A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Sid Srinivas

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

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A R Rahman and my life have always gone hand in hand. I would even call it a rain of destiny, because his songs have always been arriving at the right time, where I was able to relate to them with my personal happenings. I’ve mostly experienced A R Rahman’s songs for the first time through audio cassettes, CDs, FM stations, in theatres and now on YouTube. But one of my most memorable first time listens would be the time when I came across Rahman’s Malayalam song Padakali. At a concert of his.

I was well aware of the composer’s hits across the Tamil and Telugu industries, but Yodha is a world I had never heard of. Enjoying all the songs one by one at the concert which took place in Sharjah, I was taken aback by surprise when Benny Dayal and Haricharan started singing this Malayalam number which was like a vintage rap song. I remember asking my fellow friends and family members on whether this song was by another composer, only to later discover that it was indeed ARR’s own composition, and a brilliant one at that.

Now, Padakali has become one of the songs that I keep revisiting from time to time. The sheer pace of the song, the way the two veterans in KJ Yesudas and MG Sreekumar carry out the pronunciations, and the amount of the entertainment that one gets from the fun-filled video.

Equal credit to Benny Dayal and Haricharan, who were pitch perfect with their renditions on stage as well. Whatever ARR concerts I attend hereon, I will wait for this song to be performed live.

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Thank you Rahman, for this excellent song that is yet another stamp of your ever-widening versatility.
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About Sid Srinivas

Sidhu a.k.a Sid Srinivas is an Engineer turned Entertainment Journalist who loves his cinema as much as he loves his music and cricket.
A man of many hats within the review universe, Sidhu writes for Only Kollywood and Let's OTT apart from making brief appearances on YouTube to discuss movies. He is also a Marketing consultant for an upcoming movie in Tamizh. 
While his friends and family call him Sidhu/ Sid / Sidharth etc, he's known as 'EzhaigaLin Ilayathalapathy' amongst his ardent fans. Check this out to know why.
Fans can reach Sidhu here and here.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by A M Aravind

If you're here for the first time, please read this post
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The first time I heard this song was when my neighbour used to play it, and  it reached us in a muffled tone - because of the distance and the concrete walls interrupting the sound waves. I was intrigued. The neighbour played it again. And, again. And again. Several times that day. And for the rest of the week. But, I was not able to make out the lyrics or even the language, and I couldn't figure out what song it was. The introvert that I was, I never got around to asking him what it was.

 

What kept me hooked was these lines "Jao humko to Aati Sharm hai, Teri Aisi Adaa Pe to Fida hum hain". I found the way these lines were sung to be so fresh. And addictive. And, the tune, so unique!

 

Later that week, at school, some of my friends were to dance at our culturals, and were rehearsing, with an instrumental track. During a break, they played another song from the same film. And, guess what? It was my "mystery song". I finally asked what song it was. I got the reply, "Don't you know? This is A R Rahman's first Hindi film. And the song is called Hai Rama."

 

Though we were addicted to many of thalaivARR's Tamil songs in the 2-3 years he was in the industry, I wasn't following his work closely, and I was unaware of his Hindi debut. I quickly got hold of the cassette and it was a joy blasting all the songs from the album in our Videocon tape recorder.

 

What a magic Hai Rama turned out to be. If the "trailer" from my neighbour's house got me hooked, the full song blew me away. There was so much more in the song. Hariji and Swarnalatha in top form, accompanied by playful flute (the flute bit in the second interlude - from 4:45 - remained my ringtone for a long time), the vibrant percussion and passionate strings took me to heaven, not just then, but even now. 25 years after it was composed!

 

Thank you, Rahman sir, for blessing us with evergreen songs like this, and surprising us with extra-ordinary experiments, even after 28 years!

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About A.M.Aravind

An A.R.Rahman series without a guest post by AMA? No, Never, Nahin!

A die-hard fan of Rahman, Sachin and Federer, AMA, when not RJing on an online radio station, presenting ARR's songs, is usually in and around Pallikaranai Marshlands or Vedanthangal, marathon-ing.. ie Bird Marathoning. Don’t miss following his series on Youtube, for birders.
Also, have you listened to this song composed by Rahman for AMA? Yes, Nambungaji
Follow engaL Birdman here and 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 Vijaynarain

If you're here for the first time, please read this post. 
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The Rahman “Normal” 

Lekar Hum Deewana Dil.
The name sounds like a movie I would avoid even if someone gave me a free ticket to watch. Except, my trustworthy friends from the hardcore A.R.Rahman fans Whatsapp group ensured I was up to speed on the album release date. It must have been a month or so since I had set foot in Australia, allowing the country to slowly grow on me, in the same way many a Rahman song does. Even as I was warming up to Sydney’s delights, a sense of loneliness coupled with homesickness tended to creep in now and then, especially since those were the days of early sunsets that characterised the antipodean winter. 

Image courtesy - Wikipedia

My ringtone then, and for the next three years was Maloom’s opening guitar phrase. The ringtone was definitely not a conversation starter, you see, hardcore Rahman fans were hard to find for someone who barely had any friends in the country and the guitar lick itself wasn’t iconic in the same sense say, the bass-line of Urvasi Urvasi is. While like most other ARR albums, there were a host of new singers with amazingly fresh voices, the arrangements were surprisingly mainstream and the tunes, instantly catchy rather than woven into a byzantine web of notes and chords that reveal their intricate beauty over repeated listens. Yet, there was something about the album that made it feel like a cup of hot chocolate on a freezing Sunday evening.

I have in the past, written tedious essays about other Rahman albums that have moved me to tears (Inn Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein), shaken the core of my being (Water!), made me sit up all night flabbergasted that it was even humanly possible to create something like what I’d just heard (so many examples, but perhaps Adiye, Noor Un Ala, Thee Thee for now). However, never did I think I’d be writing about a normal Rahman album. Then again, the Rahman “normal” is a new normal isn’t it? I know I know, if only you had a dollar for every time you heard that term in the past few months…

Apparently this “Rahman normal” feels like a warm, welcoming hug from a friend you haven’t met in ages. Or perhaps it’s just that you haven’t realised that friend has always been with you even if you’re a continent apart, ready to put an arm around your shoulder and tell you everything is going to be just fine. I suppose that also explains why I’ve been revisiting the

music of LHDD often lately. My Australian experience would be incomplete, perhaps non-existent, without this album.

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About Vijaynarain A musician, a daily wage IT consultant and a fighter for the cause of preserving structural integrity

of biscuits dunked in tea... Say hello to 'Super Singer' Vijaynarain. A familiar name in almost all of Santhosh Narayanan's recent albums, the singer Vijaynarain made his debut as Composer Vijaynarain, in Dagaalty, recently. Do check out the soundtrack. Vijaynarain's got some interesting projects coming up as a singer and as a composer and we cannot wait to listen to all of them! Thanks Vijaynarain for writing this today. Makkaley, don't miss listening to this wonderful playlist featuring all of Vijaynarain's hits.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Chennai Motorist

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

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Disclaimer 1- Long Post

Disclaimer 2-Highly Personal share

Disclaimer 3- Have so many more favourites to mention and so much more to share! For, how do you explain the magic of ARR in just one post, huh, Blogeswari?)

When I think of ARR, I think of the word ‘phenomenon’. That he has been given the titles ‘Isaippuyal’ and ‘Mozart of Madras’ is absolutely no surprise. 

But I can’t say he stormed in to my senses like the Isaippuyal that he is, because the way he came into my life was actually gentle…persistent, even. I would say that he moved in to my head and heart one bag at a time; one song at a time. Lock, stock and barrel. That is to say: Voice, Instrument and Arrangement!  And his music will always be unique, transporting me to some place I’ve never been…a place full of new possibilities I never even knew existed! Since his music transports me so, I should also return the favour, methinks and now, a playlist without his music is unthinkable. Therefore, the way I do and always will, take him along with me wherever I go, is just a given. We don’t dump the good in our lives anywhere. We hold it close and carry it wherever we can.

I thank Blogeswari for asking me to write about A R Rahman because it really made me think about and express in words who ARR is in my life, and what his music means to me.

All Images courtesy A.R.Rahman's Instagram

When A R Rahman was first introduced through the movie Roja, it was a remarkable entry indeed because the sound of his music was refreshing, the lyrics deep, new and bold, and the movie’s director was more of a brand than just a famous individual - Mani Ratnam.

But I just said ‘oh ya, nice songs, ya’ and listened, enjoyed them, and moved on with life. ‘Pudhiya Mugam’, ‘Gentleman’ albums happened as I tried to proceed with life without taking proper hold of ARR’s music. But then, ‘Thiruda Thiruda’ hit us and then, ‘Duet’. What is that talk about CALM and all when there is a storm? It’s nonsense. If you’re hit by a Storm, you can’t just sit back and do nothing. You’ve GOT to be swayed…and this storm makes you first sit up, pay attention and then do what needs to be done. And so, being the half-baked musician that I was in my teens (&continue to be), ‘Rasathi’ was duly attempted in for an event: ‘Socials’ and then unceremoniously abandoned after near-perfection because…that new Acapella Gokappella and all defeated us teenagers as a concept. We lacked the confidence to pull it off on stage without instruments to play shock-absorber on the pitchy parts and quavers, semi-quavers and demi-semi-quavers. (Proving that half-bakedness here)

Also, acapella wasn’t a well-known or relevant word then! (hehe)

Through my undergrad years, ARR’s music dominated the cultural scene at the colleges of Chennai. Every dance performer attempted to shake their limbs to ‘Chikku-bukku railu’ and as for the singing; I was slumped close to unconsciousness in frustration and extreme boredom when the umpteenth solo contestant sang ‘Netru Illadha Maatram’ for the nth time! (from Pudhiya Mugam)

I hated soppy songs then and also, hardly anyone did justice to the high notes composed by Rahman while also retaining the melody in all its glory. I imagine that if I were a rat, a big human stomping on the edge of my tail would allow me to hit the highest note in the charanam of Netru Illaadha Maatram! On the other hand, the throaty ‘July maadham vandhaal‘ from the same film was differently delightful but almost-never attempted. 

ARR was then a young music director who was present as a Judge for a Light Music contest we participated in and ‘Tamizha Tamizha’ was coincidentally a part of our college band’s (Ethiraj) repertoire. We didn’t win the first place (sniff) maybe because we had a one-handed player on the piano and a couple of Bharatanatyam dancers playing the drums together (!) or maybe, because he didn’t want to award the team who was playing HIS songs, the first spot. Anyway we received the Second place and criticized him a bit (!) for not applauding our version of Tamizha Tamizha enough.

(Today, I would be thrilled to just catch sight of his slightly-smiling face anywhere and that would be enough because of the magic that’s his music, but this fuss was long, long ago.)

Then, when I left my first-ever job in an Internet-services company to pursue my passion in the US of A, two guys who were colleagues of mine, gifted me an audio cassette: “Kadhalan”. First of all, I was surprised that my colleagues of 6 months thought me special enough to give a gift to. (The company had given me a watch! So these 2 didn’t really have to give me anything). Secondly, I have always noticed that anyone who gifts me music is simply unforgettable in my life. So, that’s why I remember those two. Let’s call them G&P.

Anyway, I thanked G&P bemusedly, and gave the cassette cover a once-over and then shrugged it off. After all, it had Prabhu Deva and Nagma on the cover! Still, I packed it in my suitcase because I always listened to music while doing anything and everything and plus, it was a going-away gift from 2 BOYS.

I HAVE to mention Isaignani Ilayaraja here. (Yes, this is weird) Sorry, Blogeswari, music is personal so you will have to bear with ramblings of my journey with Ilayaraja first and
A R Rahman next. Until Roja happened, Ilayaraja’s was THE music which was familiar, revered, enjoyed, etc. So, you can’t just-like-that switch to someone new and go gaga over him, right? That’s not what a good South Indian does. So, I didn’t ‘justu’ switch. But I sure added him to my music collection as and when more of his music was released.

As an adult, when you hear new music, you don’t just accept it and dance and sing along. You sit down and break it down and criticise it if you can. But then, there I was, all alone in my room, listening to Kadhalan on my mini tape player in the boonies of the West Virginian mountains, soaking in the hep-sounding Tamizh, jolted by the newness and marveling at the fresh music. It was like going through one of those parallel universe thingies through a strange tunnel full of alien music but it was all so filling and oh-so-melodious all the same. I can’t say I cried like Actor Karthik weirdly did in Gopuravaasalile (which scene I want to UNSEE till date), but I can say that I was just terribly taken aback in a wonderful way. I wasn’t cheating on Raja, I told myself. I was just moving ahead with Raja in my backpack and Rahman in my handbag. Clutch*Clutch*.

All the new voices added to Rahman’s magic. The SPB and Janaki Jodi-singing was replaced by so many new singer-combos and solos which all sounded fantastic. A whole, new world opened up. The variety in voices, the freshness of sound, and the powerful effect of the instruments coming together for harmony was just earth-shattering!

Back home, the TV used to blare out insane visuals of SPB and Prabhu Deva dancing together in Kadhalan. My late father was very taken with ARR as well. He tried mocking ‘this new music’ but ended up enjoying it as he sang ‘Muqaala, Muqaabala, Laila ohhh Laila’. Being a good singer himself and partial to the likes of Rafi, Talat and Ghantasala, he sang Muqaala to tune and though he inserted cluck-cluckings like “What ARE these lyrics I say” in attempted disgust, he didn’t stop singing the songs. J One particular song tickled him terribly. Oorvasi Oorvasi. When I sang out “Pakathu seat-u-la paati okkaandha, Take it easy policy”, he laughed out loud (ya LOL-ed. Back then, we said the WORDS, actually).

When we came to “Dhanda soru-nu appan sonna…Take it easy policy” he chuckled, and “pandigai thedhi Sundayil vandha Take it easy policy” made him snort, “Vazhuka thalayan Tirupathi pona” made him giggle and finally, “Azhagu kaadhali Anna-nu sonna” had him chortling with laughter. This now makes me think he might have been Anna-ed and also that he may have had many a Paatti take a seat next to his. Anyway, in the short time he was alive after ARR’s entry, he enjoyed Isaipuyal’s music immensely.

To me, some movie albums stand out because they’re outstanding (!) -- Like VTV, OKK, Kaatru Veliyidai, Tenali, and many, many more. Innumerable songs have delighted us. VTV’s Omana penne is terribly special and Swasame in Tenali too. So very mellifluous. It’s hard to pin down favourites cos they keep slipping out like Slippery Seppankizhangu that has been boiled and ready for peeling. MORE favourites keep jostling for attention! ‘Kaara Attakara’ jolts me out of lethargy anytime, while ‘Azhagiye’ from ‘Kaatru Veliyidai’ makes me want to hug someone immediately in Kushi! (not shadily, mind you)

On another note, I get jealous of any South Indian celeb who ventures close to the North ie Bollywood. So I refuse to listen to ARR’s Hindi ventures. Even so, ‘Khwaja mere Khwaja’ moves me and ‘Dil Se’ songs are far superior in effect, to the Tamizh version. So, I have to let him go once in a while so that he will come back and compose a ‘Munbe va’ and a ‘New York Nagaram’ which will keep me less sulky (!) while he visits the Mumbai scene and comes back. (Back here in Chennai, is where you belong, ARR!)

All said and done, I’d say that ARR speaks to us in song. He voices the notes to us and shares with us his scintillating music, telling us that the world still has hope, beautiful music, awesome lyrics and…himself. That’s all I want to hear. <3

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About Chennai Motorist

What do I write about someone who I've known more than half my life?
One post and all won't do justice I say.

Chennai Motorist a.k.a Teesu Akka a.k.a Tees is one of the most lovable person/s you'll come across. An entrepreneur, a Seppankezhangu aficionado, a pianist, guitarist, writer and a cute cuddly friend (I can see her cringemaxxx) who one can discuss all possible vetti stuff particularly about Madras. 

A supremely creative person, Tees is a strictu aabeesar as a music teacher when she taught us, a big group of singers and instrumentalists, a dozen songs to sing at various culturals. Ya, including the one where we sang in front of the The ARR.

Thanks Tees for sharing your thoughts. This is so well written. Love eeet & Love you!

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Loges

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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 Ninad Sonawane

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

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My life is a series of dualities, twos...Unbelonging in either world... Like the mythical Trishanku, stuck between this world and the heavens above.

When I was going through particularly troubling times, transitioning, accepting, choosing one world over another, Rockstar was released. It was the last audio CD I bought. This was a confusing period in my life and swinging between love and lovelessness, the lyrics of "... Khaiyon Na Tu Naina Morey..." didn't have the same resonance they would have otherwise had. 

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What stuck a chord was the musical Jugalbandi piece "Dichotomy of fame"... Colliding two worlds, celebrating their individuality and cleaved together in a spellbinding manner. 

Marital separation and decisions about matters of heart are severe. Love, longing and loss leave deep wounds and searching your heart and mind to discover what direction you want to take takes a heavy toll on your sanity and peace of mind. 

I visualised the lived past and imagined past and possible futures while playing "Dichotomy of fame" on repeat. At the end of the day, what had to happen, happened. The pain and joy of contemplation while listening to the Shehnai and guitar, stayed with me. Belonging and Unbelonging to someone and losing exclusivity of those emotions is what my journey from Iruvar to Rockstar stands for. 

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About Ninad Sonawane

The one friend who one call anytime and who will have the answers to all of life's problems. Meet  my dearest Ninad, a 24*7 Social Scientist, Global Gyaani, Media guy, Storyteller, Shhunya Vad, Movie buff and an Ambivert.
And above all, a guy with a heart of gold. Thanks Nin, for writing this.

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!

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Shrey Jadav

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

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The year was 2006 and I was 9 years old going into 10. That age is a very strange one, you don't want to be called a child and you "can't wait for high-school, and college and have your own money." I also felt like that was the time when one get's a slow introduction to emotions that are individual and personal to you; it could be people, events, hobbies, art, music or films. And that was the time when I first felt something very unprecedented, it was poignant and over-whelming, but it was beautiful.

Rang De Basanti was released that year and it was the hot talk in the country and the next thing I remember was my dad, my mum, my sister and I in the theatre. My in my mother's lap because I was small enough still to be a "half-ticket”.  Rang De Basanti is of course a roller-coaster of emotions but then towards the end when Lukka Chuppi played, that song hit different. The music, the melody, the miss-en-scene was so perfect, remember what started as small sobs at intervals turned into heavy weeping and I held my mum’s hand real tight.

At first, she thought I was scared with the idea of death and protest (as shown in the movie) and asked me to shut my eyes. But I knew it wasn’t that. I knew that I was feeling “heavy”, something I wasn’t able to describe at that time. Even with my eyes closed, I heard the music unfurl in the magic of  Mr. Rahman and Lata Mangeshkar and I felt a strange sad, a happy kinda sad - which I knew was monetary and would pass a few hours after the movie ended but I was happy to be in that moment; I felt like I was growing up and I was learning of the joys that one can gain from art and emotions and music. And A R Rahman was one of the firsts to make me realise that. The fact that I can remember this singular incident in detail is an epitome of how these small, personal experiences really shape you. Yes, I wasn’t aware of who he was at that time, nor did I know who was signing, I just knew that the music was stirring something inside of me and I was keen to have more experiences as such.

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The years followed with me singing Lukka Chuppi, Maa Tujhe Salaam, Dil Se Re among many of the Maestro's hits for Mother’s Day, Independence Day etc at school events not knowing the singular link amongst the magic in all these that was A R Rahman.

I love scrolling through YouTube and a lot of my recommendations consist of choir music. Quite recently, I came across some videos of the Berklee Indian Ensemble’s tribute to A R Rahman where they performed some of his absolute classics, Jiya Jale, Kun Faaya Kun and my most favourite the Swades title track. And that was nothing less than a transcending experience, watching Indians and foreigns alike sing, play and grove to these powerful melodies; a supreme reminder of how music is beyond any boundaries and A R Rahman has not only accomplished that within our country, but taken us to the world.

In conclusion, Mr. Rahman GAVE to me, one of my very first coming-of-age experiences that I will cherish for life. And continues to deliver to us those moments of ecstatic surprise every now and then, and that is gold for me.

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About Shrey

Before anything let me introduce you to this ARR song, sung by singer Shrey.

A Digital Content and Social Media professional, Shrey did his Bachelors in Mass Media and started his career as a copywriter. I have had the fortune of working with fun Gen Z folks and Shrey is one of them. When not chatting with bff Katy Perry (no kidding, just check this), he spends his Lockdown time on his fabulous insta-live sessions, singing.

Sing along with Shrey here.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Govind Vasantha

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

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One of my most favourite songs of ARR is Oru Deivam Thantha Poove from Kannathil Muthamittal. 

image from the video

I was in school when it released. And it struck me like a lightning because of the wild nature of the melody and orchestration. The rhythm pattern was very organic and unlike anything I have ever heard before and it almost sounded like thunder to me. And the best part is , it's not just a wild random tune that you find hard to connect to, instead it touches you so deeply that it  makes you cry. I even get scared listening to it. It was the first time I experienced all these emotions all in one song.

The shift of notes flows smoothly like a river. And of course Chinmayi just elevated the poignancy of the song to a level that will push you to stay away from the song.. oh the irony!

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About Govind Vasantha

Thaikkudam bridge's founding member, violinist and vocalist, Govind Vasantha's filmography as a composer includes North 24 Kaatham, 100 days of Love, Seethakathi, 96, Jaanu amongst others. This versatile musician switches from being an independent musician to a film composer, carving a niche in both.

We cannot wait for a Govind Vasantha song in ThalaivARR's voice. Thank you for writing this, Govind.

Say hello to Govind here and here .

PS - Special thanks to Santhosh Kumar for making this possible.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Sangeetha Devi

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

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Once upon a school excursion

A song that makes me smile and recall the fun I had in school is ‘Rukkumani Rukkumani from Roja (1992), A R Rahman’s debut film. 

I was in Class 10, studying in Coimbatore. We had two kinds of school excursions conducted simultaneously - we could choose between a one-day trip to Yercaud and a three-day trip to Madurai-Kodaikanal. My parents were overprotective and didn’t let me go on the three-day excursion; I went to Yercaud. That’s a different story.

When we all returned from our respective excursions, my friends from the Madurai-Kodaikanal excursion group had tales to tell, which came with spurts of laughter even before the morning Assembly.

Their bus had a breakdown in Madurai and soon it was clear that they would have to wait several

hours. The journey to Kodai had to be called off; to kill time, they persuaded the teachers to book tickets for Roja. Mani Ratnam film. No questions asked. All was well when the film began. The new handsome hero (Arvind Swamy) was worth a lot of gushing (which the girls tried to do discreetly), Madhu was gorgeous and ‘Chinna Chinna Aasai’ was mesmerising. 

Then came ‘Rukkumani Rukkumani’. Imagine a big group of adolescent girls struggling to hide their smiles while watching it with frowning and disapproving teachers, which included Nuns.

My friends laughed, recalling the teachers’ comments and chides (for egging them on to book tickets for the movie).

By lunch hour, word had spread about the movie experience in the staff room.  

The Tamil teacher walked in later for her class. Her classes were partly moral science sessions. It wouldn’t take much for her to digress and talk about how the world was going to dogs and we are doomed. 

She didn’t watch movies (or maybe she did, who knows), and had heard about the Madurai ordeal. Fellow teachers had told her that they liked the film, barring a song sequence. 

In between explaining a Tamil ‘Seyyul’ (literary poem), she paused and said something like how poetry/songs are awful today - and said she had heard about Roja, in which elderly women sang and danced to ‘Rukkumani rukkumani’ with eroticism.  Most of my friends remained poker faced. I giggled. She threw me a sharp glance and said she didn’t expect it from me. I laughed some more and then said sorry. After the class we all laughed, again.

For many of us who were (I still am) huge Ilaiyaraaja fans, the early 90s was about being stunned by a strikingly new world of Tamil film music, thanks to ARR. 

My dad and I had a go-to music store in Coimbatore - Saraswathi Stores - where we would buy cassettes of Raaja sir’s music by the dozen. We bought Roja. And slowly our Raaja-centric personal collection of film music began to have many ARR albums as well. ******************************************* About Sangeetha Devi A journalist with The Hindu, Sangeetha writes on varied topics including films, art and culture. During this lockdown, Sangeetha is busy filling notebooks, jotting down notes from all the telephonic interviews. You can read this amateur photographer's articles here. Don't forget to say hello to Sangeetha here.