A Walk Down Rahman Lane by LKS

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Image from the video 

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

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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

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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.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Anjana

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*Thadak dhum dhoom* was how I used to sing the opening thunder clasp of 'Yaayire' from
Rangeela. My mom had a Akai music system that used to sit on my study table. Every morning, as she used to get ready for work she'd put in a cassette and hit play. Sometimes it would be Thiruda Thiruda, sometimes it would be Rangeela. But ARR was constant even without her consciously being an ARR fan. If there was one song or album of Rahman's that I would hold special (ugh, this choice is so hard because my mind instantly flits between Rangeela, Roja, Minsara Kanavu and so many more) then it would be Rangeela. I am no music expert to pinpoint on the exact reason for this and I don't think one expects reason here, but the entire album was very 'Rangeela' indeed. Going from "Kya Kare Kya Na Kare" to "Hai Rama" to "Mangta hai kya" each song had a different perkiness to it that appealed to the 8 year old me. Without even seeing the visuals, I 'favourited' these songs instantly.

Image courtesy - Discogs

Even today, that iconic thunder clasp brings back memories of a girl in two braids sitting at her study table, looking that black jacket of Rangeela, slowly becoming a fan of the man behind the magic, ARR.

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About Anjana

Moving out of the crowded metros, Anjana has made the best decision of her life, living in a sleepy little town in Tamilnadu. A lover of Coffee and Crocheting, Anjana handles social media for clients and hosts her own podcasts. An active blogger, Anjana was an RJ and a Product manager apart from being a Baby wearing consultant. Oh, did I mention she works with her husband as well, in their business?

Phew! 

You must must must take a look at her fantastic online Crochet store on Instagram .

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Sharanya

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Very early on in my relationship with this one boy- he spoke to me about how much he was moved by Dil Se. The Gujarati in him hadn't obviously watched the Tamizh version.  Just like he hadn't watched any of his Mani Ratnam favorites in the language it was originally meant to be watched in-my mother tongue, Tamizh. 

Growing up so far away from the home to the language- music became the fastest way for my Bombay waala Bhelpuri Tamil to look at nuance and truly appreciate the 'roots'. "'Rahman is universal, you can't stake claim on him," he would laugh at my being territorial of the same tune in its original form.

Years later, we would be in a dark movie theatre- him passing his ultimate test- sitting between Amma and me-watching his first ever Tamizh padam- for nothing but ARR in all his glory. My mother was impressed.

Months later, my entire extended family was. Five years later, on afternoons when I don't even notice him- I catch him singing - Mana mana mental Manadhil. The original.

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About Sharanya

Sakalakalavalli Sharanya is a singer, radio host, screenplay writer and is a Studio head.
When not planning her next solo holiday, she's busy writing award winning shorts and mentoring a bunch of young creative writers in the team.

Always bubbling with ideas and enthusiasm, this Lockdown period has been quite a busy one for their studio what with releasing back to back shorts on their YouTube channel.


Meet Shar here & here.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by M Suganth

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My first memory of A R Rahman and his music is, of course, Roja, but at that time, I was a bit young (and naive) to appreciate what a game changer the album was. I did love Kadhal Rojave (because SPB) and Tamizha Tamizha (patriotism FTW!), though. And even when Gentleman released, and Rahman became Kollywood's most-wanted man, I distinctly remember boasting to my friend in school (I think I was in Class 5 then) that many Rahmans may come and go, but Ilaiyaraaja would still be on top. Little did I know that in the very next year, Rahman would deliver the album that would make me a convert — a lifelong fanboy, at that! No humble pie that I've been served has been ever sweeter!

So, to cut the suspense short, the album I'm talking about is Duet . My aunt's house had cable TV, so I would catch the songs on Sun TV and liked them a lot. Mettu Podu instantly wormed its way into me. But the moment when I truly fell head-first in love was when I borrowed home the audio cassette from my uncle, and started listening to it frequently. Pretty soon, everything about the album became so familiar and loveable, from the song order to the singers and even the musicians and Panchathan Record Inn, thanks to the credits in the cassette (with a cute pic of ThalaivARR with his keyboard). Needless to say, I never returned the cassette!

(image from Suganth)

If you are a true ARR fan, you know that your favourite in an album will keep changing for quite some time until you discover that one song which you realise you cannot live without. And for me, Naan Paadum Sandham became that song. Right from the prelude, which gushes like a river, to the terrific duet between a godly SPB and Kadri's divine sax, this was (it still is) pure bliss. And the fact that it did not have a proper music video (though it does play over a montage in the film) made it personal for me as I could imagine whatever visuals I wanted to go with it. In the early days, I'd often wish that it should have been a longer song, but over the years, I've warmed up to the fact that good things come in small packages. It is now the third song that I play when I buy a new music system/earphone (of course, the first two are also ThalaivARR songs), but as they say, the first one is always special, right?

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About M Suganth

A journalist based out of Madras, Suganth writes the most balanced movie reviews, according to me. I have most often found myself nodding in agreement, reading his reviews. This writeup on his favourite ARR album memory is no exception. I had similar MemoiARRies playing Duet on rererepeat during holidays.

A father of two and a husband of one (adhe!), Suganth's culinary experiments can be found under #PondatiOorukkuPoita on his Instagramam .  Say hello to Suganth here.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Lordlabak

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You are right. It’s tough to write about that one special song A R Rahman made but I want to write about a song that I enjoy in a different way compared to so many of his other songs.

I love learning lyrics of the songs I like so I can sing along. This song, try as I might, I could not get the words right. Yet I take pleasure in singing along with made up lyrics. Pal Pal hain Bhari from Swades is that song.

The movie has so many flamboyant songs yet this simple song pictured on Ramayana play tugs at my heart. It starts off in Jonpuri and moves to Kamas. The classical base of this song makes this a “soft and soulful” song for me. Musical theatre songs generally have a high quality and here is a movie song made for musical theatre scene in it. The simplicity of the people, the village in question are best captured in the music. And that is what makes this song super special for me.

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About Lordlabak

Lordlabak is my jigiriest dosthu who I discuss all things vetti including Twitter Pisthus and Instagram Gethus. Proof of our fraandships is that we both were a part of 3 different friends' whatsapp groups which is now down to 2. Yeah like that. 

A Digital Analytics expert, Lordlabak is one of the few people in the world who can do a PhD in Tuesday Doordarshan dramas, '70s Tamizh films, Oliyum Oliyum etc. What would I do without such fun friends?

I cannot wait for Lordlabak to retire and move to a place closest to the most-happening-Terrace-Garden-house in Mumbai so that I can get my weekly stash of fresh veggies and fruits... Free Free Free! Please reach out to her here and ask her to move to Mumbai soon.