Bodha | EP 16 | Interview with Bharadwaj Gali - Lyricist of the song 'Neeli Mughamulalo' | Sai Priya

Bṛhat as a culture engine is interested in portraying dharma and culture across various aspects of society — family, academia, media, policy, and education — especially in the visual arts. In this series, we’re interviewing creative artists — storytellers, lyricists, directors. The focus is on creative media, specifically film, the most powerful and influential medium today.

In this episode, we spoke with Gali Bharadwaj Garu, the lyricist for the song ‘Neeli Meghamulalo’, a song richly laden with cultural metaphor and allegory, proving just how heavily pop culture continues to borrow so much from our itihāsa and purāṇas.

Translation of the Telugu lyrics to the song 'Neeli Meghamulalo' from the film 35 - Chinna Katha Kaadu:

In the blue-hued clouds, the light of the earth…
In the depths of the eyes, the sounds of the ocean.
Though there is no one fit to face the greatest person in the universe in combat,
But when the lotus-eyed one is cross, can he bend the bow that is atop her forehead [her eyebrows]?
With a mere wave of the hand, he can commandeer legions of soldiers, but
Can he understand the words (thoughts) behind the one whose voice is of the earth and whose braid is of Mithila?
In the blue-hued clouds, the light of the earth…
In the depths of the eyes, the sounds of the ocean.

The cloud that caresses the waters of the ocean…
And the droplet of rain traces the contours of the path.
This svayamvaram (marriage of choice) is an illusion,
It is impossible to make one’s own choice.
In the time when two minds must be tied to one another,
What measurement (test) is wielding Shiva’s bow?
He is the one who has a heavenly abode,
He is the small child that rules over everything, He changed himself into a musical note, And himself sang a lullaby.
One who is adorned by the Sun, the brave one who is also kind, and the one who gives auspiciousness, He cannot remain calm amidst the grief of the earth’s daughter.
He is not one that flinches even when pierced by an arrow,
But he will serve and caress Lakshmi (Sita), leaving pomp and circumstance behind.
In the floating clouds, the light of the earth…
In the depths of the eyes, the sounds of the ocean.

Translated by Vivek Rallabandi for Bṛhat. Read our coverage at https://www.brhat.in/dhiti/neelimegha...

00:00 - Introduction
01:57 - How ‘Neeli Meghamulalo’ came to be
17:33 - Cultural References reaching a general audience
24:33 - Sahityam influences
27:55 - Importance of language
31:39 - What does culture mean to you?
37:32 - Experience on the film 35