sunlight let come, rain let it come, forest mountain I go roaming. Shirley Madam to giving mountain flower bringing’, he sings. Shirley is an American woman who promises Ramu money for each flower he fetches. Little Ramu yearns to buy a copy of Rashtrakavi Kuvempu’s ‘Ramayana Darshanam’ from the money. Eventually, he has to choose between fulfilling his dream and buying a blanket for his family. The film was based on a 1960 book, beautifully illustrated by Hans Guggenheim and written by American writer Shirley L Arora titled, ‘What then, Raman?’ </p>.<p>The song is special because it is rich with possibilities and the promise of a happier tomorrow. One doesn’t know if Ramu’s deferred dream will ever be fulfilled but for the duration of this song, he is happy. </p>.<p>Song Stories is a monthly column that takes up an iconic number <br>and explores why it still lives rent-free in our heads.</p>
<p>‘Bisile irali, maleye barali, kadalli medalli aleve’ is one Kannada song anyone who has grown up in the Karnataka of the ’80s will fondly remember. There’s a certain innocence and joie de vivre that S P Balasubrahmanyam and Master Lohith (later superstar Puneeth Rajkumar) bring to the rendition. </p><p>Both of them may have passed on but the life they breathed into this one lives on. The song is from the 1985 film ‘Bettadava Hoovu’, directed by N Lakshminarayan, written by Chi Udayashankar, and composed by Rajan-Nagendra. </p>.<p>It captures the story of a boy called Ramu, growing up in a hill station, roaming the forests in search of rare orchids. ‘Sunlight let come, rain let it come, forest mountain I go roaming. Shirley Madam to giving mountain flower bringing’, he sings. Shirley is an American woman who promises Ramu money for each flower he fetches. Little Ramu yearns to buy a copy of Rashtrakavi Kuvempu’s ‘Ramayana Darshanam’ from the money. Eventually, he has to choose between fulfilling his dream and buying a blanket for his family. The film was based on a 1960 book, beautifully illustrated by Hans Guggenheim and written by American writer Shirley L Arora titled, ‘What then, Raman?’ </p>.<p>The song is special because it is rich with possibilities and the promise of a happier tomorrow. One doesn’t know if Ramu’s deferred dream will ever be fulfilled but for the duration of this song, he is happy. </p>.<p>Song Stories is a monthly column that takes up an iconic number <br>and explores why it still lives rent-free in our heads.</p>