Kuratthi Magan

Cousin Balaji, my அத்தை's son, and I have been living in the same city for decades. Yet , somehow we haven't met for years now. The last meeting in 2014 was opposite Kamala mills at Lower Parel, Mumbai where both of us worked. It was a filmi meeting to say "Hey neeeeeee Balaji daaaneee..." . After Upayakusalobaris, we promised to keep in touch, meet etc. and it never happened.  Golu was a good opportunity to meet him and wife and they were kind enough to visit us this year, last weekend.

Balaji's family continues to live in Nagpur. His father never missed to attend any wedding in the family on his wife side. He would travel all the way from Nagpur to Madras to be a part of the celebrations. Balaji and his sister would visit us in Madras every Summer to spend their holidays. Actually , nobody knows him as 'Balaji'. He continues to be 'Bun' Balaji or 'Bal Bal' for us. His love for Mylapore Universal Biscuit Factory's Bun was well known and our Uncle would stock up on buns whenever he'd visit.

During his visit last weekend he shared great memories of his Madras summers remembering the beautiful Mylapore veedu, the endless supply of food and buns, the vetti games we'd play and so on. He narrated this particular incident from the '80s and I am sharing it here.

In Mylai, we had this huge hall on the first floor, where all of us cousins would sleep. Balaji would sleep at the farthest end of the hall. "Apparently", I'd bully him to say the Kuratthi atop the tree on the road would catch* hold of him and take him away in the night. 

Balaji kept repeating on what a bully older sister I was as he was scared to death trying to sleep. Ofcourse, I have no recollection of saying this. I kept asking if it was indeed me and wanted to jog his memory to check if it was my brother or sister who may have said this. He kept repeating that it was indeed me and only me who bullied. Voh my gaad. The husband was quite amused because he thought I was this paavam child growing up and this Balaji came all the way to break this 'Ambi' image of mine and make me an Anniyan.

Vena and Mylaporaaan, the Narikuravas , an indigenous group, sold beads in and around Mylapore. I remember them carrying the Dalda dabbas often,  taking the leftovers post dinner time from home.  This bommai reminded me of them and had bought them in KuraLagam in 2018. I wonder where Vena, Mylaporaan and their families are, now.

*Before outrage Uncles and Aathas take over, I was a poor little kid in the '80s who had associated the Indigenous groups with crimes. Please forgive me and stop your outrage.

PS - As a big fan of Kuratthi Magan, the film, had to use it as a title. The film is Silver Jubilee hit on KTV and Golden Jubilee Super hit on Sunlife. The film stars K R Vijaya, Gemini, Master Sridhar, Jayachithra and ofcourse Kamalagassan in a thundu beedi role, Incase you haven't seen it, I'd urge you to, right away. 
Here's the link.

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Please do read my earlier posts on Navarathri Golu.

Kuratthi Magan

தந்தனத்தோம் என்று சொல்லியே

The Vyjayanthimala Pose

Idhu Muthuraman Ya

Bored Man 

The Saree Influenza

Raga Sisters 

Danceu Papa Danceu Papa

The Reluctant Poser

Twins - Separated at Birth?

Masterji

Harini's Paatti - I met her last in October 2019, if I remember right. Maama (her husband) had passed away, her son and family had moved to UK. She was living alone in Mumbai. Have been trying to contact her with her mobile number and it seems to be switched off. 

Bommaigalil Oru Blooper

Dasavatharam

Chittie

Golu 2012

Bead Work

Golu 2008

Golu

The Vyjayanthimala Pose

We went on a #Pondicherry trip with friends from college in December 2009, if my memory serves me right. On the way back spotted a road-side shop that sold #GoluBommais and I managed to buy a few including the one in the picture in red frock (called "dress" these days).

Thanks to Sriram V's blog post, I learnt that this particular doll was inspired by the Legendary Vyjayanthimala's pose in the following songs from the '40s and '50s:-

- Saiyyan Dil Mein Aana re from AVM's Bahar

- Gopalanodu Naan from AVM's Vaazhkai

Amazing how films have had and continue to inspire Golu Bommais. 

Image credit - Sriram V's blog and Screenshots from Youtube videos

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Please do read my earlier posts on Navarathri Golu.

The Vyjayanthimala Pose

Idhu Muthuraman Ya

Bored Man 

The Saree Influenza

Raga Sisters 

Danceu Papa Danceu Papa

The Reluctant Poser

Twins - Separated at Birth?

Masterji

Harini's Paatti - I met her last in October 2019, if I remember right. Maama (her husband) had passed away, her son and family had moved to UK. She was living alone in Mumbai. Have been trying to contact her with her mobile number and it seems to be switched off. 

Bommaigalil Oru Blooper

Dasavatharam

Chittie

Golu 2012

Bead Work

Golu 2008

Golu

Bored Man

“Kannathula Kai Vaikkadha” (Don’t rest your hands on your chin) was one of the many things that was told to us when we were kids. And one has no idea why older makkal said all these. Not that one followed anyway. If you think am going to discuss “toxic parenting”, sorry to disappoint. Head to outrage Aathas’ instagram profiles.

Back to resting the hands on the chin - It helps one control yawning at blade meetings where one can continue to nod pretending to be interested.


This man wearing a green Jubba and white Dhoti carrying an umbrella is , I’d assume sitting in a park looking at
❤️y00th couples romancing
Or
😰Stressed about his loans thinking about how he will repay
Or
🙃 Generally vetti and sitting there to while away his time.

You know who he reminded me of?

#YouRemember

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Please do read my earlier posts on Navarathri Golu.

Bored Man 

Raga Sisters 

Danceu Papa Danceu Papa

The Reluctant Poser

Twins - Separated at Birth?

Masterji

Harini's Paatti - I met her last in October 2019, if I remember right. Maama (her husband) had passed away, her son and family had moved to UK. She was living alone in Mumbai. Have been trying to contact her with her mobile number and it seems to be switched off. 

Bommaigalil Oru Blooper

Dasavatharam

Chittie

Golu 2012

Bead Work

Golu 2008

Golu

Enga SPB

Everybody is familiar with the ‘80s SPB during the Golden era of the Raaja... On to the ‘90s, we got introduced to Isaippuyal via SPB in Roja, Kadhalan, Uzhavan and so on. SPB continued  continues to rule even in 2000s, until now. Ofcourse, the Indhi belt keeps talking about the Salmaan SPB from the ‘90s... the only SPB they probably know of.

In Tamizh, not many people speak about the ‘60s and ‘70s SPB... atleast on social media. Except for the QFR series , Oliyum Oliyum equivalents on Sunlife, Murasu TV etc, makkal don’t quite talk about his ‘70s and his ‘60s, in Tamizh cinema. IMO, this was the most glorious era of SPB. He continued to sound the same as he did in Aayiram Nilave Vaa and Iyarkai Enum Ilaya Kanni, even now. How like that?

Thanks to my father I got introduced to SPB’s songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s. That SPB era, now feels more like ‘Enga{L} SPB’ which a lot of makkal don’t know about or atleast not talking about.  When I say ‘Enga’ I include me, my siblings, parents and a close circle of a dozen friends born in the ‘70s. When I say ‘Enga SPB’ is also feels a lot personal and a bit possessive. Let me introduce you to a few of my favourites of ‘Enga SPB’.

(Image from one of the whatsapp videos on SPB shared)

1. Naalai Namadhe: Though He was not the voice of MGR in this particular song, this tops my MGR-SPB playlist. May be because my dad used to sing this really well when we were kids. This is a duet with the legendary TMS , yet SPB holds his own. When he begins with an “Anbu Malargale.....” it’s instant love! My father had tried to ‘Karaoke’ this song last year in Madras, and I hope I have a recording of it with me. This movie plays quite often on TV these ‘Lockdown’ days and I sit thru’ all the masala only to listen to this track.

2. Devan Vedamum : SPB-Susheela and Thyagarajan (Top Star Prashant’s father) singing / speaking in this song. Again, this was introduced to me by my father. V.Kumar FTW! Romba beautiful song. 

3. Ilamayenum Poongatru: No inter-collegiate hifi culturals in Madras was complete in the ‘80s and ‘90s without a rendition of this song. I have listened to this more during ‘Mardigras’ / ‘Saarang’ selection rounds, sung by the professional college music gangs than in OLiyum Oliyum. For everyone’s benefit, I’ve linked the video without the “actual video”.

4. Vaarthai Thavari Vittai: Thanks to this track being featured on OLiyum Oliyum on high rotation, I’d sing (oLarify) this, as a kid , with the “Ennadi Meenacheee...”

5. Kamban Emaandhan: The amazing Kamal-SPB-MSV-Balachander combo! That place where SPB goes “Malarendraaaannn” is sheer magic! The other magic from the same film is “iLakkanam Maarudho....”. When he begins the song with ‘Ilakkanam Maarudoo..ooo.ooo...” Deiva Level! I’m told Kamban Emandaan is Vishwanathan Anand’s favourite too.

6. Vaazhvil Sowbaagiyam: It’s not an overtly sweet romantic song, though it featured a (then) real life couple, on screen. We owe a lot of Ceylon Radio for introducing such gems to us.

7. Thoduvadenna Thendralo : If you ask my dad his top 5 favourites, this will definitely feature in that. SPB takes you to Kulu Kulu Kashmir when he sings about ‘Pani’, ‘kuLir’ etc.. Pppaah!

8. Poopole Un Punnagaiyil: This, again was a Ceylon Radio intro. Sivaji sings, yearning for his daughter’s love...You cannot but feel the sadness of a father when he sings “Ammavendru varum kannukutti”.

9. Uchchi Vagundeduthu: A cousin , Priya , used to love this song. I haven’t spoken or met her in decades but this song and its rendition takes me back to childhood days when Priya would keep mentioning this song. Again, the sogam of Sivakumar is brought out so well in this song, thanks to Ilaiyaraaja and SPB.

10. Paadum Podhu Naan Thendral Kaatru: This song is what one calls ‘breezy’.True to the lyrics, the ‘Thendral’ification of the song oozes in SPB’s voice.

There are many many more gems of ‘Enga SPB’ that one can continue to talk about. At the beginning of this Lockdown period, I had made a series of playlists and one of the first few playlists made was ‘Lockdownil ‘70s SPB’. Never did I think I’d listen to this playlist on repeat , on a day like this.

(Image from one of the whatsapp videos on SPB shared)

Thank you, SPB for the wonderful songs and memories from the ‘60s until now🎙❤

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Abhirami

If you are here for the first time, please read this post.
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Around the time my first son was born, there was a song that was topping the Tamil charts. It was a song that perfectly echoed the tumult of motherhood - the ecstatic peaks and the crushing challenges - with its soaring high and lilting low notes effortlessly rendered by a teenager who served to notice to the world that she was no ordinary talent. Deivam thandha poove (Oh flower, a blessing from God) from the movie Kannathil MuththamittaL quickly became a song I would sing to my firstborn. As a new mother grappling with raising her infant in a foreign country with little support, this song to me was a reminder that hidden amidst the incessant demands placed on my time, the obliteration of my own identity as a woman, the overwhelming fatigue that set in at the start of yet another day filled with nursing, cleaning and feeding, was a little gem that I called my child. 

A few years later, I would go on to have my second son and I had chosen to have him in UK on my own, politely declining all offers of help from family in India. Ten days after his birth, we organised a small Punjayajanam and invited some friends and neighbours to the ceremony. The priest performed a few rituals and I suggested that those of gathered each sing something on the occasion. If this had been in India, there would have been much fanfare, food and celebration. Somehow, that cold, grey English afternoon demanded enlivening and warmth from songs. It seemed so bereft and soulless otherwise. When it was my turn to sing, I chose Deivam Thandha poove. It only seemed fitting that I would sing this song that tells the child how they came as a breeze into one's life and remained as air to breath. Perhaps it was the wide range that A R Rahman had laid out for his singers that they so casually sauntered across that was beyond the grasp of this amateur singer, perhaps it was the full weight of the song falling on a new mother's shoulders, perhaps it was a sense of the occasion, I could not complete the song as my throat seized up. Despite the shadow that has been cast on the song (its lyricist Vairamuthu has been accused of sexual misconduct by its singer Chinmayi), this track never fails to remind me what a blessing my sons are. 

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About Abhirami

Apart from being an Akka to an illustrious sister, namely yours truly, Abhirami is a media professional and playwright who is pursuing a Master’s degree in documentary film-making while working in a film & training company. Currently, she is busy resuscitating her creative practice after a hiatus of a dozen years. 

Abhirami blogs here and you could take a look at her work on her site. Say hi to Abhi here and here. 

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Viju

If you are here for the first time, please read this post.

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Down the memory lane

A.R. Rahman’s music, being very special to me, plays a very important role in my long distance runs. A lot of these long distance runs are run by me solo and it gets very lonely. There are moments when you feel like giving up and/or hit the wall. To ensure I have some company during the run I always listen to music (naysayers please excuse!) and this has definitely played an important role in my evolution as a long distance runner.

I list below five songs that have pushed me during my runs in the past few years and they will always have a special place in my long run and also on my iPhone (previously iPod shuffle).

Ladio from I: What a powerhouse of energy this song is! There was a time I would listen to all the songs from ‘I’ exclusively during my run and time a 7k to that. Ladio is one of those tracks that just changes its form every minute in the song and that refreshes me quite a bit on my run. A target for me is to run a full marathon with 4:41 as my pace per kilometer. May I will put this song on a loop 42.2 times!

Oru Nanban Irundhaal from Enakku 20 Unakku 18: The song has a constant tempo from start to finish and Chinmayi’s vocals alongside the chorus is something that keeps one going nonstop. Also the lyrics of this song about friendship also are something I liken to my relationship with my run. Particularly - Ada vaazhkkai padhai maralaam natpudhaan maaruma (our life’s path can can but will friendship change?)

Kadhal Vettukili from Parasuram: This brilliant yet lesser known duet from an immensely forgettable movie is another song that has an energetic set of beats and an amazing interlude between the first and second charanams. This always has a place on my running playlist and gives me that high every time I hear the first few seconds of the song!

Tanha Tanha from Rangeela: As a 90s kid, all I remember from watching this song in the 90s initially was Urmila running on the beach and then an ‘ugly’ Jackie Shroff creepily dancing with her. Well, with all those memories put aside, I revisited this song a few years ago and the orchestration in this - the flute, the violins, Sujatha and Srinivas’ alaaps before the first charanam make it such a grand song. And ensuring I maintain my strides fine with the beats in the song, especially when I am doing intervals, is a blissful experience.

Arziyan from Delhi 6: This song is always going to be ‘That One Song’ for me and I end up trying to ensure my races or significant long runs start or end with this song! The divinity in Kailash Kher and Javed Ali’s vocals and the positivity in this song takes me to an entirely different zone (both during my run and otherwise).

There are more ARR songs on my running playlist and probably I will write about more of those soon! Thank you Blogeswari for this opportunity and thank you ARR for all the music!
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About Viju

Zu (An)na, sometimes called Dr.Viju works with the Universities in India on understanding how computational tools are used in the curriculum and research to help accelerate the engineering and science learning process.

I'll give you a moment and more to process the above. Yeah, that's our Zu 'na. His CV will need a doctorate for you and I to decipher, dissect and digest.

A reluctant book worm, A Marathoner and a Padicha Pulla - Zu 'na has been spending this lockdown period reading, running (adhe!) on roads and running a poll on Twitter with the hashtag #FavARRite on ARR's songs and albums. Viju blogs here, here and here . 

Say Hi to Viju here and here.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Hari

If you're here for the first time, please read this post
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March 2015. The job season was at its peak, with multiple interviews lined up. ARR, too, reached his peak with the release of his OK Kanmani album. Three songs from the film played on my phone, and, eventually, in my mind, during my job search phase. 

 

The addictive Mental Manadhil, with all its buoyancy, was one of the more accessible A R Rahman songs on the first hearing. Director Mani Ratnam enhanced the song with visuals of Dulquer and Nithya biking through Mumbai's busy streets with unbridled energy. I wondered if I should approach my job phase tension-free. I wasn't too sure. 

 

The structure of Parandhu Sella Va is an analogy to that of the film itself. What starts as a light and fun track turns into something incredibly romantic after the halfway mark. Each time I played the song, I eagerly anticipated the portion where singer Karthik, a Me Too accused, begins Nanaindhu Kollava Mazhai Illamale to go into a romantic high. The chills, unmonitored eyelid closure all enhanced the dream-like state I was finding myself in when listening from the halfway mark. I thought, sometimes, being in a dream-like state was an excellent way to forget being worried about my impending final round interview for which I had to travel from one city to another. I thought I aced my job interview. 

 

Aye Sinamika made me long for a crush that did not exist. The song also felt like life: meandering but containing the highs that felt pleasant and the lows that made one yearn for such peaks. Unfortunately (and lucky for the one who got the job), I failed to land the job. But, the crests and troughs are what make life beautiful. We should try finding beauty in small things instead of complaining about things we may not have control over. 

 

I finally did find a job four months after the release of Mental Manadhil, and a month after the unsuccessful interview I mentioned earlier. It happened after over 200 listens of the songs from the film from a playlist that contained only OK Kanmani's songs. Maybe A R Rahman was telling me all along, “It's all going to be OKK in the end.”

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About Hari:

 

Hari is an engineer by day and cinephile by night. He has almost ended his love affair with cricket by sticking to just the IPL. He writes film-related articles whenever he gets a worthy topic to write about.

During the lockdown, he dabbled in song edits and realized he has taste.

 

Taste isn't an issue when it comes to his cooking because he's a great chef. He loves going on long drives provided he has company. Otherwise, he wastes his time on Twitter.

Say hi to Hari here.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Suresh

  If you are here for the first time, please read this post.

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Every tea stall that played Raja now played Roja, only Roja. And yet, I don’t remember when and where I first heard the song “Chinna Chinna Aasai”. We had neither television nor any music player at home then. The song, however, was always in the air, long after it stopped playing. Any popular song in Tamilnadu at the time was omnipresent. It was everywhere, all the time. You don’t have to do anything to access the song, it’ll find a way to reach you, again and again and again. So, though I have a vivid memory of my first encounter with the other songs in Roja, I don’t have one for “Chinna Chinna Aasai”. So, I present here one of my n^th encounters with the song. 

I remember the annual day cultural events in a school in the neighbourhood. A group of girls of age five or six, dressed as little fairy angels in pink and blue fluffy frocks, danced to the song. The dance movements were simple and cute. The girls stood in their place for most of the time, bobbing their heads, moving their upper body sideways with hands on their hips. They twirled once in a while, in stuttering, staccato steps, not a fluid rotation. Their hand gestures made many shapes in the air translating every word in the song’s lyrics into a dance step. For the line that goes “I want this earth to revolve around me”, the girls placed their hands on their chest (me) and painted a two-dimensional sphere in the air. They stretched their arms sideways and drew one half of a full circle with each arm (earth), and as they pulled the edges of their frilled frocks a little with their petite fingers, they rotated in their spot (revolve around).

The dusky girl who danced in the middle at the front was beautiful. I noticed that she was the only one in the group who lip-synced with the song while dancing. Also, she was the only one smiling throughout. She seemed pleased with her performance. Though all the girls on the stage were performing the same dance routine, each one did it differently. A girl dancing in the last row had forgotten the steps; she was imitating the one next to her, and so she was always the last to finish a movement. The girl in the corner at the front went blank, stopped dancing and picked her nose instead. The one next to the girl at the centre appeared confident, but because she had missed a beat at the start her entire performance was out of sync. A girl in the second row was performing all the steps correctly but was looking down throughout. Some girls looked excited and so gesticulated more than necessary, and some seemed shy, hesitant and rigid in their movements. Despite all the variations in the execution of the rehearsed steps, when the song required everyone to hold hands and form a circle, they somehow made it happen; they did it with perfect synchronisation.

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About Suresh

Suresh's contact details are stored as 'Background Score Urs Musically Suresh', on my phone. IMO, like 'Thalapathy' and 'Thala' this can become Suresh "star title".
From John Williams to Ilaiyaraaja to the music in Satyajit Ray's films to Ghibran's compositions, Suresh writes about music across languages on his blog. A true music buff, from time to time, Suresh uploads his favourite background scores as a compilation on his YouTube channel as well. Don't miss listening to this one.
When there are days when doesn't want to listen to any dandanakka music or even songs for that matter, one can quietly head over to Suresh's YouTube playlists. I'd urge you to head to his YouTube channel and listen to the music he's compiled. Pure bliss.
Thank you Suresh, for sharing your nth encounter with ARR's debut film track, on this blog.

Say hi to Suresh here.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Dr.Gagan K

 If you are here for the first time, please read this post.

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I am a Kannadiga and it was hard for us in the 90s and early 2000s to even get hold of Tamil songs. The only way ARR songs reached us was when those Tamil movies were dubbed to Hindi. Sometime in the year 2000, my brother had come to know through his friend, that “the new Mani Ratnam – A R Rahman movie” had good songs. Our parents had planned a week long pilgrimage and we did not have any new cassettes to play in the car during the travel.  When dad gave us an opportunity to buy 1 or 2 cassettes, my brother and me rushed to a small cassette shop in Bangalore and asked the shop owner to give us “the latest Mani Ratnam – A R Rahman movie cassette”. Luckily, he instantly identified our query like today’s Google and gave us the Alaipayuthey cassette.

All through the travel, we played Alaipayuthey songs from A side to B side. My sanskaari parents immensely loved the Snehithane track which probably appeared on both sides. We wilfully kept “fast forwarding” the fast paced September Madham since we feared our parents may not like it. My brother warned me that “fast forwarding” will damage the tape. Also, if we changed the side, we would miss one good song on the other side. So, we allowed September Madham to play and that’s when my parents started a grand lecture on the topic - “Music, Melody, Decency and Old Hindi Songs”.  My dad started, “there are so many good old Hindi songs. But you people choose to play such indecent songs here. The melodious songs of Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Latha Mangeshkar…” Mom continued, “and Asha Bhonsle…”

At this point, I found a good opportunity and said, “mom, this song is sung by Asha Bhonsle only”. Both dad and mom were instantly angry on me and asked me to stop the music and my speaking. For about an hour, there was dead silence and no songs played. I then played a cassette compilation of old, sad Hindi songs. After a while, dad got bored and asked me to stop playing it. I immediately went back to playing Snehithane and parents did not complain. We however kept skipping September Madham to keep them happy. For the next two months, we played mostly Alaipayuthey songs in our car. Every time I listen to the songs of Alaipayuthey, I get reminded of the greenery, hills, mist and water falls on the roads of Western Ghats. Twenty years later, Alaipayuthey songs sound like they were recorded recently. But due to non-listening of September Madham, this is the only song in this album I am not fond of.

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About Dr Gagan K

Dr. Gagan K is a lawyer by qualification and a law lecturer by profession. His initial connection to Tamil music was through A R Rahman. And now he listens to Ilaiyaraaja, Harris Jayaraj, Anirudh, Yuvan and others.

Say hello to Dr Gagan K here, and do visit his blog.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Loges

 If you are here for the first time, please read this post.

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Every time I hear the name A R Rahman, my mind usually goes to the peppy ‘Urvasi’, the joyful ‘Petta Rap’, the romantic ‘Ennavale’, the enthusiastic ‘Vande Maatharam’ or sometimes the emotional ‘Mustafa’. Every album had one such song that I had in my mind as the identity of the album. As a fan of Tamil cinematic universe, I always went behind the popular ones in most of the albums. One such album is Sangamam in which I thought the heroic ‘Mazhaithuli’ was the best of the lot until I recently unearthed this magic ‘Sowkiyama Kanne’.

When the movie Sangamam released, I was very little that I didn’t even remember the existence of this song(what a shame?!). Thankfully, youtube’s autoplay landed me in this song which was performed in a ARR concert. There was something in this song that held me in a loop. I had this misconception that ARR was always about western music in his filmography. Like the umpteen times that he surprised me before, he did again with this Carnatic classical.

Before even Nithyashree asks us “Sowkiyama kanne!”(are you doing good darling?), ARR makes us ‘Sowkiyam’(well and good) with his orchestration of chorus and mridangam. The amazement lived throughout the song with ARR’s trademark control over percussion. I was clinging back to this song after hearing it for the first time. It was playing in a loop both in my mind and my speakers. I was playing this song in my in-ear headphones, over-the-ear headphones, my speakers and tv too. I just couldn’t get enough of it. Every time Nithyashree went “En Kaatril swasam illai”, I went breathless. Even today, I get excited when this song comes in my play queue.

This made me revisit the collaborations of ARR and Nithyashree like ‘Kannodu Kanbodhellam’, ‘Minsara kanna’ but this time with a more curious mindset. I ended up wanting more classicals from ARR. Probably, I am still not aware of his greater works. Whatsoever, my love for him seems to grow more and more everyday. Because, music is pure love! ******************************************************
About Loges Loges is an author who's published a collection of short stories in Tamizh. He loves to travel and is a photographer as well. Music is Loges' companion during his travel, and at work. Loges writes in Tamizh and in English on his blog . Thank you, Loges for sharing your favourite memory of a Rahman song. Say hello to Loges here, here and here.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Susmitha Chakkungal

 If you are here for the first time, please read this post.

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I always felt that my era should be aptly called the “Trans Gen” as in, people caught in transition.  Be it oh! I walked to college/ I travelled by public transport/ I cycled/ I go by a two wheeler, Typewriter/Computer/Laptops/Blackberry to everything today happens on mobile. We are the generation that transitioned through transition some in thoughts some in actual life… Music was no different at home for me the argument was always, always …MSV is the best, Ilayaraja is the best, it was almost spiritual and political to listen to them in the background of these voices. Scared if you could err by liking one more than the other because they are geniuses and their music is indeed brilliant, wondering will I have a musician of my own. As I grew passing through the most important personal phases of my life searching an identity in friendship, love, career, politics, family, marriage, faith...ARR happened. Music that gave emotions to all that shaped my life as a youngster, so it’s not easy for me to pick one song that made a lifetime impact on me, for his music is inseparable from me, imbedded in every DNA. Now having said that personally two emotions stand out for me with ARR’s music, devotion and patriotism maybe because somewhere these two emotions intertwine with the musician’s personality or it could be purely because both these emotions are very personal and speaks of faith that is true.

Image - ARR's Instagram

The music that crescendo’s in Tamizha Tamizha,  the visuals of secularism in Thai Mannae Vannakam,  the hope of peace and togetherness that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and ARR’s voice in Gurus of Peace ,  the optimism when the Shehnai pierces your heart in “ Yeh jo Desh hai tera” . I’m actually absolutely partial to the unplugged version of the same, where ARR says…Undhan Desathil kural, tholaidurathil adho…seviyil vizhadha…i tear up and feel the pride that my country is and will always remain to me, giving me a purpose. Strangely enough I felt the same with all the music tracks of Pele : Birth of a Legend , when the eyes fill up in Pele’s fathers eyes…I was soaked in uncontrollable tears… so what if Pele is not from India, ARR is from my ooru …J

The closeness to a supernatural power that his music brings in Anbendra Mazhayilae… ( Honestly this is about the only song that I like of this singer) a God that will be within me and guide at times of distress in Oh Palan Hare nirgun our nyare… the purity and tranquility  ik onkar a simple hymn that tugs at your heart , the search to find faith in Kun Faya Kun…Khwaja merae khwaja… Maula Wa Sallim …his music only showed me the oneness in the supreme power a God that helps us and impresses all of us to be good, a God that transcends beyond differences a God that you understand.  ARR…a musician and music that brings us all closer to each other through our personal belief.

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About Susmitha
With a Double Master's Degree in Criminology and Human Rights, Sush continues to inspire her contemporaries including yours truly, with an envious career spanning over two decades in Electronic Media. As my go-to person for all career-related (read : boss related) problems, Sush is a level-headed problem solver and a much-needed motivator everyone needs.
It's no surprise that she was the most loved boss (as mentioned by her reportees) in her recent stint with a Radio station.
A Classical dancer and a super duper chef, Sush is seriously contemplating on setting up her cake business. That is, when she has some time to breathe amidst all the CSR work that she's involved in.
Say Hello to Sush here.

 

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Rajasekar

 If you are here for the first time, please read this post.

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Though I'm aware of A R Rahman's songs and listened to his music right from my kindergarten days (1990 born), I was completely blown away by the sound he produced when my dad bought this Panasonic Five CD Changer and the first album I played was Parthale Paravasam.

I was eleven years old in 2001 so don't even know what heartbreak is and the melancholy associated with it yet the Azhage Sugama number pushed me to listen multiple times. I was addicted to the album (although people only remember KB's Duet with Rahman these days, for me, PP is a close to heart album. Love check, Nee Dhaan En Thesiya Geetham, Manmadha Masam, Nadhir Dhina, Moondrezhuthu would be continuously blasted in 1400W dual speaker in my home)

Back to Azhage Sugama...

Whenever I return from school, I'd listen to this song and strangely, it also gave me peace of mind and tune me to concentrate on the day-to-day homework and studies. For some reason, I used to play this number before entering the exam hall, before preparing for semester exams and it continued till I finished college.

Azhage Sugama... ARR ey Sugama..
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About Rajasekar

A film buff who loves movies as much as he loves Tenkasi kaatthu and ambience, Rajasekar is a film correspondent who writes for Sify and First Post.

A fitness buff who's always on a stringent diet, Rajasekar's loves to click pictures of nature which include Rainbows, Waterfalls, Birds amongst others. Do check them out here and say hi to Rajasekar here.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by LKS

 If you are here for the first time, please read this post.

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I started living on my own in 2005 in Tampa, FL. My first few months in the US were fun, but there was definitely a feeling of being away from home and family and more importantly, managing personal finances and such. And to add to that there are usual/typical concerns on a day to day basis ("Will I get a part time job or get an assistantship? Will I burnt food again? When it is my cooking turn tonight?" etc.)

On most days, I used to walk from college to my apartment which was a 30 minute walk. It was during this time that I became a huge fan of Aararai Kodi song in Ah Aah.

The movie was terrible and I still wonder why Rahman composed that song for that movie. I digress, but it was awesome to listen to Rahman's voice everyday on my walk home. The song definitely helped me become calm and made me feel that things will get better. Even now, when I listen to this song, I remember my first six months in the US and feel nostalgic at how long ago it seems. I still listen to this song when I feel overwhelmed with work or things happening in my life.

P.S: Please do not put a SJ Suryah photo for this 
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About LKS

LKS. (not to be confused with PKS played by the guest blogger's favourite actor) a.k.a Karthik Sriram a.k.a Shri is a Business planning professional based out of the US.
He is your 'extraordinarily ordinary' Pakkathu veetu Madras payyan who loves Tamizh movies, ThalaRoxxx, Tamizh music and cricket.
My very first pullayar suzhi based blogger friend from 2007, (and we have thankfully, tolerated each other & not unfollowed, being an outrage aatha and all that), LKS is the friend one can call anytime, to discuss vetti stuff like Tamizh Bigg Boss news, Rajini's political entry, latest S J Suryah films and productive stuff like ThalaivARR's music.

Say Hi to LKS here. 

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Pattukkaaran

 If you are here for the first time, please read this post.

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ARR is an integral part of every 90's kid’s childhood. He played a vital role in tuning my ears to music of different kinds. Both I & Rahman were introduced to the world at right about the same time. I was born 5 months before his debut, in a small town in South Tamil Nadu. 

'Kanne Kalaimaane' was my lullaby, Pettai Rap was my dance number, but Rahman “happened” to me through 'Oliyum Oliyum’. I was fascinated to see the glass bus in ‘Urvasi Urvasi’ I grew up listening to ‘Mukkala Mukkabla’, ‘Romeo Aatam Potaal’ etc. But no, I'm not gonna talk about those songs. 

I'm here to share about "Alaipayuthey" - the 1st cassette I owned, the 1st cassette I played in loop. I noticed Rahman's name in the cassette, little did I know that that meant that he was the magician behind those songs. I knew Alaipayuthey songs by heart. The 1st song in Side A, the 2nd song in Side B. I knew the lyrics, the time between each song in the cassette, the number of oscillations I had to do with the pencil to reach a specific song.. EVERYTHING! I used to sit near the speakers when the album played and keenly watched the vibration of my speakers! :P I played that cassette until it started jarring at one point and I had to get another copy. I have the cassette safe with me till date.

It always amazes me that this man keeps reinventing himself, every album. He keeps learning. He listens and keeps himself updated. Thank you sir, your smile calms me like your music does. I do go back to your old interviews when I feel low. You are AMAZING. Stay the same.

Btw, I love Rahman's Insta feed. Forget the copy posts, whatever he does on his own, has soo much life! :)

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About Pattukkaran

Pattukkaran (not to be confused with the famous milkman from the '80s) is a music industry professional and is supremely passionate about what-else-but-music. An avid consumer of music across languages and genres, he writes about the songs that moved him, on this blog. Don't miss my favourite post, 'Songs of Hope'.

Do follow this music addict, here and here, right away!